The Muppet Show
Kermit the Frog, as seen on the show's opening sequence. Kermit the Frog is a Muppet, one of Puppeteer Jim Henson 's most famous and beloved creations first introduced in 1955
Format	Live-action/puppet TV series
Created by	Jim Henson
Starring	Jim Henson Frank Oz Jerry Nelson Richard Hunt Dave Goelz Steve Whitmire Louise Gold Kathy Mullen Eren Ozker John Lovelady
Country of origin	United Kingdom  United States
No. A puppet is a representational figure manipulated by a Puppeteer. For other uses of "Henson" see Henson. James Maury "Jim" Henson (September 24 1936 &ndash May 16 1990 was one of For other uses of "Henson" see Henson. James Maury "Jim" Henson (September 24 1936 &ndash May 16 1990 was one of Frank Oz (born May 25, 1944) is a British-born American Film director, Actor and Puppeteer. Jerry Nelson (born July 10, 1934 in Tulsa Oklahoma) is a Muppet Puppeteer who was raised in Washington D Richard Hunt ( August 16, 1951 - January 7 1992) was an American Puppeteer. Dave Goelz (born July 16, 1946) is a Puppeteer best-known for his association with The Muppets, and in particular with the Muppet character Steve Whitmire (born September 24 1959) is a Puppeteer with The Jim Henson Company and Sesame Workshop. Louise Gold (born 1956 in London) is a British singer-actress and Spitting Image puppeteer formerly a puppeteer for The Kathryn "Kathy" Mullen is an actress voice actress and puppeteer most closely associated with Jim Henson projects Eren Ozker ( 25 July 1948 - 25 February 1993) was born in Ankara, Turkey. John Lovelady is a Right-handed Puppeteer who worked with the Muppets, including on Sesame Street. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the of seasons	5
No.  of episodes	120 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	30 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	ATV (ITV) first-run syndication
Original run	September 5, 1976 – March 15, 1981
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Muppet Show is a television program featuring a cast of Muppets which was produced by Jim Henson and his team from 1976 to 1981. This is a complete listing of episodes of the Live-action / Puppet Television series The Muppet Show. Associated TeleVision Limited, best known simply as ATV, was a British ITV company from 1955 until 1981 Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent In Broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast Radio shows and Television shows to multiple individual stations without going through Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U The Muppets are a group of Puppet characters created by Jim Henson. For other uses of "Henson" see Henson. James Maury "Jim" Henson (September 24 1936 &ndash May 16 1990 was one of The show stars Kermit the Frog, who was also a regular on Sesame Street. Kermit the Frog is a Muppet, one of Puppeteer Jim Henson 's most famous and beloved creations first introduced in 1955 Sesame Street is an American educational Children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard combining Whereas Kermit was a happy, perky and somewhat avuncular character on Sesame Street, here he is trying to keep control of the varied, outrageous, kinetic Muppet characters (and his temper), as well as keep the human guest stars happy and secure, an aspect of his personality that made it into his Sesame Street character in following the start of The Muppet Show. The television show depicted a vaudeville- or music hall-style song-and-dance variety show, as well as the backstage antics involved in putting the show on. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s Music hall is a form of British theatrical Entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960 A variety show or variety entertainment is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts especially Musical performances and Comedy Skits and

