Before Fred Rogers and Jim Henson, Shari Lewis was the true pioneer of children’s television. She was a dancer, singer, magician, writer, show runner, producer and more — but Lewis is best known as the ventriloquist behind her trusty sock puppets Charlie Horse, Hush Puppy, and of course, Lamb Chop.
Through many shows, songs and specials, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop had a decades-long relationship. A new documentary, called Shari & Lamb Chop, dives into the life of Lewis and her career that cemented Lamb Chop as an enduring pop culture icon.
"I'm always looking for stories of really powerful women who are unsung heroes. And I love comedians, and I always felt that [Shari Lewis] really is a comedian — she's a two-woman, three-woman show, but it's just her," says the film's director and producer Lisa D'Apolito. "Shari is an unsung hero, and I think that people underestimated her. And when they learn who she is, it’s a really great story and she’s really empowering."
D'Apolito doesn't think that there ever can be another person — or performer — like Lewis again, especially after exploring her background for the film. Lewis' father was a professor of math, but he was also the official magician of New York City. Her mother was the music supervisor for the Bronx schools, "so Sheri grew up with both music being a big part of her life and magic being part of her life and parents who were extremely supportive," notes D’Apolito.
Lewis' childhood was around the time after Vaudeville's peak, so her home was often filled with jugglers, bellydancers and ventriloquists. As Lewis cemented herself in television variety shows in the 1950s and '60s with her ventriloquism and Lamb Chop puppet, she often used her platform to express what she felt she couldn't in her daily life.
"She started her career in the '50s and '60s where women really didn't have a voice, so I think Shari used her voice to say things she couldn't say [both politically and personally,]" notes D'Apolito.
During Lewis' peak in television, she held the prime Saturday morning spot with an audience of 10-15 million children. It's with these shows that Lewis set the standard for hosting children's television.
Shari is an unsung hero, and I think that people underestimated her. And when they learn who she is, it’s a really great story and she’s really empowering.Lisa D'Apolito
"She had a very intimate style with kids. I mean she was so cute too and so personable, I think people related to her right away ... and I think Shari never talked down to children, she talked to children," D'Apolito says.
Despite being such a public figure with hundreds of shows taped over the course of her 40-plus-year career, D'Apolito admits it was difficult to find out "who the real Shari Lewis was underneath this story." The documentary explores how Lewis used her puppets as an outlet for her personal expression and her drive to stay an entertainer, no matter how much she had to adapt.
D'Apolito says that Lewis' life philosophy seemed to be all about a persistence element, and accepting whatever unfolded. "I think that's how she was able to achieve so much because she didn't really stay in the dark times, she just kind of kept going," she says.
Despite the highs and lows of trying to stay in film and television her whole life, D'Apolito says Lewis always remained consistent in encouraging children and promoting self-esteem as the most important value to pass on to audiences.
"I think she always believed in herself, and she believed that if children believed in themselves they can do whatever they wanted to as long as they tried," notes D'Apolitio.
Whether you're part of the audience that knew Lewis in the '50s and '60s, the audience who knew her in the '90s on PBS, or the in between audience that saw her on talk shows, the documentary is truly a multi-generational film that, D'Apolitio says, "puts everybody together into one Shari career."
"I don't think Shari, her philosophy or Lamb Chop or the puppets go out of style," says D'Apolitio. "Shari was singing the same songs in 1990 that she was singing in 1956 ... and I think you can sing them today. And another thing is people are starting to discover Shari on YouTube with 'Lamb Chop's Play-Along,' so there could be another generation."
You can see “Shari & Lamb Chop” Thursday, April 11at 6 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre as it kicks off the Milwaukee Film Festival. There will be a second showing Friday, April 12 at the Downer Theatre at 12:30 p.m., and D’Apolito will be in attendance for a Q&A after both screenings.
