The Muppet Movie

Synopsis
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring the Muppets. The film is a movie-in-a-movie, as we see Kermit the Frog and the rest of the Muppets gathering for the first screening of The Muppet Movie. Kermit notes that the movie is a somewhat fictionalized account of the true story of how the Muppets first got together.

As the story opens, Kermit is enjoying a relaxing afternoon in the swamp, singing a tune and strumming his banjo, when he is approached by an agent who recognizes his talents and encourages Kermit to pursue a career in Hollywood. Inspired by the idea of making millions of people happy, Kermit sets off on his trusty bicycle. Almost immediately, he is pursued by the conniving Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), owner of a struggling french-fried frog legs restaurant franchise who has set his sights on Kermit as a potential new mascot.

Kermit stops at the El Sleezo Cafe, where he meets Fozzie Bear working the place as a stand-up comedian. Kermit invites Fozzie to join him on his quest for stardom, and together they continue on their journey. They make several new friends along the way, including Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem rock band (whom they bring up to speed on current events by giving them a copy of the movie script); Gonzo the traveling plumber and Camilla, his chicken girlfriend; and the inimitable Miss Piggy, who leaps at the chance to accompany the group to Hollywood.

After Kermit manages to evade Doc Hopper's persuasive tactics a number of times, Doc Hopper responds by capturing Miss Piggy in order to lure Kermit into his clutches. Kermit is very nearly lobotomized by a mad scientist's electronic cerebrectomy device, intended to brainwash him into performing in Doc Hopper's TV commercials, until Miss Piggy manages a last-minute rescue with some blackbelt karate maneuvers.

Refusing to run from a bully for the rest of his life, Kermit resolves to face Doc Hopper in a showdown. He gives an impassioned plea to allow him and his friends to continue on their way and make their dreams come true. Although the speech falls on deaf ears, Kermit and friends are saved at the last moment by Animal, who has gotten into Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's growth pills and successfully scares away Hopper and his henchmen.

Behind the Scenes with the Fan Club
A 1979 Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter (vol. 2, no. 1) featured an article with behind the scenes information about the movie:


 * "The Muppet Movie comes to your neighborhood theaters this summer. If you think it's a film version of The Muppet Show, you're in for a surprise. For one thing, it doesn't take place in the theater. The Muppet Movie is set in the real world -- it's like waiting in line at a gas station and looking up to find Fozzie and Kermit driving the next car over. After you've seen the movie, you'll ask, 'How did they do it?' -- Well, here is some inside information so that you can whisper to the person sitting next to you in the movie theater, 'I know how they did that.'


 * "How does Kermit sit on a log in the middle of a swamp? Simple. Jim Henson squeezed into a specially designed metal container complete with an air hose (to breathe), a rubber sleeve which came out of the top (to work Kermit) and a monitor (to see what Kermit was doing), and positioned himself under the water, under the log, under the Frog. Jim spent about five days in this bathysphere. (It's not easy...)


 * "How does Fozzie drive a car? He doesn't -- a midget drives the car by remote control from the trunk, using a television monitor to guide his steering. The puppeteers were lying on the seat or were scrunched on the floor and couldn't see a thing. The first time they tried 'driving', the television monitor went on the blink, and the driver had to be talked through the scene by an assistant director on a walkie-talkie. 'A little to the right, now, to the left... hold it...'


 * "There are 250 puppets in the last shot of the film, and they're all moving. How? 150 puppeteers in a 6' deep, 17' wide pit, that's how. They were recruited through the Los Angeles Guild of The Puppeteers of America, and almost every puppeteer west of the Rockies reported for pit duty.


 * "Several of the characters are shown as full figures for the first time. Think -- have you ever seen Fozzie, Dr. Teeth, Scooter, Floyd or Zoot below the waist on television? No. And yes, their legs aren't half bad.


 * "Miss Piggy has no fewer than ten costume changes. Her clothes were designed exclusively for her by Calista Hendrickson.


 * "Watch carefully for a rare moment, never before captured on film -- a confrontation between Frank Oz and Fozzie Bear. In the bar scene, Frank, playing a particularly unsavory thug, wrestles Fozzie bearhanded, picks him up... and throws him at the bartender! Fozzie bearly escapes.


 * "It took 87 days to make a 90 minute film -- about one day to get one minute of film. It takes three days of taping to make a 30 minute television show -- or 10 minutes in one day. The film, therefore, took ten times longer to make than the TV show. Sam the Eagle, upon hearing this startling statistic, remarked, 'And it's probably ten times weirder.' The Eagle, of course, is not always our most receptive critic."

Production notes

 * The closing song, known as "The Magic Store/Rainbow Connection Reprise" featured a crowd of more than 250 Muppet characters -- every Muppet that had been created up to that time, with a few exceptions (mainly Sweetums, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Sam the Robot, and most of the muppets created for Sam and Friends and other early Henson productions). 137 puppeteers were enlisted from the Puppeteers of America to help the regular Muppet performers film this scene. The crowd sequence took one day to film.


 * The film was scored by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher, and their song The Rainbow Connection received an Academy Award nomination.


