Latest news with #LambChop
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘She dies with me': Shari Lewis' daughter talks Lamb Chop's final act — including a new TV show and that song that will never end
There's only one Shari Lewis — but there are two Lamb Chops. When the pioneering Emmy-winning television puppeteer died in 1998 at the age of 65, her daughter Mallory Lewis stepped in to take over her signature sheepish sock puppet character, who has been entertaining children and adults since the mid 1950s, when television was still a young medium. That literal hand-off from mother to daughter provides the emotional climax to Lisa D'Apolito's new documentary, Shari & Lamb Chop, opening in theaters on July 18. And it's the one moment in the film that the younger Lewis finds hard to watch. As outlined in the documentary, Mallory was present for her mother's last-ever Lamb Chop performance, which took place on the set of the PBS children's show The Charlie Horse Music Pizza, just after Shari had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Footage from that day is included in the film, and Mallory recalls the moment when she approached Shari, reached for Lamb Chop and said: "I'll take her now." More from Gold Derby 'Eddington': Instant Oscar predictions for Ari Aster's latest Watch 'Superman' crush 'Smurfs' and 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' at the weekend box office "I thought I was hiding what I was feeling," Mallory, now 62, tells Gold Derby now. "But when I look at that video today, it looks like I've just been hit by a truck. I wish I could tell that girl, 'It is going to take a long time, but eventually it'll get better. Oh, and by the way — you're pregnant!'" (Mallory gave birth to her son, James, in 1999.) Mallory waited two years until after Shari's passing to adopt Lamb Chop in earnest. Since then, she has kept the wisecracking character alive with live performances and more recently on social media via TikTok and Instagram. But she's adamant that Lamb Chop won't be handed down to a third generation. "She dies with me," Mallory says matter-of-factly. "Nobody but Mom and I ever put their hand in Lamb Chop and it would be like somebody inappropriately touching my mother — that's the most ladylike way I can phrase that." Rest assured that Lamb Chop and her two puppet friends, Charley Horse and Hush Puppy, will have a permanent home once they enter retirement. Mallory has promised all three characters — along with a selection of their costumes and several of her mother's Emmy statues — at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, which she calls "my most favorite museum ever." (The museum currently has a pop-up exhibition dedicated to Shari Lewis and will host a special screening of Shari & Lamb Chop on Aug. 9.) "I know she'll be well-curated there and well-loved," Mallory says of Lamb Chop's pending afterlife. "Also, my son actually has a life! So for now, I'm just going to try and take really good care of Lamb Chop and myself." In a separate interview with Gold Derby, D'Apolito credits Mallory with extending Lamb Chop's career through her canny use of social media. "Her following on TikTok is growing and growing," the filmmaker notes. "There's a third generation of Lamb Chop fans now, and I think that's pretty cool." Mallory says that she currently has no plans to bring Lamb Chop back to the broadcast airwaves or even to a streaming platform like YouTube as the star of her own series. "YouTube is a platform that really deserves a fully produced show," she explains, adding that she has recently relocated from California to Portugal, where the resources for that kind of production are limited. "There was a time where that would have been everything I wanted, but now it's not. I love performing with Lamb Chop, but I don't want to get caught in that big of a harness." That said, there is a chance that Lamb Chop could become a featured character in someone else's dream TV project. Mallory confirms that she's collaborating with writer Joshua Disney and puppeteer and producer Suzie Vigon on the series Love Sucks, which follows the exploits of a 600-year-old vampire puppet and Florida-based daytime TV host named Mezmeralda Moonlight. Lamb Chop would be the vamp's next door neighbor and hear all about her romantic exploits as Mezmeralda seeks out undying love. "Mezmeralda is back on the apps and dating," Mallory teases, adding that the Love Sucks cast would also include WWE star Brimstone as himself. "Brimstone is Lamb Chop's best friend — she calls him Uncle Brim," she says, laughing. "You can imagine how cute the two of them are together. And Josh's scripts are laugh out loud funny." The 13-episode first season of Love Sucks is currently being shopped