Helping Hands

[JimAndFrank]

Hi ho all! Lately, I've been considering about the connections between puppeteers and their Muppets and I've decided to experiment by posting a series of One-Shots based on events in Muppet history. If you have something you'd like me to write about, just give a shout out and I'll take a crack at it for you.


Just One Push...

The air was mixed with a sense of desperation, grief and elation as Muppets from all sectors of the Henson universe gathered together. Nobody was sure what to make of this event, but they all agreed it was happening far too soon. They were just about to film the finale, but everyone had doubted they had the strength. Filming the end meant they would have to let go. They didn't want the pain of loss to overcome them, but it seemed invetitable.

Muppets of all shapes and sizes, big and small gathered around Fozzie Bear. He swallowed heavily as the cameras began to role. "Okay, Scooter, Gonzo help me with this thing!" The three Muppets tried to push the desk back until Fozzie 'discovered' some letters sitting within a compartment, "Woah, woah, woah, hold it! What's this? I've never seen this before-it says, 'For Fozzie, these might inspire some ideas for the tribute number. This are real letters. From Jim Stans!"

As the Muppets proceeded with the scene, one Muppet in particular still had yet to take part in the special. He sat alone just outside the door of the set, his long flimsy arms wrapped around his legs and his head on his knees. At his webbed feet was his script, his eyes following lines as his fellow Muppets began to read out the letters he thought had been most fitting. Even months after receiving them, it was still hard to hear their words.

Time seemed to be creeping up on Kermit as he soon realised his cue to enter was coming soon. With a heavy heart, he stood and faced the door. Fozzie had just called for the cancellation of the production number to which of course the rest of the gang protested. It went silent for a few moments before the young, innocent voice of Robin reached his ears.

"Kermit thought we could..."

"Yeah, Kermit thought you could, but he sure wasn't including himself!" Kermit thought sadly. His part was quite simple: walk through the door, listen, start smiling, praise his friends for their efforts and bring the special to a close. But could he bear to listen? Did he have the strength to smile? Could he carry the hope of his friends in his slippery hands?

"Ah Jim," Kermit whispered to the air, "I don't think I can do this!"

If just one person believes in you...

Kermit lowered his head in self-doubt.

Deep enough and strong enough believes in you...

"It's too soon..."

Hard enough and long enough,
Before you knew it, some else would think,

Kermit took several hesitant steps back, only to have a pair of human hands clutch his shoulders.

"If he can do it, I can do it..."

"Jim?!" Kermit cried in shock. But it wasn't his best friend. He craned his neck upwards to see a man in his thirties smiling gently at him.

Making it two whole people who believe in you,

Steve Whitmire wore a look of great understanding. He knelt down beside the frog. "No, it's just me. I know how you feel though, I do the same thing."

"You do?"

"Yeah. We've all had those moments."

Deep enough and strong enough believe in you,
Hard enough and long enough,

Kermit swallowed hard, "This isn't easy. I know its all for Jim. But, I don't think I can keep going without him and doing this means I have to say goodbye."

Steve frowned and nodded, "It's always the worst, saying goodbye. But you know what? You need this. Your friends need you to do this.

Kermit tilted his head, curious, "What do you mean?"

Steve hushed him,"Just listen for a moment..."

There's bound to be some other person,
Who believes in making it a threesome, making it three...
People who can say, 'Believe in me.'

Steve smiled once more, "Can you hear that, Kermit? The emotion your friends are singing with isn't something you can simply write down on a script. They feel it and feel it together because you brought them together. Isn't that what Jim wanted?"

"Well, yeah," Kermit agreed, "But that doesn't make it any easier does it?"

"Well, no. But, it is something to focus on. It's difficult to see now, but you do have the strength to carry on. Because you have the heart."

Kermit's amphibian eyes met Steve's own honest ones. They stayed like that for a moment or two until they realised that Kermit's cue to enter was already upon them.

And if three whole people, why not four?

Steve swivelled Kermit around to face the door. He gave the anxious frog a small hug, "Go on. It'll be okay.

And if four whole people, why not more?

Steve nudged Kermit closer and grabbed the door handle, "I'll be right here behind you."

And more, and more?

Kermit hesitated,"You promise you'll be there?"

Steve grinned, "Every step of the way for as long as I possibly can."

With that, Steve pulled the door open, pushed Kermit into the view of the camera and backed away.

And when all those people believe in you,
Deep enough and strong enough believe in you,

Kermit closed the door behind him and edged his way into the room. Seeing his friends all together singing in unison had a different effect on him then he first imagined. He realised that instead of sadness, he felt nothing but pride for everyone. From Gonzo, to Bert and Ernie all the way to Piggy and his nephew. They were all here despite the circumstances and that's the way it should be.,

Hard enough and long enough,
It stands to reason, you yourself will start to see what everybody sees in you.

