From the Christmas 1964 episode of The Jimmy Dean Show (you can watch the full clip on my TikTok/Reels), a beautiful moment of Jim Henson singing live as Rowlf The Dog, with depth & sincerity of character, that I find mesmerizing & deeply emotional.
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Rowlf's one of the most underrated Muppets. Low key more emblematic of Henson as a performer than even Kermit I think. It's such a shame they've kind of floundered at finding a good role for Rowlf in the decades since Henson passed away.
People who only know Jimmy Dean posthumously as a brand of sausages may not know that he was a sincere and kind person irl. He lived near us in NoVA and people who knew him genuinely liked him.
Ok but the actor next to him helps pull that off—it legit looks like he’s losing his shit near the end. It is a tender song when done right—the conclusion “…so have yourself a merry little Xmas now…” a poignant non sequitur from the potential terribleness of your life otherwise.
Jim Henson offered Jimmy Dean a 40% interest in his company because he'd given him such a big break. Dean declined because he felt Henson earned everything himself. He said in an interview, “If I had done something to earn it I would have said, ‘Alright, fine.’ But I didn’t."
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https://tiktok.com/t/ZTYseRb8r/