IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS: It's In Every One of Us

JERRY LEE NELSON

1934-2012

Last night, the world lost another of the original Muppet Performers.  Jerry Nelson passed away at the age of 78.  Though he had semi-retired in recent years due to health concerns, he still was an integral part of the Muppet team.  And that is one thing that has been a constant since he started working with Jim Henson back in 1965.  Nelson was first hired as a replacement for Frank Oz when Oz was called in for the draft.  When Oz returned, Nelson was able to keep his position as the third performer in their small band of Muppeteers.  Soon, Nelson proved himself indispensable by performing key characters in Muppet specials like The Great Santa Claus Switch, Hey Cinderella! and The Frog Prince, the latter one was where Kermit the Frog's nephew Robin was introduced (performed by Nelson).  It was also during this time that Henson helped create the seminal children's series Sesame Street, yet another Muppet production in which Nelson played an important role.  Nelson performed several characters on the show, but the ones that really struck a chord with audiences included the big blue Herry Monster, the Doyle-esque Sherlock Hemlock and (more famously) the iconic Count Von Count who simply loved to count.  As an original member of the Muppet team, he of course was brought along when Henson and Oz developed the musical-variety series The Muppet Show.  There, he continued his character Robin the Frog and added new characters to his repertoire including the zany fish-throwing Lew Zealand, the creepy Uncle Deadly, the curmudgeonly stage doorman Pops, the explosively dynamic Crazy Harry and (again more famously) Sgt. Floyd Pepper, the hip bassist for the rockin' Electric Mayhem band.  As he continued his characters in the Muppet movies and on Sesame Street, the Henson company was expanding their brand and exploring new worlds and new creatures.  And with Fraggle Rock, Nelson performed the prime role of Fraggle leader Gobo.  Each of his characters continued to be just as iconic, especially when the Muppet world was rocked to its core by the deaths of creator Jim Henson (in 1990) and fellow Muppeteer Richard Hunt (in 1992).  As I said earlier, he had semi-retired in recent years; though he did have a small role in the Muppets recent big screen adventure, last year's hit The Muppets.  His importance within the Muppet family cannot be overstated.  To honor him (as well as Henson and Hunt), below Nelson alongside Hunt, Frank Oz, Kevin Clash (you know Elmo!), Steve Whitmire (who currently performs Kermit) and Dave Goelz (otherwise known as Gonzo!) sing some of Jim Henson's favorite songs at the Memorial Service just after Henson's death.

And for those who feel like a little shopping will ease the grief, here are some links to some Muppet DVDs featuring Nelson in some of his best roles.

GOLDEN PLACES: The Haunted Mansion...Right next to the Mall!

Within the heart of the Silicon Valley exists one of the most notorious mansions in American history.  The Winchester Mystery House has an eerie and (at times) frightening story to tell.  Sarah Winchester had become the widow of the famed William Wirt Winchester, the magnate behind the many rifles that became synonymous with the Wild West.  Sarah was convinced by a Boston medium to leave her New Haven home and travel to the West where she was to build a home for the many spirits that had lost their lives because of the Winchester rifle.  In 1884, she moved to the Santa Clara Valley and began the building process that would continue (day and night!) for years until her death in 1922.  Initially it was to be a seven story house, but after the great 1906 Earthquake it became a four story house.  The house consists of over 150 rooms (most finished, a few not!), almost 10,000 window panes, several fireplaces, two basements and three separate elevators.  But the thing that makes the house so infamous is its many small doorways (too small for any normal-sized human to fit through!) and its several stairways that seem to lead nowhere.  It is believed that Sarah Winchester had several of these features installed to appease the many spirits that she felt surrounded and haunted her family.

Today, the house stands on Winchester Boulevard in San Jose, California, which is now a modern-day main street within the Bay Area metropolis.  Right before you walk into the house to take the tour, you can hear the roar of the many cars as they whiz by and the hustle and bustle of the people either going to the movies at the Century movie theaters next door or at the Santana Row Shopping Center across the street.  Once you begin the tour and step inside the house, the ethereal and eerie feeling that Sarah Winchester herself must have felt is extremely palpable.  True, the many tour guides (who uphold Sarah's beliefs that the spirits wanted her to build the house continuously) could potentially be manipulating the atmosphere that the tourists feel when they enter the domicile.  But, the tour guides were not around when the several construction workers and carpenters who worked on the house and had the same reaction that many tourists have had.

The number 13 is a very important number within this household.  After Sarah Winchester's death, the groundskeepers created a topiary on the main lawn in the shape of the number 13.  Every Friday the 13th, the staff rings the large bell on the property at 1 PM (13:00 hours!) for exactly 13 times.  And for Halloween, the tour guides pull out all the stops.  Within the week leading up to the October holiday, the mansion hosts their annual "Fright Nights" where tourists can save up to $20 on admission to a tour of the haunted grounds.  Part of the event includes a walk through the Sarah Winchester "Halloween Maze."  The house has become one of the most cherished landmarks in the Bay Area and is constantly on a Top 10 list of the most Haunted places in North America.