I cribbed today's video link from Glenn Haumann over at ComicMix but it's too good to not include here…
Seventeen years ago, a lovely and brilliant man named Jim Henson left us. He'd been feeling ill for days and finally was persuaded to go to a hospital. He walked in and never walked out. (The cause was given as "Bacterial Pneumonia.")
A few months later, CBS ran a tribute hour called The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson which didn't get nearly enough publicity or notice. Today's clip is the close of that special, and I need to set it up for you. The Muppets — all but Kermit, who ain't around — have spent most of the hour planning a salute to someone named Jim Henson. Kermit asked them to do this and they've been working on it, even though they're not quite sure who this "Jim Henson" person is.
Throughout the show, there have been little segments on Henson's life and there have been people talking about him…but Fozzie, Gonzo and the others are still fuzzy on the subject. Then they come across a pile of fan letters that were written after Henson's passing…and as the clip begins, they're reading them aloud.
There are two things to note in this clip. The song they sing is "Just One Person," which was the closing tune in Snoopy: The Musical, the little-seen sequel to the musical, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. It was apparently a favorite of Henson's and at his memorial service, all the Muppeteers performed it as the closing number. I have a video of the event and while the whole ceremony was touching and (at times) quite funny, the closing — with all those puppeteers coming out and having their characters join in — could make Darkseid weep.
Also, there's an important moment in this clip. As the Muppets are singing, Kermit shows up, making his first appearance in the show. This was, I believe, the "debut" of Kermit as performed by Steve Whitmire, Henson's choice to assume the character. It's a poignant and meaningful way to say that though Jim is gone, Kermit will live on. And so he has.
Have a hankie ready before you click. Here's the clip…
