The Muppet Show



The Muppet Show was a syndicated half-hour variety show focused on the attempts of Kermit the Frog and his friends to put on a weekly musical/comedy revue. Unfortunately for them, things never go quite according to plan, resulting in the wise-cracking commentary on the proceedings by two old curmudgeons named Statler and Waldorf.

While Kermit had been featured extensively in other programs in the past, this show marked the introduction of such now-famous characters as Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, The Great Gonzo, Animal, Sgt. Floyd Pepper, The Swedish Chef, and Bunsen and Beaker, among many others.

Setting and Characters
The Muppet Show took place at the Muppet Theater, where Kermit was the host. Kermit was also the director and general overseer of the performances, assisted by Scooter, the gofer who only got his job because his uncle, J.P. Grosse, owned the theater. Additional backstage help included George the Janitor, Beauregard, and Hilda. A variety of different musical acts were featured on the show, from the orchestra, conducted by Nigel, to country bands such as Lubbock Lou and his Jughuggers, to solo musicians such as Rowlf the Dog, to the show's main rock and roll band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, (Dr. Teeth on keyboards, Floyd on bass, Animal on drums, Janice on guitar, Zoot on saxophone, and during the last season, Lips on trumpet).

Due to being a puppet show, The Muppet Show had the advantage of being able to have a large number of characters with only a small number of performers. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Rowlf, Bunsen, Beaker, Statler, Waldorf, and Scooter were the main characters, but there was also a lot of supporting and minor characters. Aside from the aforementioned characters, other significant characters included Sam the Eagle, a patriotic eagle who tried to make the show more cultural, Camilia the Chicken, Gonzo's girlfriend, Robin the Frog, Kermit's nephew, Annie Sue Pig, Miss Piggy's rival, Link Hogthrob, the captain of The Swinetrek, Dr. Julius Strangepork, the Swinetrek scientist, Foo-Foo, Miss Piggy's poodle, and Pops, an old man who greeted the guest stars in the fifth season. The Muppet Show also had it's share of fan favorites, including Lew Zeland, Crazy Harry, Uncle Deadly, Sweetums, and Marvin Suggs. One of the few minor characters who became a much more important character after the series ended was Rizzo the Rat. The first season also featured a number of major characters who, after the first season, were either dropped or appeared less often. These characters include George the janitor, Hilda, Mildred Huxtetter, Wayne and Wanda, and The Gogolala Jubilee Jugband.

There was also a variety of generic types of characters, often used to fill the background. One example of these characters were Whatnots, faceless characters who could have faces and clothing added to become any type of humanoid character needed. There were also generic Chickens, Rats, Penguins, Frogs and Pigs, most of whom looked identical to other members of their respective species, and few of whom had names. By contrast, most of the monsters and dogs had specific looks and names (even if most names were rarely mentioned on the show), but very few had distinctive personalities. The Birds, on the other hand, had distinctive looks but msot did not have names or personalities. The show also featured a number of talking inanimate objects, msot notably the Muppet food.

The action in each episode was primarily focused on the on-stage acts, and the frantic activity backstage. Other environs, used on a more occasional basis, included the Canteen, The Prop Room, and the various dressing rooms. On stage, set decoration varied from distinctive sets for the main sketches (The Swinetrek for Pigs in Space, Veterinarians Hospital, the police station in Bear on Patrol, and Muppet Labs) to plain colored backgrounds for basic dance, talk, and song numbers. More elaborate backdrops and sets, suggesting forest settings or an English music hall stage, were used as the need arose.

Guest Stars
In keeping with the TV variety show format, each episode showcased a celebrity guest star, or duo, who were the only humans to ever appear on the show. From the second season onward, the guest was invariably introduced in the cold open, and announced by Kermit at the start of the theme song. 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. As the series wore on, the guests became more crucial, becoming involved in the backstage plots, expressing dissatisfaction with the show, or as featured performers in elaborate "theme" stories. One of the more extreme examples came in the final season, with episode 507, as guest star Glenda Jackson reveals herself to be a ruthless pirate and commandeers the theater. The guest roster included a range of performers, from familar film and television personalities and stage theater veterans to ballet dancers, country singers, rock stars, experimental pantomime artists, and even a ventriloquist or two.

At first, Jim Henson had trouble getting guest stars for the show, and the majority of guest stars during the first season were either personal friends of the production team (for example, first season head writer Jack Burns' former comedy partner Avery Schreiber was a guest), or a client of Jim Henson's agent, Bernie Brillstein. By the second season, the show started to attract more celebrities, and eventually celebrities were asking to appear on the show. Whenever a celebrity was booked to appear on the show, they would be asked if there were any characters who they wanted to work with. Most of them wanted to work with either Kermit or Miss Piggy.

