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| Music by | Scott Joplin |
| Lyrics by | John Brimhall |
| Date | 1902 |
Milton Berle with Rowlf.
"The Entertainer" is a ragtime song (or a "rag") composed by Scott Joplin in 1902. The instrumental composition became an unexpected top 10 hit in the 1970s as the theme music to the acclaimed film The Sting.
Phyllis Diller, backed by the orchestra, performs "The Entertainer" on the saxophone in The Muppet Show episode 118. The number is played for comedy, as she misses many of the notes and the saxophone frequently squeaks. In this performance, the orchestra members include Rowlf the Dog, Floyd Pepper, Zoot, Animal, Nigel, Trumpet Girl, and a Pig.
On episode 203 of The Muppet Show, Milton Berle explains to Rowlf that few people realize there are lyrics for the song before singing the first verse as a simple recitation with only Rowlf's piano accompaniment. He is then joined by a chorus of Muppets that includes Fozzie Bear, Scooter, Lydia, a Bouncing Borsalino Brother, a clown girl, and a pair of Whatnots who sing the second verse with a full arrangement before returning to Berle's solo. Fozzie's appearance in the number is out of character with his behavior in the rest of the episode, in which he is hiding from Milton Berle. Miss Piggy reprises the number for the UK Spot in the same episode.
Kermit the Frog and Pepe the King Prawn sang a song to the tune of "The Entertainer" in a commercial for V-Chip.
Eric Awuy played the song for Tantan in an episode of Jalan Sesama. (YouTube)
The tune was used in a Sesame Street film insert featuring a gorilla in the park. (First: Episode 0524) In a Super Grover 2.0 segment, a group of penguins try dancing to the song, but find a large block of ice is in their way.
