Independent Lens
Season 13 Episode 17 - Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
Every day, millions tune in to Sesame Street to see one of the world’s most adored and recognizable characters — a furry red three-and-a-half year-old monster named Elmo. Yet, with all of Elmo’s fame, the man behind the icon is able to walk down the street without being recognized. As a teenager growing up in Baltimore in the 1970s, Kevin Clash had very different aspirations from his classmates — he wanted to be a puppeteer. More specifically, he wanted to be part of Jim Henson’s team, the creative force responsible for delivering the magic of Sesame Street on a daily basis. With a supportive family behind him, Kevin made his dreams come true. Combining amazing archival footage with material from the present day, filmmaker Constance Marks explores Kevin's story in vivid detail and chronicles the meteoric rise of Jim Henson in the process. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and including interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others, this insightful and personal documentary offers up a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson legacy.
Episodes in Season 13
Wham! Bam! Islam!
60 min
Donor Unknown
60 min
Lives Worth Living
60 min
Deaf Jam
60 min
We Still Live Here -- as Nutayunean
60 min
The Woodmans
60 min
These Amazing Shadows
60 min
Have You Heard From Johannesburg: Road to Resistance
60 min
Have You Heard From Johannesburg: The New Generation
60 min
Have You Heard From Johannesburg: From Selma to Soweto
60 min
Have You Heard From Johannesburg: The Bottom Line
60 min
Have You Heard From Johannesburg: Free at Last
60 min
Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock
60 min
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
60 min
More Than A Month
60 min
You're Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don't
60 min
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
60 min
When the Drum Is Beating
60 min
Revenge of the Electric Car
60 min
Facing the Storm: Story of the American Bison
60 min
Circo
60 min
Summer Pasture
60 min
Precious Knowledge
60 min
Left by the Ship
60 min
Hell and Back Again
60 min
We Were Here
60 min
Strong!
60 min
