The Muppet Show | |
Guest | Lena Horne |
Production | July 13-15, 1976 |
Premiere | UK: October 31, 1976 NYC: November 1, 1976 |
Releases | Season One |
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Kermit cuts Miss Piggy's scheduled song so she won't look foolish following Lena Horne. He tells her that "there are singers and there are singers," making her think that he doesn't want her to show up Lena.
Songs/Sketches[]
- "Rag Mop"
- "I Got a Name"
- Muppet News Flash
- At the Dance
- UK Spot: "Theme from Love Story"
- Talk Spot
- The Swedish Chef: spaghetti
- "I'm Glad There Is You"
- Fozzie's Monologue
- Blackout: Lena, Hilda and Animal.
- "Sing"
Episode[]
Picture | Description |
---|---|
"The Muppet Show Theme": The gong sounds like a foghorn when Gonzo hits it. | |
A chorus of Muppet mops perform "Rag Mop." | |
Miss Piggy learns that her song has been canceled. Kermit didn't want her performance to be compared with that of Lena Horne's. "There are singers and there are singers," Kermit states. Piggy believes it is that Kermit didn't want her number to overshadow Lena's. Kermit calls for Miss Horne to go onstage, and so Ms. Horn appears. | |
Lena Horne sings "I Got a Name" with the Muppets. | |
The consideration that Kermit has shown Lena in not allowing her to be outsung by Miss Piggy has only reinforced the porcine diva's love for Kermit. Kermit says that there is no room in his life for romance, to which Piggy overreacts, claiming that "the sun will never shine on this pig" and calling for death's sting. | |
Muppet News Flash: The Newsman reports on Mrs. Lola Bramswell's unique diet in which she has eaten nothing but seaweed for the past ten years. Twice a day she finds herself going in and out with the tide. A difficult feat for someone living in Kentucky. | |
At the Dance: George the Janitor claims that the children of today are the parents of tomorrow. Mildred always thought it took longer than that. A Blue Frackle blows his top. | |
UK Spot: Zoot and Rowlf play the "Theme from Love Story." | |
Talk Spot: Fozzie complains that the only one who ever gets to talk to the guest star is Kermit. Lena recognizes Fozzie, claiming that when you've made a name for yourself in show business, everybody knows you, therefore it's only natural that she would know the great Fozzie Bear. Kermit adds that it is just like how Fozzie would know the great Lena Horne. Fozzie excitedly states how much he loves Lena Horne, and then asks Lena if she knew her. | |
The Swedish Chef is attacked by killer spaghetti. | |
Gonzo is depressed after Animal ruins his act. Lena comforts him by singing "I'm Glad There Is You." | |
Kermit explains to Scooter that sometimes in show business, one must be "ruthless, merciless, and cruel." So when he hears Miss Piggy say that her number was cut because Kermit didn't want her to overshadow Lena Horne, he informs her that it was Lena who would make Piggy look ludicrous. | |
Fozzie's Comedy Acts: Fozzie does a tribute to Marcel Marceau by impersonating a man balancing himself on one leg, and then a man standing on no legs. | |
Blackouts: Lena asks Animal to help her find her key. He does this by hitting her foot with a mallet, and determines that her key is "B flat." | |
Piggy confronts Kermit about her song being canceled and how he "lied" about Piggy not being able to follow Lena. Kermit says that sometimes the truth hurts. Piggy shows him exactly how it hurts. | |
Lena and the Muppets perform "Sing", which she feels is one of her very favorite songs from Sesame Street. | |
At the closing, Lena recommends that Piggy has her own spot in the show. Kermit says that maybe next time she'll get to sing a song. |
Notes[]
- This is the first time someone else, instead of Kermit says, "See you next time on The Muppet Show!" at the end. In this episode Hilda says it.
TV Listings[]
The Glasgow Herald: "The Great Gonzo sings a duet with the superb Lena Horne."
Cast[]
Muppets:
- Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Animal, Statler and Waldorf, The Raggmopps, The Newsman, Janice, Zoot, Rowlf the Dog, Pig, George the Janitor, Mildred Huxtetter, Red-Haired Woman, Blue Frackle, The Swedish Chef, Hilda, Ms. Horn
Background Muppets:
Performers[]
- Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Lead Raggmopp (puppetry), Rowlf, Waldorf, The Swedish Chef, Blue Frackle, and the Newsman
- Frank Oz as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, George the Janitor, Mildred, and Mops
- Richard Hunt as Miss Piggy, Miss Piggy's dancing partner, Scooter, Statler, and Mops
- Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo, Zoot, and Mops
- Peter Friedman as Lead Raggmopp (voice) and Mops
- Eren Ozker as Janice, Hilda, Wanda, Blue Frackle's dancing partner, and Mops
- John Lovelady as Mops and others
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Falk, Karen. "Jim Henson's Red Book", 7/13/1976 - Lena Horne (MS)
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Harvey Korman | Peter Ustinov |