Inchworm

[Princeton]

In the "Inchworm" segments(Charles Aznavour and Danny Kaye eps), how is the inchworm performed?

 

[JaniceFerSure]

The inchworm is performed with 2 rods,one at the head and the other near the tail end.Look closely for them.

 

[lowercasegods]

The Inchworm bit with Danny Kaye is one of my favorite Muppet moments ever. Danny Kaye was such a warm and funny performer, and I feel that he fit in perfectly on The Muppet Show. If anyone's interested, you can see his original performance of Inchworm in his film "Hans Christian Anderson." It's one of his best movies, and you can rent it almost anywhere. It's usually found in the classics or family sections of most video stores.

 

[unclematt]

I believe that is the same way they perform Slimey.

 

[Gorgon Heap]

The Inchworm bit with Danny Kaye is one of my favorite Muppet moments ever. Danny Kaye was such a warm and funny performer, and I feel that he fit in perfectly on The Muppet Show. If anyone's interested, you can see his original performance of Inchworm in his film "Hans Christian Anderson." It's one of his best movies, and you can rent it almost anywhere. It's usually found in the classics or family sections of most video stores.

And the song makes so much more sense in the context of the movie. In the film, Hans is loathed by the village schoolmaster because he makes the kids late for class with his morning storytellings, and his imagination has rubbed off on the children to the point that they neglect to learn the 'important' things, like reading, writing, and arithmetic. Hans's fables are disregarded as rubbish by the town, and he is in general regarded as a nuisance and a bad influence on the children. Hans feels, of course, that there's more to life than bare facts and timestables, as his stories teach life lessons and matters of the heart and soul. While the kids are in school, reciting their addition, Hans watches and inchworm on a flower, and sings a song about taking time out for the TRULY important things in life, which the schoolmaster- and the whole town, in fact- can't even see. It's lovely in the movie, and a classic Kaye performance. Little known fact- Danny Kaye actually wasn't very big on children, although he had a marvelous rapport with them.

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole