Title: Shari and Lamb Chop
MPA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Lisa D’Apolito
Starring: Shari Lewis, Lamb Chop, Sarah Sherman
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

What It Is: Shari Lewis was a trailblazer and a one-of-a-kind artist of her time. She and her timeless hand puppet, Lamb Chop, built a legacy one child at a time. But who was the woman behind the 20th century’s most famous sock puppet? A young woman from New York City who simply wanted to join in on her family’s performing fun. Her father, New York City’s “official magician,” thought she needed to learn a skill for the stage—and what started as something fun ended up changing her life forever.

What We Think: Lisa D’Apolito takes on the life stories of extraordinary women (see Love, Gilda). These aren’t easy tales to tell, but her eye for detail is phenomenal. In telling Shari Lewis’s story, she makes us understand who Shari was as both an artist and a person. The documentary gives us an extensive look into her childhood and her second marriage, painting a fuller picture than you might expect. Biographical documentaries are tricky—you can’t always judge the cinematography when much of it relies on archival footage. What can be judged is how it makes you feel. And this one? It made me feel wonderful. Wonderful that I got to rediscover the magic and beauty of a simple sock puppet that once captivated me as a child.

Our Grade: B+, I love examining the “why” behind famous people—especially those who devote themselves to children’s entertainment. What drives them? How do they stay motivated? Shari Lewis didn’t always have it easy, but she believed enough in herself and her young audiences to always bring her best. It’s a rare feat when a sock puppet can tell a dirty joke and still control an entire room. That was the power of Shari Lewis.