Frank Oznowicz—known to many as legendary performer and film director Frank Oz—comes from parents who were puppeteers. His path to performing, puppetry, and using humor as a tool for social commentary and entertainment was paved by his parents, Isidore (Mike) and Frances Oznowicz, who created and performed marionettes as a hobby in Belgium with a mixture of politics and satire. When Mike and Frances escaped Belgium in the 1930s just before the Nazis invaded, they left their marionettes in their Antwerp home, but buried a marionette of Adolf Hitler for fear of reprisal should it be found by the Nazis. The marionette was created as a tool of mockery and social critique, which are now part of Oz’s family legacy. In this conversation, Frank Oz and Michael Krasny discuss the Oznowicz family’s remarkable story of survival, the art of puppetry and resistance, and how the stories of Holocaust survivors continue to be shared in new ways.
This program was originally presented via Zoom on September 4, 2022.
Frank Oz has worked with Jim Henson and the Muppets to create many iconic and widely-known Muppet characters, performing in hundreds of shows and movies. Oz has also directed a dozen feature films and performs Yoda in the Star Wars franchise.
Dr. Michael Krasny was the host of the award-winning KQED FORUM, a program discussing news and public affairs, current events, culture, health, business, and technology. Dr. Krasny has interviewed a wide range of major political and cultural figures. He is also a veteran interviewer for the nationally broadcast City Arts & Lectures series. Focus Magazine named him Best Bay Area Talk Show Host, and he was selected Best Talk Host and Best Interviewer by the editorial staff of San Francisco Weekly, as well as in their annual reader’s poll. You can find his current podcast, Grey Matter, at greymatter.show.
Oz is for Oznowicz: A Puppet Family's History is an original exhibition presenting the incredible family history of Frank Oz, the legendary actor, film director, and performer known widely as the closest collaborator of Muppet creator Jim Henson. Oz's path to performing, puppetry, and use of humor as a tool for social commentary was paved by his parents, Isidore (Mike) and Frances Oznowicz. Oz is for Oznowicz presents the family’s remarkable story through a set of never-before-exhibited hand-carved marionettes and firsthand narratives.
Public Programs at The CJM are made possible thanks to generous support from Grants for the Arts.
Mike and Frances Oznowicz at the Children’s Fairyland Puppet Fair, 1956. Courtesy the San Francisco Bay Area Puppeteers Guild and Children’s Fairyland Archives.