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| Music by | Harold Arlen |
| Lyrics by | Johnny Mercer |
| Date | 1942 |
| Publisher | Famous Music LLC |
"That Old Black Magic" is an American pop-standard, which was a number one hit for Glenn Miller in 1943. Several subsequent recordings have charted on the Billboard top 30. It has been associated with the Muppets since the 1950s.
Kermit and Sam lip-synced to a recording of the song by Louis Prima and Keely Smith in a December 31, 1958 episode of Sam and Friends. Kermit took Smith's part in the song, wearing a brown wig, while Sam danced frantically and sang Prima's part.
This is one of the most well known Sam and Friends episodes, and portions of it are used in most documentaries. This is also the only surviving Sam and Friends episode that features the title character. Kermit was performed by Jane Henson, while Jim Henson puppeteered Sam's dance. They performed this bit several times on The Today Show as well.
Performances[]
| Picture | Description |
|---|---|
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Sam and Friends Yorick and Harry watch Kermit and Sam lipsynch to a recording by Louis Prima and Keely Smith in the December 31, 1958 episode of the program. |
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Today Jim and Jane Henson performed the song several times on NBC's Today Show in the early 1960s.[1]
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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Piggy Lee and Hamilton Pig lip synced to the (abridged) original track on The Tonight Show on May 24, 1974. |
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Cher Sweetums and Cher sang "That Old Black Magic" in a 1975 episode of Cher's variety show. |
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The Muppet Show episode 218 Jaye P. Morgan sang the song with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem on The Muppet Show in 1977. |
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The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show Miss Piggy sang "That Old Black Magic" with Andy Kaufman (as "Tony Clifton") in the 1982 special. |
References[]
- The Wicked Witch of the South Bronx sings the song to herself in Episode 0578 of Sesame Street.
- Big Bird complains about the cold wind in Episode 0947 of Sesame Street, quoting the song as he describes "those icy fingers up and down my spine."
- The Amazing Mumford sings a sample of it before going back to a magician's party in Episode 2454 of Sesame Street.
- A first season episode of Farscape is titled "That Old Black Magic."