Celebrating Jerry Juhl

[MuppetfraggleEX]

I am with you there. I don't have a whole lot of faith in Disney not to mess things up though. This is the end of an era. I am really sad about all of it. We miss you all!

 

[spcglider]

News to make you sad.

I just got the news that Jerry Juhl has passed away.

Jerry was only very recently diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing aggressive chemotherapy at the time of the LA Muppet/Disney auditions.

I have been in touch with Jerry since 2000, when we met at Puppetmania 2000 in LA and I was lucky enough to be picked to participate in his writing workshop. He came to St.Paul in July for the national Puppetry Festival and ran the same workshop. Jennifer and I were pleased to be able to take him to dinner (before which we drove him on a tour of his childhood stomping grounds in St.Paul, including the State Fairgrounds). As always, he was a superior dinner conversationalist and filled us with lore and legend about Jim and the Muppets.

When Jennifer and I visited San Francisco a few years ago, Jerry was kind enough to drive down from Caspar to take us on a tour of San Fran. We spent an amazing day with him rummaging through Chinatown and driving up into the hills and looking at streetcars and hitting every antique store we came across. I grilled him mercilessly about all things Muppet. He was so very gracious and answered almost every question. Those he didn't answer with a direct response, he answered with "You should go to Muppet Central... they'll know the answer to that one!"

Jerry was always a complete gem. He would read every piece I sent to him (even the stuff I was writing for my comic book series) and give me incredibly helpful advice and encouragement. We found a similar attitude towards current events and politics and shared our mutual discouragement with the current president via plenty of email.

An amazing talent. A true gentleman. A legendary mentor.

I'm going to miss him.

-Gordon

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I think Disney will do just fine ultimately (which I know is a complete turn around from my original worries), because they still have a contract to keep the JHC involved, and considering that several of the last couple of projects did not include Jerry J completely (unfortunately) I don't think he had much to do with the whole Disney push at all anyhow. As a matter of fact, I've seen more Muppets since Disney owned them than before.

MY big worry is how can the JHC now produce a Fraggle movie without him, and maybe without JerryN? Here's hoping that JerryJ left behind some writings to be used.

Man, such a historical talent!

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

Yeah maybe the last 20 years he has a outline of what they want

i nice tribute to Jerry Juhl and Jim Henson

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Indeed it would be!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

He was so very gracious and answered almost every question. Those he didn't answer with a direct response, he answered with "You should go to Muppet Central... they'll know the answer to that one!"
-Gordon

That made me laugh!!

 

[redBoobergurl]

He came to St.Paul in July for the national Puppetry Festival and ran the same workshop. Jennifer and I were pleased to be able to take him to dinner (before which we drove him on a tour of his childhood stomping grounds in St.Paul, including the State Fairgrounds). As always, he was a superior dinner conversationalist and filled us with lore and legend about Jim and the Muppets.

I had no idea he grew up in St. Paul! I feel like such a bad Minnesotan! Oh well, it's really neat to know that and gives me something else to feel pride about. I'm still so sad that he's gone though.

 

[abiraniriba]

Bye Jerry

Goodbye Jerry I will miss you

 

[Punch'n'Judy]

Sad, sad news. But Jerry has left behind a legacy that I for one, and am sure many others, will treasure for many years to come.

 

[spcglider]

I had no idea he grew up in St. Paul! I feel like such a bad Minnesotan! Oh well, it's really neat to know that and gives me something else to feel pride about. I'm still so sad that he's gone though.

Jerry's father was a landscaper. Most of the older trees on most of the college campuses in Minnesota were probably placed there by Jerry's Dad.

He told me about when he was a kid and he and his friends would ride their bikes to the main gates of the State Fair and be there when they opened just to be the first ones in.

His family moved from Minnesota when he was about ten years old or so.

He still has relatives in Iowa. Some of them came up for the Jim Henson Legacy presentation at the St.Paul Puppet Festival.

In answer to the question about whether or not Jerry had anything he was working on for a new Fraggle offering, I spoke with him about that very subject. His admission to me was, "We did everything we wanted to do with the Fraggles." So no, he hadn't really thought about anything new. I pressed him about the idea and, in typical Jerry fashion, he subsequently challenged me to write up a treatment! He was such a man as to admit that somebody else might have a good idea that he and the rest of the writers hadn't thought about and was willing to listen and contribute. Ladies and gents, THAT is class.

But that seems to be the type of people that Mr. Henson drew to him. Which says alot about the man himself, as he was able to maintain their respect and loyalty for so many years.

In the time I knew Jerry, he never had a single negative thing to say about Jim... or about anyone for that matter (except for the aforementioned Presidental Administration)

-Gordon