The show was known for outrageous, physical (slapstick), sometimes absurdist comedy, and particularly for using its puppet characters to create humorous parodies. Slapstick is a type of Comedy involving exaggerated physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense such as a character being hit in the face with Absurdism is a Philosophy stating that the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the Universe ultimately fail (and hence are absurd because no such A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject Each show also featured a human star; after the show became popular, many celebrities were eager to perform with the Muppets on television and in film. The guests included Diana Ross, Harry Belafonte, Elton John, Christopher Reeve, Johnny Cash, Twiggy, Sandy Duncan, Julie Andrews, Joan Baez, Steve Martin, Florence Henderson, Paul Williams, Rich Little, characters from Star Wars, Mummenschanz, Ethel Merman, Paul Simon, John Denver, John Cleese, Judy Collins, Gene Kelly, Alice Cooper, and exactly one hundred others. Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire Harold George Belafonte Jr (born March 1 1927 is an American musician actor and Social activist. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Christopher D'Olier Reeve ( September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American Actor, director, Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. Twiggy (born Lesley Hornby; 19 September 1949) is an English Supermodel, Actress, and Singer, now also Sandra Kay "Sandy" Duncan (born February 20, 1946) is an American Singer and actress of stage and Television Dame Julie Elizabeth Andrews, DBE (born Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1 1935) is an award-winning English Actress Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York) an American Folk singer and Songwriter known Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an Emmy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Writer, Florence Agnes Henderson (born February 14, 1934) is an American actress and singer perhaps best known for playing the role of Carol Brady in the Television Paul Hamilton Williams (born September 19 1940, in Omaha Nebraska, USA is an American Musician, composer, Songwriter Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little (born November 26, 1938) is a Canadian impressionist and Voice actor. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Mummenschanz is a unique Swiss pantomime troupe who perform a surreal mask and prop oriented style Ethel Merman ( January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American Actress and Singer for Musical Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13 1941 is an American Songwriter, Musician, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. John Denver (December 31 1943 &ndash October 12 1997 born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington) is an American folk and standards Singer Eugene Curran “Gene” Kelly ( August 23, &ndash February 2,) was an American Dancer, Actor, Singer, director Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer songwriter and musician whose career spans five This is a complete listing of episodes of the Live-action / Puppet Television series The Muppet Show.

Muppet performers over the course of the show include Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Louise Gold, Kathy Mullen, Eren Ozker, and John Lovelady. For other uses of "Henson" see Henson. James Maury "Jim" Henson (September 24 1936 &ndash May 16 1990 was one of Frank Oz (born May 25, 1944) is a British-born American Film director, Actor and Puppeteer. Jerry Nelson (born July 10, 1934 in Tulsa Oklahoma) is a Muppet Puppeteer who was raised in Washington D Richard Hunt ( August 16, 1951 - January 7 1992) was an American Puppeteer. Dave Goelz (born July 16, 1946) is a Puppeteer best-known for his association with The Muppets, and in particular with the Muppet character Steve Whitmire (born September 24 1959) is a Puppeteer with The Jim Henson Company and Sesame Workshop. Louise Gold (born 1956 in London) is a British singer-actress and Spitting Image puppeteer formerly a puppeteer for The Kathryn "Kathy" Mullen is an actress voice actress and puppeteer most closely associated with Jim Henson projects Eren Ozker ( 25 July 1948 - 25 February 1993) was born in Ankara, Turkey. John Lovelady is a Right-handed Puppeteer who worked with the Muppets, including on Sesame Street. Jerry Juhl and Jack Burns were two of the show writers. Jerry Juhl ( July 27, 1938 – September 26 2005) was a television and movie writer best known for his work with Jim Henson 's Jack Burns (born November 15, 1933) is an American Comedian and voice actor.

History

Since 1969, Sesame Street had given Jim Henson's creations exposure; however, Henson began to perceive that he was pigeonholed as a children's entertainer. The year 1969 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1969. Sesame Street is an American educational Children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard combining He sought to create a program that could be enjoyed by young and old. Two specials were produced and aired that are considered pilots for The Muppet Show. Neither led to the sale of a prime-time network series. However, the prime-time access rule had just been enacted, which took the 7:30 to 8pm ET slot from the networks and turned it over to their affiliates. The Prime Time Access Rule (PTAR was instituted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC to restrict the amount of network programming that local Television stations The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America CBS suggested it would be interested in Henson's proposal as a syndicated series it could purchase for its owned-and-operated stations, to run one night a week in that time slot. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network.

Lew Grade, head of the British commercial station ATV, offered a deal to Henson that would see his show produced at the ATV studios in Elstree, England. Lew Grade Baron Grade (25 December 1906&ndash13 December 1998 born Lev Winogradsky, was an influential Showbusiness Impresario and Television Associated TeleVision Limited, best known simply as ATV, was a British ITV company from 1955 until 1981 Historically the name " Elstree Studios " refers to any of several Film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in ATV would network the show to other ITV stations in the United Kingdom, and its syndication arm, ITC Entertainment, would sell the show in the United States and around the world. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent The Incorporated Television Company (ITC is a British television company largely involved in production and distribution Henson put aside his misgivings about syndication and accepted. In Broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast Radio shows and Television shows to multiple individual stations without going through

At first, signing guests was a challenge and producers had to call on their personal contacts. The breakthrough was the appearance of the ballet dancer, Rudolf Nureyev. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( Tatar: Rudolf Xämät ulı Nuriev, Russian: Рудольф Хаметович Нуриев His appearance on such an unusual show generated such positive publicity that the series became one of the sought-after productions to appear in. The Muppet Show premiered in 1976 and finally, after five years and 120 episodes, it went off the air in 1981 because of Henson's desire to move on to other projects and changes in the structure of ATV and ITC Entertainment. The year 1976 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1976 The year 1981 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1981.

