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Adrian McCoy is a free-lance writer who regularly contributes to the Post-Gazette.
About a year ago, Kermit the Frog was a fill-in host on CNN's "Larry King Live." The world-famous frog chatted easily with the Washington, D.C., elite and a puppet version of first cat Socks, charmed callers and even got a call from the vacationing King himself. It was a perfect example of the kind of magic Jim Henson and his fantastic critters have woven over children and adults alike for more than three decades.
Henson's untimely death in 1990 cut a brilliant career short, but he left behind a huge legacy. "The Vision of Jim Henson," a retrospective sampling of Jim Henson Productions' prolific body of work, is a fitting tribute. The exhibit got its U.S. premiere at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum last night. It's there through May 28, and eventually will go on to the '96 Olympics in Atlanta.
The artifacts are visual milestones from an amazing career. Henson pioneered the use of film and television to push the boundaries of what puppets could be and do, creating unforgettable original creatures and dazzling effects.
By the time he was in his teens, he was enthralled with puppet-making. He started out in 1954 as a puppeteer for a locally produced show in Washington, D.C. In '55, he launched "Sam and Friends," a live, local nightly five-minute show. It was Kermit's first TV job.
The 1960s brought Henson's Muppets (a combination of "puppet" and "marionette") to national TV in a variety of guest spots, including "The Tonight Show," "Jimmy Dean Show" and "Today." In 1969, the long-running "Sesame Street" was launched, followed by "The Muppet Show," "Fraggle Rock" and the animated series "Muppet Babies." Henson and his creations also moved into film -- "The Muppet Movie," "The Great Muppet Caper," "The Muppets Take Manhattan," and the fantasy films "The Dark Crystal" (co-directed with Frank Oz) and "Labyrinth."
Jane Henson met her future husband in a puppet-making class. She was his production assistant in the early days and continues to work to preserve her husband's memory and art form.
She's on the board of the Henson Foundation, which helps to fund new works in an effort to foster the growth of quality...