TV Alert: "In Their Own Words" Jim Henson Special on PBS Tuesday September 15, 2015

[Phillip]

Tonight watch the wonderful biography special honoring Jim Henson "In Their Own Words" on PBS at 8 eastern, 7 central. You can also order "In Their Own Words" Jim Henson on DVD.

Follow Jim Henson's career as he transcended puppetry to become one of the most creative, prolific, and influential artists of his time. Journey into his first work with the Muppets in the early 1950s during television's Golden Age, up to his sudden and shocking death in 1990.

Hear from his children, Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, and Heather Henson. And enjoy firsthand memories shared by friends like Frank Oz, Candice Bergen, Willard Scott, director John Landis, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, and Sesame Street cast members Bob McGrath and Carroll Spinney.

Update September 16: You can now stream the entire special on PBS' website. The show will only be on-line for a limited time.

If you saw "In Their Own Words", please "like" this post and share your thoughts below.

 

[MuppetsRule]

Great special!

 

[D'Snowth]

It almost felt like watching an abridged version of JIM HENSON: THE BIOGRAPHY, though I very much enjoyed it.

I thought Eisner had died a few years back, but I guess not, so I was a little surprised to see him interviewed.

 

[Cookie Chris]

Much like D'Snowth wrote, the content of the documentary was very much like Brian Jay Jones's Jim Henson: The Biography. It was very notable where Jones was re-explaining Jim's early childhood, the loss of his brother Paul, and his early works on television for the most part.

I did have a problem with how the documentary painted The Dark Crystal as a box office failure or disappointment. The film did gross $40 million worldwide against a $15 million investment (outside of marketing costs). I'm sure a few millions were retained by the theaters, but there was indeed enough money for a profit.

Although it may have had a minor impact on Jim's career, I felt there should have of Jim's return to network television with The Storyteller and The Jim Henson Hour following the release of Labyrinth. Overall, I cannot say I learned anything new about Jim Henson and his career, but it was nice to see Jim's family and longtime collaborators, and even Michael Eisner talk about their personal moments with Jim and his legacy.

 

[minor muppetz]

I missed the special. Anybody know if this will go online soon?

 

[antsamthompson9]

This was wonderful. I liked that they got Fran Brill to be interviewed following her retirement. I also liked getting to see Ryan Dillon in action. We don't really get to see him in making-of things cause, he just got big recently.

 

[sesamemuppetfan]

Thunderous applause for this documentary!! Like D'Snowth just pointed out, it felt like an abridged version of JIM HENSON: THE BIOGRAPHY (it doesn't help that Brian Jay Jones was among one of the many people interviewed). I also give extra bonus points for Bob talking about the little incident that happened during the Frog Lecture skit!!

Lastly, I enjoyed that we got a small Behind the Scenes look at Season 46 of SS- too bad Big Bird and Oscar (and Caroll) weren't there; we could have easily gotten all 6 of the core characters together. Oh well.

Otherwise, as soon as I have the money, I will buy a copy of the DVD!!

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

Well, that was just lovely, wasn't it? What a great tribute. The wealth of behind the scenes moments and footage is really what made it stand out for me. Anytime I can see those wizards doing what they do is a special occasion.

 

[Katzi428]

I caught it about 15 minutes after it started. It was absolutely WONDERFUL!!!(I don't think I missed anything too important.) It was nice to see a lot of the Muppeteers on there. I got teary eyed when Big Bird was singing "Rainbow Connection. " (anyone else besides me?)

 

[WalterLinz]

Watched it. Loved it. I enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes footage and photos. This was a nice look into Jim's life and work. And I agree, it was nice to see The Henson kids, Fran Brill, Dave Goelz, Bob McGrath, Caroll Spinney, etc telling their experiences with Jim.