11/17 Sound Unseen Film Festival | SHARI & LAMB CHOP + THE MUSIC FACTORY (short film)
SHARI & LAMB CHOP
Shari Lewis changed the face of children’s television even before Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street. Through the creation of her sock puppet sidekicks, Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse, and the beloved Lamb Chop, Shari created a playful, non-judgmental world for children and adults alike. As the daughter of the Official Magician of New York City and a performer with her own aspirations, Shari rose to fame at a young age, hosting pioneering children’s shows. When her own national show was unexpectedly canceled, Shari moved to Hollywood – and later to Las Vegas – to reinvent herself as an actress and dancer. But no matter how hard she worked, audiences only wanted to see Lamb Chop. It was a blessing and a curse that she created something as magical as Lamb Chop, who was becoming a cultural icon and threatened to overshadow Shari herself. Shari was the queen of reinvention. She used her puppets as an outlet – to say the things that women couldn’t say in mid-century America and also to maintain control over her personal story. Shari spent nearly 40 years trying to get back on television and, in the 1990s, she finally succeeded. She defied ageism in her 60s, singing and dancing in her own TV show, PBS’s Lamb Chop’s Play Along. Shari and Lamb Chop became more popular than ever before and connected with a whole new generation of children. Shari used her renewed popularity to reinforce her commitment to children’s education. At its heart, "Shari & Lamb Chop" is an empowering story of a multi-talented, continually underestimated woman who refused to give up in the face of myriad obstacles, who lost her voice for a time and, by finding it again, wound up enriching the lives of multiple generations of children. Shari leaves a profound legacy of lessons to live by in our ever-changing, complex world. Perhaps most powerfully: The more you are friends with your own self, the better you will survive what the world throws at you.
Dir. Lisa D'Apolito, 92min, 2023, USA, MN Premiere
THE MUSIC FACTORY
In “The Music Factory” we meet Herbert, who has synesthesia; a cross-sensory condition that makes him see shapes and colours when he hears sound and music and we are presented with the story of how he found his way to the music factory. During his infanthood music, colours and shapes all came together in pure joyful synthesis, but when he gets older his synesthesia turn into a distraction with catastrophic results. At a low point in the film the sound of a beautiful violin brings him out his sadness, and he follow the trails of synesthesia and discovers the music factory. He sneaks in, and is taken on a journey through the factory. In the grand finale Herbert finds out he is capable of controlling the colours and shapes, and he brings the synesthesia down, shapes it and throws it back up in the air. All in harmony with the music created by a full philharmonic orchestra. In the end Herbert gets a job as head of R&D at the Music Factory and the film ends with him working his way through the factory.
Dir. Cina Espejond og, Alf Martin Løvvold, 9min, 2023, Norway, North American Premiere
Tickets are $15. Doors open at 11:30PM. Online ticket sales end at 9:30PM.
Our full restaurant and bar service is available in the theater! Order from your seat and enjoy the show, we'll take care of the rest.
SHARI & LAMB CHOP
Shari Lewis changed the face of children’s television even before Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street. Through the creation of her sock puppet sidekicks, Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse, and the beloved Lamb Chop, Shari created a playful, non-judgmental world for children and adults alike. As the daughter of the Official Magician of New York City and a performer with her own aspirations, Shari rose to fame at a young age, hosting pioneering children’s shows. When her own national show was unexpectedly canceled, Shari moved to Hollywood – and later to Las Vegas – to reinvent herself as an actress and dancer. But no matter how hard she worked, audiences only wanted to see Lamb Chop. It was a blessing and a curse that she created something as magical as Lamb Chop, who was becoming a cultural icon and threatened to overshadow Shari herself. Shari was the queen of reinvention. She used her puppets as an outlet – to say the things that women couldn’t say in mid-century America and also to maintain control over her personal story. Shari spent nearly 40 years trying to get back on television and, in the 1990s, she finally succeeded. She defied ageism in her 60s, singing and dancing in her own TV show, PBS’s Lamb Chop’s Play Along. Shari and Lamb Chop became more popular than ever before and connected with a whole new generation of children. Shari used her renewed popularity to reinforce her commitment to children’s education. At its heart, "Shari & Lamb Chop" is an empowering story of a multi-talented, continually underestimated woman who refused to give up in the face of myriad obstacles, who lost her voice for a time and, by finding it again, wound up enriching the lives of multiple generations of children. Shari leaves a profound legacy of lessons to live by in our ever-changing, complex world. Perhaps most powerfully: The more you are friends with your own self, the better you will survive what the world throws at you.
