Ask Ken at Palisades

[Zack the Dog]

Ken

Hi Ken,

glad you found the Muppet movie DVD's , the MCC is not on DVD yet and maybe hard to find on video in stores now, but the DVD i think will come out in Oct, i could be wrong though.


Zack)Rowlf the, let us know what you think of them;-)Dog.

 

[ResidentLilly]

Well, you asked...

Seems to me that around here Muppets From Space isn't well liked. I REALLY liked it. IN fact, it was a completely different kind of Muppet movie, which made it cool, and I liked the story. Could it have been better? Yeah...but still a good movie and a good Muppet movie. And I actually liked the non-musical format for a change.

Then I watched GMC. Um, well, I just didn't care for it that much. I had seen it long ago, I mean LONG ago, and so didn't remember it much. Overall, it just didn't do it for me like I hoped. Plot seemed forced, and the movie just seemed to be about "how can we do elaborate dance numbers with Muppets?" Don't get me wrong...it was not bad and I enjoyed watching it. I just thought that it was not as strong as some others.

Can anyone tell me what has happened to Zoot though? Seems like his face was much thinner in the show, but in the films it just gets more and more round. Truthfully, all the puppets other than Kermit and Rowlf have REALLY evolved quite a bit.

Since I haven't really exposed myself (gasp) to the movies much, I have a few questions that popped into my head. Turnabout is fair play...

1. What puppets does Steve Whitmire work these days other than Rizzo?
2. Who does the voices now that Jim is gone?
3. Who does the voice of Statler now?
4. What is considered to be the best Muppet movie other than The Muppet Movie?
5. Since I have never seen a Muppets Tonight episode, can anyone clue me in on characters like Johnny and Sal, Bobo, Bean Bunny, Van Neuter, Digit and other MT characters? Are they popular with fans? Who works them?
6. The guy that does Pepe had some impeccable comic timing. Really talented puppeteer. Who created Pepe and what else does he do with Muppets nowadays?

I think that does it for now.

 

[matleo]

Let's see if we can answer a few of these. of Course, I'll post and the answers will already be there posted by some one else.

1) Whitmire--Kermit, Beaker (after '92), Bean, and of course rizzo


2) Henson characters:
kermit (Whitmire)
Rowlf (bill Baretta at MF and on the Mauppet Racemania game)
Dr. teeth (John Kennedy onthe MR game)
Waldorf (Dave Goelz)
Chef (I don't know wo does him now)
Link (Whitmire on the Racemnaia game)
And the Newsman was done by Brian Henson at MF

3) Statler is now voice by Jerry "Floyd Pepper" Nelson who acatully first played the character in the original Muppet Show pilot.

4) That's a personal opinion quesion I love GMC. I hate MFS. So you can see how opinions are going to differ, but I thnk we're all pretty agreed on TMM

5&6 Oh jeez!! OK, cast list: Johhny and Bobo and Pepe are all done by Bill Baretta. He does have impeccable timing. All seem to be pretty fan faves. Johhny hails form Hoboken and is a lounge singer Dean Martin type. Pepe you have a pretty good idea of. he was first on MT but he really develeped more as a character in MFS. Bobo was the security guard on MT. I don't know why they changed his name for MFS
Dr. Phil Van Neuter and Sal are played by Brian Henson. Dr. Phil was the host of a segment clled "Tales from the vet" on MT and Sal is Johnny's monkey body guard
Digit is from the Jim Henson Hour and was played by Dave Goelz. he was a nandroid type responsible for being kermit's right hand man. Kind of like a cross between Data fro ST:TNG and Scooter. He was a pretty cool character.
Bean(Whitmire) was orignated for the tv special "Tale of the Bunny Picnic" and was later revived for JHH, and Muppets in WDW and has appeared in the movies as well as MT. the idea was that bean was kind of the anti-Muppet. He was cute so the rest of them didn't haveto be cute.
For more info check out: www.muppets.com go to the slower browser site (Piggy's face) and look at the Character profiles (animal's face).
Also, I have a pretty complete set of MT episodes as I'm sure a few others around here do as well. Would you like copies of a few to help you out?
Whew!! you're right turnabout is fair play.

