The Muppets Go Hollywood

Miss Piggy's grand entrance for "Baby Face".

Dick Van Dyke interviews Jim Henson

The Muppets Go Hollywood aired on CBS on May 16, 1979.

In this one-hour special, Kermit the Frog throws a glamorous party at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub to celebrate the premiere of the Muppets' first feature film, The Muppet Movie. Hosts Dick van Dyke and Rita Moreno interview the wide array of celebrities and Muppets who attend the event. Gary Owens serves as off-camera announcer, and appears on-screen to introduce Miss Piggy.

The special starts with an excerpt from the beginning of The Muppet Movie, when Kermit is in the swamp with Dom DeLuise as Bernie the Agent. Then, the camera leads the viewers to the Cocoanut Grove for the outset of the party.

Highlights include the following:

• The Muppets and their guests arrive in limousines. Fozzie Bear is mistaken for "what's his name, the dog who plays the piano".
• Rita makes a friendly jest at Cheryl Ladd ("Cheryl, my husband has a request: your phone number, your home address."), who is then attacked by Animal.
• The Muppet Monsters (consisting of Sweetums, Doglion, Timmy Monster, Mean Mama, and The Mutations) sing and dance in a production number of "Hooray for Hollywood".
• Rita conducts a poolside interview with Miss Piggy. Scooter interrupts Miss Piggy by asking for some change for the pay phone so that he can continue to call pretending to be Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford on her behalf.
• Dick van Dyke has a conversation with Sam the Eagle about the party. Dick discovers that Sam, while ostensibly disapproving of the weird Hollywood ways, has an autograph book (including Rudy Vallee and Gary Owens). Sam asks Dick if he's seen his favorite, Walter Pidgeon.
• Scooter calls Kermit to the kitchen to show him how The Swedish Chef is serving the Swedish Meatballs.
• Peter Matz and His Orchestra play "How High the Moon," featuring a solo by Zoot on saxophone. Rita can be seen dancing with Floyd Pepper while asking how the Muppets are adjusting to Hollywood.
• Dick van Dyke interviews Phyllis Diller while bringing up his encounter with Fozzie Bear in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
• Upon being introduced by Gary Owens, Miss Piggy arrives on a chaise carried by four bronzed bodybuilders, to the strains of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" and proceeds to sing "Baby Face" backed by the pigs.
• Johnny Mathis sings "Never Before, Never Again", with piano accompaniment by Rowlf the Dog.
• Miss Piggy shows some footage from The Muppet Movie to Rita despite Kermit's objection.
• Kermit tells Dick van Dyke that he and the Muppets are staying at Bide-A-Wee Motor Court since it's the only area that gives the Muppets a good rate and they allow livestock. Kermit and Dick laugh at this until Miss Piggy karate chops both of them.
• Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem sing "Can You Picture That?"
• The Muppets and celebrities dance to "Boogie Motion" on the dance floor.
• Dick van Dyke serenades Miss Piggy with "You Oughta Be in Pictures".
• Rita tells Animal to stop chasing women, only for Animal to shout "Woman!" and target Rita (recalling their antagonism in the Episode 105 of The Muppet Show). Meanwhile, Dick Van Dyke interviews Jim Henson. Henson mentions how lyricist Paul Williams and composer Kenny Ascher came up with "Rainbow Connection", and footage of the pair performing the song cuts to a scene with Kermit singing "The Rainbow Connection."
• Dick interviews Peter Falk about what the Cocoanut Grove was like back in the '30s.
• Rita does a Carmen Miranda dance routine, backed (and mistreated) by The Mutations while forming a conga line with guests and Muppets alike.
• After most of the guests have left in the conga line, Kermit and the other Muppets do a reprise of "Hooray for Hollywood." Kermit then has the Muppets clean up the Cocoanut Theatre upon being told that they can save money cleaning up after themselves.

Celebrity cameos include Steve Allen, Loni Anderson, Carol Arthur, Burt Bacharach, Anne Bancroft, Candice Bergen, Frances Bergen, Kris Bergen, Mel Brooks, LeVar Burton, Gary Busey, Red Buttons, Ruth Buzzi, Allan Carr, James Coburn, Shera Danese, Dom DeLuise, Phyllis Diller, Charles Durning, Peter Falk, John Forsythe, Don Knotts, Cheryl Ladd, Liberace, Robert Mandan, Philip McKeon, Jayne Meadows, Ethel Merman, Kim Milford, Donny Most, Richard Mulligan, Valerie Perrine, Donna Pescow, Vincent Price, Christopher Reeve, Carl Reiner, Estelle Reiner, Gary Sandy, Robert Stack, Jean Stapleton, Maureen Stapleton, Charlene Tilton, and Raquel Welch.

Notes

• The special was taped in April 1979. The party sequences were taped on April 6.
• Steve Whitmire makes a cameo appearance. He can be seen sitting in the foreground during the scene between Sam the Eagle and Dick van Dyke.
• A German dub of this special was made and aired on ZDF. Dick Van Dyke's interview with Jim Henson, followed by lyricist Paul Williams and composer Kenny Ascher, were completely cut and replaced with segments from Die Muppet Show. The special used The Snerfs dance to "In a Little Spanish Town", the "Java" skit, and "Mah Na Mah Na".
• The Muppets Go Hollywood, translated into the local language, was also used as the title for the dubs of The Muppet Movie in Mexico and Italy.

Edits

• In the original airing of the special, the "Rainbow Connection" clip uses a deleted angle close up shot of Kermit the Frog playing the banjo that didn't make into the finished film. In the reruns, the special uses the finished scene instead.

Credits

• Guest Stars: Dick Van Dyke, Rita Moreno
• Special Guest Star: Johnny Mathis
• Special Guest Appearances: Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher
• Executive Producer: Martin Starger
• Producer: Jim Henson
• Co-producer: David Lazer
• Director: Stan Harris
• Writers: Jerry Juhl and Don Hinkley
• Creative Consultant: Frank Oz
• Music Arranged and Conducted by: Peter Matz
• Choreographer: Anita Mann

Cast

• Muppet Characters: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot, Rowlf, Scooter, Statler and Waldorf, The Swedish Chef, Sam the Eagle

• Background Muppets: Sweetums, Timmy Monster, Doglion, Mean Mama, The Mutations, Link Hogthrob, Beauregard, Fletcher Bird, Gawky Bird, Bossman, Pigs

Muppet Performers

• Jim Henson - Kermit the Frog, Dr. Teeth, Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, Waldorf
• Frank Oz - Animal, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam the Eagle
• Jerry Nelson - Floyd Pepper
• Richard Hunt - Janice, Scooter, Statler, Sweetums
• Dave Goelz - Gonzo, Zoot
• Steve Whitmire
• Kathryn Mullen

Video releases

• Films Incorporated released a copy on VHS for educational outlets in 1988.

Gallery

See also

• Die Muppets in Hollywood
• The Muppets Go Hollywood/transcript