The MUPPETS!

[ShyViolet]

Jim and Kermit on Dick Cavett! .
(1971)

https://youtu.be/LOBn86_DAZU?si=ORMRWjUh56WPMz0C

[gaastra]

Neat behind the scenes voices for muppet babies.

[droosan]

The Jim Henson company has apparently sold its studio lot on LaBrea Avenue (originally Charlie Chaplin's movie studio .. and also the home of Hanna-Barbera during the late-1950s) to .. the Church of Scientology.

They'll consolidate what was on the LaBrea lot with the Henson Creature Shop facility, here in Burbank.

I was privileged to visit the Henson/Chaplin lot just a couple months ago, to attend an event celebrating the Jim Henson: Idea Man documentary. I took a few photos of the cool stuff on display.
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[droosan]

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[droosan]

Tucked up into a corner of the ceiling above Chamberlain was this guy.
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If that's not a recognizable muppet to you, you're forgiven .. that's one of the characters from the sole Henson project that I worked on, in the late-1990s: Brats of the Lost Nebula..!

Hardly anyone saw it; it aired at about 5:00 AM, in most markets. I think it did better in Canada than in the U.S.A. .. but it was short-lived, in any case. I was genuinely surprised to see anything from it on display there, at all!

Most of the work I did for it is seen in the show open (starting at about 3:10 in the linked premiere episode) .. primarily the spinning gadget TV boxes introducing the characters .. I even designed the logo for the show!

[Ben]

Very, very cool, Droo! But also very sad that they have sold off the lot. There was something nice about them owning Chaplin's place. Hopefully whoever has it now will retain it for use or at least do something with it that acknowledges the history it shares between these two titans of the business.

[droosan]

The Chaplin Studio lot is on the National Register of Historic Places .. so -- in theory -- the Church of Scientology will be obliged to preserve the aesthetics of its architecture.

I'm pretty sure that Kermit/Chaplin statue on its roof will be removed, however.

[Ben]

Oh, it’s them, is it?

Yeah, the statue will probably be removed then…or "morphed" with one of Tom Cruise running…!

[Randall]

Hey, it's Andrew!

That is all very cool. Geez, I was in LA a couple of months ago myself. That would have been a neat place to drive by, at least. I've been reading a lot about Hanna-Barbera lately, so that lot is most fresh in my mind for being their home for a while.

I remember Brats being on TV, but I never checked it out. Looks pretty cool. Kinda Farscape for kids.

[James]

It's funny you mention this now. I was about to post something today about Disney potentially closing the Muppet theatre in Hollywood Studios at Disney World to make way for a Monsters Inc ride. Jim Hill joked that half the Muppet movies are about some greedy corporate guy trying to close the Muppet theatre and the fans having to rally to save it, and Disney is going to potentially take on the role of the bad guy with life imitating art. Losing another Muppet themed building is on brand I guess.

[Randall]

Read at NewsFromME, Mark Evanier's blog, today:

"But the Henson folks have now issued a statement saying, "In regards to recent rumors about the sale of the La Brea studio lot, the Henson family is not in any business dealings with the Church of Scientology, and that organization is not in consideration as a potential buyer of the property."

The plot thickens.

[Ben]

I hear Jim as Kermit saying, "Oh, good!"

[droosan]

actual fake news..?

.. but good news, for sure.

[Ben]

Now I'm hearing Janice: "Like, fer shure"!

[James]

"John Mayer, McG Team to Buy Historic Jim Henson Lot in Hollywood for $60M"

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... 236058985/