As the show was recorded in the United Kingdom the show was recorded on 2-inch videotape using the European industry standard PAL 625-line colour system. PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a colour -encoding system used in Broadcast television systems in large parts of the world For transmission in the United States it had to be converted to NTSC 525-line system. NTSC ( National Television System Committee) is the Analog television system used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico The reason for this has never been explained as ATV's Elstree studios were the only facilities in Europe capable of recording simultaneously in both and had done so many times as ATV/ITC had a track record for exports to American television.

List of Muppet Show characters

The Muppet Show poster

• Kermit the Frog, director and host of the Muppet Show. Kermit the Frog is a Muppet, one of Puppeteer Jim Henson 's most famous and beloved creations first introduced in 1955 Performed by Jim Henson until his death in 1990.
• Miss Piggy, a glamorous diva pig in dual pursuit of stardom and Kermit. Miss Pigathius "Piggy" Lee is a Muppet character primarily played by Frank Oz and sometimes Richard Hunt in Season 1 of The Muppet Show In the first season, her puppeteering duties were shared between Frank Oz and Richard Hunt. Starting with the second season, Oz took over the character full-time.
• Fozzie Bear, a questionably talented but hardworking stand-up comic bear, and Kermit's unofficial second-in-command. For the heavy metal band fronted by Chris Jericho, see Fozzy Fozzie Bear Performed by Frank Oz.
• Scooter, the gofer. Scooter is a bespectacled character from The Muppet Show who was the troupe's backstage " Gofer " A gofer or go-fer ('goʊfər gopher) is an Employee who is often sent on errands His uncle owns the theatre. Performed by Richard Hunt.
• Gonzo, also known as The Great Gonzo or Gonzo the Great, stuntman, daredevil, performance artist and "The Muppet Show's Resident Weird Person". Gonzo (aka Gonzo the Great or The Great Gonzo or Fraunk B) is a puppet character one of Jim Henson 's Muppets. Performed by Dave Goelz.
• The Swedish Chef, a cook with weird culinary habits who speaks a Scandinavian-sounding double-talk called "mock Swedish". The Swedish Chef is a Muppet who appeared on The Muppet Show and was operated by Jim Henson and Frank Oz simultaneously and is now Gibberish is a generic term in English for talking that sounds like speech, but has no actual meaning Performed by Jim Henson with the hands of Frank Oz.
• Rowlf the Dog, the show's resident wisecracking piano player. Rowlf the Dog is a Muppet character a scruffy brown dog of indeterminate breed with a rounded black nose and long floppy ears Performed by Jim Henson.
• Dr Bunsen Honeydew, Head of Muppet Labs, a scientist and inventor. Dr Bunsen Honeydew is a Muppet from The Muppet Show, performed by Dave Goelz. Performed by Dave Goelz.
• Beaker, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's hapless guinea pig / assistant. Performed by Richard Hunt.
• Camilla, a chicken, Gonzo's true love. Camilla is the female Chicken that is Gonzo's love interest on The Muppet Show. Gonzo (aka Gonzo the Great or The Great Gonzo or Fraunk B) is a puppet character one of Jim Henson 's Muppets. Usually performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Sam the (American Bald) Eagle, American superpatriot and self-appointed censor of the Muppet Show. Sam the Eagle is a character from the syndicated Television show The Muppet Show, performed by Frank Oz. Performed by Frank Oz.
• Dr. Teeth, ultra-hip band leader, and keyboard player for Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem was the name of the Muppet rock band and house band of the The Muppet Show Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem was the name of the Muppet rock band and house band of the The Muppet Show Performed by Jim Henson.
