I just finished reading Funny Boy and have a truckload of thoughts. First off, the author really put a lot of care into creating this, it was beautifully written from start to finish. I've always wondered about Richard Hunt's life, but the details were previously scarce. It clearly took years and years of work to compile something that gives us the full picture of his journey.
You essentially get a play-by-play recap of the various Muppet productions that released between 1970 and 1990. Even relatively obscure specials like The Muppets Go to the Movies and A Celebration of 30 Years are highlighted, with an emphasis placed on Hunt's feelings during each production. Your usual Jim Henson biopic doesn't provide that, as last year's Idea Man glossed over every Muppet-related project aside from The Muppet Show and the first movie.
Echoing what others have said in this thread, I was saddened to learn that he did not enjoy performing Forgetful Jones. However, he eventually got around to liking the character after the "Oklahoma" sketch. I get that Jones is largely a one-note character, but I'd argue that Beaker is too, and he didn't seem to have any qualms about performing him. Still, I'm glad he grew to like Jones before his passing. It was made clear that Hunt (and I believe Jerry Nelson) preferred acting to puppeteering but grew to love the craft over time. And on the subject of Jerry Nelson, I'm shocked that Christine Nelson's death was only given a passing mention, especially after her friendship with Hunt became a major plot point.
Another surprise came with just how many famous figures Hunt connected with. He was very close with Mark Hamill, invited Shelley Duvall to the Muppet Show set, and got his small role in Oxford Blues through his friendship with Rob Lowe. I can't help but wonder if his acting career would have blossomed had he remained in good health. Fraggle Rock writer Sugith Varughese, who was mentioned a few times in the book, went on to have a pretty noteworthy acting career. Perhaps Hunt, if still around today, would have landed larger roles as well. I was expecting more insight about Hunt's relationship with the Sesame humans or at least a nod to his on-screen cameo in the show, but there was a fun story about an interaction he had with Roscoe Orman.
I had heard of Puppetman before, but I had never known about They're Only Human: the reworked version starring Hunt and Nelson. Quite a shame that it didn't get picked up.
Of course, you can't tell Hunt's story without AIDS, and it looms like a dark cloud over the last half. A particularly heartbreaking moment comes when a classmate finds him eating alone in a private room after his high school reunion performance (circa 1990). There was something truly devastating about that image for me, perhaps showing how truly lonely he was underneath his performer mask. Or maybe just because his time was coming to an end and there was nothing he could do about it.
The last two or three chapters are just painful to read. In 1970, Hunt was on his Closter family couch watching Sesame Street when he decided to call up Henson Associates, creating a lifelong career. Now here was Hunt in 1991, back on a couch watching Sesame, not as a young man with a bright future ahead of him but as an ill man at the end of his life. Quite a morbid full circle moment. I couldn't even believe just how fast Hunt's condition worsened. He was well enough (albeit still very sick) to perform his Sesame characters in fall 1991, but he was unable to bathe himself by December 6 of that same year. But that truly shows how dedicated Hunt was to his craft, he performed until the very end.
Ultimately, this is a must-read for Muppet fans. Sunday will mark what would have been Hunt's 74th birthday. I hope he's still somewhere out there spreading joy and refusing to let people pay for their meals. May he rest in peace.
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