The last week has brought with it a few events that led to this.  First, a new competition show is premiering about half an hour from when I’m writing this in which contestants try their hand at the craft of Muppet-making for a spot at the Jim Henson Creature Shop.  Second, I happened to correct the use of a word on a Facebook post for the Jim Henson Company, honestly asking them a question as to whether or not their faux pas was an intentional play on words or a mistake.  Apparently it was the latter, because my comment was promptly removed, and the mistake was corrected.

There is also the recent release of The Muppets: Most Wanted, the newest movie starring Kermie and the gang.  I went to this movie with a 3-year-old who informed me halfway through he wasn’t a fan.  I made him watch the rest of the flick because I thought it was fantastic.  That movie got me thinking about a three movie collection I saw at Wal-Mart for ten bucks featuring Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and MirrorMask (not made by Henson, but produced by the company).  I bought it the DVD the next day.

The newest Muppet movie, and some news in various nerdy outlets the last week concerning a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, once again made my mind do a time warp to my youth, recalling all the tie-in movie trading cards I had of the original live action movie from 1989.  One in particular, featuring Jim Henson and his Creature Shop-made Leonardo (titled Clowning with Leo), was something I have searched for on the Interweb over the past few years to add it once again to my collection of knicks and knacks.  Up until last Saturday I had been unsuccessful.  Long story short, I now have an Etsy account and the card is apparently being shipped to me from Massachusetts.

The last, and I thought funniest, sign this was meant to be came as I started to formulate the idea for this column.  As I walked from my computer room to the living room to grab something, The Goldbergs was on the TV, and the father on the sitcom had a puppet on his hand- a Fraggle puppet.  That pretty much cemented things for me.  And after watching the Creature Shop Challenge show (I started this before it aired, and am finishing it up after), I have no doubt at all it was a good decision.

As soon as that show started, they had clips for old Jim Henson productions- his movies, his Muppets, and other characters- and I was a small child once again.  Then, THEN, Jim Henson spoke in one of the clips and I felt like I just might fall apart inside.  Sad, I know.  Especially since it wasn’t even anything of consequence.  He was just discussing a creation of some kind in behind the scenes footage from a set.  But it took me back, and brought back a lot.  And I instantly mourned for this world, and couldn’t fathom how we’ve survived without the guy this long.

Then it struck me as his son Brian, producer and co-host of the Creature Shop show, opened his mouth and started talking to the contestants.  The man might be the incarnation of his dad, or at least a serviceable facsimile.  And I realized the legacy of Jim Henson has been carried on by good intentions and hearts.  From what Brian has done to what the Walt Disney Company has done as owner of the Muppets.  Jim Henson’s memory has been in good hands.  Not that anyone could actually tarnish his memory even if they tried.

For every stage of my life, Jim Henson had something for me.  Here is a list that very well could just be a sampling as my memory doesn’t always allow me to recall everything:

• Sesame Street
• Fraggle Rock
• The Muppet Babies
• The Muppet Show
• The Dark Crystal
• Labyrinth
• The Witches
• The Storyteller
• Dinosaurs
• The Muppet Movie
• The Great Muppet Caper
• The Muppets Take Manhattan
• The Jim Henson Hour, Muppets Tonight
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (one of my favorite movies of all time)
• The Muppet Treasure Island
• Follow That Bird (can’t forget the Sesame Street movie!), and many more productions that were either produced by Henson or his company.  Not to mention the films they just worked on that were not their own (the Ninja Turtles being one of the biggest examples).

It isn’t like they are age-appropriate by any means, though casual viewers are likely to think of them that way.  You sit me down in front of a Henson production and I will watch it, and want more right after it’s over.  I don’t care if it’s the Muppet Babies.  I’m there.  Jim Henson is one of my all time favorite heroes, and it’s because everything he did was literal magic.  He became famous for his creatures, but he endured because of what he was able to accomplish with them.  There are reasons I wax nostalgic for these properties and still cling to mementos I have as well as try to reclaim those I’ve lost.

I still have my Big Bird with the drawstring on the back that allowed him to talk.  I still have my book, a biography on Jim Henson that was written by one of his daughter’s friends after his death.  I remember my mother coming home from conferences one evening (she’s a teacher), and I got a stuffed Fozzie from McDonald’s they had one Christmas.  I, of course, had Ninja Turtles, and the ones based on the movie were some of my favorites because they were so realistic looking.

Henson and company made the unbelievable not only believable, but realistic as well.  Take for example, the Ninja Turtles.  The original movies’ foursome (and Splinter, Tokka, and Rahzar) was brought to life by the Creature Shop.  There is a new movie in which the Turtles are generated inside a computer using motion capture.  Guess which I think I’m going to prefer.  There is something to be said for making something that can be touched, and seen, and smelled, and felt.  It’s more visceral, and even though it is an imaginary creation, it feels real for simply occupying space.  Audiences can tell the difference.

The makers of the movie adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are believed that apparently, too.  Instead of creating their “monsters” in a computer, Spike Jonze wanted practical, working creations.  And I can’t imagine that movie any other way.  I remember there being talk of giving the Muppets the ol’ CGI treatment when they returned to the big screen under the Disney umbrella.  To their credit, Disney nixed anything like that (except where practical effects would fail), and hired celebrity fans including Jason Segel to help Kermit and pals make their debut to a new generation.

So what I’m saying, if I’m saying anything at all is…hell I don’t know.  I’m saying you can ramble on about your fondness for someone like Jim Henson without a specific, coherent point because he and his legacy can’t be boiled down like that.  And the best part is, like his creations and the ones being made in his name, once you start talking about them, you don’t mind if you start rambling.  You get lost in it, and any tangent connected with it, and you’ve had a spectacular time.  It’s all Henson, all the time.

Hopefully I’ve awakened some forgotten memories in some of you the way they are occasionally awakened in me, and you dust off that DVD (or VHS!) and take in a viewing.  I will say one thing you will want to check out first if you’ve never seen the footage is Henson’s funeral.  It is one of the most touching and bittersweet things to which you will ever expose your senses.  Then watch your favorite Henson production, or tune into that Creature Shop show, and figure out why you’re crying over a Muppet eulogy.

This week’s delay is much more somber than my gushing over a movie trailer, or how the movie spawning that trailer is going to be wicked awesome.  The delay this time stems from the death of a legend that I could not let pass with the mere sharing of another website’s article for all us Rhymers (trademarked!) to comment on.

Harold Ramis has been eulogized by just about every media outlet known to man since he died last weekend, and everyone has mentioned pretty much the same handful of movies in which he was involved in those eulogies.  There’s Stripes, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Groundhog Day, and of course Ghostbusters.

I’m not going to pretend I had any knowledge of Ramis’ personal life.  I was unaware he was even battling a disease of any kind (so unaware I’d have to look it up because I can’t remember now after hearing it just the other day).  His work didn’t touch me on a metaphysical level; it didn’t transcend anything and bring me a better understanding of us or the world.

His work entertained me.  He entertained me.  Ramis starred in, wrote, or directed movies I watched throughout my life that I would probably choose to watch again over many options today.  His work was obviously around as a child, he was around in my teens, and as I got older it was a happy surprise to see him as an actor or in the credits of a movie.

I’m not going to do a memorial of the man, because I didn’t know the man except through his work.  That I know.  Or, that I know some.  What you won’t find here is any raving about Caddyshack because I still haven’t seen it all the way through (gasp, I know).  Same goes for Animal House and Meatballs.  Get over it.  I also remember zilch about Stripes because I watched it a looooong time ago with a military-obsessed friend of mine.

What follows aren’t even milestones of Ramis’ career as I see it, just times his involvement or presence elevated a movie or was one cog of the machine that made them great.

