ASTORIA, NEW YORK – Dreams can come true in the most indirect yet direct way. When Kevin Clash was a boy, he wanted to work with the Muppets and visit Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Little did he know that Jim Henson would fulfill both his wishes with the help of a little red fella. Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey gets inside the man inside Elmo.
The film has finally been released in theaters across America. The Party Favors ran a semi-preview when it played at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham. But now we can officially review the film and declare it a splendid biography. Being Elmo resembles Charlie and the Chocolate Factory except Clash didn’t merely find a golden ticket to meet Willy Wonka. He stitched his ticket. He’s working class kid in Baltimore who became fascinated with the Muppets. He made his own puppets and put on his own shows. He wanted to know how Jim Henson stitched the Muppets. Kevin’s mom contacted Kermit Love, the man who made Muppets for Jim Henson. Nowadays this is an easy thing to do using thanks to the internet. But back in 1978, she had to do a little extra work. He visited Kermit as part of an episode of Big Blue Marble. Do you understand how many kids appeared on that show with big dreams that peaked with that show? His Baltimore TV connection led to him being cast on the final seasons of Captain Kangaroo. He also became part of The Great Space Coaster. When those shows ended, Henson gave him the call to work on The Dark Crystal. When the feature film wrapped, Clash became part of the team on Sesame Street. This alone should be inspirational to anyone with showbiz dreams not named Tori Spelling.
For a guy who worked hard, his biggest break was thrown into his lap. Clash didn’t create Elmo. The cute red fuzzy monster had gone through two other performers. Clash looked into the eyes of the Muppet and realize the true nature of the character: Elmo loves you. The little fella became a major superstar thanks to Clash’s insight.
Being Elmo is perfect for any kid who has just outgrown Sesame Street since they won’t be shocked at seeing a 50 year old guy making Elmo come alive. This is a film that confirms that if you’re passionate about something, good things can happen. That not every showbiz story has to turn into a VH1 Behind the Music episode. This is about a man who learns that he must share and be compassionate as a Muppeteer. Elmo spends time with dying kids to make them feel a bit better inside. Kevin mentors a young kid that also dreams of being a Muppeteer. The kid was in the audience at the screening so it wasn’t merely a made for TV relationship like Kim Kardashian and her ex-husband. Director Constance Marks and her small crew have created an intimate portrait of how Clash carries on the fine work of Jim Henson. It can get to be an emotional film as some folks in the audience teared up during Henson’s memorial service footage.
After the screening, Clash arrived with Elmo. They took questions from adults and kids. The controversy of Elmo’s video with Katy Perry was in the news back in April. He had a reunion announcement.
Clash and Elmo went outside to pose with hundreds of folks with iPhones. What was amazing was how much fun Clash had with people. He and Elmo were playful with everyone. Perhaps part of this joy is the knowledge that Clash isn’t stuck signing autographs until his wrist snaps. The line contained toddlers to grandmothers. All were happy to get to touch Elmo’s hand. During this busy time, I wandered over to chat with editors and writers Phillip Shane and Justine Weinstein about their work on Being Elmo.
After the line had died down, I snuck over for a quick chat with Elmo and Kevin Clash. I’m a first generation Sesame Street kid that goes back to the days of Buddy and Jim. Over the last two years, I’ve found myself watching the show with my daughter. It’s strange being back in the neighborhood after all these years with a lot of familiar characters and new ones such as Elmo. What’s amazing about Sesame Street is odd jokes geared right at adults even on the “Elmo’s World” segment. My daughter doesn’t get a Christopher Walken joke or a Taxi Driver reference. I had to thank Elmo for not making my brain turn to mush. I also had to know the burning question: How much does Ernie and Bert’s rent on their basement apartment? Elmo answered it all. Being Elmo‘s cinematographer James Miller graciously shot the interview for me.
For those wondering; Josie is getting close to hating my guts for not taking her to hang out with Elmo. Rumor is that next year Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird might attend Full Frame to promote a documentary on the legendary Caroll Spinney.
Visit Beingelmo.com to find out when the movie is playing in your neighborhood.
NATIONAL DISGRACE CHANNEL
Thanks to the fine folks at Fox, the National Geographic Channel has nothing to do with the magazine my grandmother once let me read. Murdoch’s minions has turned it into the worst exploitation trash. I click over and there’s a guy talking about how on Second Life, he enjoys having cyber sex with his cyber daughters. His real wife doesn’t seem to care. Or about grandmas having sex with 20 year old guys. When it’s not about kinky sex, the channel loves drug themed shows. They’re doing all the drugs found in Charlie Sheen’s urine. Finally there’s The Rocket City Rednecks. The show is about guys that work in Alabama’s aerospace industry making strange rockets. But did they have to give it a name that sounds like a “Jeff Foxworthy Science Fair” exhibit? This is channel supposedly approved by the National Geographic Society? This is more like a promotion of the National Jerry Springer Society with its focus on sex, drugs and good ol’ boys. They ought to just rebrand it The Weekly World News Channel. The only thing framed in yellow is the sniveling accountant on Taboo that enjoys being a human urinal.
McMEH
This season’s McRib was a letdown. I was eager to order and relish the badness, but it was mediocre. It just tasted like pressed pork smeared with sauce and a few onions dumped on top. Where was the love? Why did my favorite guilty pleasure food make me feel so pathetic? What went wrong with the McRib harvest? Mayor McCheese must call a blue ribbon panel to investigate.
JACK AND JILL
Can Adam Sandler sink any lower with Jack and Jill? The only good thing about him playing brother and sister is no fear of a self-sex scene. Nice to see Shaq should up for this epic while he no-showed on the Celtics. Why Al Pacino? Why must Al Pacino appear in this film as himself? Can’t he just wander onto the set of Yo Gabba Gabba if he wants to stay hip with the kids? Every time the trailer for Jack and Jill runs, Tony Montana gets his balls broken.
MST3K SOLO SHOTS
Another two episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have escaped their boxsets. The Touch of Satan and The Atomic Brain are now out. I’m excited for The Touch of Satan is now out as a solo Shout! Select release instead of the out of print Rhino boxset. Why? Cause it has Steffi the babysitter taking over for Pearl. Played by the endearing Beth “Beez” McKeever, Steffi takes control of Bobo and Brain. She also has to dish up a bad movie to Mike, Crow and Tom Servo. Touch of Evil is about an evil old lady running around a farm and stabbing people with pitchforks. A hot young guy arrives and falls for the farmer’s daughter. She’s cute, but has a deadly secret. The Atomic Brain tells the story of a rich old lady who wants to put her brain in a young girl’s body. This is exactly what Betty White is trying to do a certain star of Modern Family. The mad scientists and the Bots dress as each other and mock away in the opening. Both films would be unbearable without the snappy wisecracks. Beez getting to do more than be prop diva and sometime Magic Voice makes The Touch of Satan indispensable. When will Ken host a DragonCon panel dedicated to the Beez Effect? That would be bigger than last year’s “Things My Mom Threw Away That Actually Were Junk” panel.
Here’s Beth McKeever’s video about her devotion to James McAvoy.
CORMAN CORNER
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Double Feature: Streets & Angel In Red is two tales of young girls turning to hooking for a living. Streets gets a major buzz because it’s Christina Applegate at the height of her Married…with Children era in 1990. She’s troubled teen working the street to support her drug habit. But her charming career choice gets ruined by a nutjob cop who stalkers her with the blue lights flashing. He doesn’t want to bust her. He’s got more gruesome plans. In a sense, Streets shows what would have happened to Kelly Bundy if she didn’t have such loving parents. The film was directed by Kat Shea (Poison Ivy). The theme is sung by Elizabeth Daily (Rugrats). Angel in Red puts a hooker in the middle of a pimp war. This also has a child star take to the streets since Leslie Bega took the role after she finished with Head of the Class. She’d later become Tony’s mistress on The Sopranos. This is the classic teen hooker tale of a girl running away from her violent homelife and taking her younger brother. Turns out she doesn’t have too many job skills. But luckily she makes friends with a guy who likes her and works as a facilitator of recreational activities. This guy is also known as a pimp. She gets a juicy pimp in Jeffery Dean Morgan (Watchmen). Even though he seems like a cool guy, she can’t handle the job. Can Leslie get out of the game before it claims her? They just don’t make teen hooker films like Roger Corman once did.
The next entry in the collection is Lethal Ladies Collection, Vol. 2. This triple feature includes the kung fu fighting stewardess of Fly Me, the hotness of The Cover Girl Models and Pam Grier fighting gladiator style in The Arena. Release is set for Jan. 24 so save your Christmas giftcards.
DVD SHELF
Perry Mason: Season 6, Volume 2 brings more legal thrillers from the still popular series. Me-TV now runs it twice a day, but why wait when you can get the DVDs to watch cases whenever you’re eager to see Perry (Godzilla‘s Raymond Burr) makes D.A. Hamilton Burger cry. “The Case of the Prankish Professor” does one of those goofy unexpected lessons. In the middle of a creative writing class, a guy busts in the room and shots the teacher. It’s not real except someone put real bullets in the actor’s gun. Why would anyone want to kill the instructor? Turns out during this season that Raymond Burr had surgery at this time so there’s a lot of guest attorney action. “The Case of Constant Doyle” is double star stuffed with Bette Davis and Michael Parks (Kill Bill & Red State). This was a secret pilot for Bette to be a crime solver. “The Case of the Libelous Locket” gets Michael Rennie (Day the Earth Stood Still) in trouble. He’s a law professor who must handle a student’s homicide charges when Perry ends up in the hospital. Did Werner Kleperer (Hogan’s Heroes) kill a dictator in “The Case of the Two-Faced Turn-a-bout?” Walter Pidgeon (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea) is the guest lawyer for “The Case of the Surplus Suitor.” He’s got to figure out if James Best (Dukes of Hazzard) killed Joyce Bulifant’s uncle so she can be rich. Perry gets better just in time to meet Lee Van Cleef (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) in “The Case of the Golden Oranges.” “The Case of the Greek Goddess” is not starring George Kennedy. “The Case of the Witless Witness” opens with a stunner. I’m not spoiling it, but there might be tears. There are 14 episodes spread over 4 DVDs. Only three more seasons until Perry’s first TV retirement.
Rawhide: Fourth Season, Volume 2 takes us back to the time when Clint Eastwood preferred sitting in a saddle instead of a director’s chair. He’s Rowdy Yates, a ramrod pushing cattle across Sedalia Trail. Eric Fleming is in charge of the drovers. They are men whose tales are told in the frontier. They are in constant motion cause money doesn’t come if they stick around the same plot of land. “The Women Trap” lets the lonely cowboys cross paths with a wagon full of mail-order brides. They think they’re heading to rich ranchers, but Alan Hale (Skipper on Gilligan’s Island) has other plans. “The Greedy Town” allows Mercedes McCambridge to bribe the citizens to frame the sheriff for her son’s death. “The Pitchwagon” makes Buddy Ebsen (The Beverly Hillbillies) payback a fatal favor. James Coburn machos up the screen with Clint during “Hostage Child.” Cesar Romero (Batman‘s The Joker) won’t let a girl quit her entertainer position at his club in “The Child-Woman.” Walter Pidgeon returns from his Perry Mason guest gig to take part in “Reunion.” Marion Ross (Happy Days) catches “Gold Fever.” The big bonus feature is the episode “Albiene.” They include promos and sponsor commercials.
Mr. Magoo: The Television Collection 1960 – 1977 contains the three TV series of TV’s most controversial cartoon icon. Why the hate for Mr. Magoo? People think he mocks the blind. His houseboy Charlie is an extreme Chinese stereotype. But Mr. Magoo isn’t blind. He’s just nearsighted and doesn’t care about reality. Charlie on the other hand with his buck teeth and harsh accent isn’t for people who get upset. I adore Magoo. The fact that Jim Backus (Gilligan’s Island) nails the voice helps. The Mr. Magoo Show was his first TV series after UPA quit making theatrical cartoons. This has a whole bunch of characters surrounding Magoo including the notorious Charlie. It’s good dumb fun. The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo brought him into classic books and events as a semi-serious character. It’s educational without making your brain hurt. Uncle Sam Magoo was a patriotic special during the height of the Vietnam War. This makes you proud to be a nearsighted American. What’s New Mr. Magoo? is revived show using DFE to create the animation. They’re the ones behind The Pink Panther. The big new character is McBarker, Magoo’s dog. Casey Kasem takes over the microphone to voice Waldo, Magoo’s cousin. It’s 11 DVDs of nearsighted destruction since Magoo refuses to see reality nor admit when he’s in jeopardy. The sad thought it that nowadays a rich guy like Magoo would get lasik surgery to correct his vision. Then where would we find the funny?
