The Muppet Show 

Kermit the Frog and his fellow Muppets put on a vaudeville show at their theatre, bringing in a famous celebrity to help out for each episode.

Creators:

Jim Henson, Jack Burns

Stars:

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 8 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Frank Oz	...	Fozzie Bear / ... 120 episodes, 1976-1981
Richard Hunt	...	Statler / ... 120 episodes, 1976-1981
Dave Goelz	...	Gonzo / ... 120 episodes, 1976-1981
Jim Henson	...	Kermit the Frog / ... 120 episodes, 1976-1981
Jerry Nelson	...	Floyd Pepper / ... 113 episodes, 1976-1981
Louise Gold	...	Additional Muppets / ... 85 episodes, 1977-1981
Steve Whitmire	...	Additional Muppets / ... 67 episodes, 1978-1981
Kathryn Mullen	...	Additional Muppets / ... 57 episodes, 1978-1981

Storyline

Kermit the Frog is the manager of a cabaret-style theatre house, which invariably has more drama behind the stage than on it. He has to contend with wannabe-comedian bears, the smothering advances of Miss Piggy, crabby regular theatre patrons, homicidal chefs, livestock, not to mention making the weekly guest star feel welcome.

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Plot Keywords:

puppet | cult tv | vaudeville | celebrity guest | monster | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Music

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

Henson.com Muppets.com

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 January 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Muppet Show

Filming Locations:

BBC Elstree Centre/ATV Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated Television (ATV), HIT Entertainment, Henson Associates (HA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (120 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Three guest stars lived to be 100 years old: George Burns died on March 9, 1996 at the age of 100, Señor Wences died on April 20, 1999 at the age of 103 and Bob Hope died on July 27, 2003 at the age of 100.

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Quotes

Waldorf: Well, this show certainly doesn't lay any eggs.
Chickens: Bwak bawk bawk!
Statler: Wanna bet?

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Crazy Credits

Occasionally, the end theme would be performed in a different way. Kaye Ballard show: All the band members, except Rowlf, quit the show. Rowlf is left to play a piano-only version of the theme tune. Loretta Lynn: Both the opening and closing credits in this show are done differently. The show is performed at the local railway station and, as such, the lyrics to the opening theme are appropriately changed - Cast: It's time to get things started, on the most sensational, inspirational... Fozzie Bear: This week's sort of, railroad stational. The band play an off-key version of the end theme. Rowlf explains the reason to the audience - "No wonder this sounds bad. We're playing a timetable!" Harry Belafonte: The cast sing the song "Turn the World Around" while the end credits roll. Spike Milligan: The cast sing the song "It's a Small World" while the end credits sing. Guest Spike Milligan tells them to keep quiet as he's trying to sleep. At the same time, the end theme is played down and Kermit the Frog, who is still on stage, yells out that the music be stopped. Roger Miller: The whole cast, except Dave Goelz, have turned into chickens. As a result, all the band play the end theme as chickens. Animal pecks at his drums, while Rowlf and another chicken play the piano. Dudley Moore: Dudley's Music Machine plays a bizarre rendition of the end theme. It sounds off-key and is done in various styles including jazz, stripper music, chase music. Mac Davis: This is the episode where Beaker gets duplicated by Dave Goelz's duplicator machine. During the last song "I Believe in Music", the band and even the hecklers Statler and Waldorf are changed into Beakers. The Beakers play the end theme.

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Alternate Versions

In Sweden the Swedish Chef's name is changed to the German Chef.

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Connections

Referenced in OK Go & The Muppets: Muppet Show Theme Song (2011)

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Soundtracks

Swedish Chef's Theme
Composed Derek Scott
Performed by Swedish Chef (Jim Henson)

User Reviews

Somebody MUST syndicate this masterpiece

If for no other reason than to remind us who our stars were in the mid-late 70s, the Muppet Show must be returned to syndication.

This was a brilliantly-written adult puppet show, with enough obvious laughs to satisfy the larvae and plenty of innuendo and hidden punch lines to absolutely mystify most adults.

Fantastic. We MUST have this series back.