Merry Christmas! Welcome to the first of my 12 Blogs of Christmas, running every day from Christmas Day to the Epiphany (that’s the way it works; look it up). Every day, I will be talking about something that particularly means Christmas to me.
One of our annual Christmas traditions is watching the early Jim Henson special, Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. Produced 40 years ago, based on the book by Lillian and Russell Hoban, this hour-long special oozes charm. It tells the story of Emmet Otter and his mother, together since Pa Otter passed away, scraping by on the income from Ma taking in laundry and Emmet doing odd jobs using his father’s tool set.
(Spoilers after the jump. But seriously, it’s 40 years old. I think the spoiler statute of limitations has expired.)
This Christmas, each of them sees an opportunity to get the other a better-than-usual Christmas present. Unbeknownst to each other, they each decide to compete in a local talent contest in hopes of winning a $50 prize. With the money, Ma could buy Emmet the guitar that he covets. Emmet hopes to win the money so he can make a down payment on a piano for Ma (they had to sell theirs, which broke her heart).
But, of course, there’s an O. Henry-esque catch: Emmet is entering with his friends, and they have formed a jug band. Emmet’s contribution? He will play wash-tub bass, which he can only do if he punches a hole in Ma’s wash tub. Ma is going to sing, but she need a new costume to perform in. And the only way to afford fabric for a new costume is if she hock’s Pa’s old tool box.
Adding to the list of complications are a gang of thug animals from Riverbottom, led by a nasty stoat named Chuck. They enter the contest as a rock band, the Riverbottom Nightmare Band, creating additional competition for both Ma and Emmet.
I love this story for any number of reasons. First, of course, it’s full of heart It’s a Christmas story, because it takes place on Christmas and involves Ma and Emmet trying to find a way to buy nice presents for each other. But otherwise, it doesn’t cover itself up with holiday trappings, focusing on the characters and their relationships with each other.
Then there’s the sheer artistry involved. This is Jim Henson pushing the boundaries of what could be done with puppets on television. It’s shot just like a regular TV show or movie, and features characters driving cars, walking around, skating on ice, and birds flying through the air. The most effective technical tricks, I think, are the shots of Emmet and his ma performing while rowing down the river in their boat. It’s an effect that doesn’t draw attention to itself, but I believe was a pioneering use of radio control muppeteering. Plus the character designs are simply adorable (and very true to the original illustrations in the book).
Finally, the music is beautiful. Eschewing traditional holiday music, the songs enhance the down-home folksy feel of the special. While I love all the songs, the one I look forward to the most every viewing, the one that brings a tear to my eye, is “When The River Meets the Sea.”
This year marks the 40th anniversary, and a new release of the special on DVD. On the plus side, this release finally reinstalls the Kermit the Frog host bookends that had been previously edited out of home video releases. On the minus, this release has been altered for widescreen viewing, which means cutting off the top and bottom of the picture. And because it was shot on videotape 40 years ago, and is anything but high-definition, zooming in on the picture to make it widescreen does it no favors.
Still, that this is still available in any form makes me happy. I’m also glad that the long out-of-print book finally returned to print this past fall. I got to read it for the first time, and was impressed at how faithful an adaptation this show is. Really, the only major change is that Henson & co expanded the roles of the Riverbottom gang; in the book, they just show up at the talent show.
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas really captures the spirit of familial love at Christmastime, and that is why it will remain on our list of annual holiday must-views.
No comments:
Post a Comment