My Version of Behind the Scenes of "The Muppet Movie"

[minor muppetz]

It certainly wouldn't have mattered at all if someone changed places, just Muppet groups-most "duos" were performed by the same person anyway.

Of course, as most of us already know, Earl "Was Once Ernie" Kress only performed Ernie, and he said that the person performing Bert only performed Bert, and he mentioned that Richard Hunt performed both Statler and Janice, so somebody else performed Waldorf (I am surprised by this, and also surprised that Hunt didn't perform Scooter in this scene).

I guess there weren't any monitors in the scene, right (there would have had to have been hundreds of monitors for everybody)?

 

[Was Once Ernie]

I guess there weren't any monitors in the scene, right (there would have had to have been hundreds of monitors for everybody)?

There were monitors... in the front of the pit. Only the people up there could see them, including Jim and Frank, of course. But from where Jerry Nelson or Richard Hunt were, I don't even know if they could see them.

Jim and Frank kept watching playbacks on the monitor between takes.

 

[Tim]

Out of interest Tim, were the scenes set in the projector room the last to do of the whole film or were there still bits to do? The reason I ask is because I wondered if you got to watch the film like the Muppets do in that scene.

Also, were all the scenes set in the projector room done on the same day or on different days? Were you involved in the final projector scene (the one while the end credits roll)? If so, was any of it scripted or was it all ad-lib?

Most films are usually shot roughly in order, with location or outdoor backlot shooting generally the first to be done for any number of reasons. Kermit's swamp scene was pretty much the first to be shot, and we finished up with the Rainbow bit kind of at the end. Since the screening room was the first scene was the first interior scenen in the movie it was done about halfway through the schedule. Not knowing for sure, (since I was only there for the first day they used it-the shots of the camera moving over the whole group and then when Kermit enters) I would guess that would have taken 3-4 days to do since the entire set had to be shot from two opposite angles. That would of course require completely repositioning cameras and lighting, tearing at least part of the back wall out and adding the movie screen wall. It's possible, they might have used any downtime while they rebuilt the set to shoot smaller stuff, but I never saw anything but much of that one day. The film within the film was of course an optical effect dropped in after principal photography was done, so the screen would have been blank anyway.

The early draft of the script I have suggests the characters talk over the end credit roll, and has suggested lines, but I'm sure a lot of that was partly ad-libbed, or worked out right before filming (Sweetums eating the fish, for example).

 

[Was Once Ernie]

They actually shot the "Magic Store" song and the scene that comes before the big finale after we shot the rainbow scene. I know this because I was there two days later. That was how I got to go to dailies and see the "Magic Store" scenes, plus the all-Muppet finale.

So, even though in the big finale the wreckage of the set is strewn about the stage, it actually hadn't happened yet.

 

[Tim]

Makes sense..why wreck the scenery before you have to!

Anyway, that scene had to be done last. Time or People magazine (can't remember which offhand) making the point of how busy Jim was during that period writing something to the effect of "sweeping up the rainbow and heading back to England for the new season of TMS", and I know he pretty much said the same thing in an interview. It was October and I would think he had a week or two at most to be back in Europe.

BTW I know Jim stayed at The Sportsmen's Lodge on Ventura Blvd. during his stay out here. Anyone know where the others bunked in for the duration?

 

[travellingpat]

Hmm no idea! how many hotels are in that area...must have taken a lot of rooms to fit all the puppeteers.

How many were there? Does anyone know for sure? -not sure if this has been asked earlier but i dont want to go all the way back

 

[minor muppetz]

I have noticed that in the first screening room scene, just as the lights go off and the film is about to start, Fletcherbird and Mean Mama get out of their seats (it looks like Fletcherbird just stands up, but Mean Mama definately leaves the room). Do you happen to know if there was any meaning to this? I don't know how often background actions are written into the scripts, but could the people inside of them have been told to leave, or could the costumed actors have felt like standing up? Doglion remained seating, though.

 

[Tim]

Generally speaking NOTHING happens on camera that is not supposed to, and that includes signifigant background action.

I don't remeber the shot itself off hand, and I'd have to look at it again to guess why they moved, but it could be anything from prepairing a camera move, to the timing of a scene (an upcoming cut the director was planning on doing) to simply putting more action into the room at that moment. Since most of the rest of the puppets were locked into their chairs maybe they just wanted to create the illusion that the characters were all so excited about the film starting that they were looking for the best seats by moving one or two of the largest figures.

At any rate I think we can rule out puppeteers needing a potty break while fim was rolling!

 

[minor muppetz]

Generally speaking NOTHING happens on camera that is not supposed to, and that includes signifigant background action.

I'm trying to figure out what you mean. I don't see how nothing that is not supposed to happen on-camera happens on-camera. I know of times when things that weren't supposed to happen on-camera happened on-camera (call it improv).

 

[Tim]

Well, except for "bloopers" that are left in a film and improvising scenes, major things like figures moving about are not done on the spot. Certainly no one would have been allowed to just get up and walk out beacause they would have gotten tired. I've done a few bits where I've had noting to do but hold up a character in the background and was directed as if I was carying the scene.

The rainbow scene was a good example. I remember Mr. Frawley concerned about how "the big guys" at the back of the group were to look up at the rainbow in time to the camera move as well as Jim and Frank telling everyone not to shake the heads as they held the last note of the song-like anyone would really notice on the Koozbanian babies.