The Muppet Show . Unfortunately for them, things never quite go according to plan, for the Muppets or their weekly guest stars. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker of Muppet Labs, and many others. Their performances consistently fail to entertain the old curmudgeons Statler and Waldorf, who provide a running commentary of wise- cracks. The concept was reminiscent of old- time radio shows like The Jack Benny Program, where the star struggled to put on a weekly show amidst personal problems and an often uncooperative cast. Grosse, owned the theater. The show's orchestra was conducted by Nigel, and musical acts ranged from solo musicians such as Rowlf the Dog to the show's main rock and roll band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Aside from the aforementioned characters, recurring figures included self- appointed censor Sam the Eagle, who tried to make the show more cultural; Camilla the Chicken, Gonzo's girlfriend; Robin the Frog, Kermit's nephew; and Link Hogthrob, the captain of the Swinetrek in the . One of the few minor characters who became a major player after the series ended was Rizzo the Rat. In addition, the generic Whatnots and a wide array of animals, vegetables, and minerals filled out the chorus. For example, while Beaker was primarily Bunsen's assistant, he also frequently helped Beauregard with his backstage duties. Although Janice was The Electric Mayhem's guitar player, she also appeared as a nurse in Veterinarian's Hospital. Many characters with backstage jobs also appeared on- stage quite frequently, in group numbers and . However, some characters were pigeonholed into their own sketches, such as The Newsman of Muppet News Flash and Louis Kazagger of Muppet Sports. Some major characters from previous productions (Kermit, Rowlf) remained prominent while others (Nigel, Thog) were relegated to background or supporting status. Some minor characters from previous productions (Gonzo, Miss Piggy) became stars. Bunsen Honeydew pushed the cutting edge of science with his bizarre inventions, which somehow inevitably caused horrible things to happen to his assistant, Beaker. Unfortunately for him, he would often find the story invading right into the Muppet newsroom, usually to his own personal pain. They would usually fail at both. Bob (actually Rowlf) operated on a variety of strange patients while cracking corny jokes with Nurse Piggy and Nurse Janice. As noted in Jim Henson: The Works, . From ITC's point of view, it would make the show easier to promote. From the second season onward, the guest was invariably introduced in the cold open. During the first season, their involvement was limited primarily to the on- stage performances, showcases for the guest's comedic or musical skills. They also regularly participated in comedic blackouts, talk spots, and panel discussions. This is an Ultimate List that features either the most hyper or just plain interesting/weird character on the classic Muppet Show in the 1970s. For many kids who gr. As the series wore on, the guests became more and more crucial, becoming involved in the backstage plots (Gonzo falling in love with Madeline Kahn, James Coco helping Kermit to improve the numbers), expressing dissatisfaction with the show (John Cleese, Jaye P. Morgan), or as featured performers in elaborate . One of the more extreme examples came in the final season, with episode 5. Glenda Jackson reveals herself to be a ruthless pirate and commandeers the theater. The guest roster included a range of performers, from familiar film and television personalities and stage theater veterans to ballet dancers, country singers, rock stars, experimental pantomime artists, and even a ventriloquist or two. By the second season, thanks in part to Rudolf Nureyev's famous guest appearance, the show started to attract more celebrities, and eventually, celebrities were asking to appear on the show. Most of them wanted to work with either Kermit or Miss Piggy. In that regard, some stars who proved that flexible included Glenda Jackson who insisted that she would be up for any idea presented, while John Cleese of Monty Python fame co- wrote his own material for the producers to use. In addition to showcasing the guests' familiar skills or . Roger Moore's appearance played ironically off of his James Bond persona, as Moore preferred to do the whimsical . Occasionally, the guest's alter- egos even appeared directly, such as Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, Gilda Radner as Emily Litella, or Carol Burnett's janitor character. The most elaborate example, however, came in episode 4. Star Wars appeared as themselves, continuing their space opera dramatics, while Luke Skywalker's portrayer Mark Hamill also appeared briefly as himself, introduced as Luke's .