Dir. Lisa D'Apolito, 92min, 2023, USA, MN Premiere
THE MUSIC FACTORY
In “The Music Factory” we meet Herbert, who has synesthesia; a cross-sensory condition that makes him see shapes and colours when he hears sound and music and we are presented with the story of how he found his way to the music factory. During his infanthood music, colours and shapes all came together in pure joyful synthesis, but when he gets older his synesthesia turn into a distraction with catastrophic results. At a low point in the film the sound of a beautiful violin brings him out his sadness, and he follow the trails of synesthesia and discovers the music factory. He sneaks in, and is taken on a journey through the factory. In the grand finale Herbert finds out he is capable of controlling the colours and shapes, and he brings the synesthesia down, shapes it and throws it back up in the air. All in harmony with the music created by a full philharmonic orchestra. In the end Herbert gets a job as head of R&D at the Music Factory and the film ends with him working his way through the factory.
Dir. Cina Espejond og, Alf Martin Løvvold, 9min, 2023, Norway, North American Premiere
Tickets are $15. Doors open at 11:30PM. Online ticket sales end at 9:30PM.
Our full restaurant and bar service is available in the theater! Order from your seat and enjoy the show, we'll take care of the rest.
SHARI & LAMB CHOP
Shari Lewis changed the face of children’s television even before Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street. Through the creation of her sock puppet sidekicks, Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse, and the beloved Lamb Chop, Shari created a playful, non-judgmental world for children and adults alike. As the daughter of the Official Magician of New York City and a performer with her own aspirations, Shari rose to fame at a young age, hosting pioneering children’s shows. When her own national show was unexpectedly canceled, Shari moved to Hollywood – and later to Las Vegas – to reinvent herself as an actress and dancer. But no matter how hard she worked, audiences only wanted to see Lamb Chop. It was a blessing and a curse that she created something as magical as Lamb Chop, who was becoming a cultural icon and threatened to overshadow Shari herself. Shari was the queen of reinvention. She used her puppets as an outlet – to say the things that women couldn’t say in mid-century America and also to maintain control over her personal story. Shari spent nearly 40 years trying to get back on television and, in the 1990s, she finally succeeded. She defied ageism in her 60s, singing and dancing in her own TV show, PBS’s Lamb Chop’s Play Along. Shari and Lamb Chop became more popular than ever before and connected with a whole new generation of children. Shari used her renewed popularity to reinforce her commitment to children’s education. At its heart, "Shari & Lamb Chop" is an empowering story of a multi-talented, continually underestimated woman who refused to give up in the face of myriad obstacles, who lost her voice for a time and, by finding it again, wound up enriching the lives of multiple generations of children. Shari leaves a profound legacy of lessons to live by in our ever-changing, complex world. Perhaps most powerfully: The more you are friends with your own self, the better you will survive what the world throws at you.
Dir. Lisa D'Apolito, 92min, 2023, USA, MN Premiere
THE MUSIC FACTORY
In “The Music Factory” we meet Herbert, who has synesthesia; a cross-sensory condition that makes him see shapes and colours when he hears sound and music and we are presented with the story of how he found his way to the music factory. During his infanthood music, colours and shapes all came together in pure joyful synthesis, but when he gets older his synesthesia turn into a distraction with catastrophic results. At a low point in the film the sound of a beautiful violin brings him out his sadness, and he follow the trails of synesthesia and discovers the music factory. He sneaks in, and is taken on a journey through the factory. In the grand finale Herbert finds out he is capable of controlling the colours and shapes, and he brings the synesthesia down, shapes it and throws it back up in the air. All in harmony with the music created by a full philharmonic orchestra. In the end Herbert gets a job as head of R&D at the Music Factory and the film ends with him working his way through the factory.
Dir. Cina Espejond og, Alf Martin Løvvold, 9min, 2023, Norway, North American Premiere
Tickets are $15. Doors open at 11:30PM. Online ticket sales end at 9:30PM.
Our full restaurant and bar service is available in the theater! Order from your seat and enjoy the show, we'll take care of the rest.