#popculture55: Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog Make Their TV Debut With “Sam and Friends”

Those most sensational, inspirational, dedicational, Muppet-ational TV stars, and their creator, had humble beginnings on this local show.

by Rich Watson 

I have seen one description of the Muppets as “socks with attitude.” Oversimplified, perhaps, but I doubt that’s far off the mark. The creations of puppeteer Jim Henson have endured because of their distinctive personalities, their charm, and their heart, beginning with the flagship character, Kermit the Frog.

Long before The Muppet Show or any of their successive TV shows, the Muppets debuted on the small screen with a 1955 show called Sam and Friends. 

Henson’s career, and Kermit’s, launched from there.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ties In With the Center’s Development

A holiday tradition born out of the despair of the Great Depression evolved into New York’s showcase Christmas event for one of its landmark destinations.

by Rich Watson 

For close to a century, the holiday season in New York has been marked by the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, in midtown Manhattan. Hundreds flock to the televised ceremony, marked by live performances.

The development of the event coincides with that of the Center itself, started during the heart of the Great Depression.

BRW: Behind the Blind 6

In the sci-fi TV show Star Trek: Voyager, there was a character known only as The Doctor, a hologram who may or may not have been a sentient being. Within the context of the show, no one was sure one way or another, but bottom line: he was an Artificial Intelligence.

In his spare time, he wrote “holo-novels,” scenarios for virtual reality environments where the crew of the Starship Voyager could interact as real or fictitious characters. In one episode, The Doctor’s characters resemble the crew a little too much. 

Today, the use of AI in writing has become a serious debate.