Ron Howard: Jim Henson Didn’t Have A Dark Side | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

a lot of people forget this but your. documentary brings it back I was a. writer at Saturday Night Live for a. couple years then I'm doing the Late. Night show and our our studio was on the. sixth floor uh and the son out live. studio is on the eighth floor but right. down the sixth floor not far down the. sixth floor there was a little office. because in the early days of SNL the. first season Jim Henson Frank Oz they're. doing the Muppets are part of SNL and.

they had a little office and they they. drew all of these characters on these. pipes right and now of course it's been. put behind glass and preserved but in my. day you could just go by and there's. some pipes there and they're just. covered with those drawings yeah amazing. I'm not trying to wipe them off you know. cuz I like clean pipes I just think. pipes should be clean but I couldn't get. them off no but that was a misstep for. them right because that that kind of. didn't that didn't work you know what's. interesting is that uh.

All The Cutting Edge cool sardonic you. know Michael Odon who's uh you know Wise. asses at first season SNL were like. these puppets what are they these. puppets are here I hate these puppets. and so it was very you can tell in the. documentary crushing to to Jim Henson. and then he spirals off from that and. creates The Muppet Show yeah but he'd. been he'd been trying to sell the Muppet. Show for years and failing I mean all. the networks turned it down twice uh. there's a hilarious pitch sort of video.

that they made that is using the Muppets. to sell the idea yeah and going. completely over the top and it's Jim's. voice and it's just it's just it's just. brilliant you know it's so interesting. because Jim was you know you you got to. really know him I met him only once but. it's so shy and retiring in person you. know I mean just kind of and and you you. think of him as a performer but but not. not with a microphone not not with a. camera on his face it's all it's through. the it's through the puppets you know.

and um we were talking about Andy and da. but I I it became so clear not even so. much from the interview with Frank Oz. because he was very modest about his. contributions but as I began to. recognize and look at these videos what. a comedy team they were yes not just. Burton Ernie but but you know Miss Piggy. uh and and Kermit or or or or there's a. great bit in there with fzy and and ker. and this is timing I mean it's like.

Precision comedy timing and they just. nailed these bits well I think that's. the thing is good comedy is good comedy. so if you're making it for kids on PBS. or you're making it you know uh for. adults in a theater good timing is good. timing that's why I mean I I always got. my timing from early on from Warner. Brothers cartoons because yeah they were. shown as shorts in theaters to adults. they weren't condescending so the timing. was Pitch Perfect on those yeah and then.

I think the same thing with when you. look at a really good Sesame Street bit. it's just good yeah there's no. condescension of well this is funny for. kids but I didn't realize how many of. those bits that Jim directed I I I just. thought he you know he brought the. Muppets and performed and they did that. and I didn't realize that all those bits. that used to catch my attention when. three-year-old Bryce was watching them. yeah were the counting bits and these. great little experimental things that. would make me sit down and watch the. show and kind of admire what was going. on on there and envy it a little bit and.

I I later I realized well that's that. was one of the one of the reasons Jim. did it cuz he never wanted to do kids. programming but they said you know bring. the Muppets but we'll also let you do. your experimental films but how about. doing them for kids so that they can. learn and U and he had a he had a son. with severe um learning disabilities so. that was something that he was you know. clued into and he was a wouldn't you say. that the reason it really worked at. every level was that was really a.

satirist right oh definitely I always. there what's interesting is that the. early way that he made money was by. making television commercials and so. there are these Muppet commercials that. I don't know if you've seen them but. they're in black and white and it's. before anyone knew they were the Muppets. but it's you can tell it's the same kind. of almost the same characters but. they're prototypes but they're doing. like horel ham commercials right but. they're very and they had they they last. like 7 Seconds long but because they're. 7 Seconds long they're very meta right.

they're very today's sense of Comedy. yeah they're not by a horl ham they're. they're they're they're very weird and. very funny by today's standards and must. have looked like very strange at the. time and yet really popular you know so. they really really broke through I mean. they were doing some kind of I mean. there was almost always an explosion or. a gunshot involved in a hormo ham. commercial somehow bacon they're selling. they're pretty much selling anything but. they're doing ads the way.

