Frank Oz Movies
Born in Hereford, England, Frank Oz (born Frank Oznowicz) graduated from California's Oakland City College during 1962 and joined the humans behind Jim Henson's fledgling Muppet group as a puppeteer the following year. He was part of the first-season cast of Saturday Night Live as the Mighty Favag and appeared in The Blues Brothers with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. After The Muppet Show went on the air in 1976, Oz became vice president of the Henson organization, and was responsible for the portrayals of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Animal, among other characters, earning three Emmy Awards for his work on the show. He later served as a producer for The Great Muppet Caper (1980), directed by Henson, with whom he co-directed The Dark Crystal a year later. He later directed The Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984. Two years later, with Henson in the director's chair, Oz was one of the voices in Labyrinth. Moving outside of Henson's orbit, Oz directed the screen version of the musical Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), What About Bob? (1991), and the Kevin Kline vehicle In & Out (1997). He also served as the voice of Yoda in five Star Wars movies: The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide- 1972
Featuring Kermit the Frog and all his Muppet pals, this is a sharp and funny retelling of the classic tale of an enchanted prince who is saved by a princess able to look beyond mere appearances. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Hey Cinderella! was one of several Muppets TV specials taped in Canada during the 1970s. In their own irreverent fashion, Jim Henson's cloth-and-foam creations retell the Cinderella yarn. The script keeps enough of the traditional story to please the kids, while still containing plenty of contemporary references to amuse the grownups. Kermit the Frog introduces the tale, doubling in the role of Cinderella's coachman, while the villainy is provided by a purple monstrosity called the Splurge. Though the budget was obviously tight, the production values maintain the veneer of lavishness throughout. The 54-minute Hey, Cinderella has since 1970 become a fixture of such cable services as Nickelodeon and Disney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