around for a buyer, and Mallory says that that she'd book a flight from Portugal back to the U.S. if it gets picked up. "Lamb Chop is in 10 of the 13 episodes, so I would fly in, block-shoot all of my episodes and then get the heck back here! That would be the dream." With Lamb Chop's 70th birthday looming in 2026, we asked Mallory and D'Apolito to share more stories about the character's long career with Shari Lewis — from taking political stands in support of public television to that beloved song that doesn't end. Let's get political While Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop began their collaboration as network television stars on New York's NBC affiliate in the 1950s, their second generation of fans remember them best as staples of PBS children's programming lineup with '90s series like Lamb Chop's Play-Along and Charlie Horse Music Pizza. "PBS believed in her mission of educating children," D'Apolito says of how the association began. "There was always an educational component to her shows, and that's what she was really looking to continue." Throughout its existence, though, public television has been a target for criticism and threats of budget cuts by politicians — particularly those in the Republican party. PBS stars like Fred Rogers and LeVar Burton have appeared before Congress over the decades to speak on the importance of the network's educational programming to children. And Shari joined them when she entered the PBS family, testifying at the U.S. House of Representatives in 1993. In an unfortunate piece of timing, Shari & Lamb Chop is arriving in theaters just as the current Republican-led Congress is poised to make steep cuts to public television with the support of President Donald Trump. D'Apolito says that those headlines serve to make her film — and Shari's life — newly relevant. "She went to Congress several times really mad about the funding cuts at PBS and for children's television," the director notes. "So many kids look to those shows to give them lessons in life and help their creativity. She would definitely be out there fighting now." Mallory agrees that her mother would be on the frontlines right now trying to keep that money in PBS's coffers. "She would be testifying at Congress and doing a press tour about it," emphasizes the younger Lewis, who doesn't shy away from posting political material social media — much to the shock of some followers. "It makes me laugh when people say, 'Your mother would be horrified that you're involved in politics,'" she says. "I'm like, 'Oh, sir, you didn't know my mother.' And by the way, it is always a sir! That's part of the reason why I wanted to do this movie — people didn't know my mother. They knew the nice little lady in overalls who lived in a house that had a red barn. But she was also a businesswoman, a producer, and a woman who wore sexy clothes, did nightclub routines and talked politics." The Henson connection Shari Lewis's televised puppetry predated Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Sesame Street, and both of those shows are clearly inspired by her work. As part of her pre-production research, D'Apolito says that she found correspondence between Lewis and Rogers and learned through interviews that she had a friendship with Jim Henson as well. While Lamb Chop never made a visit to Rogers's neighborhood, she did drop by Sesame Street in a memorable episode in the early '90s. Asked whether Lewis felt any envy towards Rogers or Henson after their stars eclipsed her own during the '70s and '80s when she struggled to find new TV platforms, the filmmaker says that Shari didn't dwell on what other artists were doing. "She was such a creative person, and always thinking about new puppets and new things that she wanted to do. She used every opportunity to reinvent herself and keep going." Mallory also says that her mother never had any harsh words for Rogers or Henson in their household. "Mom thought that what they both did was absolutely brilliant," she says, while also allowing that she might have kept any jealous feelings locked away. "She never said anything like that out loud. But Mom also had a filter, which is not my greatest strength!" For the record, D'Apolito believes that Lewis' influence lives on in many contemporary children's entertainers, including YouTube-turned-Netflix star Ms. Rachel. "She has a connection with her audience that's very Shari-esque. And you know, Shari was always changing with the times. If she were alive now, she would definitely be on YouTube." Emmy excellence Lewis won 12 Emmy awards during the course of her career, and shares the only mother-daughter Emmy ever awarded to date with Mallory. The duo were recognized — along with the rest of the Lamb Chop's