Watch Meet the Man Behind Elmo on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Thursday, April 5, 8-9:30 p.m.
repeats:
Friday, April 6, 1-2:30 a.m.
Monday, April 9, 8-9:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 10, 3-4:30 a.m.

As a teenager growing up in Baltimore in the 1970s, Kevin Clash had very different aspirations from those of his classmates — he wanted to be a puppeteer, part of Jim Henson’s team, the creative force responsible for delivering the magic of SESAME STREET. Combining archival footage with material from the present day, filmmaker Constance Marks explores Clash’s story in vivid detail and chronicles the meteoric rise of Jim Henson in the process. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and including interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others.