The "You know what?" thread

[minor muppetz]

Long ago, I noticed in the first two episodes of Pee-wee's Playhouse, each of the supporting humans gets a scene throughout the episode, and then most of them come back for the final scene (I guess in the second episode they're back a little bit longer at the end). Then the fourht episode is a little reversed, with most of the humans together at the beginning (or perhaps it's more accurate to say they're in the middle of the episode), and then a few of them get their own scene later in the episode.

Recently I saw both The Pee-wee Herman Show and Pee-wee's Big Adventure for the first time, and I noticed it's similar in those two as well. So The Pee-wee Herman Show has many scenes throughout with Jambi, Captain Carl, Miss Yvonne, and Mailman Mike, with the rest mainly getting one scene (Hammy does make a brief return before Pee-wee shouts at him to leave), and then all of them except for Hammy's sister Susan (and Joan, the member of the audience to take part in Pee-wee's hypnotism act), get back together for the final scene. I wonder why Susan only got one scene (I wondered if maybe she did one of the puppets, but according to IMDB that's not the case). Of course that is a live stage show, those tend to keep their actors involved throughout the show, and that was less puppet-focused than Pee-wee's Playhouse would be.

Then in Pee-wee's Big Adventure, most of the characters get just one scene, and then most of them return at the end when the events become a movie. Dottie, Francis, and the characters in Pee-wee's home town get more to do (especially before he starts his trip), I guess with it being a road trip movie there's not much that can be done with the people Pee-wee meets on the road (unless they were to continue traveling with him).

The Cheech and Chong movies seem to be like that a little as well. They don't really have a big finale with the whole cast back, but most of the supporting characters - which in some movies do include Paul Reubens and other future Pee-wee cast members - tend to get just one or two scenes, with the movies having more of a random events plot (well, the Pee-wee stuff often seems like that as well). I know those films were just lightly scripted and relied more on actors with strong improv skills, primarily taking comics from The Groundlings.

 

[minor muppetz]

The Sirius channel '80s on 8 often includes short skits with a kid asking Teddy Ruxpin a question. We hear a sound that seems to imply pulling a lever or string.

While I never had one, I believe the toy just played audio on a tape. But these short interstitials seem to be mixing Teddy with a See 'n Say and Magic 8-Ball.

 

[CoolGuy1013]

It sounds like the kid was putting in a tape to me.

 

[groverandgrapes]

Ok guys don't let Timmy see this but i think he is lying about quitting muppet central. Dont hate the guy just think he's lying.

 

[minor muppetz]

For the last few weeks there's been a live stream of Pee-wee's Playhouse (I don't know when it will end... or if it will) so I've been watching a lot of the show for the first time since Adult Swim ran the show in 2006.

A few things that are different from what I had remembered:

• I thought both sides of the front door were red, but now I see the front side was a white-ish color.
• It looks like Pee-wee slams the door on the salesman less mean than I had thought. His slamming looks more like he's just pushing the door shut. Also noticing later on after the slam he just chuckles while saying his "salesman!" line, as if he's just doing it for fun more than to keep him out.

And a few other things...

