Jim Henson: The Biography (94 page)

1
“made in family entertainment heaven”
“Miss Piggy and Friends Join Mickey Mouse Club; Disney Buys Rights to Muppets,”
Houston Chronicle
, August 29, 1989.

2
“The first film I saw,” “outside of my own films”
JH, handwritten draft of Disney press release, 1989 (JHCA 10366).

3
“but a seed was planted”
Brillstein, 327.

4
“very expensive,” “I have the best thing in the world for you,” “like a Mafia dinner,” “very soft,”
BB, archival interview.

5
“The Muppets’ world renown”
Brillstein, 327.

6
“disarmingly simple”
JH, HA Quarterly Report, June 24, 1988.

7
“It was
never
just selling the Muppets”
FO interview.

8
“It’s special because you get a guy like Jim”
James Cox and Shelley Liles-Morris, “Mickey Buys the Muppets; ‘Creative Vitality’ of Henson a Lure,”
USA Today
, August 29, 1989.

9
“On a personal level”
JH, handwritten draft of Disney press release.

10
“It’s not easy,” “When I went off to do
Labyrinth
” JH, AFI seminar, May 6, 1986.

11
“was getting unwieldy”
DL, archival interview.

12
“people would go to Jim directly”
Brillstein, 328.

13
“He was a very good businessman”
Larry Mirkin interview.

14
“the organizational albatross,” “He was an artist first and foremost”
Brillstein, 328.

15
“Looking way back down the road”
JH, handwritten draft of Disney press release.

16
“This was so much on a handshake”
Kim Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting,”
Washington Post
, June 13, 1990.

17
“[It was] just great”
BB, archival interview.

18
“JHP ‘deal team’ ”
See “Memo re: Disney Transaction, Charlie Rivkin to Distribution List (JH et al.),” June 19, 1989 (JHCA 10574).

19
“Jim had been adamant”
Joan Ganz Cooney interview.

20
“In none of the information”
Charles Rivkin to Richard Nanula, June 13, 1989 (JHCA 9597).

21
“holy place”
Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting.”

22
“In general,” “and looking quite nice,” “The lip articulation”
JH, HA Quarterly Report, circa summer 1989 (JHCA 15361).

23
“enormous, heavy beasts,” “We’re going to see”
See “Handmade Video” HensonCompany YouTube channel,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o51brOuAbcI
.

24
“Where are we going with this?”
Mary Ann Cleary interview.

25
“For whatever we become”
Mary Ann Cleary, email to the author, April 17, 2012.

26
“I know that this past period of time”
JH, memo to staff, July 26, 1989 (JHCA 15365).

27
“Disney Said to Be Wooing Henson”
Star Tribune
[Minneapolis, Minnesota], August 17, 1989.

28
“Disney May Be Courting Miss Piggy’s Company”
Houston Chronicle
, August 20, 1989.

29
“Jim Henson’s wish”
BB, archival interview.

30
“I think hooking up” “Mickey Mouse has a new sibling”
Adam Yeomans and Vicki Vaughan, “Muppet Merger: Jim Henson Has Hand in Bringing Characters to Walt Disney,”
Orlando Sentinel
, August 29, 1989; “Acquisitions, Mergers and Muppets Series,” Editorial,
Tampa Bay Times
, August 30, 1989.

31
“I feel I have reached a certain level”
JH, handwritten draft of Disney press release.

32
“a creative designated hitter”
Patrick Lee, “Disney Invites Kermit, Friends to Join Mickey,”
Los Angeles Times
, August 29, 1989.

33
“There are only a few characters,” “And they’re all evergreen”
Richard Stevenson, “Muppets Join Disney Menagerie,”
New York Times
, August 29, 1989; Richard Turner, “Kermit the Frog Jumps to Walt Disney as Company Buys Henson Associates,”
Wall Street Journal
, August 29, 1989.

34
“Just thought I’d let you know”
Anne Kinney to CTW, September 8, 1989 (JHCA 8803).

35
“He will no longer have to be raising money”
Cox and Liles-Morris, “Mickey Buys the Muppets; ‘Creative Vitality’ of Henson a Lure.”

36
“He
never
spent two weeks a year”
Joan Ganz Cooney interview.

37
“We could not ask”
Cox and Liles-Morris, “Mickey Buys the Muppets; ‘Creative Vitality’ of Henson a Lure.”

38
“for life”
Yeomans and Vaughan, “Muppet Merger: Jim Henson Has Hand in Bringing Characters to Walt Disney.”

39
“[give] Jim the maximum operating flexibility”
“Memo re: Disney Transaction, Charlie Rivkin to Distribution List (JH et al.),” June 19, 1989.

40
“A lot of times”
JH, AFI seminar, April 14, 1989.

41
Katzenberg had promised
Lee, “Disney Invites Kermit, Friends to Join Mickey.” 445
“Much like Disney”
JH to Michael Eisner, June 6, 1989 (JHCA 9597).

42
“treat our characters”
“Memo re: Disney Transaction, Charlie Rivkin to Distribution List (JH et al.),” June 19, 1989.

