Being a very avid Muppets fan I made sure I caught Kermit the Frog on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last night. Kermit's discussion with Fallon brought up something that is a genuine vintage Muppets creation.
I found out about this piece of hidden art back in 1984 while was watching Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. Letterman's guest that night was former Tonight Show host, Jack Parr.
That night Parr revealed to the audience a secret that had been hidden away for 20 years. Below is a link to a website that shows the video from that 1984 Late Night program. It starts out with a short interview with Parr explaining how Henson and company came to be on the Tonight Show in the mid Fifties and the 3 minute sketch they did on TV that night.
While searching for that video I found the one I've linked to below. I had never seen it before. It's from 2010. NBC news anchor man, Brian Wilson, shows Frank Oz the steps that have been taken to preserve the Muppets gift to NBC.
There's one last video link I would like to share with you. Because this link takes you to a sight that features "Daily" video I'm not sure how long it will be there. If you click on the link and don't see Kermit and Jimmy Fallon I apologize.
Here's what you're supposed to see. It's a composite video of Kermit's appearance on last night's Tonight Show. He gives Fallon a gift that's directly related to the Muppet pipes. Also included is a St. Patrick's Day rendition of one of Kermit's signature songs.
When it comes to personal heroes, for me, Jim Henson is right up there with Walt Disney and Casey Kasem. The pipes in that TV studio closet are a legacy left directly by Jim Henson and his fellow puppeteers. One day when I finally get back to the Big Apple, I'm going to take the NBC studio tour so I can see this piece of Muppet history.
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