Sam and Friends

Sam and Friends was Jim Henson's first television show, a five-minute show that aired twice daily on WRC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C. The show ran from May 9, 1955 to December 15, 1961.

The title character was a humanoid named Sam. However, of the surviving episodes, Sam's sole appearance is lip-synching to Louis Prima's "That Old Black Magic." A more enduring star of the series was Kermit, not yet a frog, and often performing in a wig. Other characters included the voracious Yorick, beatnik Harry the Hipster, excitable Professor Madcliffe, Chicken Liver, and utility players Hank and Frank. Other characters possessed more ephemeral personalities, and in many cases, their existence is defined only by photographs and surviving puppets. This roster includes Mushmellon, Icky Gunk, Henrietta, Omar, Moldy Hay, and the earliest Muppet star, Pierre the French Rat, amongst others. Characters were performed by Henson and Jane Nebel. Bob Payne joined in 1958 to substitute for Henson, who was traveling in Europe, and Jerry Juhl filled in for Jane in the final season.

The series was heavily reliant, particularly in its earliest installments, on puppet characters lip-synching to records, usually novelty songs or comedy routines from the likes of Stan Freberg, Bob and Ray, Spike Jones, and Louis Prima, amongst others. Henson experimented with character voices in such sketches as "Powder-Burn," and in commercials for the show's sponsor, Esskay Meats. Though the earliest skits were in black and white, later sketches such as "Poison to Poison" were transmitted in color.

Some of the show's original puppets were on display in the Muppets and Mechanisms: Jim Henson’s Legacy exhibit at The Smithsonian Institution, and are now a part of the Smithsonian's permanent collection.

Known Episodes
According to the Jim Henson Company Archives, very few of the original shorts have survived over the years. Existing spots can be viewed at The Paley Center for Media.