Best TMS guest stars

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

Yeah Erin, Paul's show is a terrific one!

I looove Janice & Floyd's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (of course, lol! ), but all the songs are so great! I love the opener, and the "rock"in' closer, lol.

Isn't that "Scarborough Fair" sketch great? They really pulled out all the stops on that one. And I agree, all the music in the show is terrific. A bonus for me is I had never heard "It's Been a Long, Long Day" before, and I think it's a really pretty song. I need to get some more of Paul's solo stuff.
Erin

 

[Gorgon Heap]

I read on a TMS fan site that Mostel did not live to see his ep. air (he died about a month before that, in 1977).

Zero Mostel taped his episode at the end of May/beginning of June. He died Saturday night, September 8, 1977, the day before he would've opened as Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. He had been hospitalized for a week before he died and his death followed three months of a crash diet- basically starving himself- during which his weight dropped from 304 to 215. His episode of TMS didn't air until mid-December (13th I think?)

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[dbarrie]

I didn't know all of this insider info before; thanks for posting it. I falsely assumed that he died a month before his ep. aired. He must've kept busy during those final months, because he did a couple of other film projects that didn't get released until a year after his death (e.g. "Watership Down"). According to the Internet Movie Database, his TMS appearance was taped May 31, 1977.

 

[Gorgon Heap]

I didn't know all of this insider info before; thanks for posting it. I falsely assumed that he died a month before his ep. aired. He must've kept busy during those final months, because he did a couple of other film projects that didn't get released until a year after his death (e.g. "Watership Down"). According to the Internet Movie Database, his TMS appearance was taped May 31, 1977.

I'm the one who provided the taping dates for imdb.com. I got then from the Henson.com archivist, Karen Falk, who had made it a task for one of the summer interns. May 31 was the date I was given in the original list, May 31-June 2 were the dates I was given in the revised list. The show taped 3 days out of every week and up to 6 weeks in advance (meaning they could be working on material for shows up to 6 weeks later and for any show in between). The guest star always taped all of his/her material in one day- the noted exception being Spike Milligan, who ad-libbed so much that he cracked up the cast and crew to the point they didn't finish all his sketches in one day and had to finish them the following day- so chances are yes, Mostel taped his episode of TMS on May 31st, 1977, 3 months and 8 days before he died.

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[JamieDenny]

Lynda *great songs, great voice great everything* Carter

Ethel *there goes the Mirror* Merman NI have a soft spot for Ethel but the other great thing about this ep is to me it sums up Jim Henson's Philosophy, When Fozzie is upset Ethel grabs him says, c'mon bear look at what you do isn't it great, you entertain people, money aint all that you enjoy your job, or words to that effect.
i think Jim deep down was also a showman and thats why the finale resonates with me.

Gene Kelly was a great guest star but I found it very sad that he could no longer dance they way he used to.

Chris Reeve ep makes me cry as i look at that then see pictures of him in the papers.

Just a few thoughts

Jamie

 

[dbarrie]

Mummenschanz

Last night I saw the TMS ep. w/ Mummenschanz, and it made me change my view of them. Last month I wrote in the worst TMS guests thread that I thought that they were a "boring" act. But when I watched them again for the first time in over a decade, I realized that they were pretty cool. Weird, yes, but cool! And they were kinda Muppety too!

 

[Whatever]

I loved the episode with Debbie Harry! As well as many others who have already been mentioned, like Julie Andrews- see my signature!

 

[Katzi428]

Two of my favorites were:
Spike Milligan: he was just so hillarious!! Especially when he was saying that he loved England. Sam said to show it & Spike pulled down his pants & showed Sam his boxers with England's flag on it! (No disrespect to anyone in the UK but I thought it was funny!)
Christopher Reeve:he was great! Miss Piggy was falling head over heels over him & poor Kermie was jealous. The end of the Vet's Hospital sketch they did was pretty funny
Announcer:Tune in next time when you'll hear Dr. Reeve say:
Christopher R:Wait!I'm not going to be here next time!
Miss Piggy:You mean you're leaving?
Christopher*Superman voice*:Faster than a speeding bullet!
(R.I.P to both these men)

 

[Frogster]

Wow, of all the episodes I can't believe no one said the Tony Randall episode, when he accidently turns Miss Piggy to stone!!! I've only seen what they've shown on "The Kermit And Piggy Story" but from what I saw was hilarious!
Fozzie (to Miss Piggy): Boy, you sure are heavy. You must weigh at least a ton.
Floyd: Well that's good. That means she's lost weight!
Fozzie: Oh, come on Floyd, don't laugh. She must be terrified.
Floyd: Terrified? She's petrified!
Gonzo: Hey, great news, Miss Piggy. You'll be back to normal in no time! I just got this new book called, Sand Blasting Without Pain!
Floyd: Hey Gonzo?
Gonzo: Yes?
Floyd: Did you hear that Miss Piggy is very worried about Kermit?
Gonzo: Worried about Kermit? Why?
Floyd: Well, she's afraid she'll be taken for granite!
Kermit: Alright guys, that's enough of these cheap shots.
Floyd: Oh come on. I've got another page to go yet!
Kermit: How can you be so cruel to a fellow performer? Someone you've known and worked with for years. She's suffered enough... have pity upon her.
Floyd: Well... you're right. But what should I do with these jokes?
Kermit: Burn 'em.
Floyd: You heard what the frog said! (strikes a match against Miss Piggy)
This scene, plus the one from the Dyan Cannon episode really got me to like Floyd... he was so funny back then... my favorite quote from him...
"Breathe through the keyhole, turkey dog!"
I'd say my favorite would be the Loretta Swit episode, and I liked the Chris Reeve episode as well. Others would be the Paul Simon, Diana Ross (although she was a horrible actress in it), Dom DeLouise, George Burns, Gilda Radner, and Raquel Welch.
Where's the post talking about the worst episodes?

 

[Harvey Towers]

I think the John Cleese episode is my all time favourite - I also think it is the first episode I ever saw... (see signature!)

Also there's Julie Andrew, Petula Clark, Danny Kay, John Denver, Harry Belafonte and Kenny Rogers - all embodied the same wonderful spirit of the Muppets,