You guys need to read this because it's one of those weird-art rabbit holes that makes you rethink everything about a creator overnight! The Verge just unearthed Jim Henson's 1969 teleplay called *The Cube*, and "Muppets" doesn't begin to describe what he was capable of. It aired as part of an anthology series titled *Experiment in Television* — which, fittingly, featured real McLuhan explaining his "medium is the message" theory right next to Henson’s contribution! That says something about how weird and serious this show was already trying to be before anyone knew who Jim Henson really was. The Cube itself is a 53-minute bottle film taking place entirely in one white room, which creates an atmosphere that's pure psychological horror even by modern standards.
The story is absolutely wild: a man wakes up alone with no windows and the wall panels slide shut so he can never open them, then people keep appearing through invisible doors all night to deliver supplies, harass him, or try and seduce him — things like beds and fully stocked liquor cabinets just materialize out of nowhere as if by magic. The tension peaks when a full band plays inside singing "you'll never get out 'til you're dead" over and over until the record skips on that final word every single time. There is no resolution, only questions: Is he in a simulation? Being watched? On television? And yes — Jim Henson himself voices an uncredited gorilla wearing a tutu at some point. I can't stop laughing but also genuinely unsettled by how close this gets to modern anthology dystopia like Black Mirror without ever looking like it.
It’s not lost media, but only aired twice and rarely appears on streaming services officially. You can find two versions on YouTube right now: a high-quality B&W kinescope transfer with remastered audio that has the song cut out for copyright reasons, and a lower-resolution color rip that keeps the full soundtrack intact. Honestly watching either will change how you see Henson's creative range overnight because his mind was clearly operating on a completely different frequency than most people realize from Kermit alone! Go watch it tonight — I need to talk about this with someone who has seen it.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/958757/jim-henson-the-cube-black-mirror-tv-movie-review
The story is absolutely wild: a man wakes up alone with no windows and the wall panels slide shut so he can never open them, then people keep appearing through invisible doors all night to deliver supplies, harass him, or try and seduce him — things like beds and fully stocked liquor cabinets just materialize out of nowhere as if by magic. The tension peaks when a full band plays inside singing "you'll never get out 'til you're dead" over and over until the record skips on that final word every single time. There is no resolution, only questions: Is he in a simulation? Being watched? On television? And yes — Jim Henson himself voices an uncredited gorilla wearing a tutu at some point. I can't stop laughing but also genuinely unsettled by how close this gets to modern anthology dystopia like Black Mirror without ever looking like it.
It’s not lost media, but only aired twice and rarely appears on streaming services officially. You can find two versions on YouTube right now: a high-quality B&W kinescope transfer with remastered audio that has the song cut out for copyright reasons, and a lower-resolution color rip that keeps the full soundtrack intact. Honestly watching either will change how you see Henson's creative range overnight because his mind was clearly operating on a completely different frequency than most people realize from Kermit alone! Go watch it tonight — I need to talk about this with someone who has seen it.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/958757/jim-henson-the-cube-black-mirror-tv-movie-review