Uncredited Performers

minor muppetz

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Does anybody know why puppeteers are sometimes uncredited in Henson productions? It seems like it's especially common for performers who only provided voices to be uncredited.

Here are some examples of uncredited performers:

Jim Henson- uncredited (as a performer) in Tale of the Tinkerdee, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, John Denver and The Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday, The Christmas Toy, Miss Piggy's Hollywood, and most of his performances on Fraggle Rock.

Frank Oz- uncredited in Wow, You're a Cartoonist! (I'm not sure if he just performed the voice or if his scenes were recorded seperately, but those reasons seem logical for him being uncredited, but I could be wrong).

Dave Goelz- uncredited in Wow, You're a cartoonist! (probably for the same reason that Frank Oz was uncredited)

Richard Hunt- uncredited in Miss Piggy's Hollywood.

Louise Gold- uncredited for the entire second season of The Muppet Show (the other performers who auditioned that season were also uncredited).

Jerry Juhl- uncredited (as a performer) in Tale of the Tinkerdee and The Frog Prince (I've read that for the latter it's because he only performed Taminella's voice, but I think Carl Banas was credited despite only performing the voice of Sweetums).

Terry Angus- uncredited in The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show and A Muppet Family Christmas.

Rick Lyon- uncredited in A Muppet Family Christmas.

Kristine Donnelly- uncredited in Muppets From Space.

Kevin Clash- The Muppets: A Celebration of Thirty Years.

Performers are usually also uncredited in variety/ talk show appearances. In The Muppets: A Celebration of Thirty Years, only the performers who performed voices were credited. In A Muppet Family Christmas, all non-vocal performers (with the exception of David Rudman) were uncredited. All of the extra performers hired for the closing scene from The Muppet Movie weren't credited, but I think I can figure out why, I just don't know how to explain. Probably the same deal with the uncredited performers from the wedding scene from The Muppets Take Manhattan.
 

TotallySpiesFan

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Don't forget Jerry Nelson. He was uncredited for The Muppet Show's Connie Stevens episode.
 

Tim

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Sometimes it's a contractual things (people aren't legally supposed to be there), sometimes a Union issue (Union performers working non), a career decision (taking a smaller non-speakeing roll when their reps are trying to get bigger jobs for them) and sometimes it'e personal (fiends helping friends, or just there to have fun).

Christopher Reeve helped puppeteer on the Bob Hope Muppet Show because he was friends with Frank Oz. On Disney's original release of "Fantasia" the only two names to appear on screen were Walt's and Stokowski's. Even Dustin Hoffman appeared as "Mumbles" in Dick Tracy as a favor to Warren Beatty. Sometimes producer's will consider puppeteers who don't provide voices a "below the line" (lesser) performers, pay them less and don't give them screen credit. This is something ErenOzker fought against.
 

minor muppetz

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Tim said:
Christopher Reeve helped puppeteer on the Bob Hope Muppet Show because he was friends with Frank Oz.
I didn't know that he was friends with Frank Oz. I thought he just performed in that episode because he was hanging around the set. Does this friendship have anything to do with him eventually becoming a guest star?
 

Tim

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That, and "Superman" I'm sure, which was shot in England.
 

SwedishChefCook

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I think the reason Jerry Nelson was uncredited for The Connie Stevens episode is because none of his charachters were in that episode, and I don't think he performed any background Muppets. Now I do know Floyd had a number "Aint Misbehaving" in the UK version of this episode, but mabye that's why Jerry wasn't in the credits because he wasn't in the US version. IDK
 

minor muppetz

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SwedishChefCook said:
I think the reason Jerry Nelson was uncredited for The Connie Stevens episode is because none of his charachters were in that episode, and I don't think he performed any background Muppets. Now I do know Floyd had a number "Aint Misbehaving" in the UK version of this episode, but mabye that's why Jerry wasn't in the credits because he wasn't in the US version. IDK
The first two episodes were reworked after regular production of the first season had began. Many scenes were cut and new sceens were cut. Ain't Misbehavin' was filmed then, when Jerry Nelson was able to perform. Other scenes that were filmed later include Miss Piggy karate chopping kermit after the opening number, the backstage plot, and the Muppet News sketch. Nobody here knows what was cut. I do not know when the two pilots were reworked.
 
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