The Muppet Show
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The Muppet Show was a television program featuring a cast of Muppets (diverse hand-operated puppets, typically with oversized eyes and large moving mouths) produced by Jim Henson and his team from 1976 to 1981. The show stars Kermit the Frog, also one of the main Muppet characters of Sesame Street. Whereas Kermit was a happy, perky and somewhat avuncular character on Sesame Street, here he is trying to keep control of the varied, outrageous, kinetic Muppet characters (and his temper), as well as keep the human guest stars happy and secure. The television show depicted a vaudeville or music hall style song-and-dance variety show, as well as the backstage antics involved in putting the show on.
The show was well-known for outrageous, highly physical (slapstick), sometimes absurdist comedy, and particularly for using its puppet characters to create uniquely humorous parodies. Each show also featured a human guest star; after the show became popular with audiences, many major celebrities were eager to perform with the Muppets on television and in film. The diverse roster of guests included Twiggy, Sandy Duncan, Julie Andrews, Steve Martin, characters from Star Wars, Mummenschanz, Ethel Merman, Paul Simon, John Denver and Alice Cooper.
Though they appear in various earlier forms (see Jim Henson), the Muppets gained widespread popularity on the landmark PBS live-action/puppet series Sesame Street. The Muppet Show became the cornerstone of Jim Henson's enormously popular ongoing productions. Other Henson Muppet creations were featured in the films The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and the Sesame Street-based Follow That Bird, as well as in a large variety of films, made-for-TV movies, direct-to-video children's releases, and television specials.
Major show writers included Jerry Juhl and Jack Burns.
Muppet performers over the course of the show include:
- Jim Henson
- Frank Oz
- Jerry Nelson
- Richard Hunt
- Dave Goelz
- Steve Whitmire
- Louise Gold
- Kathy Mullen
- Eren Ozker
- John Lovelady
History
Since 1969, Sesame Street had given Jim Henson's creations invaluable exposure; however, Henson began to perceive that he was being pigeonholed as a children's entertainer. He sought to create a program that could be enjoyed by young and old alike.Two specials were produced and aired that are considered pilots for The Muppet Show. Neither led to the sale of a prime-time network series. However, the prime-time access rule had just been enacted, which took the 7:30 to 8pm ET time slot from the networks and turned it over to their affiliates. CBS suggested it would be interested in Henson's proposal as a syndicated series it could purchase for its owned-and-operated stations, to run one night a week in that time slot.
Enter Lew Grade, head of ATV. Grade offered a deal to Henson that would see his show produced at the ATV studios in England. ATV would network the show to other ITV stations in the United Kingdom, and its syndication arm, ITC Entertainment, would sell the show in the United States and around the world. Henson put aside his misgivings about syndication and accepted.
List of Recurring Muppet Show characters
- Kermit the Frog, director and host of the Muppet Show. Performed by Jim Henson.
- Miss Piggy, a glamorous diva pig in dual pursuit of stardom and Kermit. In the first season, her puppeteering duties were shared between Frank Oz and Richard Hunt. Starting with the second season, Oz took over the character full-time.
- Fozzie Bear, a (questionably talented) stand-up comic bear, and Kermit's unofficial second-in-command. Performed by Frank Oz.
- Scooter, the gofer. His uncle owns the theatre. Performed by Richard Hunt.
- Gonzo, a.k.a. The Great Gonzo or Gonzo the Great, stuntman, daredevil, performance artist and general all-around weirdo. Performed by Dave Goelz.
- The Swedish Chef, a cook with weird culinary habits who speaks in a language of Scandanavian-sounding double-talk called "mock Swedish". Performed by Jim Henson with the hands of Frank Oz.
- Rowlf the Dog The show's resident wise-cracking piano player. Performed by Jim Henson.
- Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Head of Muppet Labs, a scientist and inventor. Performed by Dave Goelz.
- Beaker, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's hapless guinea pig/assistant. Performed by Richard Hunt.
- Camilla, a chicken, Gonzo's true love. Usually performed by Jerry Nelson.
- Sam the (American) Eagle, American superpatriot and self-imposed censor of the Muppet Show. Performed by Frank Oz.
- Dr. Teeth, ultra-hip band leader, and keyboard player for Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. Performed by Jim Henson.
- Sgt. Floyd Pepper, bass guitarist and all around hip person of Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
- Janice, the Band's hippie-chick lead guitarist (and Floyd's main squeeze). Performed by Eren Ozker in the first season and Richard Hunt for the remainder of the run.
- Animal, the Band's savage, missing-link drummer. Performed by Frank Oz.
- Zoot, the sleepy saxophone player in the Electric Mayhem and the Muppet Show's orchestra. Performed by Dave Goelz.
- Lips, trumpet player for the "Mayhem" added in the fifth season. Performed by Steve Whitmire.
- Lew Zealand, boomerang fish thrower and generally fish-obsessed performer. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
- Statler & Waldorf, two old men who occupy the box seat at every show and heckle the performances. Statler was performed by Richard Hunt, Waldorf by Jim Henson.
- Annie Sue, A young pig, Miss Piggy's innocent rival. Performed by Louise Gold.
- The Muppet newscaster. Performed by Jim Henson.
- Foo-Foo, Miss Piggy's dog. Usually performed by Steve Whitmire or a real dog.
- Sweetums, a 9-foot-tall monster. Performed by Richard Hunt.
- Link Hogthrob, A hunky but brain-dead pig, star of "Pigs in Space", Captain of the USS Swinetrek. Also stars in "Bear On Patrol". Performed by Jim Henson
- Dr. Julius Strangepork, the science officer in "Pigs in Space". Performed by Jerry Nelson.
- Beauregard, the dimwitted stagehand. Performed by Dave Goelz.
- Crazy Harry, a pyrotechnician and bomb expert who enjoys blowing things up far too much. Performed in the first season by John Lovelady, then taken over by Jerry Nelson.
- Robin, Kermit's small nephew. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
- Uncle Deadly, also called "the Phantom of the Muppet Show", a sinister character who lurks around the theatre and appears occasionally on the show. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
- The Flying Zucchini Brothers, A group of human cannonballs and acrobats. Performed by the Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz and Richard Hunt.
- Pops, the elderly doorman. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
- Marvin Suggs, the sadistic, crazed and flamboyant Muppaphone man. Performed by Frank Oz.
- George, the crotchety old janitor. Performed by Frank Oz. Disappeared after the first season.
- Mildred Huxtetter, George's dancing partner. Usually Performed by Frank Oz or Richard Hunt. Disappeared after the first season.
- Wayne and Wanda, a terrible singing duo plagued by bad luck. Performed by Richard Hunt and Eren Ozker, although Kathy Mullen played Wanda in her one appearance in the third season.
- Hilde, The elderly wardrobe mistress. Performed by Eren Ozker. Disappeared after the first season.
- Mahna Mahna, the singer of the song by the same name, and the Snowths, the 2 pink creatures that sing Doo-doo-de-do-do!. Mahna Mahna was Jim Henson, the Snowths Frank Oz.
Recurring skits
- At the Dance – Laugh-In style one-liners from the characters as they ballroom dance. The sketch was a regular during the first season but was used less frequently from the second season onward.
- Muppet Labs – The latest invention from Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, with his assistant, Beaker, getting the worst of its inevitable malfunction. The character of Beaker was introduced in the second season; during the first season Bunsen hosted Muppet Labs by himself, but the writers soon realized that another character was necessary to show Bunsen's failings.
- Muppet News Flash – A news announcer (a variation of the Guy Smiley puppet) gives a newsbrief only to have some disaster typically befall him (usually the same disaster he was just describing), or another strange scenario. Such as the time that he ran on, stated, "There is no news tonight.", and ran off. In the first season, the Muppet News Man read out news items that occasionally featured the guest star for that week playing a character that was somehow involved in the item.
- Pigs In Space – Parody of science fiction shows like Star Trek, but also old '30s sci-fi serials. The spacecraft is called USS Swinetrek and the title voice-over is a parody of main Star Trek competitor Lost in Space. It featured Captain Link Hogthrob, Miss Piggy as first mate, and Dr. Julius Strangepork (the name a takeoff on "Dr. Strangelove"). Usually, the sketches would involve the long-suffering Piggy putting up with the wacko Strangepork and the braindead Link treating her as an inferior because she was a woman.
- Swedish Chef – Cooking show parody. It consists of the Swedish Chef, who speaks mock Swedish, semi-comprehensible gibberish which parodies the characteristic vowel sounds of Swedish. He attempts to cook a dish with great enthusiasm, until the punch line hits. A hallmark of these sketches was the improvisations between Jim Henson (who performed the Chef's head and voice) and Frank Oz (who was his hands). One would often make something up on the spot, making the other puppeteer comply with the action. Perhaps the best example is a sketch where Frank Oz repeatedly adds pepper to a soup, leading to Jim Henson cracking up. Famous gags include "chicken in du basket (two points!)", meatballs that bounce, chocolate "moose", and attempting to cook Kermit's nephew!
- Vend-a-face – A vending machine that offers unique face-changing services—usually agonizing contortions of the muppets who are dumb enough to feed the machine.
