Jerry Juhl
Jerry Juhl | |
---|---|
Born | Jerome Ravn Juhl (1938-07-27)July 27, 1938 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
Died | September 25, 2005(2005-09-25) (aged 67) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Resting place | Neptune Society Columbarium |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | San Jose State University |
Known for | writing and puppeteering for The Muppets |
Jerome Ravn Juhl (July 27, 1938 – September 25, 2005) was an American television and film writer, best known for his work with The Muppets.
Biography
Juhl was born in St. Paul, Minnesota; his family moved to Menlo Park, California, when he was 14. He received a bachelor's degree in theater arts from San Jose State University in 1961 and worked on children's shows for local television stations while in college. He met Frank Oz when they both worked for the Oakland Recreation Department's Vagabond Puppet Theater as teenagers.[1] The two later met Henson at a puppeteer gathering in California.[2]
Juhl was recruited by Jim Henson as a puppeteer and writer on Sam and Friends. He focused increasingly on writing as other puppeteers, such as Frank Oz, joined the Henson stable.
Juhl was the head writer on The Muppet Show from seasons 2 to 5 (season 1 had Jack Burns as head writer). He also wrote for the television shows Fraggle Rock and The Jim Henson Hour. He was involved in some capacity with all of the Muppet films from The Muppet Movie in 1979 to Muppets from Space in 1999.[2] According to Lisa Henson, "So much of the humour, irreverence, caring and heart began with Jerry. He was, in many ways, the real voice of the Muppets."[3]
He appeared as himself in the 1981 documentary Of Muppets and Men: The Making of The Muppet Show, the 1984 documentary Henson's Place, and the 1994 documentary The World of Jim Henson. In addition to being interviewed in all three, he also appeared in archival footage in the last two.
He was married to Susan Doerr Juhl and lived in Caspar, California. In his last few years he semi-retired from writing, but taught at local colleges, coached at local Mendocino Coast theatres such as Gloriana Opera Company, and spoke at puppeteer conventions. He died on September 26, 2005, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 67.[2]
Awards
Juhl co-wrote The Muppet Movie with Jack Burns, for which the two shared a Saturn Award nomination for Best Writing. He was nominated for a shared Emmy four times, for his writing on The Muppet Show, finally winning the award in 1981 for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program. He was also awarded for his work on The Jim Henson Hour (Outstanding Children's Program, 1989, 1990) and The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program, 1991). His work on A Muppet Family Christmas won him the WGA Award for Variety – Musical, Award, Tribute, Special Event.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1955-1961 | Sam and Friends | Muppet performer | |
1969 | The Cube | ||
1969-1975 | Sesame Street | ||
1970 | The Great Santa Claus Switch | ||
1971 | The Frog Prince | Taminella | voice |
1972 | The Muppet Musicians of Bremen | ||
1974 | The Muppets Valentine Show | ||
Tale of Sand | co-writer | Originally written as a live-action screenplay, it found release in 2012 as a graphic novel, Jim Henson's Tale of Sand. | |
1976-1981 | The Muppet Show | writer | head writer from 1977 to 1981 |
1977 | Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas | ||
1979 | The Muppets Go Hollywood | ||
The Muppet Movie | |||
1981 | The Muppets Go to the Movies | ||
The Great Muppet Caper | |||
1983-1987 | Fraggle Rock | writer | also creative producer |
1985 | Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff | ||
Fozzie's Muppet Scrapbook | |||
1986 | The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years | ||
1987 | A Muppet Family Christmas | ||
1989 | The Jim Henson Hour | writer | also co-producer |
Living with Dinosaurs | co-producer | ||
1990 | The Muppets at Walt Disney World | ||
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson | |||
1992 | The Muppet Christmas Carol | also co-producer | |
1996 | Muppet Treasure Island | ||
1999 | Muppets from Space |
References
- ^ International Puppet Museum: Lettie Connell Schuburt
- ^ a b c Monica Potts (October 9, 2005). "Jerry Juhl, 67, Award-Winning Head Writer for Muppet Shows, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. 1 44. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ "Jerry Juhl: Puppeteer behind the witty dialogue of the Muppet Show". The Guardian. October 12, 2005. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
External links
- Jerry Juhl at IMDb
- An interview with Jerry Juhl
- A tribute to Jerry Juhl at IGN FilmForce
- A tribute to Jerry Juhl at Jim Hill Media
- v
- t
- e
- Buz Kohan (1980)
- Jerry Juhl, Chris Langham and David Odell (1981)
- Jeffrey Barron, Dick Blasucci, John Candy, Chris Cluess, Bob Dolman, Joe Flaherty, Paul Flaherty, Stuart Kreisman, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, John McAndrew, Brian McConnachie, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Mert Rich, Michael Short, Doug Steckler and Dave Thomas (1982)
- Dick Blasucci, John Candy, Bob Dolman, Joe Flaherty, Paul Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, John McAndrew, Martin Short, Michael Short, Doug Steckler and Mary Charlotte Wilcox (1983)
- Chris Elliott, Sanford Frank, Ted Greenberg, David Letterman, Merrill Markoe, Jeff Martin, Gerard Mulligan, Steve O'Donnell, Joe Toplyn, Matt Wickline and David Yazbek (1984)
- Randy Cohen, Kevin Curran, Chris Elliott, Sandy Frank, Eddie Gorodetsky, Fred Graver, Larry Jacobson, David Letterman, Merrill Markoe, Jeff Martin, Gerard Mulligan, Joe Toplyn and Matt Wickline (1985)
- Randy Cohen, Kevin Curran, Chris Elliott, Sandy Frank, Fred Graver, Larry Jacobson, David Letterman, Merrill Markoe, Jeff Martin, Gerard Mulligan, Steve O'Donnell, Joe Toplyn and Matt Wickline (1986)
- Randy Cohen, Kevin Curran, Chris Elliott, Sandy Frank, Fred Graver, Larry Jacobson, David Letterman, Jeff Martin, Gerard Mulligan, Steve O'Donnell, Adam Resnick, Joe Toplyn and Matt Wickline (1987)
- Jackie Mason (1988)
- John Bowman, A. Whitney Brown, Greg Daniels, Tom Davis, James Downey, Al Franken, Shannon Gaughan, Jack Handey, Phil Hartman, George Meyer, Lorne Michaels, Mike Myers, Conan O'Brien, Bob Odenkirk, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Robert Smigel, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner and Christine Zander (1989)
- Complete list
- (1957–1969)
- (1970–1979)
- (1980–1989)
- (1990–1999)
- (2000–2009)
- (2010–2019)
- (2020–present)