Captain America (Captain America / Captain America II: Death Too Soon) really brings me back to my childhood. The two specials aired back in 1979. This was back when even with the success of the live action Superman movie, studios weren’t up for spending $200 million on a comic book. Reb Brown (Yor, the Hunter from the Future) dons the stars and stripes as Captain America. There’s no real World War II action. This version of Steve Rogers is a contemporary guy who loves his van and motorcycle. After a nasty accident, Steve’s only hope is being shot with FLAG (Full Latent Ability Gain). The mega-steroid makes him superhero strong. Thus he takes up his dad’s old nickname of Captain America as he fights crime for a government agency. Captain America II: Death Too Soon is the more exciting of the TV specials since it features Christopher Lee (do you really need a movie title) as a general wanting a chemical that will age people. There’s a lot of motorcycle stunts in this one. Since this was the late ’70s, there’s an obligatory hang glider for Captain America. As a kid back in ’79, I felt cheated that they’d messed with the Captain America mythology. As an adult, I find myself rooting for Christopher Lee to destroy Captain America since Reb Brown wasn’t going to play him again anyway. Does this mean we’ll soon see the ’70s live action Spider-Man?
Rejoice and Shout (The Story of Gospel Music) is the perfect introduction to the spiritual songs of America. Director Don McGlynn and his crew trace the origins in the South to the sounds of today. There’s plenty of folks giving background along with songs from The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, The Staple Singers, The Ward Family and Marie Knight. The major highlight is Mahalia Jackson giving a soul stirring performance. She changed the game when she appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. This is the kind of film you need to watch with a computer nearby since you’ll want to order up a few of these titles to accompany your Sunday morning waffles.
Main Street is a star studded visit to Durham, North Carolina. A couple locations in the trailer are right across the street from where I spoke with Elmo. The film is covered in major stars including Pirate cutie Orlando Bloom (who visited Full Frame that year), Oscar winner Colin Firth, Amber Tamblyn, Patricia Clarkson, Ellen Burstyn, Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy and Duke Boy Tom Wopat. The script was written by beloved Horton Foote. Producer Thom Mount had struck gold with Bull Durham in the Bull City. Yet the film didn’t quite click that well. The big issue is that Limeys need to stop playing Southerners. I don’t who Colin Firth picked as his accent role model, but I’m going to guess it was Jerry Clower. They really need to take his King’s Speech Oscar away for giving us the Redneck Rave in Main Street. Orlando also sounds like a Hee Haw castaway. Why couldn’t they have cast real Southern actors like Billy Crudup or Danny McBride? The story is good. What sort of business does this rainmaker want to bring to a depressed Southern town. Can the community just enjoy the tax revenue or are they too curious for their own good? How does so much talent not recognize that they shouldn’t be mimicking Larry the Cable Guy in front of the camera? This DVD should be shown at all high school drama classes to remind kids that even Oscar winners can screw up an accent. Maybe they should have hired Meryle Streep to play Firth’s role? If you look carefully, you’ll see a few landmarks that I’d puked on during my drinking days.
Magic Trip unites the original footage of America’s first freaky bus journey. Ken Kesey had become the hot author of the mid-60s with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Instead of just locking himself away to type more pages, he brought together a batch of friends, a psychedelic painted bus, a pile of LSD and let Neal Cassidy of On the Road fame at the wheel. They brought film cameras to create the great American road movie. It was a West coast version of Andy Warhol’s cinema experience. It didn’t quite create cinema of its time. It’s funny that the guys on Magic Trip have conservative haircuts and wear American flag inspired shirts. They look like loyal Fox News viewers. Yet Americans still thought they were dangerous freaks. What’s strange is to think that a few years afterward, America would embrace a bunch of long haired people cruising around on a multi-color school bus. But The Partridge Family never spoke of doing LSD and free love. Kesey and his Merry Pranksters journey is a blissful series of screw ups. Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood do a fine job of bringing a narrative to a bunch of film shot by really messed up people. This film brings an extra dimension to Tom Wolfe’s Electric Acid Kool-Aid Test coverage of this time.
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