we as part of the podcast we do ads and. I always do them in my sensibility my. way and then afterwards think no one's. going to pay for that right um and they. do and you can leave this in I don't. think they. should but they do uh and um Adam sax is. goingon to take that out but. uh but um because they see the value of. we found out that they like that people. listen to the ads yeah and and U yeah I. mean were look they were emotional.

without being sentimental definitely. always had a point of view and and. always had something to say you know in. and around the the the the zaniness but. but the Muppet Show you know I didn't. think about it I I loved watching it I. didn't watch him you know religiously. but man I'm I'm I watch him now I mean. those episodes hold up but I didn't. realize that he was he was basically. taking the the English uh dance hall uh. sort of almost like Vaudeville their. version and Ling that to the show he was.

making them in England yeah so it's sort. of once again what's old is new when put. through this filter you mentioned. earlier I knew Jim well and I can't say. I did I met him on a few occasions and. he was really nice and he actually once. suggested that I he had some a show that. probably never went and it was towards. the end of his life but suggested that I. because people were obious like that. Conan's got like a look or something. he's irritating but he's got a look um.

and and Jim Henson suggested that I. audition for something uh for one of his. shows and and and I I I think uh I. remember they sent over I've told this. but they sent they sent over sides that. had two actors right two characters and. I didn't know which one he wanted me to. audition for right so I I showed up at. the and and said to the woman who was. running the audition it says uh Steve. and Mitch and I don't know which is. which and she said oh here's the.

character breakdowns and she handed me. Steve and it said um uh women want to be. with him men want to be him he ooes. sexuality and I was just like deflating. and then I said I said can I see the one. for Mitch and she handed me Mitch she. was like this gangly. goofy red topped. goon stumbles his way through. life um but people like him despite his. many flaws.

and his asexuality and I'm went I think. I'm the second guy but um no this is a. lovely tribute and one of the things. that really got to me is because of my. connection uh when when Jim passed very. suddenly in. 1990 and it was such a shock because it. was just out of nowhere he gets this 53. years old 53 years old uh um I was. invited to that Memorial and to this day. it's the greatest send off I've seen.

anybody have because it's a funeral it's. a funeral mass it's a. memorial uh and it started with I guess. a letter from Jim that he had written. which is like well if you're reading. this it must mean I'm gone right and he. just decided to write this in case he. ever passed suddenly and he did and it. was so lovely and then all the. characters come out and we're all. laughing and crying at the same time so. you show footage of the memorial service.

and I was there yeah and I to this day. have thought that's what everyone should. be like it can't be because we're not. all Jim Henson you know but that's what. it should be it really should be a. celebration well it it clearly it. clearly was and um you know his son. Brian read that letter and we have a bit. of that in the it's a it was a it was a. you know tremendous tribute and mo in in. moment but uh he's so loved yeah I mean. everybody we interviewed it was you know.

it was it was actually great to make a. film that I thought was interesting. could be revealing and actually just. doesn't have a dark side I mean it just. he literally was just a guy who lived in. a positive light he struggled ups and. downs difficulties on the personal side. with in in in the relationship sure and. yet set such a great advant you know. example like how you navigate that too I. mean win's easy but when you struggle. yeah that defines the man or the woman.

and and you look at both Jim and Jane. yeah and you and you sort of say well. that's you know we we should we should. do that we should well the documentary. is a tonic I would recommend uh just. just watch it because you will laugh. very hard but it it's also informative. about so much more and um very apt that. you're speaking about it cuz I'm I'm. glad you were the right guy to make this. cuz I think.

you have um just in every single decade. of your life contributed good stuff you. know and I think that's who can say that. that's really remarkable you know uh and. I I I'm I'm so glad that you're here I'm. so glad I know you I'm so glad you let. me saw your arm. off 30 years ago and um and we're still. at it we're we're still at it yeah let's. do a leg yeah oh I checked out his leg. on the way in that left one looks like. it could go. any time anyway um make sure Jim Hensen.

idea man uh is just uh it's a gift and. and make sure that you check it out and. uh Ron Howard you're a gift thanks so. much for being here great to and uh. let's get together get a drink and talk. sunscreen whenever you want beautiful.