--Matt

 

[ResidentLilly]

Yeah Muppets Tonight tapes would be great.

I thought the Jim Henson Hour WAS Muppets Tonight. (oh..head hurting from all the things to know about Muppets) So what is the real skinny on JHH? And can somebody PLEASE give me a complete list of all things Muppets and what their short versions are? Like MFS, TMM, stuff like that and a little info on each? Or just point me in the right direction?

Here's a BIG question. Does anybody actually OWN a rubber ducky like the one in MFS? If you do, and you can get me front, back, side and top photographs of it I'll hook you up with something really sweet in return. But I need it TODAY. If we have to move on this Invisible Fozzie I have to move on it like yesterday.

Thanks!

 

[Luke]

I agree, i liked Muppets From Space a lot - i think it beats the pants off Great Muppet Caper which is just so slow and boring .. especially the piggy bits. There are some good bits, like the Happiness Hotel and things like that but i usually fall asleep during the film.

If you are thinking action figure for Pepe it might interest you to know he had a comedy partner elephant called Seymour in Muppets Tonight. Pepe being small may well need a pack-in.

 

[matleo]

Rubber Duck photos on the way. Expect them in the hour. MT on it's way expect it in a week or so.

Abbrviations:

muppets From Space: MFS
The Muppet Movie: TMM
Great Muppet Caper: GMC or TGMC
Muppets Take Manhattan: MTM
Muppet Christmas Carol: MCC
Muppet Treasure Island: MTI

Jim henson Hour: JHH
Muppets Tonight: MT
Mupet Show: TMS
Muppetfest; MF
Muppet Racemania (Video Game) MR
Muppet Monster Avdenture (video game) MMA
Sesame St.: SS
Farggle Rock: FR
Dark Crystal: DC

JHH aired on NBC in the in the late 80s about 13 episodes were made. The show was divided into 2 segments. Muppet Television and then like the Storyteller or something. Muppet Television was a lot like the Muppets Show and MT except Kermit wirked in this gaint conrtol room that received satelite feeds from all over and he had to pick and choose what to put on the show. Gonzo and Link were there and then there were all these new characters Clifford and Bean were the only ones to survive. It's a taller order but I have some of these too. If I can find them I'll try to send you one or two.

 

[Smig]

1. What puppets does Steve Whitmire work these days other than Rizzo?

Steve also does Kermit, Bean Bunny, and Beaker (AFter Richard Hunt passed away) Steve also does Ernie on SESAME STREET

2. Who does the voices now that Jim is gone?

Steve does the voices of Kermit and Ernie, Dave Goelz Does Waldorf, BIll Baretta Does the Chef (Though others have done the Chef on occasion) and Rowlf, and during the MUPPETS LIVE show during MUPPETFEST, Brian Henson debuted as the Muppet Newsman.

3. Who does the voice of Statler now?

Jerry Nelson (Floyd, Crazy Harry, Robin, etc,) Actually Nelson originally did Statler during the SEX & VIOLENCE pilot. Nelson wasn't availaible for the first taping segments of THE MUPPET SHOW, however, so Ricahrd Hunt did the character, Statler returned to Nelson upon Hunt's passing.

4. What is considered to be the best Muppet movie other than The Muppet Movie?

That varies among people. I say. For example, My favoriye was the one you "Dissed" THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, which I thought was a great screwball comedy in the traditon of the Marx Brothers.

5. Since I have never seen a Muppets Tonight episode, can anyone clue me in on characters like Johnny and Sal, Bobo, Bean Bunny, Van Neuter, Digit and other MT characters? Are they popular with fans? Who works them?

Johnny Fiama- Sinatra-type, Suave lounge singer. Very Italian.
Peformed By Bill Baretta. Rather popular.

Sal Minella- Johnny's loudmouth Monkey bodyguard. (JOHNNY FIAMA COMIN' THRU!!) Performed by Brian Henson. Popular.

Bean Bunny. Hired by the Muppets to be cute so they wouldn't have to. Originally appeared in the special "The Bunny Picnic"
Considered during Muppetfest to be the 'Anti-Muppet"
Performed by Steve Whitmire. Popular ONLY when getting clobbered.

Bobo- Big, lazy, easygoing lug of a bear. Very laid-back. First appeared in MT, cast as "Rentro" in MFS. Performed by Bill Barreta.
Popular.

Dr, Phil Van Neuter, Hyper, rather prissy Host of "Tales from the Vet" segment of MT ,appeared in MFS to suck out Gonzo's brain.
Performed by Brian Henson (head/voice) and Bill Baretta (Hands)
characters kinds resembles Brian Henson with a stretched-out head.... popular.

Digit: ..Was Kermit's half-cyborg assistant on the MUPPETVISION SEGMENTS of THE JIM HENSON HOUR. Looked rather humanoid. with wire-like hair, Numbers all over his wardrobe, and a cotrol panel welded on his chest. voice similar to Doc's from the BACK TO THE FUTURE MOVIES. Performed By Dave Goelz.
Cult favorite.

As for Pepe..

6. The guy that does Pepe had some impeccable comic timing. Really talented puppeteer. Who created Pepe and what else does he do with Muppets nowadays?

Pepe is performed By Bill Baretta, who supposedly first met Brian henson while he had a job cleaning toilets at Sesame Place (Amusement park chain) His first performing was wearing the "EARL SINCLAIR" suit for the DINOSAURS Tv series...
Baretta's Muppet debut (to my knowlege, anyways, was as the Goat "Clueless Morgan" on MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND.
By the time MUPPETS TONIGHT came around, he had created Johnny Fiama (Based on a character bit he would do with his brother when he was a kid-Johnny and Frankie Fiama)and PEPE, who since he was supposed be teamed with Seymour the Elephant, was origially designed as a mouse- but they thought an elephant and mouse would be too cornball, even for the Muppets...Bill found this half-finished shrimp puppet (If I remember right that's how he told it at Muppetfest) and started goofing around with that.. Baretta gave Pepe a voice based on his wife;s aunt, who came from Spain ("I weel spank you like a bad,bad,donkey, OK?") pepe has since become somewhat of a breakout hit. Baretta has also written the screenplay for Jim Henson's JACK and the BEANSTALK, performed The Swedish Chef for the DONNA'S DAY tv show, and now also perofms Rowlf the Dog.

God, I hope I Have SOME accuracy here..
Smig

 

[Luke]

wow - only at Muppet Central could you find people who can 'do' duck pics within the hour !!!!!!

Can anyone get me a shot of Christina Aguilera french kissing a Penguin ?

 

[Squigiman]

Hey everyone,
Well, even after a long-winded post, I still get only one reply. Does this mean that Matt is my only friend, here??? Seriously, though, I was hoping for a little more feedback, especially something from the main man, Ken. This is "Ask Ken...", after all, right? Anyways, glad to hear about you getting the movies, Ken, as well as the fact that you enjoyed MFS. I did a lot, too. I think people are a little too hard on it. I think it may very well be the closest return to the old Muppet movie magic. Still it will never be the same as when Jim was still alive, but it was nice to see the Muppets being themselves, rather than pre-concieved characters from authors. I also was really thrilled about Gonzo's turn in the spotlight, as he's always been my favorite, being another weirdo with a fondness for purple suits, myself. Anyways, I also really liked Digit when the JHH was on. He's another great Dave Goelz character, and a toy of him would be wonderful, along with all the rest. Hope all is well, I checked out those Chicago pics, and things are looking good, though I still can't wait to see the new Animal, as well as everything else after that. Take care.


-Squigiman

 

[Foreignman]

Here you go, Luke, here's that pic you wanted...

LINK Hogthrob