Remembering Jerry Nelson (July 10, 1934-August 23, 2012)

FrackleFan2012

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2012
Messages
2,829
Reaction score
1,605
I found "Good Day" for you. It's in part 2 of the Liza Minnelli episode.
 

scooter289

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2002
Messages
129
Reaction score
8
I, like everyone was saddened to learn the news of Jerry's passing yesterday morning. I was quite impressed with the amount of my friends on Facebook who reacted to it via my posts or their own. But one of the first things I did was listen to Truro Daydream in its entirety and enjoyed it immensely. Later on I thought about making a tribute video, originally I was going to do a collage of Jerry and his character to "Follow Me", but luckily I listened to his album because I found that the track "Tides" worked well with the pace I wanted to use along with the amount of characters I pulled (somewhere in the 40s). I worked on it pretty much all night and finally posted it on YouTube and thought I'd share it with you all.


He was a truly talented man who will be missed, but never forgotten.
 

Dearth

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
873
Reaction score
189
Nice video. I had never heard Truro Daydreams, I may have to check it out now.

What's the clip of Jerry with Fozzie, Kermit, and Sweetums near the end? At about the 5:45 mark?

Alex
 

scooter289

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2002
Messages
129
Reaction score
8
Nice video. I had never heard Truro Daydreams, I may have to check it out now.

What's the clip of Jerry with Fozzie, Kermit, and Sweetums near the end? At about the 5:45 mark?

Alex
It's from something called "The Vent Event." I think someone posted the video here earlier, which is how I found it. But there's more information here: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Vent_Event
 

Dearth

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
873
Reaction score
189
Awesome, had never heard of that one before. That's what I love about the Muppets, there's always something new to track down.

And the joy of finding those new tidbits is what keeps those performers immortal, in a way. There's still more of Jerry to discover. Another silver lining.

Alex
 

haakonsmary

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 31, 2009
Messages
89
Reaction score
10
Terribly saddened and shocked when I heard news of Jerry Nelson's passing yesterday.

I actually heard it from Mark Hamill. I was at Star Wars Celebration VI in the Mark Hamill panel yesterday, and he got to talking about working with the Muppets (and did a spot on impression of Jim Henson), and mentioned how he stayed friends with Richard Hunt before he passed, and then he mentioned to my great dismay and shock that Jerry Nelson had passed. I literally gasped when he said that.

Jerry Nelson was really a performer like no other. Not only did he have a unique style of puppeteering that was instantly recognizable, but he had such a distinctive and compelling speaking and singing voice, with such a large range. He could believable voice not only adult male characters, but children and women as well!

His songs were always heartfelt and touching. I believe some of his greatest work is on display in The Muppet Christmas Carol where he so beautifully sang and performed "Bless Us All" as Tiny Tim (Robin the Frog) and "It Feels Like Christmas" as the Ghost of Christmas Present. His sincerity in those deeply emotional scenes always brings a tear to my eye.

His work on Fraggle Rock as Gobo Fraggle and the Trash Heap is unforgettable; he took Gobo Fraggle on a journey for four years. Surely the revelation of Gobo's existence to Doc at the end of the series is one of the most emotional and magical Muppet moments ever filmed.

Another Muppet moment that stands out as truly special is Jerry's performance of "I Got You, Babe" with Lily Tomlin as Scred on SNL. He secretly bought a red rose and improvised giving it to her during the live performance.

Of course, everyone knows, loves, and can impersonate one of the most enduring and recognizable Sesame Street characters of all time, Count Von Count.

And The Muppet Show would not be the same without that cool style he gave Floyd, the sweet sincerity whenever he showed his affection for Janice, or his ability to make one-trick characters like Lew Zealand and Crazy Harry such an enduring part of the Muppet mythos today.

Thank you, Jerry Nelson, for all of the joy you have brought all of us, and all the joy your work will continue to bring all of us and our families as it is continued to be shared.
 
Top