Does anybody remember this classic Mumford and Grover skit?

[BooberFraggless]

This skit is from the early 80's and was a rather different and Unique Mumford skit. This one had Grover in it, but it didn't take place on Mumford's stage like the handful of Mumford/Grover skits from the early 70's. In this one it takes place behind a brick wall and Grover sees Mumford and he asks him if he will do a Magic trick. Mumford tells Grover that he doesn't really feel like doing any magic tricks at the moment. But Grover continues to beg him and insists he do some kind of magic trick. Mumford agrees to do a trick for Grover, but isn't sure what kind of trick he can do at the moment (I don't even think he had his magic wand with him in this one) so Grover gives him a Carrot and tells him to make the Carrot disapear. Mumford says his magic words Ala Peanut Butter Sandwiches, and using the Carrot as a wand. A poof of smoke comes up and Mumford quickly turns around and gobbles down the Carrot. Grover is excited that the trick works and tells Mumford. "Okay now, bring the Carrot back" Mumford says he can't because he ate it. Grover says "You ate it??!!" "That's not magic!" Mumford then says to Grover "No it wasn't Grover, but it SURE was delicious!" Mumford takes off and Grover has a baffled look on his face. I always wished they would have done more skits like this with Mumford. It really brought him out of that "One Note Charachter" rut.

 

[mikebennidict]

I think Mumford new what Grover meant by making the carrot disappear he was probably just hungry and felt like eating it. It used to make me angry when i was younger now I just laugh at it.

 

[Xerus]

I also remember in the end, Mumford said, "And you didn't say anything about magic", and he walks off.

 

[zns]

The only Grover and Mumford skit I ever saw from the early seventies was when they did levitation act. Mumford tries the trck on Grover, and it works. After the applause is over, Mumford walks out and Herry Monster walks in. Grover tells Herry to that he will try the trick on him and lets it know that it will work, which of course it dosn't. When Grover sees this, he looks at the camera and says, "And now for my next act I will.... RUN AWAY." And of course, he runs off with Herry chasing after him. I give this skit three Kermits.

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

i love mumford

 

[SesameMike]

A few more details about the Amazing Mumford skit with Grover and Herry.

The phrase Mumford used was that he would "yank the pillar out from under the platform". Grover said that "What happens next" is that "cute little Grover" would fall down. Mumford says things like "trust me" and "this is magic". When Mumford pulled out the pillar, Grover was sitting on the steady mid-air platform looking back and forth at each side in amazement.

After the trick, Mumford says "Now I will put the pillar back.... and you may step down." Which Grover does.

Mumford then leaves, then Herry ambles on by. I think he was singing something nondescript like "I was walkin..." when Grover stopped him. That's when Grover tries to perform the same trick on Herry. He replied "'What happens next' is I'll fall" Grover does the same "trust me" and "this is magic" lines and convinces Herry to sit up there.

When Grover yanks the pillar out from under the platform, and the platform collapses onto the floor, a desperate Grover says "And 'what happens next' is, I run" from an angered Herry.

There was a distinct difference in the appearance of the "platform" each time the trick was performed. When the trick worked, the platform had that kind of border around it, presumably a blue screen or chroma-key. But it was just a normal platform when it was Herry's turn. As I child I could never quite catch the transition point between superimposed and non-superimposed platform; I guess the director masked the effect quite well.

 

[PiLfan]

i may be thinking of a different Mumford and grover skit, but wasn't part of the joke that, instead of the carrot disappearing, Mumford ate the carrot but Grover turned into a rabbit? (i don't think Grover realized what happened, and at the end of the skit he just kind of hopped away)...

 

[Mickey Moose]

i may be thinking of a different Mumford and grover skit, but wasn't part of the joke that, instead of the carrot disappearing, Mumford ate the carrot but Grover turned into a rabbit? (i don't think Grover realized what happened, and at the end of the skit he just kind of hopped away)...

Actually, I think that was a different sketch alltogether. Mumford was trying to pull a rabbit out of his hat, and each time he said the magic words, "A La Peanut Butter Sandwiches", there would be no rabbit, but Grover gained a rabbit feature(first whiskers, then buck teeth, then rabbit ears, although I'm not sure of the order). Funny thing is, Mumford didn't seem to notice Grover changing, nor did Grover himself. So eventually Mumford gives up and leaves, and Grover then hops away.

 

[BooberFraggless]

i may be thinking of a different Mumford and grover skit, but wasn't part of the joke that, instead of the carrot disappearing, Mumford ate the carrot but Grover turned into a rabbit? (i don't think Grover realized what happened, and at the end of the skit he just kind of hopped away)...

Yes that was a different skit altogether. Back in the Early 70's when Mumford was a brand new charachter, there was a handful of skits with Grover and Mumford, and one with Cookie Monster that took place on a stage as Mumford was putting on a real magic show. They eventually stopped making these skits, and had Mumford appear away from the stage and he made some on the street appearances in the 70's and 80's. In this skit that I mentioned with the Carrot. Mumford is away from his stage and doesn't have his hat on, or even his magic wand with him. So he uses the carrot as a magic wand. This was one of the few times I ever got to see Mumford as himself, without attempting to do any magic or put on a magic show. It's funny how he was known as a magician so well, that Grover kept pestering to do a magic trick. It was almost as if it were Mumford's day off, and he just wanted to be by himself and do his own thing, without having to do any magic tricks.

 

[MartyMuppets]

I can remember a sketch in which Grover was watching Mumford make four or five pineapples disappear one by one. At the end Grover snatched Mumford's wand off him because he wanted to try doing a trick himself. Mumford protested but Grover cried out the traditional Peanut Butter Sandwich Magic Words and there was a big puff of smoke. Then Mumford was gone and Grover said "Oh well. Wherever he is he's probably with the pineapples. I'm sure he'll be perfectly happy with them."