• Sgt. Floyd Pepper, bass guitarist and all around hip person of Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem was the name of the Muppet rock band and house band of the The Muppet Show Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem was the name of the Muppet rock band and house band of the The Muppet Show Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Janice, the Band's hippie-chick lead guitarist (and Floyd's main squeeze). Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem was the name of the Muppet rock band and house band of the The Muppet Show Performed by Eren Ozker in the first season and Richard Hunt for the remainder of the run.
• Animal, the Band's savage, frenzied drummer. Animal is a Fictional character from The Muppet Show, one of The Muppets originally created by Michael K Performed by Frank Oz. Drumming performed by Ronnie Verrell. Ronald 'Ronnie' Thomas Verrell ( 21 February 1926 &ndash 22 February 2002) was an English jazz drummer
• Zoot, the sleepy saxophone player in the Electric Mayhem and the Muppet Show's orchestra. Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem was the name of the Muppet rock band and house band of the The Muppet Show Performed by Dave Goelz.
• Lips, trumpet player for the "Mayhem" added in the fifth season. Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem was the name of the Muppet rock band and house band of the The Muppet Show Performed by Steve Whitmire.
• Lew Zealand, boomerang fish thrower and generally fish-obsessed performer. Lew Zealand is a Muppet character performed by Jerry Nelson, that has an obsession for throwing fish Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Statler & Waldorf, two old men who occupy the box seat at every show and heckle the performances. Statler and Waldorf are a fictional pair of Muppet characters A heckler is a person who shouts a disparaging comment at a performance or event or interrupting set-piece speeches for example at a political meeting Statler was performed by Richard Hunt, Waldorf by Jim Henson.
• Rizzo the Rat, a sarcastic inner-city rodent. Rizzo the Rat is a Muppet, performed by Steve Whitmire. Rizzo A minor character in the fourth and fifth season. Performed by Steve Whitmire.
• Annie Sue, a young pig, Miss Piggy's innocent rival. Annie Sue Pig is a puppet character on The Muppet Show. Annie Sue first appeared in the background during the second season where she appeared in a group of Performed by Louise Gold.
• The Muppet Newsman. The Newsman is the weary bespectacled Muppet News Flash anchor on The Muppet Show debuting in the second episode Was an energetic reporter that always had bad luck. Performed by Jim Henson.
• Louis Kazager, the enthusiastic reporter for Muppet Sports. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Foo-Foo, Miss Piggy's dog. Foo-Foo is a fictional dog in The Muppet Show. He is a white Poodle owned by Muppet diva Miss Piggy. Usually performed by Steve Whitmire or a real dog.
• Sweetums, a 7-foot-tall monster. The ironically named Sweetums is a grotesque hairy Muppet. His Bulldog -like lower Jaw, thick eyebrows shabby Performed by Richard Hunt.
• Thog, a 9 1/2-foot-tall furry, blue monster. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• J. P. Grosse, Scooter's uncle who owns the theatre; a tough businessman. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Link Hogthrob, a hunky but dim-witted pig, star of "Pigs in Space", Captain of the USS Swinetrek. Link Hogthrob was a Fictional character, a Muppet pig on The Muppet Show. Also stars in "Bear On Patrol". Performed by Jim Henson.
• Dr. Julius Strangepork, the science officer in "Pigs in Space". Dr Julius Strangepork was a character on The Muppet Show. He was a Muppet pig who most often appeared with Miss Piggy and Link Hogthrob Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Beauregard, the dimwitted janitor and stagehand. Beauregard (Beau or Bo is a Muppet from The Muppet Show. He is a back-stage Janitor. Performed by Dave Goelz.
• Crazy Harry, a pyrotechnician and bomb expert who enjoys blowing things up far too much. Crazy Harry was a Muppet with an explosives fixation who appeared in The Muppet Show and was performed by Jerry Nelson. Performed in the first season by John Lovelady, then taken over by Jerry Nelson. John Lovelady is a Right-handed Puppeteer who worked with the Muppets, including on Sesame Street.
