The Muppet Movie (1979)

Kermit and his newfound friends trek across America to find success in Hollywood, but a frog legs merchant is after Kermit.

Director:

James Frawley

Writers:

Jerry Juhl, Jack Burns

Stars:

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Henson	...	Kermit the Frog / Rowlf / Dr. Teeth / Waldorf / Swedish Chef / Link Hogthrob / Doc Hopper's Men (voice)
Frank Oz	...	Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Animal / Sam the Eagle / Doc Hopper's Men / Marvin Suggs / Swedish Chef (assistant) / Motorcycle Guy (voice)
Jerry Nelson	...	Floyd Pepper / Crazy Harry / Robin the Frog / Lew Zealand / Camilla / Blue Frackle (voice)
Richard Hunt	...	Scooter / Statler / Janice / Sweetums / Beaker / Fozzie Bear (assistant) (voice)
Dave Goelz	...	The Great Gonzo / Zoot / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew / Doglion / Iraqian in El Sleezo Cafe / Nigel / Pig (voice)
Charles Durning	...	Doc Hopper
Austin Pendleton	...	Max
Edgar Bergen	...	Himself / Charlie McCarthy
Milton Berle	...	Mad Man Mooney
Mel Brooks	...	Professor Max Krassman
James Coburn	...	El Sleezo Cafe Owner
Dom DeLuise	...	Bernie the Agent
Elliott Gould	...	Beauty Contest Compere
Bob Hope	...	Ice Cream Vendor
Madeline Kahn	...	El Sleezo Patron

Storyline

While living the quiet life in a swamp, Kermit the Frog is approached by a Hollywood agent to audition for the chance of a lifetime. So Kermit takes this chance for his big break as he makes the journey to Hollywood. Along the way, Kermit comes across several quirky new friends including comedic Fozzie Bear, beautiful but feisty Miss Piggy, and the Great Gonzo. But Kermit must also watch out for ruthless Doc Hopper, who plans to use him as his spokesman for his frog legs food chain.

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Plot Keywords:

the muppets | hare krishna | national film registry | troubled production | 1970s | 

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Taglines:

More entertaining than humanly possible!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

As Aventuras dos Marretas

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$65,810,475

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$65,810,475

Company Credits

Production Co:

Henson Associates (HA), ITC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along" is a rare duet between Rowlf and Kermit, because Jim Henson usually performed both characters. Kermit, a simple "glove" puppet, could be operated with one hand, but because of his design, Rowlf required two performers: Henson's right hand would control the mouth, his left hand would control Rowlf's left hand, while another puppeteer would operate the right hand--meaning that in order to perform both roles at once, Henson would need three hands. In order to achieve the duet, the two tracks were recorded separately by Jim, and then combined into one. Henson and another puppeteer performed Rowlf (who required a more dynamic performance), while Kermit, who only had to sit and "lip-sync" the number, was taken over by a third puppeteer, marking one of the rare times Henson entrusted Kermit's performance to someone other than himself.

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Goofs

Immediately after Kermit the Frog and Fozzie's first encounter with Doc Hopper, as Fozzie is driving away, Doc Hopper speaks several lines ("Hey, that's my car!", "I'm offering you money!"), but his mouth does not move.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Statler: I'm Statler.
Waldorf: I'm Waldorf. We're here to heckle "The Muppet Movie".
Gate Guard: Gentlemen, that's straight ahead. Private screening room D.
Statler: Private screening?
Waldorf: Yeah, they're afraid to show it in public.
[they laugh as their car proceeds forward]

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Crazy Credits

After the last credit, Animal is shouting,"GO HOME! GO HOME!", then he gets sleepy, "Bye-bye..." then falls asleep.

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Alternate Versions

A scene in which Fozzie Bear is menaced by a sailor brandishing a broken bottle was cut by the New Zealand censors as being too violent for children.

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Connections

Followed by Muppets from Space (1999)

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Soundtracks

Finale: The Magic Store
Music and Lyrics by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher
Performed by Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and Kathryn Mullen

User Reviews

Misunderstood

MINOR SPOILERS

Misunderstood classic remains one of Henson's finest and most personal films. It may seem funny to call a movie as beloved as this one 'misunderstood,' but people do seem to remember this one mostly for Jerry Juhl's snappy screenplay and Paul Williams's knockout songs. Now while these things are admittedly great, as is the movie's formal playfulness (screenplay-within-the-screenplay, film break, etc.), what distinguishes 'The Muppet Movie' from the other Muppet films is the serious, wistful thread that runs through the picture. It's a road movie, all right, but like most road movies, the pleasure is in the getting there, and the achievement of the characters' goals is tempered by uncertainty, and by the knowledge that they can never really go back again. Throughout the film, we are shown the down side of show business, even before the Muppets have 'made it': Piggy abandons Kermit without a second thought at a phone call from her agent, Gonzo expresses the loneliness and regret of a performer's life on the road in his haunting 'I'm Going to Go Back There Someday,' and, worst of all, Kermit is continually tortured and tested by Doc Hopper, who wants him to commercialize his art for the unholiest of purposes. (One can only wonder what Henson would have made of his family's management of the company after his death.) Kermit himself agonizes over his choices in the desert conversation scene, and the final 'Magic Store' number questions whether it's all been worth it, before concluding that it probably doesn't matter either way. All this is punctuated with the expected Muppet chaos and satire and deliciously awful jokes, and of course the serious stuff wouldn't work if it weren't. But 'The Muppet Movie' isn't just another jokefest, as the rest of the diminishing-return Muppet films would become. No, it's a lovely, gentle metaphor about the relationship between art and entertainment and business, and it's every bit as effective today as it was 25 years ago. 9.5 out of 10.