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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 17 March 2018
New film reveals Miss Piggy's

backstory, more Muppet secrets

By SANDY COHEN with puppets. specialized. Not only do
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Only For example, during the the puppeteers need to
Miss Piggy's creator knows opening of 1979's "The Mup- translate their performanc-
the depths of her tragic pet Movie," in which Kermit es into puppets high above
origin story. Frank Oz, who sits on a log in the middle of their heads, they need to
gave life to the character a lake, strumming a banjo, do so with awareness of
in the early 1970s, says Pig- the six-foot-tall Henson was their fellow performers and
gy left her hometown farm crunched into a steel can- of the camera positions
for life in the big city after ister underwater. His arm capturing the action.
her dad died in a tractor was overhead, controlling Brill's height presented a
accident and she had a Kermit, and a microphone challenge when she first
In this Dec. 9, 2017 file photo, Frank Oz arrives at the Los Angeles falling out with her mother. ran into the submerged joined the Muppet cast:
premiere of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" at the Shrine Auditorium in Piggy went to charm container to capture Hen- She's nearly a foot shorter
Los Angeles. school once she got to the son's voice. than Oz and the other art-
Associated Press Big Apple, Oz says, "but she "He would do anything," ists. Set workers created a
had to pay for it, so she Goelz says. "I think we all pair of super-tall platform
did some things she wasn't learned commitment from boots so Brill's arm, and the
proud of." (A bacon com- that." puppet on top of it, would
mercial, he adds.) Henson also welcomed match the guys'. The film in-
Gonzo's daring nature was ideas from everyone, from cludes an illustration of her
born out of puppeteer the puppeteers to the prop makeshift platforms.
Dave Goelz's personal in- builders and electricians. Considering the impact
securities, and actor/pup- "His appreciation of people and popularity of the Mup-
peteer Jerry Nelson drew was beyond my range," pets at their height in the
on Eeyore's depressive de- says Goelz, who counts early 1980s, it's surprising
meanor to create Snuffleu- Gonzo, Bunson Honey- there aren't more docu-
pagus' signature phrase — dew and Boober Fraggle mentaries about the mak-
"Oh, dear" — on "Sesame among his creations. ing of the phenomenon.
Street." Outrageousness was al- Brill said that in the Mup-
It takes more than a wacky ways welcomed, Oz says, pets' early days, Henson
voice to bring a Muppet and kindness was king. discouraged puppeteers
In this July 11, 2015 file photo, puppeteer Dave Goelz, center, to life. Every character "All the sweetness came from posing for photos with
appears with Muppet characters Gonzo, left, and Rizzo the Rat has a detailed backstory from Jim," Oz says. their characters to help sus-
attend "The Muppets" panel at Comic-Con International in San
Diego. dreamed up by the puppe- The film includes archival pend disbelief for young
Associated Press teer behind it — or rather, footage of the late Muppet audiences. Oz still won't
beneath it. The artists who originator, along with clips pose with any of his puppet
created some of the Mup- of late writers and pup- personae, nor does he per-
pets' most beloved char- peteers, including Richard form their voices.
acters — Cookie Monster, Hunt, who played Scooter He didn't even want to
Grover, Count von Count, and Janice on "The Mup- make "Muppet Guys Talk-
Bunson Honeydew, Animal, pet Show" and Don Music ing," but his wife, Victoria
Prairie Dawn and Pepe the on "Sesame Street." Labalme, insisted on it.
King Prawn — shed light "Muppet Guys Talking" is "She saw the way we
on their creative processes dedicated to Nelson, who worked, the culture that
and their characters' secret died shortly after filming his Jim created, and she had
backstories in a new docu- appearance in the docu- never seen that kind of
mentary, "Muppet Guys mentary. He and the other work," Oz recalls. "She said,
Talking ," available online puppeteers said the great- 'People should be aware
Friday. est misconception about that people can work like
"This is a great opportunity their work is that they're this — without backstab-
to show people who the only responsible for the bing, without politics, but
people were underneath," Muppets' voices. just working for the quality
says Oz, who directed the "The voices are just five per- of the product.'
film. "Besides the idea of cent," Oz says. "She badgered me for
showing the world the cul- That's why character back- about a year and I finally
ture in which we lived and stories are so important. said OK." Oz, too, distanced
worked because of (Mup- Because performers would himself from his Muppet
pets creator) Jim (Henson)." often improvise during the work when he transitioned
Featuring original Muppet creative process, knowing to directing in 1982. He said
performers Oz, Goelz and Miss Piggy's or Gonzo's mo- he planned to give himself
Nelson, along with Fran tivations would help inform 10 years to learn the craft,
Brill and Bill Barretta, the their reactions in any given but Henson expedited that
65-minute documentary is scene. when he tapped Oz to co-
a love letter to Henson and It was improv that led Gon- direct "The Dark Crystal."
the creative community he zo to have a thing for chick- Oz's other directing credits
developed. The five art- ens, Goelz says in the film. include "Little Shop of Hor-
ists discuss their memories, The physical work involved rors," ''Dirty Rotten Scoun-
moments of inspiration and with making Muppets drels," ''What About Bob?"
the challenges of working come to life is also highly and "Bowfinger."q