While the plots often occurred backstage, with a random variety of sketches thrown in, there were also many themed shows, especially in the last season. Such themes included a horror- themed show (when horror stars Vincent Price or Alice Cooper appeared on the show), an evening of Paul Simon songs (when Paul Simon guest starred), a salute to vaudeville (when Wally Boag guest starred), and even an all- puppet show (when Se. Most episodes featuring country music evoked a Western or rural theme. Beginning in the third season, four episodes departed from the norm and utilized a . Regular elements during the first season included . These two sketches were featured less often in subsequent seasons. Another common recurring sketch in the first season was Fozzie Bear's monologues, which were later replaced by more elaborate acts (ventriloquism, for example), or dropped entirely. Of course, the real audience for The Muppet Show as you see in the show is a bunch of Muppet monsters and various creatures.”The question of an audience also came up during an interview with Jim Henson. The way the show was taped, we would block and tape, which means that each piece of material would take anywhere from half an hour to several hours to tape, so it's a long, slow process. You can't really work in front of an audience that way. I mean, when we had Raquel Welch in the studio, we had a good 1. He then addressed the use of a laugh- track. Because of the form we had decided to choose to do the show, that we were doing what amounts to a little vaudeville show in front of an audience on a little stage with a backstage. So having chosen that as a premise, we decided to sweeten the shows and, as I look at some of the early shows, I'm really embarrassed by them. The sweetening got better later on, but it's always a difficult thing to do well and to create the reality of the audience laughing. I did one special dry - without any laugh track - looked at it, and then tried it adding a laugh track to it, and it's unfortunate, but it makes the show funnier.”The laugh- track was even addressed within the show, such as in the episode guest starring Ruth Buzzi. During the show's Talk Spot, Kermit cracks a joke and mentions that it is . At the end of episode 3. Kermit comments ! Hoist the laugh track! Many recurring sketches, including At the Dance, Veterinarian's Hospital, The Talking Houses, Blackouts, and Fozzie's Monologues, focused heavily on jokes. After the first season, the talking houses and blackouts were dropped, while At the Dance and Fozzie's monologues were both featured less often, or tied to a specific gimmick or theme. When Jerry Juhl became the head writer, the show became more character- based. Later episodes focused more on the backstage plots than the on- stage sketches. Some examples include episode 5. Kermit fired Miss Piggy, and episode 5. Gonzo turned the show into a dance marathon. The lyrics have stayed the same but what happens during the beginning has changed at least three times. By 1. 97. 3, ABC had ordered two prospective pilots for a potential series: The Muppets Valentine Show and The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence. ABC ultimately passed on producing a half- hour show. However, a British syndicator named Lord Lew Grade brought a proposal to the Henson Company, with an assurance that the show would have the money for the production values it needed. While it became a hit internationally almost immediately, the show struggled in the ratings its first year in America. In the second year of the show, with the format and the characters finding their groove, and such big- name stars as Bob Hope, Madeline Kahn, John Cleese, Steve Martin, Elton John and others appearing, the show became a success in America as well. It finally went off the air, not due to a lack of popularity, but as a result of Henson's desire to move on to bigger projects, such as The Dark Crystal, that would require the full energy and resources of his company. Production wrapped on The Muppet Show on Friday, August 2. The show was popular not only in North America and the United Kingdom but all over the world, so there have been many Muppet products that were not available for sale in the U. S. During the show's run there were a number of toys produced, including hand puppets and plush toys released by Fisher Price. There were many Muppet Show albums featuring songs from the show, and a number of compilation albums featuring material from the first albums have been released since the show ended. The Muppet Show also had its own fan club, which included four newsletters per year. There were also a few games as well as a book that illustrated and transcribed material from the show. In 2. 00. 2, The Muppet Show celebrated its 2. More recently, The Muppet Show format was adapted into a series of comic books from BOOM! At the time, there was no complete networking of the independent networks, and as such the different regional channels did not all air the show on the same day or time. Not all regions aired every episode - - for example, LWT (London Weekend Television, the franchise that covered the Greater London and Home Counties areas during the weekends) only aired 2. The first region to air the show was the ATV/Midlands region on Sunday, September 5, 1. Joel Grey episode (NB: For the purposes of this article, the Midlands region airdates will be referred to throughout, unless otherwise specified). As Gonzo and his friend Rizzo hit the road in search of their roots, Gonzo makes a shocking discovery: his parents are actually space aliens from another galaxy. After announcing this startling news on Miss Piggy's talk show (hey, if Ricki Lake and Rosie O'Donnell can do it, why not Miss Piggy?), Gonzo finds himself the subject of a dark and mysterious government conspiracy, led by the nefarious K. Edgar Singer (Jeffrey Tambor). In time, Gonzo is forced to choose: should he hop on board the UFO and sail off to live with his family, or stay on Earth with the friends he knows and loves? Muppets From Space once again pairs the late Jim Henson's creations with a stellar cast of human beings, including F. Murray Abraham, David Arquette, Ray Liotta, and Andie Mac.
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