Film Review: Shari and Lamb Chop (Make Believe 2024)
By: Joseph Perry
Multiple generations of children grew up watching television shows starring ventriloquist/puppeteer Shari Lewis and her beloved puppet Lamb Chop. I can state this from first-hand experience, because as a child I did so — I even saw her live show at the Stockton Civic Auditorium back then — and my son, as a wee youngster, watched her comeback series Lamb Chop’s Play-Along decades later. Lewis lived a life, that’s for certain, and it is explored wonderfully, with all its ups and downs, in director Lisa D’Apolito’s new documentary Shari and Lamb Chop.
Abundant with clips from Lewis’s earliest days on television to her final appearance on TV, Shari and Lamb Chop chronicles the multitalented entertainer’s life, from how she was nurtured by a magician father and music teacher mother to pursue an array of entertainment styles, to her final appearance on her last TV series when she knew she was gravely ill. She pioneered children’s television — paving the way for later series such as Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood — and discussed such topics as politics and gender roles on her 1950s shows at a time when women were not free to bring up such issues on TV.
Particularly interesting to me is when Shari and Lamb Chop explores how, when Lewis’s initial series was canceled in favor of networks turning to cartoons over educational shows on Saturday mornings, she reinvented herself on variety shows as a dancer and magician, and how she strove to stay relevant, playing Las Vegas with Lamb Chop as a bawdier headlining act and performing at county fairs — giving her all no matter how small the crowds — and on telethons.
How she gave her all and the tolls that took is discussed by several talking heads, including Shari’s daughter Mallory Lewis — who now performs with Lamb Chop as she carries on the legacy of her mother and the famed puppet — and other family members, those who worked closely behind the scenes with Shari, and entertainers such as magician David Copperfield and Sesame Street Muppeteer Megan Piphus Peace.
Most interesting of all, though, are the many interviews with Shari Lewis throughout her long and varied career. She discusses — with commentary from other interviewees interspersed throughout — personal hardships she faced including battling cancer and difficulties in her marriage, her personal philosophies, and the importance of quality television for children. She didn’t want children to merely sit passively in front of television sets. She wanted them to be active participants while they watched her shows.
D’Apolito has crafted a captivating documentary about a fascinating woman — and the puppet that she made famous. Engrossing for its entire running time, Shari and Lamb Chop does more than merely bring back nostalgic feelings. It pays tribute to Lewis, a true show business maverick with a huge heart.
Shari and Lamb Chop screens as part of the 2024 edition of Make Believe Seattle, which runs March 21–26. For more information, visit https://www.makebelieveseattle.com/.
Joseph Perry writes for the websites Gruesome Magazine (gruesomemagazine.com), The Scariest Things (scariesthings.com), Horror Fuel (horrorfuel.com), B&S About Movies (bandsaboutmovies.com), The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict (gbvreviews.com), and Diabolique Magazine (diaboliquemagazine.com), and film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope (videoscopemag.com) and Drive-In Asylum (etsy.com/shop/GroovyDoom).
If you found this article interesting consider becoming a Patreon supporter. That is how When It Was Cool keeps our website and podcasts online, plus you get lots of bonus content including extra and extended podcasts, articles, digital comics, ebooks, and much more. Check out our Patreon Page to see what's up!
If you don't want to use Patreon but still want to support When It Was Cool then how about a one time $5 PayPal donation? Thank you!
