Heroes, Villains, and Puppets

Location Info

Map

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

701 Mission (at Third St.)
San Francisco, CA 94103

Category: Community Venues

Region: South of Market

Photos

1 user reviews	Write A Review
Save to foursquare	0

Related Content

• The Muppets Honors Jim Henson's Spirit After All
  November 22, 2011
• Arthouse Movie Listings December 14-20
  December 14, 2011
• Paul Williams Booked For Arson Following Yesterday's Tenderloin Blaze
  October 18, 2010
• "The Muppets": Reboot Can't Quite Get Its Act Together
  November 23, 2011
• 10 Things To Do This Weekend For Under $10
  December 18, 2009

More About

• Jim Henson
• Emmet Otter
• Paul Williams
• Puppets and Puppetry
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Aptly, the final film in the “From Muppets to Metal” series is Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, which, despite its homespun title, satisfies both ends of the spectrum. If you saw the original in 1977, you already know about The Nightmare, a band of miscreant animals from the deep woods who play hard rock like Deep Purple. Their self-referential, vitriolic tune “River Bottom Nightmare Band” knocks our hero out of the holiday talent contest, along with his loving Ma. But you can hardly blame the judges in the face of lyrical genius like, “We don’t brush our teeth/‘Cause our toothache can help us stay mean/We don’t wish to learn/But we hate what we don’t understand.” Emmet Otter was something of a test run before the first feature-length Muppet movie (also with composer Paul Williams), and it is one of the most lovingly detailed projects Henson had done to date. Hand puppets, marionettes, and early radio-controlled characters bring real life to Frogtown Hollow (the soundstage had a winding river 55 feet long). But, technical prowess aside, it is the heart that marks Henson’s work: The final song, performed in a frozen landscape by the Otters after their defeat, rivals Dylan Thomas and The Wind in the Willows for seasonal poignancy. This uncut version features Kermit.
Sun., Dec. 18, 2 p.m., 2011