Jim Henson's Red Book

In June 1965, 28-year-old Jim Henson started a written log of his activities in what became known as “The Red Book.” He noted what had happened up until that point (deemed “Ancient History”) and then recorded anything that he felt was worth recording as single line journal entries until the end of 1988.

Selected curated entries courtesy of The Jim Henson Company Archives.

2/–/1984 – ‘Brian H. to London to work on OZ.’

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

In May of 1983, Brian Henson decided to join his dad on production of the third Muppet feature film, The Muppets Take Manhattan. He was assigned to Faz Fazakas, often referred to as an electro-mechanical wizard, to help with special effects. Some of these involved radio control of the puppets and other animatronic techniques. Brian also performed, working the marionette rig for Scooter’s bicycle ride. Talented in both areas and interested in the work of his father’s Creature Shop, Brian kept an eye out for opportunities in fantasy film work.

After The Dark Crystal, designer and fabricator Lyle Conway took the lead on the design team for Walter Murch’s film Return to Oz. It was a small creative community working in London on these types of projects at the time, so many of The Dark Crystal crew found work together on the Oz film or back at Henson the following year on Dreamchild. Post Muppets Take Manhattan, Brian was doing some work on Fraggle Rock and was offered an audition to do special effects puppetry for Return to Oz – he was offered the job, performing Jack Pumpkinhead. Happy with a chance to establish himself outside his father’s company, he accepted immediately. Following that, he worked on another outside project, Santa Claus: The Movie, and then came back to Henson for Labyrinth. Frank Oz’s film, Little Shop of Horrors, was Brian’s next project and from there, he was firmly entrenched in the work of the Henson Creature Shop, living in London and beginning to direct.

Brian’s work both inside and outside the company during the 1980s allowed him to establish relationships on both the technical and performing sides of the business, giving him a strong foundation for his leadership role in the following decade. With his talent, experience and connections, he was ready to take on the challenges of what would become successful and critically acclaimed projects: Dinosaurs, Farscape, Muppets Tonight and three Muppet feature films.

Learn more about Brian Henson.

Newsweek’s notice about Return to Oz, May 28, 1984.

Jim and Brian Henson perform together for Labyrinth, 1985.

Topics: Muppets Take Manhattan | Tagged Brian Henson, Dark Crystal, Dinosaurs, Dreamchild, Farscape, Faz Fazakas, Fraggle Rock, Frank Oz, Jack Pumpkinhead, Labyrinth, London, Lyle Conway, Muppets Tonight, Return to Oz, Santa Claus: The Movie, Scooter, Walter Murch

2/21/1971 – ‘Re-play “The Cube” – NBC.’

Posted on February 21, 2012 by admin

The Cube, Jim’s program produced as part of NBC’s Experiment in Television series was written by Jim and Jerry Juhl back in 1966. While opposite from the visual style of Jim’s manic short Time Piece, The Cube explored similar themes related to free will and how the mind interprets the surrounding world. There was little interest in the script at first, and Jim and Jerry tried their hand at another script the following year, Tale of Sand, which married the visuals of Time Piece with the ideas of The Cube.

Tale of Sand, like The Cube, had a protagonist who inexplicably finds himself in an unexpected setting, confronted by seemingly incongruous situations and characters and is unable to control his own destiny. Unlike The Cube, which was eventually shot in a blank white room, Tale of Sand was to move quickly between locations, have riotous colors and extravagant sound accompaniment. Jim and Jerry pursued television opportunities for the first script and sought to sell the second as a feature film. They got The Cube produced in 1969, but even with revisions, Tale of Sand never got past the screenplay stage…until now. In January 2012, the Henson Company’s comic book partner, Archaia Entertainment, published a graphic novel version of Jim and Jerry’s script, Tale of Sand, with art by Ramón Pérez. Given the lush descriptions of what is an incredibly visual story, the graphic novel format is an ideal way to bring this forgotten effort to light. More than forty years later, fans have another way to experience Jim and Jerry’s creative thinking during this experimental period in their careers.

Learn more about The Cube here and here.

Learn more about the Tale of Sand graphic novel.

See some clips from The Cube here and here.

