Jim Henson's Red Book

[minor muppetz]

Today's article actually concerns something that happened AFTER the Red Book was finished: Info on Secrets of the Muppets - http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2013/04/19/4191989/

I wonder if the site will provide any info on other post-1988 projects Jim Henson did, like his last day on the Sesame Street set or the Walt Disney World attractions he was involved with.

 

[minor muppetz]

The red book has had two entries in a row regarding Raquel Welch, one regarding her appearance on Saturday Night Live (though it's more about Jim's experience writing the segment) and the other regarding her Muppet Show appearance.

And you know, I had a feeling info on that SNL appearance would be featured soon. I was reading Imagination Illustration recently and saw that date listed and new the date was coming soon.

 

[zns]

Today's post was neat. It was on this day in 1971, to coincide with The Frog Prince special, that Kermit gave his own book review for The New York Times. Here's the post below:

http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2013/05/01/521971/

 

[minor muppetz]

Here's some info on a project I hadn't heard about until it was mentioned on the Red Book a few days ago (and I started a Muppet Wiki page for it afterwards): http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2013/06/21/620-211984/

Jim Henson wanted to do a video collection called "Pet Home Video", writing detailed notes on a dog-themed video. Reading the info, I can't tell if he planned on multiple videos on the same animal or if each species would get one video each. It also doesn't say if it would have had all-original characters or familiar Muppets like Rowlf, Sprocket, and Barkley. In fact reading it I wouldn't be surprised if it just had real animals. It said that these would be 12-minutes long, and reasonably priced (I wonder if Doozer Music was so short to be reasonably priced, though that was released at a time when there weren't many Doozer songs yet). Later releases like the Play-Along Videos were a full 90 minutes.

It's also interesting to know that at least six of the Muppet video compilations were taped in 1984. I've read that four of them have 1984 copyrights in the credits while all of them have 1985 copyrights on the packaging, but the red book notes two weekends in 1984 when three of the video wrap-arounds were taped (this one says "VTR 3 Muppet Home Video Wraparounds", another one says "VTR next three Muppet home video wraps"). And there is an entry from 1985 that noted three more wrap-arounds being shot (so I guess there's one recording date left not noted yet).

And I really hope they show info on Follow That Bird soon. I had read that it was shot during summer 1985, and in the three years this has been online there's been no Follow That Bird stuff in there. Surely Jim would have noted days he was on the set.

 

[minor muppetz]

Is it just me, or has the Red Book been repeating articles/things that have been noted on the site? Lately it seems like it brings back one-line dates that had been noted in the past, sometimes with an article when it didn't have one the first time, sometimes with more information. In fact a few times I went to Muppet Wiki to add the link to the appropriate pages, and it seems it was already noted (and I've checked the history and saw that the link had already been there). The Red Book has years of daily entries (I think the correct number is 24 years), and yet the website is seemingly already repeating stuff, after only being around for four years?

And I think the only major production not yet represented on the site is Follow That Bird (and a few Sesame Street specials). It's sad that this hasn't been noted on the website, and Imagination Illustrated only mentioned it in the timeline section. I don't think it's even mentioned in Jim Henson: The Biography.... I glanced through the index in the store and didn't see that movie listed. I would have thought Jim would have noted down some things about the movie.... "Meet with Ken Kwapis regarding SST Movie" (there was an interview with Kwapis where he said that he met with Jim before being hired to direct), no "perform Kermit in SST movie", no "SST Movie - airplane scene"? The website even has info on a project made after Jim ended the book (The Secrets of the Muppets, which was taped in 1989).

 

[dwayne1115]

That's interesting, and I don't understand that either. It may have something to do with Warner Brothers owning the rights to the movie. I don't see why that would be an issue though seeing as how they now are partnered with SW to distribute there videos.

 

[minor muppetz]

That's interesting, and I don't understand that either. It may have something to do with Warner Brothers owning the rights to the movie. I don't see why that would be an issue though seeing as how they now are partnered with SW to distribute there videos.

I don't think that would be a problem. After all, Warner Brothers owns The Witches and the Red Book has had a number of articles relating to that.

And besides, this website has info on a lot of Henson projects and guest appearances that are owned by various companies. I think the Red Book would have just as much of a right to post that info as various websites (and books) about television and movies (internet movie database, TV tropes, wikipedia, etc.) do, though I could be wrong.

And the website does have a lot of entries and photos of the Muppets and Sesame Street Muppets, though I don't know if they needed permission from Disney or Sesame Workshop before including them on the site.

And even if Warner Bros. won't allow entries on Follow That Bird, couldn't they at least show some of Jim's one-line entries from days he worked on the film, even if there's no historical information (though I don't think that would be a problem) or pictures?

 

[dwayne1115]

Well I don't know it almost seems to me that there was some behind the secerns things shot, but never released. Like they have wanted to keep the production notes, stories and things under wraps for whatever reason.

 

[minor muppetz]

Well I don't know it almost seems to me that there was some behind the secerns things shot, but never released. Like they have wanted to keep the production notes, stories and things under wraps for whatever reason.

Caroll Spinney shot home movie footage for Follow That Bird, as well as many other things he worked on, and I assumed he never had any intention on getting it released (at least it'll be shown in the I Am Big Bird documentary).

 

[minor muppetz]

Recently I've pointed out that it seems the Red Book site repeats entries that have already been on the site, but now I'm also sort of noticing that they don't add new posts every day now. I wonder what's going on.