Kermit grinned. What a wonderful family he had.

And maybe even you (Maybe even you)
Can believe in you, too....

As the song came to a melodious close, Kermit, completely unscripted said, "What a good song! I knew you guys could do the tribute for Jim."

"Kermit!" Everyone cheered in joy at the return of their green ringleader.

Fozzie asked anxiously, "Kermit! Was it really okay?"

That was an understatement. "It was terrific! You guys were great! But, um, do you have anything silly to end with?" asked Kermit, hoping to prompt some Muppet madness.

"Silly? Do we have something silly?" replied Fozzie as if it was the most obvious thing in the world,"Cue the production number! FLY WITH IT!"

Kermit laughed and finished off the show as everything fell into absolute chaos, just how it should be. Chickens were flying everywhere, everybody was making a rukus, feathers and fur was being sprayed over the crowd, all while The Muppet Show Theme was playing in the background.

The camera and sound crew foolishly hadn't expected things to suddenly go haywire. They watched on in complete surprise, apart from Steve who was laughing at their stunned looks. It was just an ordinary day in the lives of the Muppets and they weren't going anywhere any time soon.

"Cause that's how the boss would want it!"

 

[JimAndFrank]

To Host or Not To Host: It's not a question.

It was 1976 and things had been a little slow for the Muppet clan. Sesame Street had taken off and was a smash hit amongst the younger generation. While this was a highlight, there was still that feeling that something out there was just waiting to be grabbed.

In a small cafe somewhere in the concrete jungle that was New York, two of the oldest Muppets sat together in a booth. Rowlf and Kermit leaned back lazily, talking but not actually saying anything. Things had been going very slowly and they had found themselves stuck in a repetitive rut. Rowlf had been a little more freelance of late, but Kermit had been filming sketches for the Street. The excitement of being on television for more than five minutes had worn off by this point. To make a long explanation short, they were bored. Extremely bored.

Rowlf took another sip of his lukewarm coffee and sighed, “This isn’t exactly where I wanted to be. It’s a shame those pilots never took off, at least then we would have something different to do. Well, you would anyway. I wasn’t even included in Sex and Violence.”

“You would’ve been cast eventually, Rowlf. You know Jim wouldn’t leave you out in the dust,” Kermit replied in a tired voice. This conversation had been going in circles.”Not after your stint with Jimmy Dean. You were fantastic on that show.”

Rowlf nodded with a small smile,”Yeah, those were the good old days. A good laugh was Jimmy. Too bad the show was cancelled. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had that much fun.”

Kermit straightened up a little in his seat and stretched his legs, his flippers swayed several feet off the ground. With a deep sigh, he settled back into a dull stupor. The strong smell of smoke was making him feel nauseous, yet he was willing to come back to the same place day after day. The cafe was the only place willing to accept Muppets, so it was never surprising to see things like Bert and Ernie sitting by the window watching pigeons.

“So why do you think the pilots failed to sell?” asked Rowlf, willing to bring up anything to be rid of the dullness.

Kermit shrugged,”Who knows? ABC probably thought they were just Sesame spin-offs. There was nothing wrong with the cast. Wally and Nigel were both great hosts and adding The Electric Mayhem was brilliant. I guess it just didn't live up to the hype.”

“Jim was pretty disappointed about it, I’d never seen him put out like that.” remarked Rowlf,”That man never seems to give up does he?”

“Nope. But that’s just Jim for you. He’s never been one to slow down. If he sees a tunnel, he’ll crawl through it just to see what’s on the other side,” replied Kermit.

Rowlf chuckled. His floppy ears bounced carelessly around his head, “He probably hopes it’s a network executive demanding a TV show.”


As the Muppets chortled away to themselves, a tall, brown haired man sporting a short and neatly cut beard made his way into the cafe. He paused for a moment to stare around the room before he spotted the faces he was searching for.

"Oh, speaking of Jim, there he is," said Rowlf happily, "Jim! We're over here!"

Jim Henson casually strolled over to them and slid in the booth next to Kermit. The three friends greeted each other in their usual way. A grumpy waitress shuffled into their midst and asked if Jim would like to order anything.

"Not right now, thank you," said Jim politely. The waitress rolled her eyes and went back behind the counter.

"So how are things going, Jim?"asked Kermit.

Jim shrugged,"Not too bad. Everything seems to be running quite smoothly, now that I think about it. However, there was something I wanted to talk to the both of you about."

Both the dog and frog stared at him curiously. Realising they weren't going to say anything until he explained himself, Jim moved on,"You know how we've been trying to get a show on prime-time-?"

Rowlf intercepted,"Yeah, we were just discussing that."

Jim continued, "Well, it looks like I might have finally gotten through to someone. There's a man over in Britain called Lord Lew Grade and he's made a proposal to put about 22 episodes into syndication."

"Say what?!" exclaimed Kermit.

"22? That's-that's great, Jim!"piped Rowlf, "How did this come about?"

"Not sure. Just liked the idea I suppose," replied Jim, amused by the look of pure excitement on Kermit's face, "As far as I know, the setting is going to be in a theatre, almost like a vaudeville show."

"I can't believe this is actually happening!"remarked Kermit. He looked as if he didn't know how to feel, "We've worked so hard for this! There are so many things to work out. I mean, who's going to be in the cast?"

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you," said Jim. He turned in his seat to completely focus on Kermit for a moment. The frog looked back up at him intently."The show is going to need a host who can pull the cast together and I think I know the perfect person for the job."

"Who? Nigel or Wally?"asked Kermit.

"Neither of them. They're both great, but Wally wouldn't be cut out to lead the cast I'm considering and Nigel decided to become a music conductor after his pilot fell through." replied Jim.

"Oh," said Kermit cluelessly,"Then who?"

Jim simply stared at him.

"What? M-me? You can't be serious, Jim. What have I got that Wally hasn't?"

"Experience," said Jim simply, "We've been in this business together from the very start and I know I can trust you to do the right thing. You're older, smarter and more wise than Wally."

Kermit looked down,"I don't think I'm that special. I'm just a simple frog."

"And that's why you are perfect for the job. You don't talk yourself up!"

"But Jim, I really don't think-!"

"Kermit, you've earned it-"

"But Jim!"

"Kermit!"

"Why on earth are you questioning this? It's the best offer you could possibly get!" howled Rowlf.

"I'm not questioning it, I'm just stating there's probably someone better for the job, so why me?'

"I've already said why you!"

The three continued to argue until they realised that about three quarters of the cafe's population were staring at them. Guy Smiley and his friend were muttering to each other. The trio came back to themselves and quietened down.

"Kermit, look," said Jim bluntly,"I'm not leaving until you agree."

Kermit sighed, knowing there was no way to counter the Henson stubbornness, " Alright fine, I'll do it. But Rowlf is coming too, isn't he?"

With a grin of satisfaction, Jim turned to Rowlf, "Of course. What would a variety show be without a resident piano player and pun king?"

Rowlf chuckled, "A horrible one at that. You can count on me, Jim."

"Excellent," Jim remarked, "I knew I could trust you two.

As the morning reached its end and the afternoon rolled in, the three friends continued to discuss what they hoped the future would bring. They may have been a frog, a dog and a human, but that didn't stop them from being brothers. As the years have worn on, that has never changed. Not when the Muppet Show ended, not when they became movie legends and not even when one had to leave the other two behind.

They were brothers. Nothing more needs to be said than that.

 

[JimAndFrank]

Okay, this time I've done a bit of poetry seeing as my brain can't seem to function long enough to allow me to write a short story. I have posted this on another thread, but I'd like to keep all of my work in the same place. So here you go. Enjoy!


The Great Muppet Ballad

They’re crazy and stupid-
That’s what everybody knows,
They can’t see what I see.
A troupe that flowers and grows.

They reach into your heart
And leave it greater than before.
That swelled feeling of happiness.
Leaving you loving them much more.

Some folks find them annoying-
Do they know how to feel?
I’m the absolute opposite-
Just imagine they were real!

Blue can mock the purple,
And green can mock the black.
Once you fall in their trap,
Good luck on getting back!

There’s insanity and craziness,
Mayhem and madness galore.
Explosions and laughter fill the air.
Who could possibly ask for more?

Their music is slightly nutty,
But it can let you unwind.
Solo, they’re an okay act,
But it’s magic once combined

As real as they are to me,
Their creators are so much greater.
It started with one genius dream-
With hundreds to follow later.

Jim Henson was the one to lead-
His optimism on unreached highs
His impact on Hollywood endures,
As he observes down from the skies.

Jim’s friend Frank was close behind,
Proud of his efforts in the cause.
Frank could outreach everybody,
Always to the sound of applause.

The beautiful and gentle Jane,
Jim’s greatest ally and wife.
Jim may have performed them all,
But Jane brought them to life.

There’s so many more to mention,
Like Dave Goelz among the best.
Jerry Nelson led the vocal range-
While Louise Gold led the rest.

Where would they be with no Richard?
Hunt joking his way through.
Steve Whitmire‘s still ploughing on
Embracing both old and new.

There’s Kevin, Eric and Peter-
Matt, Carroll, Kathy and Bill-
With all those brilliant minds,
Is there room for me still?

I thank them for the good times.
They’ve calmed me when I’m mad.
Imagine the world without Muppets-
Wouldn’t that be drearily sad?