 | |
| PERFORMER | Jerry Nelson 1977-2003 |
| Matt Vogel 2008-present | |
| DEBUT | 1974 |
Crazy Harry assists Gonzo in his cannonball-catching act.
Crazy Harry is the pyrotechnic expert on The Muppet Show. An unkempt figure with wild eyes and a mad cackle, he delights in blowing things up. His trademark is appearing at the slightest mention of an explosive-related word, and reiterating it in the form of a question (e.g. "Did somebody say bang?") before setting off an explosion.
In addition to explosions, he played the triangle bell in the Muppet Orchestra during the first season opening and closing and in the second season closing. His finest hour may well have been in episode 306, accompanying Jean Stapleton on the explodaphone for a particularly frantic rendition of "I'm Just Wild About Harry."
He originally appeared in The Muppets Valentine Show, as Crazy Donald -- a reference to Muppet builder Don Sahlin, who enjoyed creating the Muppets' special effects explosions. His name was changed to Crazy Harry in his second appearance, The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.
His film appearances have included, amongst others, The Muppet Movie (as the special effects expert), The Great Muppet Caper (as a resident of the Happiness Hotel), The Muppets Take Manhattan (attending the wedding), Muppets from Space (at the beach), The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (as one of the Flying Monkeys) The Muppets (where at one point, he uses explosives to carve his head into Mount Rushmore) and Muppets Most Wanted, where he sets off explosions during Christoph Waltz' number. He appeared in the Stars and Stripes FOREVER! online video and A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa.
When reruns of The Muppet Show were shown on TNT, a Crazy Harry doll was planned as a gift for employees at the network, but only the head (sans eyes) was produced. A Crazy Harry action figure and a bust were later marketed.
Notes[]
- In the UK's Muppet Show Annual 1977, Crazy Harry is referred to as "Mad Harry".
- When asked about Crazy Harry's lack of appearances in 2007, Jim Lewis replied "A combination of things. First, Jerry Nelson performs Crazy Harry and his availability is one factor. Second, Crazy Harry is always punctuation, so the scene has to fit his personality and his unique talent for blowing things up. And third, unofficially, I find that in a post-9/11 world, blowing stuff up—even in foolish fun—isn’t as funny as it once was. But again, that’s my personal opinion."[1]
Casting history[]
Main Performers
- Jerry Nelson: The Muppet Show Season 2 (1977) - Muppets Party Cruise (2003)
- Matt Vogel: "Stars and Stripes Forever" (2008) - present
Alternate Performers
- John Lovelady - The Muppets Valentine Show (1974), The Muppet Show Season 1 (1976 - 1977)
- Richard Hunt - The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975), CBS Sunday Morning (1981)
- Rickey Boyd - TNT promo (1988), The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)
Filmography[]
- The Muppets Valentine Show
- The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
- Kagayake! Gorō Mapetto Geba Geba 90-pun!
- The Muppet Show
- "The Muppet Show Theme" (Seasons 1-5)
- Episode 103: Joel Grey
- Episode 108: Paul Williams
- Episode 110: Harvey Korman
- Episode 114: Sandy Duncan
- Episode 117: Ben Vereen
- Episode 118: Phyllis Diller (Gonzo's Opening Gong only)
- Episode 123: Kaye Ballard (Gonzo's Opening Gong only)
- Episode 202: Zero Mostel (At The Dance)
- Episode 204: Rich Little
- Episode 205: Judy Collins (Cold Open)
- Episode 206: Nancy Walker (Night Train)
- Episode 218: Jaye P. Morgan
- Episode 221: Bob Hope (Gonzo's Opening Horn only)
- Episode 222: Teresa Brewer
- Episode 223: John Cleese
- Episode 302: Leo Sayer (When I Need You)
- Episode 306: Jean Stapleton
- Episode 308: Loretta Lynn (Opening)
- Episode 314: Harry Belafonte (Cold Open)
- Episode 401: John Denver (Why Can't We Be Friends)
- Episode 512: Melissa Manchester (Cold Open)
- Episode 522: Buddy Rich (Muppet News Flash)
- The Muppet Movie
- CBS This Morning (1981)
- The Great Muppet Caper
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (Wedding Finale)
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
- A Muppet Family Christmas
- Muppets Tonight
- Muppets from Space
- It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
- The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
- A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
- Muppet viral videos
- The Muppet Show Theme Music Video
- The Muppets
- Just for Laughs
- Muppets Most Wanted
- The Muppets 2015 Presentation Pilot
- The Muppets
- The Muppets Take the Bowl
- The Muppets Take the O2
- Muppets Haunted Mansion
- The Masked Singer
Book appearances[]
- The Muppet Show Book (1978)
- The Comic Muppet Book (1979)
- The Muppet Show Comic Book (2009)
- Muppet Robin Hood issue #3 (2009)
- Muppet Snow White (2010)
- Muppet Sherlock Holmes issue #4 (2011)
- The Muppets Character Encyclopedia (2014)
- Muppets Meet the Classics: The Phantom of the Opera (2017)
- Muppets Meet the Classics: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm (2018)