Land of Gorch hatred

[CensoredAlso]

And then, years later, the Muppets (as in the Muppet Show Muppets) made a few guest appearances on SNL.

I'll bet that when that happened, up in heaven, John Belushi blew a few capillaries...while over on their cloud, Jim and Richard had a good solid laugh.

Lol, I can see that, oh the irony! Well, what goes around comes around!

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Oh, yeah. Wonder what that must have looked like...and the following scene is meant purely in jest, don't ya know.

(up in heaven, quasi-present day...)

John: What the...grrr...it's those mucking... (starts on a rant)

(meanwhile, over on Jim and Richard's usual cloud - best place to keep an eye on family, friends and Muppet crew, don't ya know...)

Richard: Ha, ha, your face, Belushi!
Jim: (chuckling softly) Settle down, Richard, settle down.
Richard: Oh, come on, Jim, you're relishing the irony as much as I am.
Jim: (Dr. Teeth voice) Oh, positively. (normal voice) Think of it as payback for that time he pulled a knife on Ploobis.
Richard: Yeah, if Jane and Gilda and Laraine hadn't been there...so, any chance of the Gorch gang making a comeback on SNL?
Jim: We-e-e-ll...I don't know, I wouldn't hold my breath over it.
Richard: Aw, come on, you're immortal. Give it a shot.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Lol, that's funny, MN!

Ploobis: Hey! We did it! We're back on the show! All hail the mighty Favog!

Favog: Wasn't me...must have been divine intervention with a little help from Henson!

Wisss: Far out, man...

 

[spcglider]

The results of the SNL stuff must have been a stab for Jim... one among many. He tried SO HARD to bring puppetry to adults in America and get them to accept it as something other than "kiddie stuff". His mission was always to try to elevate puppetry through the Muppets and the collateral they brought.

If you think about it, the GORCH material is pretty much the progenitor of AVENUE Q, isn't it?

-Gordon

 

[Winslow Leach]

I absolutely LOVE the first season of SNL (or "NBC's Saturday Night"). Like the Muppets, I grew up with Aykroyd, Belushi, Chase, Curtin, Morris, Murray, Newman and Radner via the 30-minute "Best of Saturday Night" edits that were broadcast on Nick at Nite, MTV and VH1. None of these 30-minute syndicated shows had the Muppets, however. I first saw them when I bought a previously-viewed copy of the Richard Pryor show on VHS, which was complete.

During the first season, Belushi and co-head writer Michael O'Donoghue were probably the most outspoken regarding the Muppet situation. Belushi was already known around New York as the star of "National Lampoon's Lemmings," a satire of the Woodstock generation (which also featured Chevy Chase and Christopher Guest). O'Donoghue helped shape the National Lampoon magazine, and later created "The National Lampoon Radio Hour" (the on-air talent included Belushi, Chase, Guest, O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner, Richard Belzer and later Bill Murray, among many others).

Both of these guys apparently felt performing with or writing for the Muppets was beneath them. O'Donoghue said "I don't write for felt," and the writers would draw straws or something to see who would end up writing that week's Muppet sketch. Even this grew tiresome, so O'Donoghue gave the duties to the apprentice writers, Al Franken and Tom Davis.

But I do think that among the cast, Gilda and Chevy both had a soft spot for the Muppets. They seemed to be the two most comfortable working alongside them. Chevy appeared with them in the Raquel Welch episode, and then in the Madeline Kahn episode, where, as previously noted, Favog promises him the Beatles if the Muppets can get back on the show.

Personally, I don't mind the "Saturday Night" Muppets. I think it was cool that Lorne Michaels was willing to give Jim a chance. I believe Albert Brooks and Jim Henson were the first two people Lorne contacted to work on the show, even before the cast was hired. I think the Muppets were at their best on the show when they were out of Gorch, and mingling with the various hosts (did the hosts request working with the Muppets, or did someone not turn in a Gorch sketch in time?) I'm thinking of the Anthony Perkins, Raquel Welch, Candice Bergen (Christmas show) and Lily Tomlin episodes in particular. I liked how they broke out of their own world and sort of incorporated themselves into the show.

I believe the last appearance of the Muppets on SNL was on the debut episode of season 2, hosted by Lily Tomlin, in which the Muppets are stuffed in drawers and sing "Whistle a Happy Tune." They even plug the upcoming "Muppet Show" by saying they're not too bummed to be off SNL, because they're going to England to work on a "TV show for children."

 

[Speed Tracer]

I figure this is as good a place as any to mention this.

While I love the Saturday Night Live Season 1 DVD, I would be thrilled if all the Gorch sketches were on one DVD so we could watch them in order... and a documentary on "the decline and fall" of Gorch would be nice.

And while we're at it, I'd like Dog City on DVD, please.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Yeah, we'd see all the stuff we're most interested in seeing...and it'd be a heck of a lot cheaper, besides.

It's kind of funny...Belushi and the writing staff are ranting and raving about how the Muppets are stupid, but you've got Chevy, Jane, Gilda and a bunch of others sneaking over to perform on SS and TMS.

And then, years later, as we've mentioned, the TMS Muppets appear on SNL, which leads to Belushi blowing a capillary up in heaven and Jim and Richard having a good healthy laugh over the irony of it all.

 

[The Count]

Ahem... Don't forget...
Chevy Chase appeared in Follow That Bird, Jane Curtain appeared in a Sesame Street sketch (would like to know which one), and Gilda Radner was the guest star for an episode of The Muppet Show as previously stated.

However... Loraine Newman was the voice of Mommy Dodo in Follow That Bird.
And of course, one of the later additions to the original cast of not-ready-for-primetime players, philosophy major and former Disneyland employee, Steve Martin appeared as his famous Insolent Waiter character in The Muppet Movie.

So your face Belushi! Though he probably got a double your face when the Gorch Muppets tried to get more airtime by taking over his bee-costume character.

 

[spcglider]

Ahem... Don't forget...

And of course, one of the later additions to the original cast of not-ready-for-primetime players, philosophy major and former Disneyland employee, Steve Martin appeared as his famous Insolent Waiter character in The Muppet Movie.

Not only that, but Steve Martin was a first season or second season guest on TMS as well.

-G

 

[The Count]

Right... Season 2, Episode 8 (208) or Episode 32 of the entire TMS TV run.
That was the memorable episode where Statler and Waldorf's wishes were granted... There was no show that night!
Instead, the Muppets took the opportunity to preview potential new acts/additions to the show and/or cast.

There's a funny bit where Fozzie's nervous about Baskerville taking his place as resident comedian before Kermit reassures him that's not the case.
And then Lenny the Lizard comes out to try out for the show's new MC... Earning a quick dismissal from the frog, and the frog got a sort of "turn about's fair play" laugh from the bear.