The Muppet Show's pretty awesome

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:55 pm

My childhood memories of the Muppets are sort of a stew of their spin-offs (Fraggle Rock), successors (Muppets Tonight), movies (Muppets Christmas Carol) and little kiddy fare (Seseme Street, Muppet Babies). I don't think I ever actually *watched* the original Muppet Show outside of showcased clips in TV specials and documentaries.

I like the Muppets, though, so I picked up Season 2 of The Muppet Show about a week ago.

This show is...pretty awesome.

It offers more variety than most variety shows, thanks in large part to the puppets and the inherent cartoonish craziness of the whole thing. What's really clever, though, is how they're always messing with their own forumla. In one episode, Fozzie gets put in charge of scheduling and messes everything up. As a result, two sketches (At the Dance and Veterinarian's Hospital) go on at the same time. It's really great.

The special guests aren't all that overbearing most of the time, either, only appearing in 2 or 3 sketches and some of the backstage stuff. I don't know who half of them are, though doing some wiki-ing, just about all of them are long dead (30 years'll do that to you, I guess).

What surprised me is that most of the guests I recognized ended up sucking (John Cleese, Steve Martin) while the ones I'd never heard of totally nailed it (Zero Mostel, Rudolph Nureyev). Elton John wasn't too bad, though he mostly just sang his hits and called it a day.

The musical numbers are kind of a mixed bag. They play a few too many of them straight and with no gags. This some times comes off okay, as some of the songs are actually really sad, weird or nightmarish (there's that variety again). Others, though, can be really dull.

The recent DVDs come with scenes that were filmed just for the UK version of the series, reinserted for American viewers. You can kind of tell when they're shoehorned in without any introduction, but most of them are pretty good.

I liked this one, "Burlington Bertie" the most. Apparently it's a famous song in England, but hell, I'd never heard of it until now.

Anyway, great show. Love the characters. Some never ever ever get old (Swedish Chef, Statler & Waldorf) while I really like some of the obscure guys who never really became popular (Uncle Deadly).

Post by **Sades** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:01 pm

I loved that show.

I loved everything about it*. I loved Muppets. This is part of the reason why I'm afraid to pick up any DVDs, etc... what do I do if they don't match with what I remember?

Sesame Street now is crap compared to what I grew up with. I almost feel sorry for today's kids.

*except for the special guests... at the age I was at when it was on, I didn't know who half of them were so I usually paid them no attention.

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:07 pm

Sades wrote:I loved that show.

I loved everything about it. I loved Muppets. This is part of the reason why I'm afraid to pick up any DVDs, etc... what do I do if they don't match with what I remember?

I grew up on the 80s and 80s stuff, but the 70s material actually exceeded my expectations, if that's of any help.

And the show can be crazy risque', too. I just watched a musical number where Miss Piggy is pregnant and dressed in a wedding gown. She sings about how her lover proposed to her in a "very gentlemanly way" (while indicating toward her belly) and that now she's waiting for him so they can get married before the baby's born. Then Kermit shows up in a tuxedo and sings a song about how his wife won't let him marry her, so see ya.

It left me thinking..."wow".

Sesame Street now is crap compared to what I grew up with. I almost feel sorry for today's kids.

I haven't watched Seseme Street since elementary school, honestly. Isn't it all about Elmo now or something?

Was Elmo even around in the 80s and early 90s? I don't remember him at all from the episodes I watched as a kid.

Post by **Sades** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:16 pm

I'm thinking it was mid-or-late 90's, as I don't remember anything from when I was growing up, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynjIoymWHvU

One of my favourite simple little bits.

And the show can be crazy risque', too. I just watched a musical number where Miss Piggy is pregnant and dressed in a wedding gown. She sings about how her lover proposed to her in a "very gentlemanly way" (while indicating toward her belly) and that now she's waiting for him so they can get married before the baby's born. Then Kermit shows up in a tuxedo and sings a song about how his wife won't let him marry her, so see ya.

It left me thinking..."wow".

Hahahaha. I might have to look into acquiring the Muppets on DVD now.

miked23 · Post by **miked23** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:47 pm

Sades wrote:I'm thinking it was mid-or-late 90's, as I don't remember anything from when I was growing up, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynjIoymWHvU

One of my favourite simple little bits.

Hahaha I knew this would be put up.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:25 am

We used to watch The Muppets Tonight every week, which I believe was the last and possibly only time Martin Short has been in the same room as a joke.

slartibartfast · Post by **slartibartfast** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:57 pm

Strangely enough, It's more the documentary Of Muppets and Men: The Making of The Muppet Show that sticks in my mind. I remember noticing how much fun they were having doing the series. I watched the show from a different angle since, as grown-ups messing around and enjoying themselves. Probably like it more now than I did.

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:43 pm

Dear England,

I just watched the episode with Spike Milligan. I demand you apologize for him immediately.