 * The film had numerous celebrity cameos including Mel Brooks, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Elliott Gould, Milton Berle, Telly Savalas, and Orson Welles. The movie was dedicated to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, who made his final film appearance in this movie.


 * One of the two specially-painted 1951 Studebaker Commanders used in the film resides in the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana.


 * One version of the movie's one-sheet featured Kermit and Miss Piggy in period costume with the quote "Frankly, Miss Piggy, I don't give a hoot," a reference to 'Gone With the Wind'.


 * The release of this film in the United Kingdom lasted a few minutes longer than in America. Some of the extra scenes included a longer conversation between Doc Hopper and Max before they encountered Kermit and Fozzie in the rainbow-painted studebaker, Dr. Teeth mentioning Big Bird when he read the script, and an extra verse of I Hope That Something Better Comes Along. Also in this version of the film, the Muppets' conversations during the end credits can be heard more clearly. This version of the film was only released on video in the original UK video release.

Trivia and Goofs

 * If you watch Kermit as he is about to be crushed by the cement truck, you can see in the background the shadow of the film crew as they follow Kermit.


 * Jim Henson spent an entire day in a 50-gallon steel drum submerged in a pond for the opening scene of Kermit in the swamp.


 * The film was an analogy for Jim Henson's rise to fame.


 * Cameo: [Big Bird] (voice by Carroll Spinney) from Henson's famous TV show, "Sesame Street" (1969). Big Bird tells Kermit that he's going to New York to break into public television - an obvious reference to Henson's Sesame Street.


 * This was the last movie to feature famed vaudevillian Edgar Bergen and his wooden sidekick, Charlie McCarthy. It held particular meaning for Jim Henson who cited, on many occasions, how Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy were the major reason he took an interest in puppetry.


 * Cameo: [Steve Martin] the waiter in the small-town restaurant where Kermit and Piggy eat their first dinner.


 * Orson Welles plays a studio executive named Lew Lord who draws up a standard rich-and-famous contract for The Muppets, a reference to real-life producer Sir Lew Grade (later Lord Grade). When Jim Henson was trying to find a producer to make "The Muppet Show" (1976) happen, no American network understood or was interested in the concept, Grade recognized Henson's vision and made the show possible.


 * When the credits are completed (after Animal tells the audience to go home) a black screen appears with the words, "This film is dedicated to the memory and magic of Edgar Bergen."


 * Edgar Bergen died shortly after his scene was shot in 1978.


 * Mel Brooks's character has "Prof" written on the back of his coat. This is a tribute to his character in Blazing Saddles (1974) which has "Gov" written on the back of his coat.


 * In a 2004 interview, John Landis revealed that he was the puppeteer for Grover during the final sequence, as Frank Oz was busy operating Miss Piggy. Landis also noted that Tim Burton was also among the many puppeteers in the finale.


 * A sign outside the church (where the band Electric Mayhem is playing) has the wording "Lost? Have you tried the Reverend Harry Krishna?".


 * When Fozzie gets Kermit's "Dragonfly Ripple" cone from the ice cream man, it's a shade of bright lime green. When he gives it to Kermit, it's gray. After the group spots Gonzo floating with the balloons the cone is green again, but a different shade.


 * When the freshly-painted Studebaker drives off and the Electric Mayhem band is waving goodbye, look closely at the bottom of Zoot. You can see the puppeteer's forearm quite clearly.


 * The colors of Gonzo's balloons change and re-arrange during his flight.


 * At the end of the song, "There Must Be Somethin' Better", when Kermit and Rolph harmonize on a final pair of long notes, they both hold the notes, audibly, until the end of the song, but Rolph's mouth changes to a scat/improv line that he sings and we hear. (In other words, his voice is heard on two different musical lines at the same time).


 * When Gonzo is flying with the balloons and says "Look at our little car down there," the sunlight makes the cord suspending the balloons visible.


 * When Miss Piggy jumps off the balcony to attack the men and save Kermit, an arm covered by a long black glove is seen throwing her.


 * Fozzie's Studebaker has a cracked windshield in several shots but not in others during the "Moving Right Along" number.


 * Immediately after Kermit and Fozzy's first encounter with Doc Hopper, as Fozzy is driving away, Doc Hopper speaks several lines ("Hey, that's my car!", "I'm offering you money!"), but his mouth does not move.


 * The screenplay that Dr. Teeth has at the end of the movie in the desert has a different cover than one that was given to him by Kermit and Fozzie in the Church.


 * The back of the theater seat Animal is sitting in clearly shows an exact outline of the chunk Animal rips off when he eventually starts eating the seat.


 * When Kermit and friends first enter the front office of Lew Lord and speak to the secretary, the fan is already turned on in the background. However, Kermit then turns the fan on from the off position to spread the animal dander.


 * Just as he hits the bill board for the pie advertisement, Fozzie yells, and the steering wheel comes of, but it's re-attached the next time we see them in the Studebaker.

