Sam and Friends
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sam and Friends | |
---|---|
![]() In this scene from an episode of Sam and Friends, we can see a sketch in which Kermit and Harry make their thoughts appear above their heads. "Watch!" |
|
Genre | comedy television series |
Creator(s) | Jim Henson Jane Henson |
Starring | Jim Henson Jane Henson Bob Payne Jerry Juhl |
Country of origin | ![]() |
No. of episodes | Unknown |
Production | |
Running time | 5 minutes per sketch (and episode) |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | WRC-TV (NBC's owned-and-operated station in Washington, D.C.) |
Original run | May 9, 1955 – December 8, 1961 |
Sam and Friends was an early live-action/puppet television show created by puppeteer Jim Henson and his eventual wife Jane. It was taped and aired locally in Washington, D.C. on WRC-TV in black and white[citation needed] between 1955 and 1961.
Sam was a bald human-looking puppet with wide eyes, large ears, and a big nose; his Friends included Yorick, Harry the Hipster, and a lizard-like creature called Kermit who later evolved into Kermit the Frog.
Early in its run the show mostly featured the puppets lip-synching to popular songs of the day (if the song was by a female performer, the puppet would wear a wig while singing). Later, formal sketches were drawn up, many spoofing well-known television shows at the time, including Sam and Friends' lead-in show in the Washington market, The Huntley-Brinkley Report.
A popular early sketch that would be used often in subsequent Henson productions was "Inchworm", in which a character, often Kermit, would nibble on what looked like a worm, but would ultimately turn out to be the tongue or nose of a monster, who would devour him.
Jerry Juhl also worked on the show toward the end of its run.
[edit] External links
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1950s American television series | 1960s American television series | Comedy television series | Muppet television series | Television programs featuring puppetry | United States television program stubs