Play-Along writing staff — for Best Writing in a Children's Series at the 1993 Daytime Emmys. Besides her dozen Emmys, Shari also claimed a Peabody Award and a Kennedy Center honor among her many and varied prizes. Many of these awards came later in her life, which Mallory says was a testament to her mother's persistence through the lean years. "She had stayed ready, and was thrilled beyond belief with those awards. She was pissed about dying because she's wasn't done! She was so happy being Shari Lewis." Not surprisingly, D'Apolito hopes that Shari & Lamb Chop will be part of the awards conversation, especially after her previous film — the 2018 Gilda Radner documentary Love, Gilda — was recognized with two Emmy nominations. As Gold Derby has noted, celebrity-themed documentaries have had better luck with Emmy voters than with Oscar voters in recent years. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, I Am: Celine Dion, and Will & Harper are among the films that received Emmy recognition after being passed over by the Academy Awards. That's a trend that D'Apolito has noticed as well. "I loved Super/Man and Will & Harper, so I was a little disappointed that they weren't recognized," the director says. "It seems like [documentaries] about really important issues seem to be recognized. But I love biographical documentaries — the person's story is always the most interesting to me. And in the case of this film, I think anyone who is a performer will understand Shari's story. The essence of any artist is to try to stay relevant, stay working, be creative and be respected for it." The song that almost ended the movie's release We couldn't leave you without one story about Shari and Lamb Chop's signature tune, "The Song That Doesn't End," which served as the closing theme for Lamb Chop's Play-Along. Footage of Shari singing that never-ending anthem plays over the closing credits of Shari & Lamb Chop, but Mallory says that it very nearly didn't make the final cut. "The production company said, 'We can't use that — it's not long enough for the credits,'" she reveals, adding that she and D'Apolito were always in complete agreement that the song had to stay in the picture. "I actually had to refuse to sign off on the movie if they didn't include it! I told my manager, 'This is the hill I will die on.'" The stand-off lasted six weeks until the production company agreed to make room for "The Song That Doesn't End." "With the amount of money that had been invested in the movie, it was going to get released," Mallory says, smiling. "But someone had to give on that point, and it wasn't going to be me! I knew that all of the Lamb Chop's Play-Along kids would want to hear that song." Best of Gold Derby Everything to know about 'The Batman 2': Returning cast, script finalized Tom Cruise movies: 17 greatest films ranked worst to best 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') Click here to read the full article. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Shari & Lamb Chop': A Singular Talent Gets Her Due
I was a PBS-watching child, and one of the shows I loved was 'Lamb Chop's Play-Along,' with a theme song I could still sing for you today and an infinitely earwormy outro, 'The Song That Doesn't End.' (Sorry.) I was a little old for the show when it started airing in 1992 — I watched with my brother, who would have been a toddler around then — but no matter. The mechanics of the puppetry and ventriloquism were entrancing, and they all revolved around a curly-haired woman named Shari Lewis and her puppet friends, especially the lightly sardonic and always funny Lamb Chop. My mother told me she used to watch Shari and Lamb Chop on TV, too. But it wasn't till I was older that I realized what a trailblazer Lewis, who died in 1998, had been over her long career. She's the subject of Lisa D'Apolito's light and nostalgic new documentary, 'Shari & Lamb Chop' (in theaters), which is full of archival footage stretching from Lewis's early days on 'Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts,' the CBS variety show that provided her big break, through the children's shows she hosted single-handedly (so to speak) with her puppets from the mid-1950s to 1960s, including 'Facts N' Fun,' 'Shariland' and 'The Shari Lewis Show.' The film explores her work in the years after 'The Shari Lewis Show' was canceled, including nightclub acts, variety shows, telethons, county fairs and guest turns on various TV shows. And it chronicles her triumphant return to TV in the 1990s with 'Lamb Chop's Play-Along,' as well as her emergence as an advocate for children's educational television. This biographical information is presented in a fairly perfunctory manner, especially since Lewis's life isn't punctuated by