Credits

 * Director: James Frawley


 * Writers: Jack Burns and Jerry Juhl


 * Executive Producers: Lew Grade and Martin Starger


 * Producer: Jim Henson


 * Co-Producer: David Lazer


 * Original Music: Paul Williams

Cast

 * Muppet Performers
 * Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, Steve Whitmire, Kathryn Mullen, Bob Payne, Eren Ozker, Caroly Wilcox, Olga Felgemacher, Bruce Schwartz, Michael Davis, Buz Suraci, Tony Basilicato, Adam Hunt


 * Human Cast
 * Charles Durning as Doc Hopper
 * Austin Pendleton as Max
 * Scott Walker as Frog Killer
 * Lawrence Gabriel, Jr. as Sailor
 * Ira F. Grubman as Bartender
 * H.B. Haggerty as Lumberjack
 * Bruce Kirby as Gate Guard
 * Tommy Madden as One Eyed Midget
 * James Frawley as Waiter
 * Arnold Roberts as Cowboy


 * Cameo Guest Stars
 * Dom DeLuise as Bernie the Agent
 * James Coburn as the El Sleezo owner
 * Madeline Kahn as woman at the El Sleezo
 * Telly Savalas as tough guy at the El Sleezo
 * Carol Kane as the myth
 * Paul Williams as piano player at the El Sleezo
 * Big Bird (Caroll Spinney) as himself
 * Milton Berle as Mad Man Mooney
 * Elliott Gould as beauty contest host
 * Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy as themselves
 * Bob Hope as ice cream salesman
 * Richard Pryor as balloon salesman
 * Steve Martin as waiter
 * Mel Brooks as Professor Krassman
 * Cloris Leachman as Lew Lord's secretary
 * Orson Welles as Lew Lord

Muppet Cast

 * Muppet Characters


 * Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, Rowlf, Scooter, Dr. Teeth, Animal, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot, Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Camilla, Sweetums, Robin, Statler, Waldorf, Sam the Eagle, Lew Zealand, Swedish Chef, Doglion, Marvin Suggs


 * Background Characters


 * Link Hogthrob, Fletcher Bird, Mean Mama, Luncheon Counter Monster, Boppity, Baskerville, Nigel, Pigs

Rainbow Connection Finale



 * Muppet Characters (in alphabetical order)
 * The Amazing Mumford, Animal, Anything Muppets, Babies, Baby Koozebanian Creatures, Baskerville the Hound, Beaker, Beauregard, Beautiful Day Monster, Behemoth, Bert, Biff, Big Bird, Billy the Bear, Boppity, Brad, Brewster, Bubba, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Camilla the Chicken, Catgut, Chick, Cookie Monster, Count von Count, Crazy Harry, Cow, Crocodiles, Doglion, Dr. Teeth, Droop, Eric the Parrot, Ernie, Farley, Female Koozebanian Creature, Fleet Scribbler, Fletcher Bird, Floyd Pepper, Forcryingoutloud Bird, Fozzie Bear, Frank, Fred the Wonder Horse, George the Janitor, Gills Brothers, Gladys the Cafeteria Lady, Gladys the Cow, Gloat, Gonzo the Great, Gorgon Heap, Gramps, Grover, Guy Smiley, Herry Monster, Hilda, Janice, Jerry, Slim Wilson, Jim, J.P. Grosse, Julius Strangepork, Kermit the Frog, King Ploobis, Lenny the Lizard, Lew Zealand, Lewis Kazagger, Link Hogthrob, Lou, Lubbock Lou, Luncheon Counter Monster, Mahna Mahna, Male Koozebanian Creature, Mary Louise Marvin Suggs, Maurice Monster, Mean Mama, The Mighty Favog, Mildred Huxtetter, Miss Kitty, Miss Mousey, Miss Piggy, Mr. Johnson, Muppy, Newsman, Nigel, Octopus, Ohboy Bird, Ohreally Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Penguin, Queen Peuta, Quongo, Righton Bird, Robin the Frog, Ronald Duck, Roosevelt Franklin, Roosevelt Franklin's Mother, Rowlf the Dog, Sam the Eagle, Scooter, Scred, Shakey Sanchez, Snake Frackle, Snowths, Sopwith the Camel, Statler, Sully, Swedish Chef, Swinetrek Crewpigs, Tessie Twiddlebug, Thog, Thomas Twiddlebug, Timmy Monster, Two-Headed Monster, Uncle Deadly, Vazh, Waldorf, Wanda, Wayne, Whaddayasay Bird, Whatnots, Wisss, Youknow Bird, Zeke, Zelda Rose, Zoot

Other information
Running Time: 95 min. (Internet Movie Database also reports a running time of 97 min., which could be either for international release or for the director having edited two minutes of the film since initial release.)

Available on video: The film was originally available on VHS, Beta, laserdisc, and CED from Magnetic Video (later CBS/Fox Video), under license from ITC. In the '90s, during the Disney-Henson partnership, Disney released the film on VHS and laserdisc on their label. In 2001, during the Sony-Henson partnership, the movie was released on DVD on the Columbia-TriStar label. Since purchasing the Muppets and their film library in 2004, Disney re-released the DVD in 2005.