Harry Belafonte's Thoughts on
Jim Henson

The following is one of the introductions that appears in the book Jim Henson: The Works.

When asked to write this introduction, I didn't realize how difficult it would be to put thoughts and feelings into words that would express what Jim Henson meant to me and millions of other people. Perhaps my difficulty stemmed from the fact that I have also seen Jim's work through the eyes of others. Long before I met him I admired him, and after we met and worked together I came to love his art, his spirit, his humanity. But unless you have had the experience of sitting in a village in war-ravaged Guatemala, or a humble, boxlike room in the wretched South African township of Alexandra, or in a dust-covered hovel on a Native American reservation, or in the tin shacks that house the thousands who live desperate lives in East Kingston, Jamaica, or in the teeming favelas of Rio de Janeeiro, or in an overcrowded, below-poverty-level dwelling in a ghetto in New York, Chicago, or Detroit, among people whoes lives are dominated by their bitter struggle for existence and some bit of dignity, unless you've seen from these places the looks on the faces of small children as they watched Sesame Street or the Muppets, you'll never really understand what Jim and his colleagues have done for millions of children all over the world, children who would never have smiled, nor dared to dream, had it not been for Jim Henson. I come from those places. I know those faces. Through them I came to fully appreciate Jim.
This book is not just a voyage into the life of a popular American personality. If it were just that it would still be in many ways, worthy of its existence. But in these pages there is much to discover about this remarkable man and the doors of joy and freedom of expression he opened to all who partook in his short journey in an all-too-short-life.
Jim might not have happened in quite that same way were it not for the love and distinctive contributions made by his grandmother, called, simply, Dear; his wonderful wife, Jane Nobel; and people like Jerry Juhl, Joan Ganz Cooney, Don Sahlin, Bonnie Erickson, and certainly Frank Oz and David Lazer and a handful of others. They all had vision. But I'm sure that all would admit that it was Jim who made the overwhelming difference. Jim was their vision's visionary.
What is so wonderfully curious is that Jim Henson's social and spiritual environment was not at all uncommon. As you read his story you will find his early years interesting, filled with their fair share of average America, with sad moments and many humorous ones. But nothing about his formative years or early adolescence prepares us for the genius that would erupt.
If nothing in the environment can be directly credited for who and what he became, then where did it come from? Where did he get "it"?
In my search for the answer I looked at the milestones of chance and coincidence that touched his life. I have talked with people whom he encountered and whose offerings he drew upon to fulfill his objectives. I looked in many places and could find no settling answer. Then I realized, after reading this book, that I could never have found the answer. The "it" I was looking for cannot be found in a place or an incident. The answer is simple. Jim Henson was blessed. He was one of those rare persons who, despite whatever life does or does not offer, will stand out as the brightest stars in their galaxy. And he was just that-this prince turned frog.
At his eulogy at St. John the Divine, as we listened to his wife, Jane, and their children, Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, John, and Heather, speak, as we watched Big Bird walk down the aisle, and as Kermit and all the Muppets gathered together in their song of goodbye, all who were present understood clearly that Jim would never be lost to us.
I am forever grateful for my friendship with David Lazer. He helped my wife, Julie, and me understand the Muppet family with far greater intimacy than we may have otherwise been afforded. If this were not an introduction, I would take the time to tell you an intriguing story about an old English circus manager's wagon and its mysterious disappearance somewhere in the English countryside. Those of you who know David should one day ask him to tell you this wonderful tale.
I also take this opportunity to say how grateful I am to have been touched by the talent and the humanity of all men and women in the Muppet family with whom I worked. Breaking bread with them, laughing with them, was one of the better encounters I have had.
I hope you enjoy this man's story.

-HARRY BELAFONTE

About Jim Henson