any great scandals, the sort of thing that usually provides shape to biographical documentaries. Instead, the most interesting part of the film — aside from copious clips of Lamb Chop, who is just as funny as I recall, and pretty subversive, too — is its strong (if perhaps too brief) argument that Lewis has never gotten her due as a pioneer in children's television. Several interviewees suggest that Lewis was doing Mr. Rogers before Mr. Rogers was: speaking directly to the children watching the show, telling them that they were special and important, encouraging them and providing a positive adult presence for those who might not have that in their lives. Furthermore, the film makes clear just how talented Lewis was, and how easy she made near-impossible feats look. Several interviewees — including Megan Piphus Peace, a puppeteer for 'Sesame Street,' and Darci Lynne Farmer, a ventriloquist and winner of 'America's Got Talent' — discuss the incredible difficulty of operating two puppets separately, one on each hand, and talking to them both while keeping personalities and voices straight. Lewis was also able to sing while performing as a ventriloquist, which is phenomenally demanding. Her whole career was unusual: She got her start at a time when few, if any, ventriloquists were women. 'Shari & Lamb Chop' is a charming introduction to a remarkable artist and the characters she created, which have endured across generations because they reflect the playfulness at the heart of their creator.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Shari & Lamb Chop' Review: Shari Lewis and Her Most Famous Puppet Get the Star Treatment They Deserve
It's fitting that Shari Lewis, the iconic ventriloquist and puppeteer at the center of Lisa D'Apolito's winning documentary 'Shari & Lamb Chop,' never seemed to get too hung up on religion (at one point in the film, Lewis tells us that she thinks the best religious ceremony is life itself). Another person, someone more compelled by providence or divine fate or what-have-you, would likely have been been far more preoccupied with the origin story behind how they met their most famous partner, their felt-y little soulmate. For Lewis, it was thus: she was a young entertainer, appearing on an episode of 'Captain Kangaroo' in 1956, when someone commented on how heavy and unwieldy her ventriloquist dummies were for a relatively diminutive gal like her. She looked around, found a lamb puppet she (by her own, very amusing words) 'didn't know,' and the rest is history. Lewis wasn't very sentimental, but she was open-hearted, and dwelling on how she and Lamb Chop came to be wasn't exactly her thing. That suits D'Apolito's doc, which covers the majority of Lewis' life and work in less than 90 minutes, little time to dwell. More from IndieWire 'Night Always Comes' Trailer: Vanessa Kirby Tries to Save Her Family Home Over the Course of One Crime-Fueled Night Why 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson Looked to Spielberg and 'Jaws' for Inspiration But don't let that slim running time fool you: D'Apolito covers a staggering amount of ground here, much of that possible because of Lewis' special brand of candor. A straight-shooting Type-A overachiever who could do just about anything in the performing arts realm, Lewis is undoubtedly best known for her work with Lamb Chop, the wee lamb puppet with whom she shares the title of the film. Despite that seemingly blasé way the pair first met, the documentary is willing to get a bit more touchy-feely than Lewis herself, making a sterling argument that the duo were really just two pieces of one entity. That's not to say that Lewis herself didn't make that determination many times throughout her life, but again, each interview (and D'Apolito surely had a treasure trove of archival footage to raid for this) that focuses on the topic is relatively straightforward about it. That Lewis and Lamb Chop (and Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse) were part of one, greater whole is a given. Funnily enough, that attitude makes that relationship all the more special. (Still, when Lewis tells us that she went 'looking for God' in her puppets, and only found it when Lamb Chop arrived, it's one of the most touching and incredibly self-aware moments of any doc this year.) Told mostly in linear fashion (and a bit breakneck because of it), Lewis' early days alone would make for a neat feature. The daughter of a magician and a pianist, creativity was in young Shari Hurwitz's blood, but as she explains in an older interview, ventriloquism proved to be the 'most natural thing' she did. That natural proclivity led Lewis to do nothing less than forever change the face of children's television, a point made early and often throughout the doc. It's certainly not wrong. As well-known as Lewis (who passed away in 1998 at the age of 65) is for her work with Lamb Chop and friends — and, depending on your generation, either the hit '60s series 'The Shari Lewis Show' or the beloved '90s joint 'Lamb Chop's Play-Along' — D'Apolito's doc makes it clear how very much she accomplished with and without the puppets. And D'Apolito and editor Andrea Lewis (no relation) inject lots of Shari Lewis into the film, by way of a variety of archival interviews (a later one is also used as voiceover throughout the film), though these moments often leave us hungry to see more sequences of Lewis actually performing. Those are the real stunners, and a series of cleverly deployed talking head interviews (including Lewis' daughter Mallory, her sister Barbara, her assistant Mary Lou, plus starry admirers like David Copperfield and Sarah Sherman) help contextualize the full breadth of Lewis' incredible talent. Fellow puppeteer Megan Piphus Peace especially stands out, particularly when she explains just how remarkable Lewis' ability to puppet two of her creations at the same time, while also performing as herself. And who really was Shari Lewis? As the documentary chugs along through the messier moments of Lewis' life (mostly in the late '60s, after 'The Shari Lewis Show' was canceled, and then later into the '80s, when her marriage to Jeremy Tarcher was failing), we get many glimpses, but fewer answers. 'The Queen of Reinvention,' as Mallory Lewis termed her mother, tried a little bit of everything before coming back into the fold with 'Play-Along,' much of it bizarre to look back on. (Footage showing everything from Lewis and Lamb Chop appearing on 'Playboy After Dark' to Lewis dancing, quite well, with a life-sized Fred Astaire puppet must be seen to be believed.) Things picked back up in the '90s with the creation of 'Play-Along,' which most everyone believes is Lewis' real legacy and her greatest achievement. As she grew older, Lewis became even more work-focused and pinpoint-precise, laser-focused on delivering the best possible show for her best and most lasting audience: kids. Those kids? They're likely to find this documentary especially compelling, offering a new way into Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, one that somehow delivers the facts with the kind of showmanship only Lewis could offer. Grade: B 'Shari & Lamb Chop' will be released by Kino Lorber in select theaters on Friday, July 18. Want to stay up to date on IndieWire's film and critical thoughts? to our newly launched newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers. Best of IndieWire The 25 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked Every IndieWire TV Review from 2020, Ranked by Grade from Best to Worst Solve the daily Crossword
UPI
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
'Lamb Chop' doc highlights Shari Lewis feminism, glass ceiling
1 of 5 | Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop are the subject of "Shari & Lamb Chop," in theaters Friday. Photo courtesy of Kino Lorber LOS ANGELES, July 16 (UPI) -- The documentary Shari & Lamb Chop, in theaters Friday, tells the story of ventriloquist Shari Lewis and her most famous character, the puppet Lamb Chop. Her daughter, Mallory Lewis, who has performed as Lamb Chop and other characters since her mother's death in 1998, appreciates filmmaker Lisa D'Apolito showing the woman behind the characters. When Shari first got into ventriloquism, she was shut out by the male-dominated industry. In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Mallory said women remain the minority in ventriloquism, even decades after Shari. "There's always been a glass ceiling for women and there continues to be one," Mallory said. "Nina Conti is one of my favorites but she's a comic as well." Shari and Lamb Chop also raised awareness for political issues that remain relevant today. A black and white clip from 1953 shows Lamb Chop asking Shari why there hasn't been a female president. "It is telling that in 1953 Lamb Chop said, 'Why isn't there a woman president? 32 men have been president and they've done it all wrong,'" Mallory said. Shari performed live television shows with Lamb Chop and other characters like Charlie Horse, Hush Puppy and Wing Ding. Mallory said her mother's strength was distinguishing each of her characters. "You never felt that it was Mom putting on an affect," Mallory said. "Lamb Chop would not say the same thing Charlie would say. Lamb Chop would be horrified at injustice and Charlie Horse would be rooting for the bad guy. Hush Puppy would just want everyone to stop fighting. Then Mom would come in and explain the ethical issues and suggest a moral outcome." The documentary shows how live children's shows like Shari's got pushed off the air by animated series. The animated shows were designed to advertise the toys that inspired the series. Shari and Lamb Chop even testified before Congress in 1993 to advocate for moral children's television. "Mom, of course, sold Lamb Chop toys but the show was not about the toys," Mallory said. "The show was moral stories. They learned be nice, be inclusive, don't be mean. I don't know why those are now radical concepts." Lamb Chop did work blue in a Las Vegas act Shari performed. Shari & Lamp Chop includes clips of that show. "People have a very narrow image of Mom as a nice little lady who played with puppets," Mallory said. "Mom did not have a dark side, but she was a feminist. She was an activist. She was a businesswoman back when women weren't businesswomen. She was a wife. She was a mother. She was actually a fully formed human being." Shari also had many other endeavors that did not make it into Shari & Lamb Chop, such as her appearances on Hollywood Squares, or the Season 3 Star Trek episode she wrote with her second husband, Jeremy Tarcher. "Mom created this place called Memory Alpha which was the repository of all the knowledge in the universe," Mallory said. "They still use Memory Alpha as the Wikipedia name [for Star Trek]." In the documentary, Shari says she found herself in Lamb Chop. Mallory has a similar relationship with Lamb Chop, with one difference. "Mom was Lamb Chop's mom," Mallory said. "I am Lamb Chop's sister so we have a different relationship. She has a great deal less respect for me than she did for Shari but we are besties." Mallory said she is still using the same Lamb Chop puppet Shari used. "I never did the puppets until Mom died," Mallory said. "Mom was a major part of my world but the rest of that was Lamb Chop. I couldn't let it all go away. I put her on, I never had to learn how to not move my lips. I never had to learn her voice. She just continued." She even gives Lamb Chop a voice in interviews, as Lamb Chop weighed in on life after Shari. "I miss Shari every day but I'm so grateful that Mallory is here because she's my sister and my bestie," Lamb Chop said. Mallory, her husband, Lamb Chop and the gang moved to Portugal this year. They perform at political rallies and charity events, often held at the Cascais Jazz Club. "I am a firm believer in the power of Lamb Chop to raise money," Mallory said. "We have raised millions of dollars over the years together, she and I. So we are hosting charity events regularly in Cascais and the expats have been very kind and generous." Lamb Chop and Mallory also appear daily on TikTok and respond to fans. Charlie Horse has even made appearances by request. "TikTok is where the artists are," Mallory said. "You can just ignore all the ads to buy stuff. Just keep scrolling."
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Latest Lamb Chop Dog Toy Is Here And It's Way Too Cute
The Latest Lamb Chop Dog Toy Is Here And It's Way Too Cute originally appeared on PetHelpful. There is just something about dogs and their Lamb Chop toys, isn't there? The iconic dog toy inspired by the popular children's TV show created by Shari Lewis has long been a dog favorite. So many pups are known to absolutely love their own Lamb Chop toys. And according to a New York Times article from 2024, Lamb Chop is one of the hottest dog toys in America. "Dog owners throw Lamb Chop-themed parties and photo shoots. They dress their dogs as Lamb Chop for Halloween and buy them Lamb Chop beds to sleep in alongside dozens of their Lambys, as they are affectionately called," Alexandra E. Petri wrote in The New York Times articlediscussing the popularity of the famous pet toy. 🐾 SIGN UP to get "pawsitivity" delivered right to your inbox with inspiring & entertaining stories about our furry & feathered friends along with expert advice from veterinarians and pet trainers 🐾 And now, just in time for summer, Target has started selling a new version of the beloved BBQ-ready Lamb Chop. The plush toy, which retails for $5, is 10.5 inches and features the traditional Lamb Chop dog but holding an ear of corn. It contains a noisemaking squeaker as well, which your pup is bound to adore. The toy is designed for both cuddling and playing, and Target recommends this edition of Lamb Chop for medium and large dogs. If your fur baby is one of the many doggies who is known to adore Lamb Chop, add this summer-clad version of the puppet to their toy collection. They will so appreciate it. Make sure to act quick, however; the toy is selling out Latest Lamb Chop Dog Toy Is Here And It's Way Too Cute first appeared on PetHelpful on Jun 25, 2025 This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
