The Jimmy Dean Show was Davis' first job in American television, after working for the CBC. He described the experience in a 2013 interview: "Jimmy Dean was nuts in a way, and we used to rehearse in his office. Jim Henson had the puppet on his arm... Jimmy would insist.. he didn’t want to see Jim Henson. He insisted Jim Henson hide behind the couch. This is in rehearsal. It seems crazy, but Jim had to crouch down. He's a big, tall guy. He had to crouch down behind this little couch and hold Rowlf up and Jimmy would talk to Rowlf. Jimmy would get right into it. He really made Rowlf real and every now and again, he would get mad at him and hit him. He would hit Rowlf in the face. It was just an image. You had to be there."