Chuck Jones is my god

Hey I already said that both Jim Henson and Chuck Jones are my gods, so it’s only fair to promote Chuck Jones’s godhood status.

Growing up, Saturday morning was sacred. It didn’t really matter too much what the rest of the world was doing, but by everything holy, you did NOT mess with the Saturday morning cartoons. You especially didn’t mess with Bugs Bunny. But that wasn’t the only time that I got to see the Loony Tunes cartoons. Various stations, being shown across this new “cable” thing, played Loony Tunes, Tom and Jerry, even Woody Woodpecker, in the afternoons, right when kids were getting home from school. After watching hours upon hours of cartoons, I discovered the ones that I adored above all others, the ones that just seemed to be a little more “something” that made me giggle and remember them constantly, were directed by one person: Chuck Jones.

His Bugs Bunny was a little more refined than the others, but still capable of those sharp mentals turns that you weren’t expecting. This was not a toned down Bugs: he was still wise-cracking and jovial, just a bit more “winkwinknudgenudge” about it. He invited you in on the joke. The other characters that Chuck Jones created – Marc Antony and Pussyfoot, Wile E. Coyote, Gossamer for a few examples – all had a similar “feel” to them. Not that they were all similar, but that they all came from the same mind.

So now, five reasons that Chuck Jones is my god.

1. Hair-Raising Hare
Evil scientist. Check. Monster. Check. Bugs Bunny as a manicurist. …check? Okay it sounds silly if you’ve never seen it, but between Bugs’s Groucho Marx leers and the as-yet-unnamed monster (Gossamer) roaring, there’s a classic Bugs Bunny scene where he completely takes over the situation, even as death looks him in the eye, then wonders where it lost control of the situation to a rabbit. Giggles aplenty.

2. The Dot and the Live: A Romance in Lower Mathematics
My mom had this book when I was growing up and I was fascinated with it for some reason. I guess it was seeing that a line can be whatever you make it to be: grand or humble. In any case, it was a charming story that I loved to read, and seeing it brought to an animated form made me smile.

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
A classic book made into a classic animation. The voiceover from Boris Karloff is amazing, and Jones’s adaptions of the illustrations from the book make it perfect.

4. What’s Opera, Doc?/Robin Hood Daffy/Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century
I can’t really separate any of these guys out from each other. What’s Opera, Doc? is the one that everyone remembers for the scene of Elmer Fudd singing “Kill da wabbit!” Robin Hood Daffy is probably best remembered for the scene of Daffy practicing with the staff, although his colliding into trees is also excellent.

And Daffy Duck in the 24 1/2 Century? Well how can you not love Daffy vs. Marvin the Martian?

5. Rabbit of Seville
This is by far my favorite Bugs Bunny/Chuck Jones cartoon. It has the usual Elmer Fudd/Bugs Bunny fight, but this time in an opera house. Classical music? Check. Singing cast? Check. Bugs Bunny getting the best of Elmer Fudd? Oh yes, check. I prefer this one to What’s Opera, Doc? for a few reasons, but the scene with Bugs giving Elmer a haircut and shave has to be my favorite scene ever.

So there you have it, my reasons why Chuck Jones is my god. Heehee.

Jim Henson is my god

While I was watching TV over the weekend, a stray thought crept into my head and rummaged around a bit before making itself at home. Whenever pop culture comes up, friends of mine have heard me say “Jim Henson is my god.” It’s either been that, or “Jim Henson and Chuck Jones are my gods.” To me, this is pretty much the truth. There are a few people that I can hold up as being the creators of something, in this case entertainment, that reaches into my soul and says “Oh yes, we know each other, don’t we?” In this case, Jim Henson and Chuck Jones are at the top of my list for Personal Gods.

Why? Well that’s where it gets a little bit more introspective. I’ve battled depression my whole life. It hit hard when I was in high school and by the end of my second year at my first college, I was a mess. The things that made me still laugh and think that the world wasn’t completely full of bullshit? Kermit the Frog and Bugs Bunny. I’m sure someone out there could do (or has done) a very nice thesis on Kermit, Bugs and the relationship of their characters to the Inner Child. Me? I like to laugh, cos enough bad things happen in life, we need to find joy somewhere.

Today, I’m looking at Jim Henson. I wish he was still around today, cos I’d love to see where he would have taken his productions with today’s technologies. He brought puppetry up to a new level in the industry, and managed to get people to learn about other cultures’ methods at the same time. He treated it not as a gag, but as an art form. He didn’t create Sesame Street, but I honestly can’t imagine it without his creations.

His Muppets were the embodiment of everyone. They encompassed the childlike wonder that so many have lost over the years, as well as the sense of joy from playing with friends. His more adult versions, such as the ones in The Dark Crystal, reflected our own disregard for others, greed and cruelty, but also the capacity for love, giving, and peace.

So now, here’s my top 5 on why Jim Henson is my god.

1. Sesame Street
Sesame Street Muppets allowed kids to see that even monsters and animals had the same problems as them. If a giant yellow bird couldn’t cross the street without holding onto an adult, then kids probably needed to as well. Grover and Big Bird embodied the kid in all of us, and made us feel not so alone. Kermit was the cool older kid/adult that knew everything and we looked up to. And Grover and Kermit together? Hysterical.

2. The Muppet Show
The Muppets doing a “variety” TV show at night? People must have thought he was insane for trying this, but Henson knew what he was doing. In The Muppet Show, he managed to get his cast of Muppets to show that no matter what you looked like, there was a home and friends for you. Everyone could work together for a common goal, and while there was chaos and mayhem around, by the end of the show, there was a sense of accomplishment from all, human and Muppet alike. Even better, he used the show to introduce the US to even more types of puppetry from around the country and world. Not to mention, he got some amazing performers to play along with the Muppets. And as amusing as Alice Cooper surrounded by Muppets is, my favorite episode is still Harry Belafonte’s.

3. Oh hell with it. Alice Cooper and the Muppets. (Seriously, can you imagine the phone call that happened to make this show? “Hi, we’d like to invite Mr. Cooper to perform on the Muppet Show. He’ll be performing with our monster Muppets for a Halloween show.” “…What?”)

4. The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie made it clear that the Muppets meant some serious funny business. A frog’s simple dream, to become “rich and famous”, is the driving force. Along the way, he picks up the rest of the usual cast, and hijinks ensue. The cameos from various stars through the whole film make the amusement factor even greater. And then there’s the song, Rainbow Connection: hope, longing, dreams, and a belief that life might be good and okay.

5. Muppet Christmas Carol
Now this was released after his death, but it still reflects his personality. I drive people nuts humming this around Christmas.

His kids are carrying on the traditions and businesses. The Creature Shop shows up in more places than people realize, including Batman Begins and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. His son, Brian, proved that you can take Muppets into space and not have them look like Miss Piggy with the show Farscape. He’s shown us all that we can aspire to be the best we can be, because if a giant yellow bird and a very green frog can get along with monsters, kids, and adults of all colors, sizes and beliefs, then maybe we humans can too. and just maybe, we can laugh at ourselves and the silliness that is life while we’re at it.

And that’s why Jim Henson is my god.