Jerry Juhl
{{short description|American screenwriter (1938–2005)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jerry Juhl
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Jerome Ravn Juhl
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|06|28}}
| birth_place = Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2005|9|25|1938|07|27}}
| death_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.
| resting_place = Neptune Society Columbarium
| alma_mater = San Jose State University
| known_for = writing and puppeteering for The Muppets
}}
Jerome Ravn Juhl (June 28, 1938 – September 25, 2005) was an American television and film writer, best known for his work with The Muppets.
Biography
Juhl was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota; his family moved to Menlo Park, California, when he was 14. He received a bachelor's degree in theater arts from San Jose State University in 1961 and worked on children's shows for local television stations while in college. He met Frank Oz when they both worked for the Oakland Recreation Department's Vagabond Puppet Theater as teenagers.[http://www.puppetrymuseum.org/IPM-Lettie.html International Puppet Museum: Lettie Connell Schuburt] The two later met Henson at a puppeteer gathering in California.{{cite news |author1=Monica Potts |authorlink1= |title=Jerry Juhl, 67, Award-Winning Head Writer for Muppet Shows, Is Dead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/obituaries/jerry-juhl-67-awardwinning-head-writer-for-muppet-shows-is-dead.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=15 February 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=9 October 2005 |page=1 44}}
Juhl was recruited by Jim Henson as a puppeteer and writer on Sam and Friends. He focused increasingly on writing as other puppeteers, such as Frank Oz, joined the Henson stable.
Juhl was the head writer on The Muppet Show from seasons 2 to 5 (season 1 had Jack Burns as head writer). He also wrote for the television shows Fraggle Rock and The Jim Henson Hour. He was involved in some capacity with all of the Muppet films from The Muppet Movie in 1979 to Muppets from Space in 1999. According to Lisa Henson, "So much of the humour, irreverence, caring and heart began with Jerry. He was, in many ways, the real voice of the Muppets."{{cite news |title=Jerry Juhl: Puppeteer behind the witty dialogue of the Muppet Show |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/oct/12/usnews.guardianobituaries |newspaper=The Guardian |date=October 12, 2005 |access-date=July 17, 2011}}
He appeared as himself in the 1981 documentary Of Muppets and Men: The Making of The Muppet Show, the 1984 documentary Henson's Place, and the 1994 documentary The World of Jim Henson. In addition to being interviewed in all three, he also appeared in archival footage in the last two.
He was married to Susan Doerr Juhl and lived in Caspar, California. In his last few years he semi-retired from writing, but taught at local colleges, coached at local Mendocino Coast theatres such as Gloriana Opera Company, and spoke at puppeteer conventions. He died on September 25, 2005, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 67.{{efn|Juhl's obituary submitted to The New York Times erroneously reported his death as September 27.}}
Awards
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2017}}
Juhl co-wrote The Muppet Movie with Jack Burns, for which the two shared a Saturn Award nomination for Best Writing. He was nominated for a shared Emmy four times, for his writing on The Muppet Show, finally winning the award in 1981 for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program. He was also awarded for his work on The Jim Henson Hour (Outstanding Children's Program, 1989, 1990) and The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program, 1991). His work on A Muppet Family Christmas won him the WGA Award for Variety – Musical, Award, Tribute, Special Event.
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955–1961 | Sam and Friends | Muppet performer | |
| 1969 | The Cube | ||
| 1969–1975 | Sesame Street | ||
| 1970 | The Great Santa Claus Switch | ||
| 1971 | The Frog Prince | Taminella | Voice |
| 1972 | The Muppet Musicians of Bremen | ||
| rowspan="2"| 1974 | The Muppets Valentine Show | ||
| Tale of Sand | Co-writer; Originally written as a live-action screenplay, released in 2012 as a graphic novel, Jim Henson's Tale of Sand. | ||
| 1976–1981 | The Muppet Show | Head writer | |
| 1977 | Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas | ||
| rowspan="2"| 1979 | The Muppets Go Hollywood | ||
| The Muppet Movie | |||
| rowspan="2"| 1981 | The Muppets Go to the Movies | ||
| The Great Muppet Caper | |||
| 1983–1987 | Fraggle Rock | Writer, creative producer | |
| rowspan="2"| 1985 | Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff | ||
| Fozzie's Muppet Scrapbook | |||
| 1986 | The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years | ||
| 1987 | A Muppet Family Christmas | ||
| rowspan="2"| 1989 | The Jim Henson Hour | Writer, co-producer | |
| Living with Dinosaurs | Co-producer | ||
| rowspan="2"| 1990 | The Muppets at Walt Disney World | ||
| The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson | |||
| 1992 | The Muppet Christmas Carol | Co-producer | |
| 1996 | Muppet Treasure Island | ||
| 1999 | Muppets from Space |
References
{{Reflist}}
Explanatory notes
{{Notelist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0432075|name=Jerry Juhl}}
- [http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/juhl1.shtml An interview with Jerry Juhl]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051026092139/http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/654/654602p1.html A tribute to Jerry Juhl] at IGN FilmForce
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051225110140/http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles/showarticle.php?ID=1669 A tribute to Jerry Juhl] at Jim Hill Media
{{EmmyAward ComedyVarietyMusicWriting 1980s}}
{{The Muppets}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juhl, Jerry}}
Category:San Jose State University alumni
Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:American television writers
Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners
Category:Writers from Saint Paul, Minnesota
Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners
Category:American people of Danish descent
Category:American male television writers
Category:20th-century American male writers
Category:20th-century American writers