• Robin, Kermit's small nephew. Robin, sometimes known as "Robin the Frog" is a Muppet, created by Jim Henson and performed by Jerry Nelson. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Uncle Deadly, also called "the Phantom of the Muppet Show", a sinister character who lurks around the theatre and appears occasionally on the show. Uncle Deadly is a blue dragon-like monster also known as the Phantom of The Muppet Show. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• The Flying Zucchini Brothers, a group of human cannonballs and acrobats. The human cannonball is a performance in which a person (the "cannonball" is ejected from a specially designed Cannon. Acrobatics (from Greek Akros, high and bat, walking is one of the Performing arts, and is also practiced as a Sport. Performed by Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz and Richard Hunt.
• Pops, the elderly doorman. Pops is an elderly doorkeeper at the Muppet Theater He would greet the week's guest star in every episode of Season 5 of The Muppet Show. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Marvin Suggs, the sadistic, crazed and flamboyant Muppaphone man. Marvin Suggs is a Puppet Musician in the world of Jim Henson 's The Muppets. Performed by Frank Oz.
• Brewster, a wise-looking bearded fellow seen primarily on the first season of The Muppet Show and seen mostly in the audience during the rest of the seasons.
• George, the crotchety old janitor, seen primarily in the first season and performed by Frank Oz.
• Mildred Huxtetter, George's dancing partner, seen primarily in the first season. Mildred Huxtetter is a character from The Muppet Show and is a purple beak-nosed woman who carries herself with a haughty aristocratic air Usually performed by Frank Oz or Richard Hunt.
• Wayne and Wanda, a singing duo plagued by bad luck that prevents them from finishing their songs, but in Sam's eyes, they are the only decent act on the Muppet Show. Performed by Richard Hunt and Eren Ozker, although Kathy Mullen played Wanda in her one appearance in the fourth season. Kathryn "Kathy" Mullen is an actress voice actress and puppeteer most closely associated with Jim Henson projects
• Hilda, the elderly wardrobe mistress. Performed by Eren Ozker. Disappeared after the first season.
• Nigel, the conductor of the Muppet Orchestra. Performed by either Jim Henson or John Lovelady.
• Trumpet Girl, the unnamed trumpeter from the orchestra (she was only called "Trumpet Girl" in the scripts). Switched to trombone due to the addition of Lips. Normally performed by Eren Ozker or Louise Gold.
• Mah Nà Mah Nà, the singer of the song by the same name, and the Snowths, the 2 pink creatures that sing Doo-doo-de-do-do!. " Mah Nà Mah Nà " is a well-known Pop music song written by an Italian musician Piero Umiliani. Mah Nà Mah Nà was performed by Jim Henson, and the Snowths by Frank Oz.
• Lubbock Lou and his Jughuggers, the jug band. A jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments Includes Lubbock Lou, Slim Wilson, Gramps, Bubba, Zeke and Lou. Performed by Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Jim Henson and Louise Gold respectively.
• Fleet Scribbler, the reporter for The Daily Scandal who was known for exaggerating minor happenstances around the theatre to the point of ridiculousness. He appeared in only a few episodes of the second season. Scribbler was supposed to be a recurring character, but everybody working on the show hated him so much that he was eventually discarded. Performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Alexander Beetle, a red and blue beetle who appeared in episodes 407 and 509. Alexander Beetle is a red and blue beetle who sings "She Loves You" a Bug Band on The Muppet Show he was performed by Steve Whitmire Performed by Steve Whitmire.
• The Gills Brothers, a group of singing fish parodying The Mills Brothers. The Mills Brothers were a major African-American Jazz and pop vocal Quartet of the 20th century producing more than 2000 recordings that sold
• The Country Trio, a band consisting of caricatures of their performers Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson.