• Randy may be a jerk and bully, but it seems he's not dishonest. There are times he's asked about something he did really bad (like turn the stove up higher than it should, or encourage Pterri to run away), and he's quick to confirm that he did it.
• Reba is clearly one of the few sane characters on the show, but the show seems to zigzag on how she tolerates Pee-wee and the antics of the playhouse. The first few appearances have her just be a no-nonsense type, then she starts having a more playful attitude, and then as the show goes on she's sometimes more like the straight man (and not just in cases like when she has a splinter or when Pee-wee wishes for her to come over on her day off), and other times has the more playful personality.
• The two episodes in season 3 have Pee-wee unable to get a Jambi wish. In one Jambi is simply on vacation, and Pee-wee simply forgets when he decides to wish for his toothache to go away (though when on the Picturephone, he does say he wishes for Jambi to have a good time, and Jambi doesn't seem to count that as a true wish), then in the other Pee-wee makes a foolish wish for Reba to come over just to mail his letter, allowing him unable to grant his later wish for Pterri to come home. This season also had the Christmas special, where Jambi allows for two wishes, I think this and "Reba Eats and Pteri Runs" (and The Restaurant) are the only times when an extra wish comes up.
• Speaking of season 3 and wishes, both the Christmas Special and "Reba Eats and Pteri Runs" have Jambi discussing Pee-wee's wish with him, asking if the first wish is what he really wants or suggesting he just put a letter in the mailbox, before granting the wish. I guess he learned since "The Restaurant", where he immediately grants Pee-wee's wish to know what to wish for and as a consequence is unable to grant that wish (how about making the headcanon be that he grants that wish in the next episode? Though I think the next episode is "Beauty Makeover", in which Pee-wee at first has trouble figuring out what to wish for again), he doesn't even recite a magic phrase to grant that wish.
• Maybe it wasn't intentional, but in "Beauty Makeover", Dixie sees Miss Yvonne give Mrs. Steve a makeover and asks if she can do her next. While Dixie is usually pretty, her hair in this scene looks the best that it ever has on the series.
• In "The Restaurant", Dixie's cab breaks down and the King of Cartoons gets exhausted walking to the playhouse (I think he mentioned trouble walking up the hill). After the first season, King of Cartoons travels alone, I guess he got better with walking to the Playhouse then.
• In "Pajama Party", Cowboy Curtis says he's used to sleeping outdoors, and Pee-wee lets him sleep on the porch. So does Curtis have a house or does he live outdoors?
• Mrs. Steve and later Mrs. Renee are Pee-wee's neighbors, I think it's said that they are his next door neighbors. But in watching the opening (along with any scene showing the outside of the playhouse), it looks like the Playhouse is in a secluded area, looks like there's a hill to get up to, kinda spacious around the Playhouse, and we don't see any additional homes next door on either side. I guess he could have a next door neighbor who's not right next door, but it seems like the next door homes would be a bit far.
• Maybe it was to save money (I recently saw a list of facts about the show that mentions the show always ran over budget, coming out of Paul Reuben's pocket, and in the last season they sometimes did clip shows to help save on expenses), but it is sad that Miss Yvonne is the only human cast member to appear in the last episode (though the rest appear in clips). With the playhouse making a big deal out of Pee-wee supposedly selling the playhouse, you'd think they would all get together and think of something.
• Also in the last episode, Miss Yvonne worries that if the Playhouse gets sold, there'll be no more Puppetland. So does Puppetland only exist in the confines of the Playhouse? I thought the Playhouse itself was located at Puppetland (there are puppets and puppet-type characters who don't live in the Playhouse - the Salesman, Cowntess, Roger the Monster, maybe Mr. Kite, the game show host in Luah for Two, the dress designer in the episode where Miss Yvonne and Mrs. Renee complain that they're wearing the same dress, the advice lady in "Why Wasn't I Invited?").

 

[Muppets02]

As I said before, I care more for the acting than the vocal range personally cause not every voice actor has that.

Yes, to be completely honest, I do consider Jessica DiCicco to be one of my favorite voice actresses, and I really enjoy the work that she does in television shows and movies.

 

[minor muppetz]

Today I learned that Dinosaurs premiered on the day after Arbor Day.

So we go from a day dedicated to taking care of trees to a day when the world saw the premier of a show where the father's job is to push down trees.

 

[Muppets12]

Despite my issues with the current state of the Muppets, I’m very glad that Dave Goelz is still involved with them after all these years. I’ve always enjoyed his work as Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, and various other characters. He definitely deserves a lot of credit for helping to keep the Muppets alive during the 1990s, especially after Jim Henson and Richard Hunt sadly passed away, and as Frank Oz gradually phased out of the Muppets.
Speaking of Bunsen, I’ve always really enjoyed watching the Andie MacDowell episode of Muppets Tonight, where he has a mid-life crisis.

 

[Muppet Master]

Despite my issues with the current state of the Muppets, I will say that it’s very nice that Dave Goelz is still involved with them after all these years. I’ve always really enjoyed his work as Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, and various other characters. He definitely deserves a lot of credit for helping to keep the Muppets alive during the 1990s, especially after Jim Henson and Richard Hunt sadly passed away, and as Frank Oz was gradually phasing out of the Muppets.
Speaking of Bunsen, I’ve always really enjoyed watching the Andie MacDowell episode of Muppets Tonight, where he has a mid-life crisis.

Yes, the MacDowell episode is hilarious. That was the point where Muppets Tonight was really finding itself and forming an identity outside of The Muppet Show with those sitcom-like plotlines. It's just too bad it got canceled shortly after.