Up, Up and Away

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One cool Muppet clip that hasn't been shown in decades was Betty Lou and her friend Jack (looks like Roosevelt Franklin with different colored hair) singing this great version of the Fifth Dimension classic. Jim really did have a fine voice. Betty Lou's friend Billy invites her to fly in his airplane, but our hero convinces her to join him in his hot air balloon. Then the song starts.
Near the end, Billy comes flying by in his plane, and pokes a small hole in the balloon, and we hear the air hissing and the balloon starts to sink. But Billy picks up the other two and flies away in his plane. Betty Lou looks pleased as punch, but our friend Jack is more than a little miffed.

At a young age, I thought this and Octopus's Garden were Sesame songs. I had no idea they were just covers of famous groups. At the age of five I had a lot to learn.

Does anybody in this vast universe remember this one, let alone have it?

OK, I'll admit right up front that my memory ain't what it used to be. That said, I remember this episode both vividly and differently.

The way I remember it, both Jack and Billy were in the opening sequence, with Betty Lou reluctantly joining Jack in his balloon after a verbal tug-of-war between Jack and Billy. The song then proceeds as usual, with Billy showing up halfway through making passes by the balloon in his plane. I remember Betty Lou JUMPING OUT of the balloon and showing up in Billy's airplane, much to the dismay of Jack. Billy and Betty Lou then spiral up and around Jack's balloon, and Billy bumps the balloon from the side with his plane's propeller, in plain view (rather than obliquely from the rear as in the video currently on Youtube). The damage to the balloon done, Billy and Betty Lou fly from view, and Jack is left alone to bemoan his hissing balloon until it finally bursts and drops him from sight. However, Jack shows up on the plane with Billy and Betty Lou, appearing sullied while Billy smiles triumphantly.

I remember being a bit traumatized as a young child by the notion that Betty Lou would jump from the safety of the balloon basket to (hopefully!) be caught by Billy, and also by Billy's intentional damage of Jack's balloon and Betty Lou's seeming nonchalance at this sinister act.

I'm wondering whether the differences between my memory and the Youtube video might be explained by a redo of the segment for Israeli TV, with the original U.S. broadcast being the version I remember, because I remember the scenes being shot from a slightly wider angle, and Billy being a dark-haired Muppet.

Anyone care to chime in on my alternate reality/poor memory/insanity?

 

[LittleJerry92]

Okay, so coming back to this thread…..

It’s honestly a massive shame fuzzygobo retired from this forum 2 years ago because I would have loved to hear his thoughts on the full English clip with it since surfaced on YouTube. But I’m sure he probably has seen it by now and absolutely enjoyed it.