Love,
Mark Pellegrini

Rurudyne · Post by **Rurudyne** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 3:43 am

DrSpengler wrote:Dear England,

I just watched the episode with Spike Milligan. I demand you apologize for him immediately.

Love,
Mark Pellegrini

They can't all be gems.

Possibly my favorite skit (and attendant show) was the klepto gophers singing: "The best things in life are free!" Have you seen that one yet?

Its even more so my fave than the "lost, have you tried ..." jokes or Kermit saying "If frogs couldn't jump I'd be gone with the Schwinn!" in the original Muppet Movie.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 7:58 am

DrSpengler wrote:Dear England,

I just watched the episode with Spike Milligan. I demand you apologize for him immediately.

Love,
Mark Pellegrini

You realise saying that to England (all of us?) is akin to what a lot of Americans would make of me going up to the Lincoln Memorial and slapping my penis in old Abe's face whilst shouting "Take that bitch!". He was probably too refined for you.

martyboy70 · Post by **martyboy70** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:33 am

He was a comedy genius and a national treasure.
You do realise you've started an international incident similar to if I wiped my arse with the original Declaration of Independence.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:40 am

Does everyone have me on ignore or am I surrounded by parrots?

martyboy70 · Post by **martyboy70** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:58 am

Does everyone have me on ignore or am I surrounded by parrots?

I was simply backing up your sentiments as my level of annoyance wouldnt let me give this a free pass.
Still not sure he realises the grave seriousness of this insult.

Rurudyne · Post by **Rurudyne** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:05 pm

Whatever do you mean? *squak*

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:19 pm

Rurudyne wrote:

They can't all be gems.

That's the thing, that episode was BRILLIANT (the International one), but Milligan was the worst thing about it.

They decided to celebrate all 108 different countries that broadcast the Muppet Show, but every time they try to do a song or a sketch, the different countries blend together by accident (samurais singing "Oklamhoma!" for instance). And the "It's a Smal World After All" ending bit was just great.

inflatable dalek wrote:You realise saying that to England (all of us?) is akin to what a lot of Americans would make of me going up to the Lincoln Memorial and slapping my penis in old Abe's face whilst shouting "Take that bitch!". He was probably too refined for you.

Perhaps the Muppet Show was just a bad example of what Milligan was like, but quite honestly, he was he struck me as being an elderly British version of Robin Williams.

A stream of consciousness comedian spewing every nugget that comes to his mind, funny or otherwise, with the delivery of a seven year old with ADD.

Perhaps I've started an international incident, but damn was he annoying. And that's coming after having just watched the episode with Leo Sayer! (he's not a national hero too, is he?)

secretcode · Post by **secretcode** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:27 pm

DrSpengler wrote:I haven't watched Seseme Street since elementary school, honestly. Isn't it all about Elmo now or something?

Elmo and "Vegetable" Monster.

RID Scourge · Post by **RID Scourge** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:41 pm

I need to pick these up . . .

DrSpengler wrote:I haven't watched Seseme Street since elementary school, honestly. Isn't it all about Elmo now or something?

Was Elmo even around in the 80s and early 90s? I don't remember him at all from the episodes I watched as a kid.

I want to say he was there, but kept to a minimum. All I remember was that he was a massive toolbox. It was always "Elmo this and Elmo that with him".

According to Wikipedia he's been around since the 70's. Yes. I wiki'd Elmo . . .

martyboy70 · Post by **martyboy70** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:50 pm

DrSpengler wrote:That's the thing, that episode was BRILLIANT (the International one), but Milligan was the worst thing about it.

They decided to celebrate all 108 different countries that broadcast the Muppet Show, but every time they try to do a song or a sketch, the different countries blend together by accident (samurais singing "Oklamhoma!" for instance). And the "It's a Smal World After All" ending bit was just great.

Perhaps the Muppet Show was just a bad example of what Milligan was like, but quite honestly, he was he struck me as being an elderly British version of Robin Williams.

A stream of consciousness comedian spewing every nugget that comes to his mind, funny or otherwise, with the delivery of a seven year old with ADD.

Perhaps I've started an international incident, but damn was he annoying. And that's coming after having just watched the episode with Leo Sayer! (he's not a national hero too, is he?)

Nah hes just a fluffy haired singer with a couple of decent songs so you can rag on him all day.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:09 pm

Leo Sayer is indeed a nation star. Just for that bit from that Ant and Dec show where Ant (or was it Dec) got carried by Sayer on a treadmill.

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:30 pm

Neither, it was families at war with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer (unless the Leo Sayer on a treadmill gag has been recycled, which would surely be madness?).

Leo Sayer, on the back of a guiness record holder for running marathons or somesuch with heavy weights on his back. Also, my Mum taught his children (the random man, not Leo Sayer's) and he's a bit dodgy so I'm surprised Leo wasn't being sold on the market stalls the following week...

Anyway, muppets, awesome, but it doesn't really surprise me if Spike Milligan didn't go down so well. National treasure, yes, manic depressive who might have been on a downer, also yes.