Club 53

Most people have heard of the 27 club, a group of gifted musicians who all died at the age of 27, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse, there are a few others that qualify for this honour, but I don’t want to bore you with lists. Yeah most people have heard of the 27 Club, but I can guarantee nobodies heard of Club 53. A group of highly talented or influential individuals who passed on at the age of 53. Maybe nobodies heard of Club 53 because the 27’s were all at the top of their game, with so much more still to give the world before their time was tragically cut short, and the members of Club 53 had time to accomplish a great deal before they left this mortal plain, becoming part of the social conscientiousness, or it could be nobodies heard of Club 53 because I’ve just made it up. But that’s not to say the members of Club 53 are any less prolific. Since it’s my club, it’s my rules, you might have died at the qualifying age, but if I ain’t heard of you, you ain’t getting in. with that said here’s my list:

·         George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth Jr. – The man who is to Baseball, what Hulk Hogan is to Wrestling or Pele is to Football.

·         Dian Fossey – An American zoologist who undertook an extensive study of gorillas over 18 years, before her tragic murder. Fossey’s story was told in the film Gorillas in the Mist staring Sigourney Weaver.

·         Vladimir Lenin – The Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist Politian who led the 1917 revolution, and the first leader of the Soviet Union.

·         Jim Henson – The creator of The Muppets

And it’s Mr. Henson and his accomplishments which I’m going to ramble on about, you may be thinking that introduction was somewhat over thought and unnecessary , but so’s your face.

Jim Henson started out with a series called Sam & Friends which he made whilst still at college and featured the prototype for his most famous character, Kermit the Frog. However it wasn’t until he started to make regular appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show that the Muppets really started to take form, and we where we first met muppet Rawlf the piano playing dog.

Then in 1969 Sesame Street was born, a programme designed to entertain and educate pre-schoolers, and which not only extensively featured Henson’s various puppet creations, but also several animated sequences produced by the puppeteer. But not wanting to be pigeon holed, he also during this time produced a number of sketches for the fledgling Saturday Night Live.

It was a combination of his experiences on both programmes that spawned his most famous and most enduring creatation, The Muppets. The Muppet show ran for five seasons form 1976-1981, and took the form of a variety show, with as much focus on the behind the scenes as the acts and parodies. Surprisingly for something which became so successful American networks didn’t want it, thinking it would only appeal to children. It was through an investor that the show was financed at all, being filmed in England, then sold to various networks around the world. Eventually becoming so successful it spawned a number of films.

The Muppet Movie (1979) – After a chance meeting with a talent agent in his swamp Kermit decides to head to Hollywood to become a star. Along the way he meets Fozzie, Gonzo and the rest of the Muppets, all of whom have Hollywood aspirations of their own.

The Great Muppet Caper (1981) – This time the Muppets are in London, and attempting to foil a jewel heist. Although this second instalment was as acclaimed and successful as their first movie outing, I really don’t think that much of it.

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) – After graduating from drama school the Muppet’s decide to move to New York, with the aim of putting their show on Broadway, but it doesn’t go according to plan. Although it didn’t do quite as well financially as its predecessors, it’s in my opinion the best of the original run of Muppets films. It’s also the first film to be directed by Frank Oz, one of the main Muppet performers, voice of Yoda, and future director of Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels & The Indian in the Cupboard.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – After taking a little breather, The Muppets return with their interpretation of the Charles Dickens classic. Gonzo portraying Dickens himself, narrates the story of Ebenezer Scrooge (played by  the legend that is Michael Caine) and how the penny pinching miser learned the true spirit of Christmas. This has to me my favourite Christmas movie, and judging by the result of last year’s poll on this very blog, you’re all in agreement. It was also the first Muppet film to be made after Henson’s death, with the film being dedicated to both him and Richard Hunt, another of the original Muppet performers, who also died before the making of the film.

Muppet Treasure Island (1996) – Following the huge success of Christmas Carol, The Henson Company opted for another adaptation of a literary classic, unfortunately they couldn’t strike gold twice. Despite a brilliant turn from Tim Curry, as Treasure Island Villain Long John Silver, it’s pretty shit. It’s definitely a toss-up between this and The Great Muppet Caper for worst Muppet movie.

Muppets From Space (1999) – In the last film in their second run of movies, The Muppets head out of the library and into the real world, as real as the Muppets get anyway. Plot in a Nutshell: Gonzo discovers he’s actually an alien.

This was one of the first DVDs I ever bought, back in the day when DVDs all cost between £20-£25, and W.H.Smiths had an offer on, 3 for £40. Now bearing in mind this was when my hourly rate was about £3.50 an hour, so £40 was still a lot of money. One of the other films I got was Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai, which is easily in my all-time top five. I’m trying to remember what the other one was, but it escapes me, obviously it was shit, and has since been deleted from my consciousness, but I digress.

Muppets from space was the last of the second run, but we weren't left to shiver and sweat cold turkey, there have been regular doses of Muppet morphine around the corner, injections of TV specials such as Letters to Santa, The Wizard of Oz and even the freebasing of a new TV show, Muppets Tonight.

The Muppets (2012) – The film follows Walter, a kid who never fitted in, ending up finding solace in the Muppet Show, which is full of  ‘people’ he can identify with. Walter’s comfort becomes an obsession, until he makes a pilgrimage to the Muppet studios. The studios have seen better days and The Muppets have all gone their separate ways. Upon learning his holy land is to be torn down, Walter embarks on a mission to reunite The Muppets and raise the money to save the studio.

This is a worthy addition to the Muppet franchise, easily standing shoulder to shoulder with Muppets Take Manhattan and Muppet’s Christmas Carol, and honestly one of the funniest films I’ve seen in a long time. Henson would be proud.