Jim in a promotional photo on the set of The Cube, 1969.

Newspaper advertisement for The Cube, 1969.

Topics: 02-February '71, 1971, Cube | Tagged Archaia Entertainment, Jerry Juhl, Ramón Pérez, Tale of Sand, The Cube, Time Piece

2/20/1974 – ‘Hurt ankle – on crutches’

Posted on February 20, 2012 by admin

On a visit to the home of his Sesame Street colleague Jon Stone in Vermont, Jim began a tradition of skiing with his family. As Jon remembered, “We took [Jim] over to Stratton Mountain and got him outfitted, and I walked him over to the bunny hill. Later, Jim became an accomplished skier, applying himself to the task with his characteristic determination; but this morning, like every other first-day skier, he spent a lot of time on his backside (and frontside) until he was absolutely covered with snow. It was all over his clothes, in his beard, in his hair; and it’s this image that sticks in my memory: this skinny snowman coming at me down that gentle little hill, standing straight up, arms straight out to the sides, poles dangling. I remember telling him he looked like Christ of the Andes, and we both sat down in the snow, laughing.”

The Hensons generally went to Vermont to ski, most frequently to Stratton Mountain near the Stones’ house, and a couple times to Okemo and Killington. In 1975, when the Muppets’ appearance on a Julie Andrews special (taped in London) conflicted with the family’s Vermont plans, Andrews arranged for them to all ski at Gstaad in Switzerland. Another year, their cold-weather destination was Mt. Tremblant in Quebec. These ski trips were a real break from routine, and they gave Jim a chance to enjoy his family and spend some time relaxing in nature. And despite hurting his ankle during the 1974 Stratton trip, Jim and his family continued annual trips through the late 1980s.

The Muppet gang ready to hit the slopes.

Gonzo enjoying a winter outing.

Topics: 02-February '74, 1974, Family | Tagged Gstaad, Jon Stone, Julie Andrews, Killington, Mt. Tremblant, Muppets, Okemo, Sesame Street, Stratton, Vermont

2/19-21/1970 – ‘Denver doing computer animation for RCA Stereo demo.’

Posted on February 19, 2012 by admin

Topics: 02-February '70, 1970, Commercials | Tagged RCA

2/18/1971 – ‘N.Y. Puppetry Guild honor JH.’

Posted on February 18, 2012 by admin

The small medallion on a silk ribbon that Jim received from the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York was just a token in recognition of the impressive achievements of one of their own. The Guild, the New York chapter of the national organization Puppeteers of America, was happy to celebrate Jim’s work and value his participation in their activities. Going back to his Washington days, Jim was eager to meet with other puppeteers and share skills and innovations of the craft. He and his wife Jane attended meetings of the National Capital Puppet Guild before their move to New York, and they became active in the Puppeteers of America. This was the earliest evidence of Jim’s lifelong commitment to his fellow puppeteers across the globe.

It was through the Puppeteers of America that Jim met and recruited the original members of his creative team. In 1960, he and Jane attended their first Puppeteers of America festival in Detroit. There, Jim was delighted to meet one of his earliest influences, Burr Tillstrom, and he was also introduced to Don Sahlin, an accomplished builder. Two years later, Don joined Jim’s fledgling company. The following year, at the festival in Asilomar, California, Jim met Frank Oz and Jerry Juhl, two puppeteers who were to become Jim’s lifelong collaborators. Later in the ’60s at another festival, Jim met Caroll Spinney, who would become known to the world as Big Bird.

Jim’s involvement with the Puppeteers of America and the New York Guild continued throughout his life; he served as Puppeteers of America president for the 1962-63 term and was responsible for the 1963 festival, held in Hurleyville, N.Y. In 1966, Jim became one of the founding officers of UNIMA-USA, the American branch of the international puppetry organization. UNIMA-USA’s incorporation in 1979 was helped enormously by Jim’s efforts, and he also organized the 1980 UNIMA congress held in Washington, D.C. His most famous puppet, Kermit the Frog, hosted a related television special, Here Come The Puppets, that enabled him to share the festival with viewers everywhere.

See more information about the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York.