- Veterinarian's Hospital – Parody of soap opera General Hospital and other medical dramas, consisting of Dr. Bob (Rowlf) cracking jokes in the operating room with Nurses Piggy and Janice; each installment ends with Dr. Bob and his nurses looking around in puzzlement as a disembodied voice tells viewers to tune in next time to the "continuing stooory". On one occasion, both this sketch and "At the Dance" went on at the same time, with the dancers dancing in the Vet's Hospital set. On a second occasion, the cast of "Vet's Hospital" appeared on the "Swedish Chef" set, and on a third occasion, Doctor Bob and Nurse Janice appeared on the "Pigs in Space" set. The voice of the announcer was originally performed by John Lovelady, but from the Phyllis Diller episode on, Jerry Nelson took over the role. In the introduction, Dr. Bob went from "a former orthopedic surgeon" to "a quack" who's "gone to the dogs."
- Wayne and Wanda – Usually introduced by Sam the Eagle, Wayne and Wanda—a slapstick tribute to Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald—are plagued by bad fortune. Every song attempted by this duo inevitably ends in disaster. It is considered an accomplishment for them to get to the chorus line! They disappeared in later seasons. It was eventually revealed that Kermit had fired them, but forgot why he did and decided to rehire them. Unfortunately, seconds after they started to sing, Kermit remembered why he fired them and instantly fired them again and forced them off the stage.
- Bear on Patrol – Fozzie is an unlucky police officer and Link Hogthrob is his stupid superior who always get into the silliest situations with the criminals brought in. The voice of the announcer was performed by Jerry Nelson.
- Fozzie's Stand-up; Fozzie Bear gets on stage and performs his infamously bad jokes. Statler and Waldorf heckle him, in a perpetual rivalry. The sketches became slowly less frequent as Fozzie's character came into play and he became more prevalent in Backstage scenarios.
List of guest stars
No guest star ever appeared twice on the Muppet Show, although John Denver appeared both on the show and in a special (John Denver & the Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday).
One unusual guest star was one of the series writers, Chris Langham, who took the place for Richard Pryor when the star was unable to attend taping.
Home video
Selected episodes can be currently be found on VHS and DVD. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company, released the first season on DVD in August 2005. Bits of the show also sometimes pop up in movies (An American Werewolf in London and Rocky III). The rights to the episodes and characters used in The Muppet Show, and subsequent film outings, were bought in February 2004 by The Walt Disney Company.Several songs were cut from the Season 1 DVD release due to music licensing issues. There have also been some cuts in the intro sequence, and backstage scenes leading up to these songs.
- * "Stormy Weather" (Joel Grey Episode) Sung by Wayne and Wanda;
- * "Gone With The Wind" (Jim Nabors Episode) Sung by Jim Nabors;
- * "The Danceros" (Jim Nabors Episode) Sung by The Danceros;
- * "All Of Me" (Paul Williams Episode) Sung by Two Monsters;
- * "Old Fashioned Way" (Charles Aznavour episode) Sung by Charles Aznavour with Mildred;
- * "You’ve Got A Friend" (Vincent Price Episode) Sung by Vincent Price, Uncle Deadly and a chorus of Muppet Monsters
Spin-offs
The Muppet Show characters went on to star in The Muppet Movie, which was the first film to feature puppets interacting with humans in real-world locations, and later films such as The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets from Space, and a Muppet remake of The Wizard of Oz.The Jim Henson Hour featured many of the same characters, plus new and boldly different content. The format was later revived as Muppets Tonight in 1996. The first 10 episodes aired on ABC while the rest aired on The Disney Channel. Today, all three incarnations are syndicated together as a single package.
There is talk of a new revival of the format, with FOX being the initial serious contender. Disney is using the America's Next Muppet mini-series to test the viability of a full-fledged series.
Different television stations
- United Kingdom: ITV
- United States: syndicated
- Canada: CBC
- France: Antenne 2 (later France 2)
- Germany: ZDF
Trivia
- Popular rock band Weezer's music video for "Keep Fishin'" takes place in an "episode" of The Muppet Show. At the beginning of the clip, Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson is kidnapped by a lovestruck Miss Piggy, and Weezer performs "Keep Fishin'" with the help of Animal on drums, and Kermit and company singing backup vocals.
- Because the show was produced in the UK, it was recorded in PAL video as opposed to the NTSC format used on typical US productions. For broadcasting and sale on home video formats in the US and other NTSC regions, the video has to go through a standards conversion process to modify the video into the NTSC standard - this (like with any other PAL-to-NTSC video conversion, e.g. Monty Python's Flying Circus, Father Ted or seventies-to-eighties-era Doctor Who) significantly degrades video quality.
See also
- The Muppets
- Muppet Babies
- Le Bébête Show
- List of television programs
- "Mah Na Mah Na"
- Meet The Feebles
- Adult puppeteering
- Sam Pottle
External links
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