Recurring skits

Fozzie Bear and Rowlf the Dog perform "English Country Garden" on episode 218 of The Muppet Show

• At the Dance – The sketch was a regular during the first season but was used less frequently from the second season onward. For the heavy metal band fronted by Chris Jericho, see Fozzy Fozzie Bear Rowlf the Dog is a Muppet character a scruffy brown dog of indeterminate breed with a rounded black nose and long floppy ears Muppet characters circulated on a semi-formal dance floor offering rapid fire one-liner jokes and come-backs as the couples passed in front of the camera. The term semi-formal is also used in Formal methods ( Computer science) to mean not fully semantically formalized. A one-liner is a Joke that is delivered in a single line Many comedians have adopted this comedic method in their act A camera is a device used to capture images either as still Photographs or as sequences of moving images ( Movies or Videos.
• Muppet Labs – Segments featuring the latest invention from Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, with his assistant, Beaker, getting the worst of its inevitable malfunction. The character of Beaker was introduced in the second season; during the first season Bunsen hosted Muppet Labs by himself, but the writers soon realized that another character was necessary to show Bunsen's failings.
• Muppet News Flash – A news announcer (a variation of the Guy Smiley puppet) gives a newsbrief only to have some disaster typically befall him (usually the same disaster he was just describing), or another strange scenario (such as the time that he ran on, stated "There is no news tonight. Guy Smiley was a character on Sesame Street who was dubbed "Everybody's Favorite Game Show Host. ", and ran off). In the first season, the Muppet News Man read out news items that occasionally featured the guest star for that week playing a character that was somehow involved in the item. Muppet News Flashes often used absurdist humor: In one sketch, the announcer stated that the Atlantic Ocean had been kidnapped.
• Pigs In Space – Parody of science fiction shows like Star Trek, but also old '30s sci-fi serials. Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through The spacecraft is called USS Swinetrek and the title voice-over is a parody of main Star Trek competitor Lost in Space. The term voice-over refers to a production technique where a non-diagetic voice is broadcast live or pre-recorded in Radio, Television, Film, Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through Lost in Space is a Science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, produced by 20th Century Fox Television, and It featured Captain Link Hogthrob, Miss Piggy as first mate, and Dr. Julius Strangepork (the name a takeoff on "Dr. Strangelove"). Usually, the sketches would involve the long-suffering Piggy putting up with the wacko Strangepork and the braindead Link treating her as an inferior because she was a woman.
• Swedish Chef – Cooking show parody. It consists of the Swedish Chef, who speaks mock Swedish, semi-comprehensible gibberish which parodies the characteristic vowel sounds and intonation of Swedish. The Swedish Chef is a Muppet who appeared on The Muppet Show and was operated by Jim Henson and Frank Oz simultaneously and is now Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Gibberish is a generic term in English for talking that sounds like speech, but has no actual meaning A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject He attempts to cook a dish with great enthusiasm, until the punch line hits. A hallmark of these sketches was the improvisations between Jim Henson (who performed the Chef's head and voice) and Frank Oz (who was his hands). One would often make something up on the spot, making the other puppeteer comply with the action. Perhaps the best example is a sketch where Frank Oz repeatedly adds pepper to a sauce, leading to Jim Henson cracking up. Famous gags include "chickie in du baskie (two points!)", meatballs that bounce, chocolate "moose", and attempting to cook Kermit's nephew.
• Vend-a-face – A vending machine that offers unique face-changing services – usually agonizing contortions of the Muppets who feed the machine. It was originally intended to be a one-time sketch. However, because the Vend-a-face puppet was so costly to make, it was used multiple times to justify its creation.
• Veterinarian's Hospital – Parody of soap opera General Hospital and other medical dramas, consisting of Dr. General Hospital (commonly abbreviated GH) is an American Soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network during the Bob (Rowlf) cracking jokes in the operating room with Nurses Piggy and Janice. Each installment ends with Dr. Bob and his nurses looking around in puzzlement as a disembodied narrator tells viewers to tune in next time to the "continuing stooory". On a number of occasions, the "Veterinarian's Hospital" sketch would crossover with the cast or set of another, such as "At the Dance" or "Pigs in Space. " The voice of the announcer was usually performed by John Lovelady in the first season, but Jerry Nelson originally performed the role in the Harvey Korman and Rita Moreno episodes (the first two episodes in recording order that had the sketch) before taking over the role permanently from the Phyllis Diller episode. Harvey Herschel Korman ( February 15, 1927 &ndash May 29, 2008) was an American comedic Actor who performed Rita Moreno (born December 11, 1931) is a singer dancer and multiple award-winning actress Bold text Phyllis Diller (born Phyllis Driver, July 17, 1917) is a Golden Globe -nominated American comedienne In the introduction, Dr. Bob went from "a former orthopedic surgeon" to "a quack" who's "gone to the dogs. Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (also spelled orthopaedics) is the branch of Surgery concerned with injuries to or conditions involving the " Nurse Janice's recurring tag line was "Fascinating, Dr. Bob".
• Wayne and Wanda – Usually introduced by Sam the Eagle, Wayne and Wanda – a slapstick tribute to Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald – are plagued by bad fortune. Nelson Ackerman Eddy ( June 29, 1901 - March 6, 1967) was an American singer who appeared in 19 Musical films Jeanette MacDonald (June 18 1903 &ndash January 14 1965 was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier Every song attempted by this duo inevitably ends in disaster. It is considered an accomplishment for them to get to the chorus. They disappeared in later seasons. It was eventually revealed that Kermit had fired them, but forgot why he did and decided to rehire them. Unfortunately, seconds after they started to sing, Kermit remembered why he fired them (because they were terrible) and instantly fired them again and forced them off the stage.
• Bear on Patrol – Fozzie is an unlucky police officer and Link Hogthrob is his incompetent superior who always get into the silliest situations with the criminals brought in. A police officer (also known as a policeman or policewoman) is a warranted employee of a Police force. The voice of the announcer was performed by Jerry Nelson.
• Fozzie's Act – Fozzie Bear gets on stage and performs his infamously bad jokes. Statler and Waldorf heckle him, in a perpetual rivalry. The sketches became slowly less frequent as Fozzie's character came into play and he became more prevalent in backstage scenarios.

List of guest stars

Harry Belafonte with The Muppets on The Muppet Show, performing one of the series' most celebrated numbers, "Turn The World Around. Harold George Belafonte Jr (born March 1 1927 is an American musician actor and Social activist. The Muppets are a group of Puppet characters created by Jim Henson. "

No guest star ever appeared twice on The Muppet Show, although John Denver appeared both on the show and in two specials (John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together and John Denver & the Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday). John Denver (December 31 1943 &ndash October 12 1997 born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr Additionally, several guest stars from the show had cameos in one of the first three Muppet theatrical films.

One unusual guest star was one of the series writers, Chris Langham, who took the place for Richard Pryor when the star was unable to attend taping. Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is a BAFTA award-winning British Writer, Actor and Comedian. Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III ( December 1, 1940 &ndash December 10, 2005) was an American Comedian, Actor

• List of The Muppet Show episodes

Syndication

Reruns of The Muppet Show aired in syndication for many years, eventually reruns aired on TNT for 1988 to 1992. This is a complete listing of episodes of the Live-action / Puppet Television series The Muppet Show. From 1994 to 1995,reruns began airing on Nickelodeon (TV Channel instead. In 1999 the reruns moved to Odyssey Network until 2001. The Hallmark Channel is a Cable television network that broadcasts in over 100 countries Disney Channel UK picked up the series for 2005-2007. After Odysse Network shut down Henson's half of the channel The Muppet Show has been off the air since 2001. Outside the US The Muppet Show and MuppetTelevison segments and Muppets Tonight were all put into ne umbrella syndication package The Jim Henson Hour. In Odyssey Network's reruns Brian Henson introduce the episodes of the show.

DVD Releases

Time-Life began marketing 'best of' volumes of The Muppet Show for mail-order in 2001, with six initial volumes with 3 episodes on each DVD. The Time-Life company was founded by Time Incorporated in 1961 as a book marketing division Unique to each episode was an introduction by Jim Henson's son, Brian. Nine more volumes were added for 2002, the Muppet's 25th anniversary. The collection was available for retail in 2002 via Columbia Pictures Home Video by which time Time-Life had released its tenth volume. ^[1]

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company, released the first season on DVD in Region 1 on August 9, 2005. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (previously known as Walt Disney Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Home Video) is the flagship label (' cf DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The rights to the episodes and characters used in The Muppet Show, and subsequent film outings, were bought in February 2004 by The Walt Disney Company.

Several songs were cut from the Season 1 DVD release due to music licensing issues. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is There have also been some cuts in the intro sequence, and backstage scenes leading up to these songs.

