The Muppet Show: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"It's time to play the music,

 

The immense popularity of [[The Muppets]] they created for ''[[Sesame Street]]'' gave [[Jim Henson]], Jerry Juhl and Frank Oz the impetus to create a variety show for family viewing, but with social and political satire. [[ABC]] aired a pair of [[Pilot]] specials, ''The Muppets Valentine Show'' (1974) and ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975), but when all the U.S. networks rejected their ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KorhvVQRUM frankly awesome]) pitch for a weekly series, they instead finagled a distribution deal with Britain's ITC, under the auspices of Lord Lew Grade.

 

 

The show became so popular that in at least one U.S. market, two stations broadcast different episodes of ''The Muppet Show'' in back-to-back time slots! The show was never actually cancelled; instead, Henson and company decided to end it so that they could work on films, ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'' in particular.

 

{{quote|''It's time to put on makeup,

 

Cheerful, cool-headed Kermit the Frog was the emcee-slash-production manager-slash-eye of the storm for this truly 'far out' all-puppet [[Variety Show]]. The setting was a tiny rundown downtown theatre and the tone was deliberately reminiscent of old-style vaudeville, where anything could happen and usually did. Other major members of the troupe included diva Miss Piggy, comedian Fozzie Bear, piano-playing Rowlf the Dog, daredevil performance artist Gonzo the Great, and Scooter the eager "go-fer".

 

{{quote|''To introduce our guest star

 

A different human entertainer was featured as the show's guest performer in each episode, and the show's ''cachet'' quickly became such that they were frequently A-list--often uniquely so (ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev, anyone?). Each week, technical flubs, talent crises, rampaging egos and financial issues (when the pigs weren't rebelling, or angry clones weren't on the loose, or the ''[[Star Wars]]'' cast wasn't rampaging through in search of Chewbacca) would bring the show teetering to the brink of disaster; each week, [[The Show Must Go On|the show somehow managed to go on]].

 

{{quote|''Why do we always come here?

 

Ostensibly a family show, ''The Muppet Show'' in practice played freely with the dark side of Henson's vision, more familiar from his later work. Notable guest stars included [[Alice Cooper]], [[Vincent Price]], Jonathan Winters, [[The Pink Panther|Peter Sellers]], [[Superman (film)|Christopher Reeve]] and [[Steve Martin]]. Songs from adult shows like ''[[Chicago]]'' and ''[[Cabaret]]'' were worked into the mix (to say nothing of [[Elton John]] singing "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", or Cooper's "Welcome to My Nightmare"...) Casual violence abounded, seemingly gentle skits often took a weirdly surreal turn. Typically, in the [[Robin Hood]] episode, lovely Lynn "Maid Marian" Redgrave tricks Gonzo as the Sheriff into stretching out on his own torture rack -- and he appears to enjoy the experience.

 

{{quote|''Our show tonight will feature

 

The concept was brought back and updated in 1989, with the "Muppet Television" segments of ''[[The Jim Henson Hour]]'', which moved the show from a theatre to a TV station. A second short-lived revival in 1996, ''[[Muppets Tonight]]'', used a similar setting, this time a single studio instead of an entire network.

 

{{quote|''But now, let's get things started!

''([[Couch Gag|Gonzo plays something on his trumpet]]. [[Hilarity Ensues]], usually)'' }}