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Jim Henson: Muppets Take Manhattan
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Sesame Street demonstrated the Muppets' undeniable appeal to children, but Jim strongly believed these characters could entertain a much wider family audience. After years of trying to sell the idea for The Muppet Show™ in the U.S., Jim finally received backing from a London-based television producer, Lord Lew Grade. In 1975 production began at Grade's ATV Studios, and soon the world was introduced to a new family of unforgettable characters, such as Miss Piggy™, Fozzie Bear™ and Animal™ (performed by Frank Oz); The Great Gonzo™ (performed by Dave Goelz); Scooter™ (performed by Richard Hunt); Lew Zealand™ (performed by Jerry Nelson); and Rizzo the Rat™ (performed by Steve Whitmire). Hosted by Kermit the Frog , accompanied by the musical meanderings of Doctor Teeth™ and the Electric Mayhem Band™, the Muppets were joined each week by an international pantheon of [great ] guest stars, from Gene Kelly and Rudolph Nureyev to Steve Martin and John Cleese. The success of The Muppet Show naturally led to Hollywood, where the Muppets starred in six feature films: The Muppet Movie™, The Great Muppet Caper™, The Muppets Take Manhattan™, The Muppet Christmas Carol™, Muppet Treasure Island™ and most recently Muppets From Space™.
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Henson ... dabbled in his own feature films. Characters from The Muppet Show were featured in a trio of films beginning in 1979 with The Muppet Movie. It was followed by 1981's The Great Muppet Caper, which was also Henson's directorial debut, and 1984's The Muppets Take Manhattan. All three movies did extremely well at the box office. His subsequent efforts, however, did not fare as well. The Dark Crystal, with all new Muppets, made a poor box office showing in 1982.
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A life-long puppet lover, Henson was instrumental in developing one of America's longest-running and best-loved children's television shows, Sesame Street (1969– ). He provided the voices and puppeteering talents behind Kermit the Frog, Ernie, and Guy Smiley. He and Frank Oz took the muppets to their own show, The Muppet Show (1976–80) and Fraggle Rock (1983–88) before leaping to the big screen in The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984).
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The Muppet Show was so successful that it spawned three movies during Henson's lifetime (and more since): The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan. Each film provided Henson with further opportunities to break technological barriers, including allowing Kermit to ride a bike.
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The success of The Muppet Show provoked Henson to explore the medium of film. His cinematic endeavors include The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan and Treasure Island.
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Muppets Take Manhattan