Shari & Lamb Chop

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2:38

Shari & Lamb Chop

2025

1h 32m

Documentary

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

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 as they came of age. 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 crush of her show's cancellation to her 1990s comeback in her 60s, Lisa D'Apolito's heartfelt doc charts the life, loves, and career hits and misses of the 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.

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Alissa Wilkinson

New York Times

Jul 18

Shari & Lamb Chop is a charming introduction to a remarkable artist and the characters she created, which have endured across generations because they reflect the playfulness at the heart of their creator.

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Kate Erbland

IndieWire

Jul 17

B

[Offers] a new way into Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, one that somehow delivers the facts with the kind of showmanship only Lewis could offer.

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William Schwartz

Book & Film Globe

Nov 5

Leans hard on hagiography while skating over the much weirder, more interesting question: Why was a woman talking to a sock puppet such a compelling figure in 20th-century American television?

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John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

Sep 7

77/100

Shari and lamb Chop is a delightful mirror of the personality of the children’s television host. it isn’t daring, but it is as whimsical as a puppeteer can be.

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Shayna Davis

MovieJawn

Aug 19

Shari and Lamb Chop is both a useful intro to Lewis for the unfamiliar and a fun foray into her life for those who have followed her career. It explores a lot of points and ideas in the standard documentary format without going too deep into one aspect.

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Collin Garbarino

WORLD

Aug 15

Lewis demonstrated jaw-dropping talent with her tightly clenched mouth, but a melancholy hangs over her life.

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Deborah H

Jul 27

I liked it! Shari Lewis was so groundbreaking! Good movie!

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Kady

Jul 27

Really enjoy learning about her and her accomplishments and struggles.

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Drew M

@Stonehands211 Jul 3

I question your humanity if you’re not bawling by the end.

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Carin T

@RT97392602 Sep 7

Informative and educational entertaining too 2 thumbs up

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Dave R

@RT25599791 Jul 29

This wonderful documentary celebrates a phenomenally talented entertainer and educator. Shari Lewis and her "friends" have delighted audiences for many decades and her legacy lives on. I would have appreciated another 30 minutes of details about this amazing artist.

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Peter B

@movieguy382 Jul 27

A really wonderful and heartwarming film. Shari Lewis was really so talented and touched so many people. I know it brought me back to my childhood and the film is such a great portrait of a talented artist who brought joy to so many. Really enjoyed the movie and the emotional ride.

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Lisa Dapolito

Director

Shari Lewis

Self

Mallory Lewis

Self

Megan Piphus

Self

Darci Lynne Farmer

Self

Sarah Sherman

Self

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Shari & Lamb Chop: Trailer 1

2:38

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Synopsis

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 as they came of age. 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 crush of her show's cancellation to her 1990s comeback in her 60s, Lisa D'Apolito's heartfelt doc charts the life, loves, and career hits and misses of the 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.

Director: Lisa Dapolito
Producer: Lisa Dapolito, Nicholas Ferrall, Cassidy Hartmann, Morris Ruskin, Douglas Warner
Screenwriter: Lisa Dapolito, Cassidy Hartmann, Andrea Lewis
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: The 51 Fund, 3 Faces Films, Olive Hill Media, White Horse Pictures, MoJo Global Arts
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 18, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA): $30.5K
Runtime: 1h 32m