Ghostbusters- BOTH movies are gold, I don’t care what people say about the second one.  Ramis was one of the driving forces behind a franchise that had just two movies but spawned a legacy of comic books, games, toys, clothing, collectables, and most important of all a cartoon.  The cartoon was one of the most successful, loved, and remembered of its time.  It would not have been, however, without the foundation of the movies.  They were funny, scary adventures that appealed to a broad base despite being about a bunch of nerdy, wacko scientists who hunt ghosts for money.  And I will always chuckle at “Do, Re, Egon!”

Bedazzled- This Brendan Fraser gem from the early 2000’s was awesome for many reasons.  It had great characterizations (the roided out basketball player and uber-sensitive crier are hilarious), Elizabeth Hurley as the devil (take me to hell!), and direction by Ramis.  It was the movie I’ll remember him for from that decade as opposed to the misstep that was Year One.

Knocked Up- He played Ben’s dad.  I’m fairly certain if you look at the credits that was the character’s moniker, too.  Not that the movie need any lifting up, but Ramis’ presence was a welcome one.  His few, short scenes weren’t short on convincing the audience this was a guy who knew what he was talking about and had no clue at the same time when giving parental advice.

Rover Dangerfield- You bet.  The movie that was basically about comedian Rodney Dangerfield as an animated dog.  Ramis co-wrote the flick and I’m pretty certain I saw it just the once and don’t remember much of except for enjoying it.  Much like…

 The Ice Harvest- A John Cusack/Billy Bob Thornton vehicle that doesn’t stick with you except that there are worse ways to spend a couple hours than watching two great actors under the tutelage of a great director.

 Stuart Saves His Family- The fact that this is basically a forgettable flop only proves the character wasn’t going to be easy to adapt from a five minute sketch to a feature length film.  If even Ramis couldn’t pull it off, there was no hope for anyone else.  I still think he’s good enough, smart enough, and doggone it I like him.

Groundhog Day- I’m going to go ahead and say it, despite not seeing what everyone says to be classics such as Caddyshack and Animal House, Groundhog Day is Ramis’ greatest achievement.  I didn’t see this movie until I was in my twenties, and I watched it twice in a row.  And then the next day again (I was off from work, sue me).  This is a perfect example of how comedy can kick a straight up drama’s ass.  I felt more for the characters in this movie than much more “serious” fare.  Every choice made on Groundhog Day was the right one.

Ramis also had his hands on movies like Multiplicity, Analyze This and Analyze That, Back to School, and even wrote the Ghostbusters video game with Dan Aykroyd.  And it is on Ghostbusters I want to end (I am a nerd, after all).  As soon as Ramis’ death had been reported, the question of whether the long-gestating Ghostbusters 3 would die with him was also asked.  Because when someone dies, that’s the biggest concern (sarcasm for the smart-ass impaired).

The studio says the flick will go on without Ramis, and Ernie Hudson (Winston Zedmore) said there could be no Ghostbusters if Ramis was not involved.  I mean no disrespect to Hudson, but I’d like to go ahead and disagree with ya there.  No matter what the story or Ramis’ part in it (the script was actually written by others with the blessing of both Ramis and Aykroyd), Ghostbusters as a franchise is bigger than any one individual.  That much was evident with the decision to continue the production without star Bill Murray.  And that was with the other three major stars agreeing to that scenario.

So it seems to me that halting or discontinuing production of the movie is a knee jerk reaction by those who mourn the loss of one of the property’s creators, especially if the movie was to pass the baton to a younger generation as has been reported for years.

So what I’m saying, if I’m saying anything at all, is let’s mourn the guy and celebrate his work.  Rent it, stream it, watch it, and it goes without saying, but enjoy it.  Except Year One.  No one can enjoy Year One.  Then, when some time has passed, let’s get a third Ghostbusters movie out there and use it an excuse to further honor the contributions of Harold Ramis by making it awesome.