Latest news with #Shari&LambChop
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Shari & Lamb Chop' Trailer: The True Story Behind Shari Lewis and Her Beloved Sock Puppet
Iconic ventriloquist and puppeteer Shari Lewis gets a documentary ode to her trailblazing career as a children's entertainer in 'Shari & Lamb Chop.' The new documentary, from 'Love, Gilda' director and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Lisa D'Apolito, takes an up-close and personal look at her life and career starting with the CBS television series 'Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts' in the early 1950s, through 'The Shari Lewis Show' and 'The Charlie Horse Music Pizza,' with her second husband Jeremy Tarcher. Kino Lorber releases the documentary in theaters on July 18, with digital, educational, and home video releases to follow. Watch the trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, for 'Shari & Lamb Chop' below. More from IndieWire Brad Pitt Says David Fincher 'Reinvigorated' His Love of Acting During 'Se7en' James Cameron Expects 'Ghosts of Hiroshima' to Be His Lowest Grossing Film Ever Here's the official synopsis: 'Before Fred Rogers and Jim Henson, there was Shari Lewis, a children's television pioneer whose whimsical characters and ebullient spirit have guided generations of children as they came of age. Raised in the Bronx by a proud feminist mother and a professor father who moonlighted as Peter Pan the Magic Man, Shari became a multitalented dancer, singer, and magician. But when an injury sidelined her dance aspirations, she channeled her creativity into a passion for ventriloquism, creating the now beloved sock puppet characters Charlie Horse, Hush Puppy and, of course, Lamb Chop. 'From her early years of TV success to the crush of her show's cancellation to her 1990s comeback in her 60s, Lisa D'Apolito's heartfelt doc charts the life, loves, and career hits and misses of the spunky perfectionist whose talent and perseverance stand as a testament to women's power and forever changed the landscape of children's entertainment. Featuring interviews with ventriloquists inspired by Lewis alongside nostalgia-rich clips and home movies, this vibrant portrait brims with the same warmth, wit, and magic that defined her, celebrating the power of imagination and the inner child within.' Said D'Apolito, 'Shari Lewis's life is the ultimate comeback story. Shari mesmerized and empowered generations of children and their family in believing in themselves and having fun doing it. Audiences for the film have been multi-generational and have laughed and cried together and fallen in love with Shari and Lamb Chop. I hope it is a film that you can go with your grandparent, parents and your children and whether you watched Shari on TV or not, it brings the magic of childhood.' Said Mallory Lewis, Shari's daughter, 'I could not be happier that the world is finally going to get to truly know my mother's story and for the first time meet the fascinating and complex woman, the wife, the mother, the producer, that was Shari Lewis! They will not be disappointed.' The film is produced by White Horse Pictures and MoJo Global Arts and presented by Concord Originals and Olive Hill Media in association with The 51 Fund, Carlene Laughlin, and Chicago Media Project. The film first premiered at DOC NYC. The documentary is produced with the full cooperation of the Shari Lewis estate, through her daughter Mallory, who shares in her mother's legacy performing with Lamb Chop regularly across the U.S. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17 hours 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
2 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."
UPI
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: Shari Lewis' life and legacy examined in 'Shari and Lamb Chop'
June 25 (UPI) -- Distributor Kino Lorber has released a trailer for Shari & Lamb Chop, a documentary examining the life, career and legacy of children's entertainer Shari Lewis. The trailer, released Wednesday, charts the rise, fall and rise again of Lewis and her iconic puppets Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse. The film, directed by Lisa D'Apolito (Love, Gilda), features interviews with Lewis' family members, friends, business associates and ventriloquists who were inspired by her work in children's entertainment. "There's no shortage of Lamb Chop love in her illuminating film, but Lisa D'Apolito has gone beyond a warm embrace to more deeply investigate Shari Lewis' exceptional gifts and career," Richard Lorber, chairman and CEO of Kino Lorber, said in a news release. "The voices she projected through her beloved critters echo the multiple dimensions of Lewis' own personality and creative challenges as a performer and media pioneer." Shari & Lamb Chop releases in theaters July 18.
