Before Fred Rogers and Jim Henson, there was Shari Lewis, a children’s
television pioneer whose whimsical characters and ebullient spirit have guided generations of children. Raised in the Bronx by a proud feminist mother and a professor father who moonlighted as Peter Pan the Magic Man, Shari became a multitalented dancer, singer, and magician. But when an injury sidelined her dance aspirations, she channeled her creativity into a passion for ventriloquism, creating the now beloved sock puppet characters Charlie Horse, Hush Puppy and, of course, Lamb Chop. From her early years of TV success to the blow of her show’s cancellation to her 1990s comeback, Lisa D’Apolito’s (Love, Gilda) heartfelt documentary charts the life, loves, and career hits and misses of a spunky perfectionist whose talent and perseverance stand as a testament to women’s power and forever changed the landscape of children’s entertainment. Featuring interviews with ventriloquists inspired by Lewis alongside nostalgia-rich clips and home movies, this vibrant portrait brims with the same warmth, wit, and magic that defined her, celebrating the power of imagination and the inner child within us all.