43
“That was Jim’s mandate”
DL, archival interview.

44
“Kermit should be treated”
“Memo re: Disney Transaction, Charlie Rivkin to Distribution List (JH et al.),” June 19, 1989.

45
“a lot of money,” “It’s a strategic acquisition”
Stevenson, “Muppets Join Disney Menagerie.”

46
“Jim is ambitious in expressing himself”
Aldrich, “The Muppets Take Disney World.”

47
“It’s not just me doing this stuff”
Being Green
, 77.

48
“[It’s] the people”
JH to Eisner, June 6, 1989.

49
“He really wanted to do right by everybody”
LH interview.

50
“After twenty-five years”
JJ to JH, January 21, 1986 (JHCA 11027).

51
“[Jim] really wanted this deal”
Mary Ann Cleary, email to the author, June 5, 2012.

52
“He tried to be very benevolent”
Dave Goelz interview.

53
“Disney does it so well,” “The idea of working our characters”
JH, handwritten draft of Disney press release.

54
“If you’ve seen a process that works”
JH to Robert A. Brennan, November 25, 1986 (JHCA 14067).

55
“He was
very
excited,” “Oh, they had so much fun”
Alex Rockwell interview. 449
Jim’s favorite attractions
Heather Henson interview.

56
“It’ll be a backstage ride”
See Dateline: WDW video promo for Disney-MGM Studios, 1990,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GiDIPEnSsg
.

57
“at the end of the day”
John Henson interview.

58
“creative vitality”
Cox and Liles-Morris, “Mickey Buys the Muppets; ‘Creative Vitality’ of Henson a Lure.”

59
“[Jim’s] natural curiosity”
Mark Eades, interviewed by Wade Sampson, “The Muppet*Vision 3D Story,” Mouse Planet website, May 19, 2010,
http://www.mouseplanet.com/9256/The_MuppetVision_3D_Story
.

60
“The trips were often whirlwinds”
Mary Ann Cleary, email to the author, May 18, 2012.

61
“was frustrated”
Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting.”

62
“communicat[ing] to both”
JH to DL and Bob Bromberg, October 19, 1989 (JHCA Disney folder).

63
“It was a tough process”
Peter Schube interview.

64
“but I think his idealism”
Steve Whitmire interview.

65
“He loved the fact”
Peter Schube interview.

66
“When do you need it?”
Michael Frith interview.

67
“It was like he was Santa”
Mary Ann Cleary, email to the author, June 5, 2012.

68
“It was a little bit heartbreaking”
LH interview.

69
“My dad liked
everything
” Heather Henson interview.

70
“I gave him a bottle of white zinfandel”
John Henson interview.

71
“He was more relaxed”
Jerry Nelson interview.

72
“I don’t think they understood”
Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting.”

73
Roy Disney found him rude
Stewart, 123.

74
“the most brutal, the stingiest, most compulsive”
Julie Salamon, “Jeffrey Katzenberg: Disney’s New Mogul,”
Wall Street Journal
, May 12, 1987.

75
“that’s not the way Jim operated”
DL, archival interview.

76
“a non-starter”
Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting.”

77
“There you go again”
Joan Ganz Cooney interview.

78
“I felt like the writing”
Mary Ann Cleary, email to the author, May 18, 2012.

79
“they were always very civil”
BH interview.

80
“Jim really didn’t want to work with somebody”
Jane Henson interview.

81
“appalled,” “Jim … does not seem”
Roald Dahl to Duncan Kenworthy, February 2, 1990 (JHCA 9002).

82
“saddened”
Duncan Kenworthy to Roald Dahl, February 9, 1990 (JHCA 9002).

83
“I’m sorry that we didn’t stay in closer touch”
JH to Roald Dahl, February 15, 1990 (JHCA 9002).

84
“Everyone who knows the Disney Company,” “We’ve had a great, great time”
Brillstein, 329.

85
“Jim didn’t say”
Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting.”

86
“one home per child”
Arthur Novell interview.

87
“It just made him so happy”
CH interview.

88
“just a few minutes in meditation”
Being Green
, 44.

89
“I thought he was more relaxed and happier”
JJ, archival interview.

90
“Jim was never happier in his life”
DL, archival interview.

91
the big question
Bob Bromberg to JH et al., May 3, 1990 (JHCA 9597).

92
“Disney focused on
everything
” Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting.”

93
“[Henson Associates] was extremely solid”
Peter Schube interview.

94
“Disney is a corporate entity”
Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting.”

95
“that drew the process out”
Peter Schube interview.

96
“Of all the people in the world”
Larry Mirkin interview.

97
“That goddamned deal!” “I’ll never forget my surprise”
Michael Frith, email to the author, March 17, 2013.

98
“things just didn’t work out”
Jane Henson interview.

99
“Don’t worry”
BB, archival interview.

1
“He was ready”
BB, archival interview.

2
“He insisted it would go away”
Schindehette, “Legacy of a Gentle Genius.” 463
“it wasn’t anything extreme” “It was funny”
Kevin Clash interview.

3
“No, leave it”
Arthur Novell interview.

