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Sam and Friends BookThe Good Doctor
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I cropped your quote down a little so I hope you do not mind. Talk about watching a dream die. After Jim passed I was expecting the Muppets to fade away, when they did not I think I felt what Muppet fans across the country felt a sense of joy, and expectation. My whole life I wanted to perform with the Muppets and in truth I can do a better Kermit voice than Steve can and a much better Sam the Eagle than the new guy, I am working on Dr. Teeth and Floyd. When Muppets Tonight aired I watched 2 episodes and stopped watching, not only was it stupid, and at times disgusting, or overly sexual the magic was gone. I wrote Henson CO. a 2 page letter expressing not only my own discontent but also my younger siblings who could not understand what had happened to there friends the Muppets. Henson co wrote a snide little letter back to me thanking me for my input, but Muppets Tonight was a show for the 90's geared towards a 90's audience and they would take my suggestions under advisement.Craig Crane said:
Well the 90's were all about moving away from family and family values, television became more adult and edgy, and we suddenly were lowering the bar about what was and was not acceptable to say, and show on TV. The Muppets were no acceptation, while Muppets Christmas Carol was by all accounts and excellent film, which breathed life back into the Henson body, there characters them selves were breaking down. By the time we hit Muppets from Space, and It's a very Merry Muppet Family Christmas, the Muppet family had some how become dark, over the top edgy, foolish, childish, and well lets face it down right dirty, rude and just plain dumb.
In my mind the core values have slowly died away, and the Muppets have by all accounts sold out. It is now days more about turning a buck, and the almighty dollar sign $, than it is about producing a quality program, with good old fashioned values. Muppets have always done commercials, but those of the 50's, 60's and 70's we innovative, fresh, and interesting. Now days Miss Piggy is more like a parody of herself, a cartoon of her once graceful beautiful, aggressive self. She has become a farce, they all have, and kids to day do not know what they are laughing at.
Look at films like "the Cat in the Hat" or Scooby Do, which nothing more than toilet jokes, potty and sexual humor, and why are kids laughing at it. What are we teaching them, no longer are the Muppets educators using humors irreverence and sincerity to convey real information, they have sold out. The worst part is that it becomes more and more morally acceptable to watch that kind of crap and call it good family entertainment.
I had opportunity to talk with one of the producers of Sesame Street about 4 years ago. They used to produce 100 shows a season, but with other crummy programming like tela tubbies, Barney, and a few others. they now only produce a little less than half, the Henson of the 70's and 80's is gone, it is gone for good my friends, and the work horse known as Disney will only continue to pump out below standard films riding the success of thee once timely classics into the ground.
Muppet films Like Disney Animation was something that used to be a fine craft, it took months often years to create. The writing was not only thought provoking, but intelligible, endearing, loveable and could stand on its own with out any jazzing up. The jokes had a fresh decency, and we all felt better after experiencing the film. When I was a boy it was standard after a Disney film there was applause, not any more, not theses days, now we are out the door before we realize it is over and on to the next thing.
OZ is a story that is over 100 years old, it was written in a fresh, brilliant style, with humor, and fun built right in, it is full of good values, morals and a friendly philosophy built right in. Things that the Muppets used to use to there advantage, I am disappointed and regret to say that this Muppet Oz thing looks like a total flop......and I regret holding on to my own dream for so long.
I am 29, and as a cold hard dose of reality there is only one boy in this entire world who will never grow up, and he died a long long time ago when Hook was eaten by the Crock.
