Hey, New York City area Muppet fans! Have you been to the Jim Henson’s Fantastic World exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens yet? If for some reason (illness, imprisonment) you haven’t, you might be interested to know that the museum has released their calendar for the new few months of Henson-related screenings and events that are going on in conjunction with the exhibition, and there are several cool things to plan a visit around. If you have been, maybe you’ll want to go again, and bring that friend of yours who really likes Labyrinth.
The schedule can be found right here on the museum’s website, but here are some of the highlights:
•”Jim Henson Television Experiments: The Cube and Youth ’68” – This Sunday!, October 9 at 7:00 PM
Jim made this trippy hour-long drama and this also-pretty-trippy documentary as part of an anthology series called NBC Experiment in Television. The Jim Henson Company’s archivist Karen Falk will be on hand for the screening, as will the producer of Experiment in Television, Peter Goldfarb.
•Sound effects workshop – October 16, December 10, and December 11 at 3:00 PM
This one seems like it’s mostly for kids, but it sounds (and I do mean sounds) like fun… Participants will learn about how Foley artists make sound effects for the movies by watching a scene from The Muppet Movie, then provide new sounds for it. There’s a “materials fee,” but it’s only five bucks!
•The Muppets Take Manhattan – October 22 at 1:00 PM, October 23 at 12:00 PM
Yeah, you’ve seen this movie before, but have you ever seen it on the big screen with a theater full of fellow fans? The Joan Rivers makeup scene plays much better that way, let me tell ya.
•”A Conversation with Frank Oz” – October 23 at 2:00 PM
Sadly, this event with our favorite bald man is sold out, but the museum website says “tickets may be available at the door.” So I wouldn’t recommend hitchhiking from Missouri to Queens, but if you happen to live in NYC, maybe it couldn’t hurt to show up and give it a whirl. Maybe?
•”Sell! Sell! Sell! The Commercials of Jim Henson” – November 5 and 6 at 1:00 PM
Karen Falk, who knows a lot about this old stuff, will introduce this compilation of commercials and industrial films from the early days of the Muppets. This one is a must for fans of Sir Linit.
•”Brought to You by… The Short Films of Sesame Street” – November 12 and 13 at 1:00 PM
If you go to one of these screenings, you’ll hear a lot of people in the audience going, “Oh my gosh, I remember this!” It’s a compilation of Sesame‘s best short films and animated pieces, including several made by Jim Henson. Man, that guy was busy.
•Preview screening: The Muppets (2011) – November 17 at 7:00 PM
Wait, really?! A preview screening of the new Muppet movie a week before it opens? Yeah, that’s what this is. And tickets ($20 for the public, $15 for museum members) are on sale right now!
•The Muppet Movie – November 19 and 20 at 1:00 PM
Yeah, you’ve seen this one too, but again: It’s always more fun with an audience. Prediction: Everyone will cheer when Animal first appears.
•Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas – November 25 at 1:00 and 3:00 PM, November 26 and 27 at 1:00 PM
I’m usually suspicious of attempts to start the Christmas season before December 1st, but I’ll allow this. This seems like a pretty great one to bring the kids to.
•Labyrinth – December 3 at 7:00 PM
This one costs $20, but there will be some special guests to make it worth it: Brian Froud, Wendy Froud, and Toby Froud will all be there, as will Hoggle himself, Brian Henson. You know, I’m pretty psyched to hear Brian Henson talk about the movie, but I think I’m even more intrigued to see what baby Toby looks like all growed up. There’s also a free screening on December 4 at 1:00, but none of those folks will be there, so what’s the point?
•”The Evolution of Puppetry: A Presentation by Brian Henson” – December 4 at 7:00 PM
From the museum website: Brian Henson “will present an overview of the groundbreaking technical achievements in animatronics and digital puppetry that continue to be a part of the Company’s legacy.” Groovy.
•”Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and Sesame Street Holiday Moments” – December 10 and 11 at 1:00 PM
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is one of the best Christmas specials ever made, and here it will be accompanied by clips from some of the zillion other Sesame specials over the years (I hope we get to see Telly spinning the dreidel with Baby Bear!) Joseph A. Bailey, who co-wrote Christmas Eve (and was a writer for The Muppet Show!), will be present at the December 11th screening.
•The Muppet Christmas Carol – December 17, 18, and 24 at 1:00 PM
“Light the lamp, not the rat! Light the lamp, not the rat!”
•A Muppet Family Christmas and “A Classic Henson Holiday” – December 26 at 3:00 PM, December 27, 28, 29 and 30 at 1:00 and 3:00 PM
Christmas may be over, but we’ll still be full of Christmas spirit — and there’s never a bad time to watch Muppet Family Christmas, which is one of the greatest things ever. The accompanying compilation “collects the finest moments from various holiday shows.” So… Arthur Godfrey and the Muppet monsters on The Ed Sullivan Show?
And of course, while all these screenings and appearances are going, the “Fantastic World” exhibition will be ongoing in the gallery space upstairs. So there you have it. Start marking your calendar!
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by Ryan Roe – Ryan@ToughPigs.com
