Kermit Love
Encyclopedia
Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love (August 7, 1916 – June 21, 2008) was an American puppeteer
, costume design
er, and actor in children's television and on Broadway
. He was best known as a designer and builder with the Muppets, in particular those on Sesame Street
.
Love was born in Spring Lake, New Jersey
and was raised by his grandmother and great-grandmother following the death of his mother when he was three years old.
and other stage productions as early as the 1930s, even appearing on stage in a bit part as a student for the 1937 play Naught Naught 00.
Love worked with many of the great figures of mid-century Broadway
and American ballet
. He was the costumer for the Agnes de Mille
ballet Rodeo (1942), for the Kurt Weill
musical One Touch of Venus
(1943), and for Merce Cunningham
's The Wind Remains (1943) and Jerome Robbins
's ballet Fancy Free (1944). For George Balanchine
he designed, amongst other items, a twenty-eight foot marionette giant for Don Quixote
(1965).
through Don Sahlin
, who urged him to meet with Henson. The three first collaborated on The LaChoy Dragon. Love's theatrical background had given him particular skill at handling full body-puppets and tailoring them to allow freedom for the performer's movements. From this, Love went on to design and build Big Bird
(though Sahlin had carved the first head), and later, Mr. Snuffleupagus. Love talked about how he designed Big Bird so that he would subtly shed feathers in the course of normal movement, "Not unlike a tree shedding leaves in the Fall." He believed this made Big Bird appear more natural to young viewers. For the special The Great Santa Claus Switch
, Love contributed to the giant Thig. He also portrayed Willy, the hot dog vendor.
Despite the coincidence of names, Kermit Love first met Jim Henson after the 1955 creation and naming of the Muppet Kermit the Frog
.
Though he also worked on The Muppet Show
and The Muppet Movie
, Sesame Street
was Love's domain, along with Caroly Wilcox, as one of the key supervisors. He even puppeteered on the special Julie on Sesame Street
. For the feature film Follow That Bird, he served as special Muppet consultant, as well as appearing in many background scenes as Willy. Love was also involved in designing many of the Sesame Street puppets for the early international productions. In his memoir The Wit and Wisdom of Big Bird, Caroll Spinney
speaks affectionately of Love and his importance to the show, though noting an occasional cantankerous side.
. On that show, he encountered a young Kevin Clash
, and urged him to apply for Sesame Street. Other works included building the Snuggle Bear puppet for the popular Snuggle fabric softener commercials.
Going into semi-retirement in the 1990s, Love remained active, building many full-body puppets for the Joffrey Ballet
's The Nutcracker
performances, such as designing the mice and the 16-foot-tall Mother Ginger puppet, an association that continued as recently as 2004. In 1993, he directed the "Whirligig" pilot for PBS at The Studios at Los Colinas, Dallas, Texas
. In 2001, Love designed Aza, the bird-like mascot for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
.
Love died on June 21, 2008, of congestive heart failure, in Poughkeepsie, New York
. He had lived in Stanford, New York
. He is survived by Christopher Lyall, his partner of fifty years.
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
, costume design
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
er, and actor in children's television and on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. He was best known as a designer and builder with the Muppets, in particular those on Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
.
Love was born in Spring Lake, New Jersey
Spring Lake, New Jersey
Spring Lake is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,993....
and was raised by his grandmother and great-grandmother following the death of his mother when he was three years old.
Early theatrical career
Love began his theatrical career at a young age, working as a marionette maker and costume designer for BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and other stage productions as early as the 1930s, even appearing on stage in a bit part as a student for the 1937 play Naught Naught 00.
Love worked with many of the great figures of mid-century Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and American ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
. He was the costumer for the Agnes de Mille
Agnes de Mille
Agnes George de Mille was an American dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMille and her uncle Cecil B. DeMille were both Hollywood directors...
ballet Rodeo (1942), for the Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
musical One Touch of Venus
One Touch of Venus
One Touch of Venus is a musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the novella The Tinted Venus by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygmalion myth. The show satirizes contemporary American suburban values,...
(1943), and for Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
's The Wind Remains (1943) and Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
's ballet Fancy Free (1944). For George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
he designed, amongst other items, a twenty-eight foot marionette giant for Don Quixote
Don Quixote (ballet)
Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes, based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. It was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus and was first presented by the Ballet of the...