Some of the more memorable guest star moments include: Rita Moreno's performance of "Fever", backed by Animal on drums; Rudolf Nureyev dancing with a pig ballerina; Harry Belafonte singing "Turn the World Around"; Alice Cooper singing "School's Out" with the monsters; John Cleese being forced into a closing number; Gene Kelly giving Kermit a dance lesson; and Raquel Welch performing a song-and-dance number with a giant spider. In addition to showcasing the guests' familiar skills or "shticks," stars occasionally performed against type, such as Nureyev tap dancing to "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" or screen tough guy James Coburn focusing on zen meditation and calmness.

Some episodes played on the guest's established "star texts" as specific characters, such as Christopher Reeve's Superman and Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman. Roger Moore's appearance played ironically off of his James Bond persona, as Moore preferred to do the whimsical "Talk to the Animals" over any spy heroics. Occasionally, the guest's alter-egos did appear 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 417, as the stars of 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 "cousin."

Guest stars Rita Moreno and Carol Burnett both won Emmy Awards for their appearances.

Behind the Scenes
While Jim Henson had been pleased with the success of Sesame Street, that show had branded the Muppets as a "kids' act." Henson was interested in creating a show that would provide entertainment across all age groups.

Henson auditioned his characters and his concept for the show many times to the major television networks, even filming a pitch reel for CBS. By 1973, 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.

Initially, Henson and company resisted producing the program in syndication, as they feared that the show would be underfunded. 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.

The show first hit the air waves in September of 1976. 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.

The show was subsequently dubbed in several languages and broadcast all over the world, which eventually lead Time magazine to declare The Muppet Show, "the most popular television entertainment on earth."

The show ran for five years and 120 episodes. 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.

While the show never returned with new episodes, the Muppets from this program have appeared in numerous TV specials and movies, and The Muppet Show Live was presented for MuppetFest in 2001.

Reruns
Reruns of The Muppet Show aired in syndication for many years, eventually moving to the TNT cable station from 1988 to 1992. From 1994 to 1995, reruns began airing on the Nickelodeon cable station instead. In 1999, the reruns moved to the partly Henson-owned Odyssey Channel.

Since Odyssey stopped airing the reruns, The Muppet Show has yet to return to American TV.

Reruns still sometimes air in countries outside of the United States, though, often packaged with the MuppetTelevision segments of The Jim Henson Hour (here re-dubbed The Jim Henson Show) and episodes of Muppets Tonight as well.

Video releases
In the '80s and '90s, compilation videos featuring the most memorable sketches and songs from The Muppet Show were released. In 1994, Jim Henson Video released two episodes on video for the first time in the release Monster Laughs with Vincent Price. Though this was the first commercially-available release of episodes outside of compilations, some scenes were cut from the episodes.

In 2000, Time Life began offering several of the most famous and popular episodes of The Muppet Show in their complete form on video (allowing American viewers to see an extra two minutes of footage that previously had only been available to UK audiences). The episodes were initially released on VHS, then on DVD due to the popularity of the sales (These same episodes were also eventually sold in stores under the Columbia-TriStar Video label).

In August of 2005, Buena Vista Home Entertainment (a Disney imprint) released the entire run of Season 1 episodes of The Muppet Show on DVD. The episodes were complete, except in a few instances where music rights proved prohibitive, resulting in a few musical numbers being deleted from the show. The front of the DVD case features a felt-like surface emulating the texture of Kermit's Muppet torso.

Buena Vista originally planned a release of The Muppet Show Season 2 on DVD for February 2006, but it has been delayed until 2007.

Credits

 * Directors: Peter Harris, Philip Casson
 * Writers: Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jack Burns (season 1), Marc London (season 1), Joseph A. Bailey (season 2), David Odell (seasons 3-5), Chris Langham (seasons 3-5), Don Hinkley
 * Puppeteers: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Eren Ozker (season 1), John Lovelady (season 1), Peter Friedman (episodes 111-115 and season 3), Louise Gold (seasons 2-5), Steve Whitmire (seasons 3-5), Kathy Mullen (seasons 4-5), Brian Muehl (season 5), Karen Prell (season 5), Bob Payne
 * Musical Director: Jack Parnell
 * Music Consultants: Larry Grossman (seasons 1-3), Ray Charles (seasons 4-5)
 * Musical Associates: Derek Scott, Conn Bernard
 * Dancers: Betsy Baytos, Graham Fletcher, John Bottoms
 * Choreographers: Gillian Lynne, Norman Maen
 * Producers: David Lazer (executive), Jim Henson, Lew Grade, Jack Burns (season 1)
 * Designers: Faz Fazakas, Don Sahlin, Calista Hendrickson (costumes), Robert McCormack (supervisor), Michael K. Frith (consultant), Amy van Gilder, Caroly Wilcox, Mari Kaestle, Jan Rosenthal, Robert Payne, Rollin Krewson, Barbara Davis, Tim Miller, Dave Goelz, Ed Christie, Leslie Asch, Nomi Frederick, Marianne Harms, Larry Jameson