4
“I think it’s not particularly necessary”
JH, “The Courage of My Convictions.”

5
“Jim was very stubborn about sickness”
Alex Rockwell interview.

6
“He was always quite robust and healthy”
BH interview.

7
“He just wasn’t an unhealthy guy”
Steve Whitmire interview.

8
“I get the flu”
JH RB, February 21–26, 1985.

9
“Went to Washington”
JH RB, January 1, 1968.

10
“Typical Jim”
Arthur Novell interview.

11
He was feeling better
See Jim’s medical records, May 14–16, 1990 (Henson Family Properties).

12
“I love you,” “I don’t give a shit what happens”
BB, archival interview. See also Brillstein, 329.

13
“It seemed like a cold or flu”
CH, email to the author, April 23, 2012.

14
“We just laughed”
“Family Denies Reports That Henson Was Examined by Doctor in North Carolina,”
Sun
(Baltimore), May 18, 1990.

15
“looked kind of bad”
Ibid.

16
“He was really tired,” “Hi, ho, Kermit the Frog here!”
CH interview.

17
As Jim climbed out of the car
From this point, unless otherwise noted, the story of Jim’s final days has been pieced together using Jim’s medical records and interviews with the following individuals (in alphabetical order): Kevin Clash, Michael Frith, Dave Goelz, Brian Henson, Cheryl Henson, Heather Henson, Jane Henson, John Henson, Lisa Henson, Anne Kinney, Jerry Nelson, Arthur Novell, Frank Oz, Alex Rockwell, and Steve Whitmire, as well as archival interviews with David Lazer and Bernie Brillstein.

18
“feel[ing] lousy”
Jim’s medical records indicate that he described his condition this way.

19
“No one could remember Jim ever calling in sick”
Dave Goelz, interviewed by Kenneth Plume, January 28, 2000.

20
“He said he’d had a very rough night,”
“
Everyone
was coming in,” “We just talked”
Schindehette, “Legacy of a Gentle Genius.”

21
“He and Mom were always just really fond”
CH, email to the author, April 23, 2012.

22
“I’m here at New York Hospital”
Brillstein, 335–36.

23
“I couldn’t believe it”
Dave Goelz, interviewed by Kenneth Plume.

24
“hard to even hear it”
“Ratting Out,” July 19, 1999.

25
official cause of death
See Jim’s autopsy report (Henson Family Properties). 472–73
“overwhelming infection,” “There had already been extensive damage done”
Dennis O’Brien, “Henson’s Pneumonia Was Swift, Lethal,”
Sun
(Baltimore), May 18, 1990.

26
“He was really devastated”
Jerry Nelson interview.

27
“A custodian answered”
Dave Goelz, interviewed by Kenneth Plume.

28
“My heart stopped”
Fran Brill interview.

29
“I remember growing up”
Kevin Clash interview.

30
“Everybody was walking wounded,” “We were thrown into having to deal”
CH interview.

31
“Today I am sitting here”
JH, open letter to “Children and Friends,” March 2, 1986 (Henson Family Properties).

32
“a traumatic period”
Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting.”

33
“All these people were coming”
Jane Henson interview.

34
“was a wonderful microcosm”
Masters, “Disney’s Muppet Miasma: Corporate Style, Henson’s Death Complicate a Deal in Waiting.”

35
“just let it happen like a show,” “Is this going to be all right in your church?”
Jane Henson interview.

36
“[Eisner] was crushed”
BB, archival interview.

37
“That was just amazing”
Kevin Clash interview.

38
“I remember admiring Louise Gold”
Fran Brill interview.

39
“I remember coming close to breaking”
Jerry Nelson interview.

40
“a sight I’ll never forget”
Chris Barry, “Saying ‘Goodbye’ to Jim,” Jim Hill Media, September 7, 2005,
http://jimhillmedia.com/guest_writers1/b/chris_barry/archive/2005/09/08/1722.aspx#
.

41
“Jim taught us many things”
“Henson Memorial: Thousands Celebrate Muppet Creator’s Life in Upbeat, Happy Way He Requested,”
Newsday
, May 22, 1990.

42
“the generosity of [Jim’s] time”
See video of Oz’s eulogy at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zguccnOjnOI
.

43
“Somehow”
Spinney, 138.

44
“Thank you, Kermit”
Spinney’s remarkable performance can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrZyMptC2eQ
.

45
“Jim told me”
Brillstein, 338–39.

46
“I know I couldn’t sing”
Fran Brill interview.

47
“we all marched out of the cathedral smiling”
Spinney, 138.

48
“an epic and almost unbearably moving event”
Harrigan, “It’s Not Easy Being Blue.”

49
“When Jim left the planet”
Being Green
, 168–69.

50
“Creator, Producer”
See Jim’s death certificate.

51
“See those hills over there?”
John Henson interview.

52
“I try to tune myself in”
JH, “The Courage of My Convictions.”

53
“we hiked up onto somebody’s personal property”
LH interview.

54
“This is it”
John Henson interview.

55
“First of all”
JH to Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, John, and Heather Henson, March 2, 1986 (Henson Family Properties).