(1965).
Creating Big Bird and others
During the early 1960s, Love first crossed paths with Jim HensonJim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
through Don Sahlin
Don Sahlin
Don Sahlin was a Muppet design and builder who worked for Jim Henson from 1962 to 1977. His first creation for Jim Henson was Rowlf the Dog, which he built in 1962 for a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials. Don would go on to design and build most of the Muppet characters, including Bert and...
, who urged him to meet with Henson. The three first collaborated on The LaChoy Dragon. Love's theatrical background had given him particular skill at handling full body-puppets and tailoring them to allow freedom for the performer's movements. From this, Love went on to design and build Big Bird
Big Bird
Big Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
(though Sahlin had carved the first head), and later, Mr. Snuffleupagus. Love talked about how he designed Big Bird so that he would subtly shed feathers in the course of normal movement, "Not unlike a tree shedding leaves in the Fall." He believed this made Big Bird appear more natural to young viewers. For the special The Great Santa Claus Switch
The Great Santa Claus Switch
The Great Santa Claus Switch was a Jim Henson television special featuring his Muppets. It first aired on CBS in December 1970. It was directed by John Moffitt, written by Jerry Juhl, with music by Joe Raposo and puppets by Don Sahlin.-Plot:...
, Love contributed to the giant Thig. He also portrayed Willy, the hot dog vendor.
Despite the coincidence of names, Kermit Love first met Jim Henson after the 1955 creation and naming of the Muppet Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
.
Though he also worked on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
and The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
, Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
was Love's domain, along with Caroly Wilcox, as one of the key supervisors. He even puppeteered on the special Julie on Sesame Street
Julie on Sesame Street
Julie Andrews and Perry Como teamed up to do a 1973 television special called Julie on Sesame Street. The only Sesame Street The Special was filmed in UK at the Elstree Studios by Associated Television-Broadcast dates:...
. For the feature film Follow That Bird, he served as special Muppet consultant, as well as appearing in many background scenes as Willy. Love was also involved in designing many of the Sesame Street puppets for the early international productions. In his memoir The Wit and Wisdom of Big Bird, Caroll Spinney
Caroll Spinney
Caroll Edwin Spinney, sometimes credited as Carroll Spinney or Ed Spinney , is an American puppeteer most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the children's television show Sesame Street.-Life and career:...
speaks affectionately of Love and his importance to the show, though noting an occasional cantankerous side.
Beyond Sesame Street
In addition to his work on Sesame Street, Love remained busy as freelancer, creating and building puppets for the non-Henson puppet series The Great Space CoasterThe Great Space Coaster
The Great Space Coaster is a children's television show that ran from 1981 through 1986. The series was directed by Dick Feldman, and distributed by Sunbow Productions.-Show summary and history:...
. On that show, he encountered a young Kevin Clash
Kevin Clash
Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer and voice actor whose characters include Elmo, Baby Sinclair, Clifford, Splinter and Hoots the Owl...
, and urged him to apply for Sesame Street. Other works included building the Snuggle Bear puppet for the popular Snuggle fabric softener commercials.
Going into semi-retirement in the 1990s, Love remained active, building many full-body puppets for the Joffrey Ballet
Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is a dance company in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The company regularly performs classical ballets including Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while balancing those classics with pioneering modern...
's The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
performances, such as designing the mice and the 16-foot-tall Mother Ginger puppet, an association that continued as recently as 2004. In 1993, he directed the "Whirligig" pilot for PBS at The Studios at Los Colinas, Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. In 2001, Love designed Aza, the bird-like mascot for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...
.
Love died on June 21, 2008, of congestive heart failure, in Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
. He had lived in Stanford, New York
Stanford, New York
Stanford is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census.The Town of Stanford is in the north-central part of the county.-History:Stanford was first settled around 1750...
. He is survived by Christopher Lyall, his partner of fifty years.
External links
- Rick Lyon's Photos from Love's 85th Birthday Party
- Dance Magazine Profile
- LA Times Obit
- Chicago Tribune Obit
- MSNBC Obit
- Yahoo Obit
- Metro.co.uk Obit
- Obituary in The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
- profile at Theater Development Fund