Pigs singing the Happy Wanderer

[MartyMuppets]

Yes Caroline it is fun indeed. The fast mode is truly priceless as you say but I definitely favour the slow mode. So much is surprisingly highlighted when slowed down.
For another example you can follow how nervous they were at heart even though they were reasonably so cool and calm after the first one fell.
The inflections in the way they said Uh-oh, and even the seriousness in the way the leader said "Watch your step." It probably would have sounded more realistically dramatic if the middle piggy had responded with the "I will! I will!" line. Or maybe even "Yeah, you too."
But they really were very good shaken up reactions although too strictly speaking calm, were they not?

 

[Skye]

That's really cool, Marty, and awesome that you can hear so much! Very interesting how you can follow their nervousness while listening to it slower. Though of course after watching them and seeing fer sure how nervous they were, that can definitely add to that also.
That's a good point that it may have been more realistic if the middle piggy had said "I will! I will!" or Yeah, you too." I think I would've liked that, but... who said the Muppets worked on incredibly realistic portrayals of things!
They were speaking calmly, but I imagine the audience knew how nervous they were. It would be hard not to be nervous during something like that! But it's awesome how you're getting to know the piggy sketch even better, with the visual and now the audio! Our leader is an expert on this sketch, I do believe!

 

[MartyMuppets]

Why thank you Caroline. Maybe I should get a diploma for my remarkable knowledge of it.

 

[MartyMuppets]

They were speaking calmly, but I imagine the audience knew how nervous they were. It would be hard not to be nervous during something like that! But it's awesome how you're getting to know the piggy sketch even better, with the visual and now the audio! Our leader is an expert on this sketch, I do believe!

I was wondering to myself Caroline whether you meant the Muppet Theater audience or the general television audience knew how nervous they really were.

In any case I can imagine how difficult it would be not to be nervous after such an occurence. You wouldn't really be in much of an immediate frame of mind to show grief for your buddy would you? The thought that you may be soon joining him would take a lot of first priority in your mind.

 

[Skye]

Hey, that's perfect! We should make you a diploma... I'm sure the piggies would've loved to present you with it!

Well, I did mean the general TV audience, but it can work for any audience, really.
Actually, after the first piggy fell, since they felt it was an accident, I would think they wouldn't feel like they would join him (because they decided to watch their steps even closer now) so realistically, I do think it would be natural for them to think about their buddy and show grief for him. But... there's that whole Muppets and realism thing again, don'tcha know!

 

[MartyMuppets]

Hey, that's perfect! We should make you a diploma... I'm sure the piggies would've loved to present you with it

Actually I think they still would very much like to do so Caroline. After all it was only a sketch that the piggies performed as part of the show guest starring John Denver. Like William said the mountain was a prop that they were scaling on a staircase. And the boulders were rigged up props to roll down a controlled rig line at the end. The piggies were great actors and also great acrobats, were they not? And like you said the Muppets don't need to display things altogether realistically in their hilarious sketches.

The only thing that went wrong as I explained towards the beginning of our thread was that dumb Beauregard forgot to put a mattress down on stage for them to land in. But it's all right. I'm sure they'll be fully recovered from their injuries by now. So they can present me with the diploma and I can congratulate them on their superb performance.

 

[Skye]

That is so very true, and a perfect point that my sweet guy brought up, too. And our piggies sure are great actors and acrobats... hehe, acrobats, I hadn't thought about them like that before but I love it! And hey, part of the Muppets charm is coming up with such strange, unusual, uncommon, crazy things the way they do!

You're absolutely right, because even though Beauregard was silly and forgot the put the mattress down, they are Muppets, and as we've talked about, they can survive anything. Heck, there's a good chance they weren't even injured at all! Yay, happy ending! Aww you're right... I can totally imagine them giving you your so very earned diploma as you congratulate them on their performance. I sure do look forward to that day!

 

[MartyMuppets]

You know when you said there's a good chance that they weren't even injured at all I thought about the closing number of the Hal Lynden episode where silly Beauregard was testing onstage trapdoor releases. And the members of the Electric Mayhem and Hal himself kept falling through and climbing back up onstage apparently unharmed to resume performing. Remarkable how those Muppets also managed to get their guest star "hurt" with no injury that time isn't it?

 

[Skye]

Lol, that sounds like a very cute part of the episode! And you're so right, it is pretty incredible how the Muppets and even their guest stars can pull that off. They're pretty darn talented at escaping disaster, that's fer sure!

 

[MartyMuppets]

Actually, after the first piggy fell, since they felt it was an accident, I would think they wouldn't feel like they would join him (because they decided to watch their steps even closer now) so realistically, I do think it would be natural for them to think about their buddy and show grief for him. But... there's that whole Muppets and realism thing again, don'tcha know!

So true that Muppets and realism just don't seem to blend in very well at all.

I thought in response to this other point of yours disregarding the stage show part of the sketch again. Why do you suppose the piggy on the end was nervous in the first place? Was he absolutely convinced somehow suddenly that he may fall at least himself? Then again there's no realism to these sketches as we've already said. And somebody climbing a mountain singing a happy song while acting nervous about it is about as far from realism as you can get.