BLACK GADGET

Jim Henson was a genius, an artist who was unafraid to take risks with the pliable mediums of film and television. The following films were made at different points in his career, before and after he’d found success with Sesame Street and the Muppets.

For those who’ve never seen them before, they’ll provide new insight into his approach to the creative process. If you’ve seen them already, you’ll most likely want to watch them again.

Ripples

A short film created by Jim Henson for Expo67 in Montreal, Canada in 1967. The architect is played by Sesame Street writer/director Jon Stone. Soundtrack by Raymond Scott.

The Organized Mind

Henson performs the “mouth” and “eyes” live on The Tonight Show in 1974, but the film, including Henson’s voice-over & Raymond Scott’s soundtrack, was completed many years earlier, in 1967. The film’s title is The Organized Mind, and the character’s name is Limbo.

[thanks to WFMU's Beware of the Blog.]

The Cube

Originally aired on February 23, 1969 as part of NBC’s weekly anthology television show NBC Experiment in Television. The production was produced and directed by Henson and co-written by Muppet writer Jerry Juhl (who also appears in a cameo).

Watch it in its entirety: