Steve Whitmire has left the Muppets, Matt Vogel to continue as Kermit

[Muppet Master]

https://stevewhitmire-muppetpundit.com/2017/07/18/early-influences-on-my-business-conduct/

And, it continues. Whitmire is citing an event nobody saw take place. This is all leaving such a bad taste in my mouth. It's really quite sad. The Muppets was one brand that survived death and corporate buy-outs, and now what? They're going to destroy a wonderful legacy with tabloid sniping?

Get it together, everybody.

Man that was a sad, but great, read. Jim was such an amazing guy.

 

[D'Snowth]

This reminds me of the situation involving Jerry Nelson throwing away that script and walking out of a table reading prompting Jim to later call him into his office and tell him, "Don't you ever do that again."

"Suits" have a way of killing the artistic and creative aspect of entertainment.

 

[CBPuppets]

This reminds me of the situation involving Jerry Nelson throwing away that script and walking out of a table reading prompting Jim to later call him into his office and tell him, "Don't you ever do that again."

"Suits" have a way of killing the artistic and creative aspect of entertainment.

What script are you talking about?

 

[Avilos]

That story does not fit with Disney's approach to the voice of Mickey Mouse at all. Wayne Allwine voiced Mickey Mouse in everything from 1977 to his death in 2009.

I have wanted to post earlier but had a hard time resetting my password.

 

[D'Snowth]

What script are you talking about?

I don't know, I just know the story goes there was a table reading for a script with the Muppet Performers, and Jerry saw there wasn't anything in thr script for him, which maddened him, so he got up, tossed the script in the trash, and walked out; later, Jim called him into his office and said to him, "Don't you ever do that again." It was a rare occasion for anybody to see Jim close to being angry

 

[dwayne1115]

I don't know, I just know the story goes there was a table reading for a script with the Muppet Performers, and Jerry saw there wasn't anything in thr script for him, which maddened him, so he got up, tossed the script in the trash, and walked out; later, Jim called him into his office and said to him, "Don't you ever do that again." It was a rare occasion for anybody to see Jim close to being angry

I believe it was at a table reading for Sesame, but I could be wrong. The story is actually on this very site. Chech the Jerry Nelson Interview.

 

[minor muppetz]

That story does not fit with Disney's approach to the voice of Mickey Mouse at all. Wayne Allwine voiced Mickey Mouse in everything from 1977 to his death in 2009.

I feel like it does go along with some of the things mentioned in Jim Henson: The Biography regarding the making of Muppet Vision 3D. I feel like it says there were disagreements between Henson and Disney, particularly on his desired budget. Can't remember what else was said.

I believe it was at a table reading for Sesame, but I could be wrong. The story is actually on this very site. Chech the Jerry Nelson Interview.

Actually, according to Jim Henson: The Works, it was a table read for The Muppet Show. I don't know if Jim would have been that way over a Sesame Street read-through (I'd expect Jon Stone to have more of a problem with that, or maybe Joan Ganz Cooney).

And it is weird that he was given nothing to do, since he performed so many recurring characters and was often given one-shot characters. I wonder if that was the read-through for the Leo Sayer episode, considering he doesn't do any major voices, just background vocals and a brief laugh from Crazy Harry (which could have been a last-minute addition to give him something), and the few speaking roles for characters whose performers don't matter (a talking rock and Behemoth) were not done by Jerry.

 

[D'Snowth]

Somebody posted in this thread a while back that they wonder what Frank would have to say about all of this, after the Henson family had pointed out that he apparently was never impressed with Steve's Kermit either.

My thinking is perhaps Frank took it a little too personally like Cheryl apparently has? I mean, there's that urban legend that Frank was overheard swearing he would never perform Bert alongside anybody else's Ernie but Jim's . . . could the same be said for Jim's Kermit? I could see that as a possibility: after all, Frank was perhaps Jim's closest associate, and I suppose I could see that Steve coming in and taking Jim's place probably did not sit well with him for personal reasons. It's kind of like BEWITCHED: for all the crap Endora put Darrin through, Agnes Moorehead and Dick York were apparently very close off-camera, and because of that, she was not happy in the least that Dick Sargent came in and took his place . . . I'm fairly certain Frank probably felt the same way after Jim died.

At the same time, we all know Frank's reputation for being an arrogant a-hole at times - I was surprised to see him at all in I AM BIG BIRD, but he admitted he felt sorry for Caroll in the beginning because Caroll was so awe-struck by Jim that it affected his performances, and he apparently didn't fit in too well with seasoned Muppet Performers like Jim and Frank in the beginning. At the same time, he also spoke about the camaradery on the set in the old days and how much he missed that.

Still, I'm guessing that Frank's alleged not being impressed with Steve's Kermit is pretty much because Frank didn't want to work alongside anybody other than Jim when it came to Kermit and Fozzie or Piggy, or Ernie and Bert.

 

[Muppet Master]

I feel like it does go along with some of the things mentioned in Jim Henson: The Biography regarding the making of Muppet Vision 3D. I feel like it says there were disagreements between Henson and Disney, particularly on his desired budget. Can't remember what else was said.




Actually, according to Jim Henson: The Works, it was a table read for The Muppet Show. I don't know if Jim would have been that way over a Sesame Street read-through (I'd expect Jon Stone to have more of a problem with that, or maybe Joan Ganz Cooney).

And it is weird that he was given nothing to do, since he performed so many recurring characters and was often given one-shot characters. I wonder if that was the read-through for the Leo Sayer episode, considering he doesn't do any major voices, just background vocals and a brief laugh from Crazy Harry (which could have been a last-minute addition to give him something), and the few speaking roles for characters whose performers don't matter (a talking rock and Behemoth) were not done by Jerry.

I could understand Jerry being frustrated. He never really got a main character on the muppet show.

 

[Muppet Master]

Somebody posted in this thread a while back that they wonder what Frank would have to say about all of this, after the Henson family had pointed out that he apparently was never impressed with Steve's Kermit either.

My thinking is perhaps Frank took it a little too personally like Cheryl apparently has? I mean, there's that urban legend that Frank was overheard swearing he would never perform Bert alongside anybody else's Ernie but Jim's . . . could the same be said for Jim's Kermit? I could see that as a possibility: after all, Frank was perhaps Jim's closest associate, and I suppose I could see that Steve coming in and taking Jim's place probably did not sit well with him for personal reasons. It's kind of like BEWITCHED: for all the crap Endora put Darrin through, Agnes Moorehead and Dick York were apparently very close off-camera, and because of that, she was not happy in the least that Dick Sargent came in and took his place . . . I'm fairly certain Frank probably felt the same way after Jim died.

At the same time, we all know Frank's reputation for being an arrogant a-hole at times - I was surprised to see him at all in I AM BIG BIRD, but he admitted he felt sorry for Caroll in the beginning because Caroll was so awe-struck by Jim that it affected his performances, and he apparently didn't fit in too well with seasoned Muppet Performers like Jim and Frank in the beginning. At the same time, he also spoke about the camaradery on the set in the old days and how much he missed that.

Still, I'm guessing that Frank's alleged not being impressed with Steve's Kermit is pretty much because Frank didn't want to work alongside anybody other than Jim when it came to Kermit and Fozzie or Piggy, or Ernie and Bert.

I'm sure Frank wasn't happy with Steve performing Kermit or Ernie, but he still ended up doing it throughout the 90's, so he probably still respects him.