The MuppetCast - Show #36 - A Very Muffin Christmas

[stephenjlizard]

This week it's all about "It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie". Saddle up and let's have some fun!

Did you know the Muppet recently received a Grammy nomination for "A Green and Red Christmas"? Make sure you have this album for the holiday season this year. Find it at Amazon here.

I know there are aspects of VMMX that were left out, but unfortunately I was under the weather all weekend, so I didn't even get started on the show until Sunday. I hope what I've included in the show makes it good enough to stand on its own among the other Christmas shows.

Let me know what you think! Have a great week.

 

[The Count]

Hey Steve. Just finished Episode 36. Was gonna do the same thing David did, but Show 36 still wasn't up at 10 PM last night by the time I finished relistening to Show 35. Absolutely thrilled to hear the review of VMMCM, it was just as thorough as the other Christmas podcasts. Few things though...
1 That's not Bobby Vegan as the Muppets' choreographer. That was a different character, named Howard Tubman. You might remember him as one of Brian Henson's characters from Muppets Tonight, featured in the Tubmans of Porksmith, one of the show's three UK segments.
If you go to the start of the Tinsel Town News thread, you'll find a few posts by our own frogboy4 comparing the duo side-by-side.
2 The people Fozzie encounters when trying to get the money to Rachael Bitterman... You mentioned them as the "Whos", but they're actually the "Whats" or more specifically the "Nut-Whats". They, along with Fozzie painted green were parodies of another Christmas classic that got a somewhat popular movie release back in 2002. Will leave you to figure out which one though.
3 You also said that Fozzie was helped by "What" and "I Don't Know". Who were these characters? Would like to know to add to the master list.
4 It was such a treat to hear the Inside the Actor's Studio with Pepe featurette. Haven't seen that nor my copy of VMMCM yet, but hope to along with all my other Muppet movies this Christmas break.

Hope you were able to get the Silver Screen Crackers narration of MCC for next week's show. On a similar line, MCR aired a fifteen minute-long track listed as "The Music of Emmet Otter" where all the actors and Paul Williams spoke about creating that special, similar to the one of MCC you're hunting down. You remember Dave explain how the Pop-Eyed Catfish worked in the big Riverbottom Nightmare Band number? Well, here Jerry Nelson says that because he was standing in front of Dave, he got drenched in the process.
Jerry's character in the band BTW was The Weasel.

Hope this helps and I eagerly wait for the next show to be uploaded.

 

[Luke]

4 It was such a treat to hear the Inside the Actor's Studio with Pepe featurette. Haven't seen that nor my copy of VMMCM yet, but hope to along with all my other Muppet movies this Christmas break.

I haven't listened to it yet but including that makes me want to listen asap, have wanted to hear that for a while. I think Bobby Vegan was based on Howard Tubman so we can let Steve off for that slip up, lol.

 

[The Count]

Heh... If you say so Luke.
A couple of things I forgot from earlier...
The remix Drew made, it's a good splicing job of the version of the song aired as part of the actual TV movie and the version from the soundtrack.
One thing that is very touching in VMMCM is when Kermit goes to the park to mope on his own, he passes a statue erected in his honor, bearing a plack that reads "For the lovers, the dreamers, and you".

 

[stephenjlizard]

Howard Tubman, huh? That's cool. I knew that Kermit called him Howard, but I didn't think to look up that character on Muppet Wiki. I'll have to check out frogboy's comparison of the two characters; I'm sure they share many traits, lol. I thought it might have been Bobby playing a character named Howard; the guy's gotta earn a paycheck every now and then.

Now that you mentioned it, I went back and listened to the section with the "What's", an obvious takeoff of the "who's" from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I didn't hear them refer to themselves as "What's" until just now. I thought they just licensed the name "Who's" for the movie. The joke about Fozzie's friends "What" and "I Don't Know" is from the famous "Who's on first" routine, from the great Abbot & Costello. They weren't in the movie; I just threw them in to see if you were listening.

I think for this Muppet special in particular, hearing a lot of it instead of seeing it made me notice different things. Two examples of this, first, when Gonzo first introduces Luc Fromage, and Luc says "...but I am not stinky like ze cheese!", I never noticed Gonzo's line "No, no...it's a different sort of smell." Ha! I never heard that before. The other quick line I never noticed was, when Kermit is breaking the hard news about forgoing any payment next year, Sam asks, "How will I afford my Propecia?", and what I never heard was someone ask him "That's not a toupee?" Great stuff!

Unfortunately I haven't gotten ahold of the Silver Screen Crackers audio yet. Even if I don't, I still have a lot of material to sift through for the MCC show. The bit you heard recently on MCR talking about Emmet Otter is from an extra on the most recently released edition of the DVD. I recorded that from my Emmet Otter disc and thought about using it, but there was just so much to cover, and especially with Dave Goelz and the screening in Columbus, it just didn't make the cut. It's great stuff though!

If there's anything special you'd like to hear or think should be included in the Christmas Eve show, let me know on this thread and I'll do my best. That goes for anyone reading this! Either sound off here or email me@muppetcast.com.

Thanks again Count and Luke!

 

[stephenjlizard]

There was a soundtrack?

I remember that part with the statue also; it was really a last-minute decision to cut it from the podcast. I figured that most people listening had seen the movie before, and they'd know that it was there, so no real harm in cutting it. I don't know if that statue exists anywhere in reality, but it should!

And c'mon count, let me off the hook for Howard! Lol. Kermit would let it slide!

 

[The Count]

Yeah well... You're lucky that you've got the frog covering for you this time. But it is the holidays, so eh, go on... Get out there and play in that snow. There is an exceptionally well-written fanfic that involves Howard as the Muppets' choreographer once again, has some Christmas sentiment where it's currently at, but focuses more on the relationship between the pig and the frog. Bit grownup at times, but I'll let you make the call should you chance to read it some time.

The one thing I'd love to hear in your Christmas Eve show is probably "True Blue Miracle" from Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. Like I've said before, it holds memories for me.

 

[stephenjlizard]

Muppet Wiki: Howard Tubman is a member of America's oldest and fattest family, The Tubmans of Porksmith. He was featured with his butler Carter in a recurring sketch on Muppets Tonight.

That's where I've seen him before! I was just watching some MT episodes, and that just sparked my memory when I looked at his Muppet Wiki page!

 

[The Count]

Yep... That'd be Howard. There's a funny one where he meets his inner "Thin Howard". Any other help we can give, just let us know.

 

[theprawncracker]

Listening to show #36 now, Steve, and it's great, as usual! It's keeping me from doing my finals studying... Hehe, I'm certainly not complaining! Another great show Steve! Keep it up pal!