| A
R T I C L E S |
New Collectibles •11/01 - The Muppet Christmas Carol Pop! Figures: Bob Cratchit with Tiny Tim, Mrs. Cratchit, Charles Dickens with Rizzo, Fozziwig, The Marley Brothers, Scrooge
•10/24 - The Muppets Take Manhattan 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with Frank Oz Commentary •10/1 - Supersize Count von Count •10/01 - Sesame Street Action Figures Wave 1: Ernie with Rubber Duckie, Bert with Bernice, Count von Count, Yip Yip Martians •9/1 - Fraggle Rock Action Figures Wave 1: Gobo, Red, Traveling Matt, Architect and Cotterpin, Flange |
||
|
|
|
The Best of the Muppet Show DVD's
Phillip Chapman (11-24-2001) - It really is pretty amazing, we now have uncut Muppet Show DVD's and videos courtesy of the wonderful people at Time-Life.
The quality of the video and sound is very good on these DVD's. The Muppet Show has never looked so clear and sharp. Each episode contains a 2-minute song or sketch that was originally not shown in the US due to longer commercial timeslots. It's usually referred to as a "UK Skit". Also included is a one-minute intro by Brian Henson per episode, originally produced for the Odyssey Channel in 1999.
There are four additional bonus features on each disc that are not included on the videos: a Muppetism, a Muppet Movie spoof, a single Henson sketch of a character, and a hidden "Did you know?" feature. The Muppetisms and Muppet Movie spoofs were originally produced for Odyssey and are hilarious 1-2 minute commercials and parodies. All-in-all, a fantastic collection that's been long-overdue. The Henson sketch is a drawing with a text description of a character as it was being developed.
On each DVD there is also a simple hidden feature. From the main menu, if you push up you can highlight the picture of Animal. Press enter and it will take you to an interesting fact entitled "Did you know?" about one of the episodes.
There
are a few elements, however, that would really help to make these discs
the ultimate for fans:
-
It's unfortunate that the original first season themes were not included. They were replaced with a second season theme. Check out our Muppet Show guide introduction for what the original theme was like and why the Henson Company no longer shows the original versions.
-
It would have been great to have at least 4-6 episodes per disc as they would have easily fit. A "behind-the-scenes" disc would be a great addition for fans who buy the whole set. The "Of Muppets and Men" documentary, the 60 Minutes Muppet Show interview, and current interviews from performers would make a fantastic bonus DVD.
Here is a list of the episodes included in the 15 DVD set, and also the special features found on each disc. All are available to buy from Time-Life.com.
 |
Volume
1 Did you know? - The crew of the Swintrek eventually made it into space - sort of. In November 1981, the Muppet Performers created a special Pigs in Space audio tape which was played as a wake-up recording for the crew of an early Space Shuttle Columbia mission. |
 |
Volume
2 Did you know? - The Muppet Show was taped at ATV Television Studios - Studio D, Borehamwood, England. Mark Hamill knew his way around the neighborhood - ATV was right across the street from the Elstree Studios where the first Star Wars trilogy was filmed. |
 |
Volume
3 Did you know? - The Harry Belafonte episode was one of Jim Henson's favorites. Although the show's running gag involves Fozzie writing the script, it was Harry Belafonte who helped shape this episode to make sure it had some deeper meaning. Harry even wrote the beautiful introduction to the closing number, Turn the World Around. |
 |
Volume
4 Did you know? - Peter Sellers was a big fan of The Muppet Show and had a video collection of many episodes which he would watch over and over. He once told Muppet Performer Dave Goelz that his favorite character was Gonzo and that he felt a bond between Gonzo and Inspector Clouseau. |
 |
Volume
5 Did you know? - The Alice Cooper episode of The Muppet Show was Muppet Performer Steve Whitmire's very first show. Steve originated the character of Rizzo Rat on The Muppet Show and has performed Kermit the Frog since Jim Henson's death in 1990. |
 |
Volume
6 Did you know? - The Steve Martin episode of The Muppet Show features the Flying Zucchini Brothers, the human cannonball act. Their vocabulary consists mostly of Italian food and names of Italian people: "Gina Lollobrida! Linguini!! Funicello!!" The Flying Zucchini's were an homage to the Zacchini Brothers - a real life human cannonball act. |
 |
Volume
7 Did you know? - Repeated use of the line "Gonzo fiddles while George Burns" is an excellent illustration of Muppet Show head writer Jerry Juhl's axiom: "A joke that isn't good enough to use once may be bad enough to use several times." |
 |
Volume
8 Did you know? - To make Brooke Shields grow or shrink, she was videotaped on a blue background while the camera zoomed in or out. This image was then superimposed against the full-sized set. For one scene, to make Brooke appear giant-sized, she squeezed into a miniature dressing room set. |
 |
Volume
9 Did you know? - A snippet of the Sylvester Stallone episode was used in Rocky III to show how famous Rocky had become since winning the title from Apollo Creed in Rocky II. For the film, Jim Henson dubbed in a new introduction: "It's The Muppet Show... with our very special guest star... Rocky Balboa!" |
 |
Volume
10 Did you know? - Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy made their final film appearance in The Muppet Movie. Bergen died shortly after the shoot and Jim Henson dedicated the film to his memory. When Kermit spoke at Bergen's memorial, he said, on behalf of puppets everywhere, "Thanks for everything you've done for my people." |
 |
Volume
11 Did you know? - The closing campfire medley in the Roy Rogers episode concludes with "Happy Trails". In 1950, Dale Evans wrote this classic song 40 minutes before a radio show went on the air because she felt Roy needed a theme song. |
 |
Volume
12 Did you know? - The Rita Moreno episode of The Muppet Show includes one of the first installments of Veterinarian's Hospital. In this sketch, Richard Hunt provides the voice of Miss Piggy (as Frank Oz was performing Fozzie on the operating table). Later on, the sketches were polished into seamless wall-to-wall punfests and almost exclusively written by Don Hinkley. |
 |
Volume
13 Did you know? - Guest stars on The Muppet Show were always given the chance to do something they don't usually do. Head writer Jerry Juhl remembers calling Beverly Sills to ask the opera star what she wanted to do on the show. "I'll do anything you want," she replied and then volunteered that she knew how to tap dance. Not only did she tap dance on The Muppet Show, she also hung a spoon on her nose! |
 |
Volume
14 Did you know? - Both Liza Minnelli and Madeline Kahn also appeared in Muppet Moves. Madeline Kahn played Telly Savalas' "myth" in The Muppet Movie and Liza Minnelli appeared in The Muppets Take Manhattan, after Kermit replaced her caricature at Sardi's with one of himself. |
 |
Volume
15 Did you know? - The Juliet Prowse episode with is officially listed as Muppet Show #1, was one of the two "pilot" shows produced in January of 1976 (the other starred Connie Stevens). Although The Muppet Show had already been given the green light for a full 24-episode season, these pilots were needed to help sell the syndicated show to local television stations. Although the Juliet Prowse show was the first produced it was not the first episode aired. Special thanks to Habidabad for the "Did you know" summaries on volumes 1-10. |
Discover
what you may be missing!
Learn the differences between
widescreen and pan-and-scan DVDs.
 |
 |
|
|
|
home | news | collectibles | articles | forum | guides | radio | cards | help
Fan site Muppet Central created by Phillip Chapman. Updates by Muppet
Central Staff. All Muppets, Bear
Muppet Central exists to unite fans of the Muppets around the world. |