Episode 307: Alice Cooper

The "talented but frightening" Alice Cooper sets an eerie mood for the show from the moment he tells Scooter that the monsters in his dressing room aren't The Muppet Show's; they're his. Even the floating blue mass that comes out of Gonzo's horn in the opening has an otherworldy feel to it.

Alice later reveals himself to be an agent of the Devil's, offering the Muppets "fabulous riches and worldwide fame" in a Faustian exchange for their souls. Kermit shudders at the idea, Miss Piggy gives it a test run but ultimately decides it's not worth the sacrifice (or the makeover), and Gonzo spends much of the episode looking for a pen to sign the contract. He becomes so desperate that he, in quick succession, offers to trade the Vile Bunch Drummer a chicken, all of his chickens, and finally his soul for a pen before realizing that he has "other plans for that."

As with episode 119, which guest starred Vincent Price, this episode revolves around the theme of "ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night." Most of the action, both onstage and off, has a weird atmosphere, even when the guest star is not involved: the monstrous Germ attacks Beaker in Muppet Labs; the "Toothache" sketch with talking speleothems; and Pigs in Space, in which Link, Miss Piggy, Dr. Strangepork, and even the Swinetrek itself become mere animated outlines of their three-dimensional selves. The only "normal" moment in the show comes after Fozzie Bear, faced with some fanged Whatnot children in the canteen, begs for "one thing nice on this show tonight" - Robin the Frog answers his prayers by performing an understated and uninterrupted rendition of "Over the Rainbow."

When Gonzo scares everyone with his "voice of doom" before appearing onstage in a flash of light at the end of the show, Kermit is afraid that the paper in his hand is a signed contract with the Devil. Gonzo instead reveals it to be the bill from Special Effects, to which Alice and the Monsters shiver in fear at something truly scary to them.

Songs/Sketches

 * Cold Open: Alice brings his own monsters to the show.
 * Alice sings "Welcome to My Nightmare" with the Vile Bunch.
 * William Tell tries to shoot an apple off his son's head but fills the backstage with arrows instead.
 * Muppet Labs: Germ Enlarger
 * The Speleothems perform the "Toothache" sketch.
 * Guest Star's Dressing Room: Sam the Eagle berates "Mr. Cooper" as a "demented, sick, degenerate, barbaric, naughty freako." Mr. Cooper is flattered. Sam, annoyed, concedes: "Freako : One. Civilization: Zero."
 * Robin sings "Over the Rainbow."
 * UK Spot: A group of monsters sing "Once a Year Day."
 * After singing his hit "You and Me" to Beakie, Alice reluctantly changes the a vicious-looking bird monster back into Miss Piggy.
 * Pigs in Space: Outlines
 * Alice and the Vile Bunch sing "School's Out."

Cast
Muppets:
 * Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Statler and Waldorf, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Sam the Eagle, Gladys, Robin the Frog, Thog, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Link Hogthrob, William Tell, Walter Tell, the Germ, Speleothems, Blue Frackle, Vile Bunch Drummer, Beakie, and The Announcer

Background Muppets:
 * Snake, Purple Heap, Vile Bunch Guitarist, Silver Beak, Bats, Skeleton, Chopped Liver, Ghost, Flower-Eating Monster, Kangaroo, a Mutation, Timmy Monster, Mean Mama, Doglion, Sweetums, and four Fanged Whatnot Kids

Performers

 * Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Link Hogthrob and Waldorf
 * Frank Oz as Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and Sam the Eagle
 * Jerry Nelson as Dr. Julius Strangepork, the Announcer, Robin, Stalagmite and William Tell
 * Richard Hunt as Scooter, Statler, Beaker, Gladys, Blue Frackle, Sweetums and Stalagmite
 * Dave Goelz as Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Walter Tell
 * Louise Gold as Beakie
 * Steve Whitmire as Thog

Edits

 * When released on the video Monster Laughs with Vincent Price, Robin's number, "Over the Rainbow," was cut. The fade to black at the end of the closing number was also cut.