• "Stormy Weather" (Joel Grey episode) Sung by Wayne and Wanda;
• "Gone with the Wind" (Jim Nabors episode) Sung by Jim Nabors;
• "The Danceros" (Jim Nabors Episode) Sung by The Danceros;
• "All Of Me" (Paul Williams Episode) Sung by Two Monsters;
• "Old Fashioned Way" (Charles Aznavour episode) Sung by Charles Aznavour with Mildred;
• "You’ve Got A Friend" (Vincent Price Episode) Sung by Vincent Price, Uncle Deadly and a chorus of Muppet Monsters

In addition, the version of the Joel Grey episode on the DVD is in fact an earlier edit as it does not include two Muppet News sketches and a balcony scene featuring Statler and Waldorf that were added to the episode at a later date. Joel Grey (born April 11, 1932) is a Tony - Golden Globe - BAFTA - & Academy Award -winning American stage James Thurston "Jim" Nabors (born June 12 1930 in Sylacauga, Alabama, to Fred and Mavis Nabors is an American Actor, Singer James Thurston "Jim" Nabors (born June 12 1930 in Sylacauga, Alabama, to Fred and Mavis Nabors is an American Actor, Singer Paul Hamilton Williams (born September 19 1940, in Omaha Nebraska, USA is an American Musician, composer, Songwriter Charles Aznavour OC ( Armenian: Շառլ Ազնավուր born Shahnour Varenagh Aznavourian (Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրյան Vincent Leonard Price Jr ( May 27 1911 &ndash October 25 1993) was an American Film Actor, remembered It is speculated by fans that this was a case of Disney simply using the wrong master by mistake.

Spin-offs

The Muppet Show characters went on to star in The Muppet Movie, which was the first film to feature puppets interacting with humans in real-world locations, and later films such as The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets from Space, and a Muppet remake of The Wizard of Oz. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This is a complete listing of episodes of the Live-action / Puppet Television series The Muppet Show. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This is a complete listing of episodes of the Live-action / Puppet Television series The Muppet Show. Weezer (ˈwizɚ is an American Alternative rock band from Los Angeles California formed in 1992 Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common This is a complete listing of episodes of the Live-action / Puppet Television series The Muppet Show. The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of Live-action musical Feature films starring Jim Henson 's Muppets. The Great Muppet Caper is the second of a series of Live-action musical Feature films, starring Jim Henson 's Muppets The Muppets Take Manhattan is the third of a series of Live-action musical Feature films starring Jim Henson 's Muppets The Muppet Christmas Carol was the fourth Feature film to star The Muppets, and the first produced after the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson Muppet Treasure Island is the fifth Feature film to star The Muppets. Muppets from Space was the sixth Feature film to star The Muppets, and the first since the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson to The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical - Fantasy film mainly directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1900 children’s

The Jim Henson Hour featured many of the same characters, plus new and boldly different content. The Jim Henson Hour was a short-lived Television series that aired on NBC in 1989. The Muppet Show format was later revived as Muppets Tonight in 1996. Muppets Tonight is a Live-action / Puppet Television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The first 10 episodes aired on ABC while the rest aired on The Disney Channel. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. For the Disney Channel in other countries see Disney Channel around the world. Today, all three incarnations are syndicated together as a single package.

In 2005 the Muppets launched an award-winning webseries titled Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony. Statler and Waldorf From the Balcony is a multi-award winning webshow starring the Muppet characters Statler and Waldorf which ran biweekly on The biweekly webshow created new episodes for 15 months on movies.com and starred Statler and Waldorf along with many other popular Muppet characters from their theater box from The Muppet Show. Moviescom is a Website in the Fandango family operated by Comcast. Statler and Waldorf are a fictional pair of Muppet characters Each episode featured the duo as they discuss upcoming films, watch movie trailers and share the week's "balconism".

There is talk of a new revival of the format, with FOX being the initial serious contender. Disney considered using the America's Next Muppet mini-series to test the viability of a full-fledged series. America's Next Muppet was a planned six-episode mini-series which ABC announced in 2005 it was purchasing

The hit Broadway and West End Musical Avenue Q is loosely based on The Muppets as well as Sesame Street. Avenue Q is a musical conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics and directed by Jason Moore. (See U.S. and U.K. websites. )

See also

• Muppet Babies
• Le Bébête Show
• List of television programs
• "Mah Nà Mah Nà"
• Meet The Feebles
• Adult puppeteering
• Sam Pottle

References

External links

• The Muppet Show at the Internet Movie Database
• The Muppet Show at TV.com
• "Of Muppets and Men," a 1981 documentary on the making of the show
• The Jim Henson Works at the University of Maryland 70+ digital videos available to students, scholars and visitors at the University of Maryland (College Park, MD)