Vincent Price vs Alice Cooper

[Mad Hatter]

Hello ! I'm Mad Hatter from French-speaking Belgium. I sometimes read this great forum, but I never write on it, and I know I'm wrong. So, today, I will start a new discussion : what's your favorite "horrific" Muppet Show episode, the Vincent Price or the Alice Cooper one ? Personnally, I love the two episodes, Vincent Price is wonderful (with Uncle Deadly, what a duo !!!), but I've got a little preference for the Alice Cooper one, more spectacular and varied.

In the VP Episode, all the sketches and skits (except a short dialogue of the Talking Houses) are based of the theme of spookiness and monsters, and the whole episode is very fine. In the AC one, the spookiness is essentially in the numbers of the guest and in the backstage sketches, but most of the other parts of the show have a weird atmosphere (the toothache sketch with stalactites and stalagmites, the Pigs in Space in which they become sorts of transparent ghosts...). Even the performance of Robin singing the song from Wizard of Oz "Somewhere over the rainbow" brings a funny contrast with the other sketches.

What's your opinion ? Excuse my writing, English isn't my mother tongue.

Best wishes to the Muppets lovers.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Hello Mad hatter. Welcome to the boards. As for the topic only having Vincent Price on my season one set I can't really give an opinion much. I do remember Alice Cooper but I'd have to see the two of them back to back in order to make a final decision. But they're both pretty good of course.

 

[minor muppetz]

I really like the Alice Cooper episode better.

 

[Skye]

Welcome, it's nice to see you, Mad Hatter!

I have only seen the Vincent Price episode, which I totally adore! But I can't wait to see Alice Cooper's episode! It definitely sounds awesome, and kinda fun. And from what I've heard about it... as much as I love Vincent's episode, I may end up liking Alice's episode better!

 

[Winslow Leach]

Hmmmm...this is a tough one. Vincent Price is one of my favorite actors, and Alice Cooper is one of my favorite singers! I've seen both episodes countless times over the years, and had them both on videotape when I was younger. I used to watch them back to back every Halloween.

The Vincent Price episode has one of my all-time favorite Muppet sketches, "Horror House," in which Fozzie and Gonzo rent a haunted house that was listed in the "Wampire Veekly." I love Vincent's performance in this one, and especially Uncle Deadley as his "beautiful assistant." They make a great team! The copy I taped off TV years ago has the original closing line from UD: "On New Year's Eve, the Master turns into Guy Lombardo!" When this episode aired on Nickelodeon the name "Jack Parnell" (the Muppet music director?) was dubbed in. This was also on the "Muppet Monsters" video and is on the current DVD of season 1. I haven't heard "Guy Lombardo" in years.

The show also has one of the best round-table discussions with Vincent talking about his culinary talents, while Gorgon Heap eats the other guests. The U.K. spot is also tops, with a trio of ghosts singing one of my favorite Beatles tunes, "I'm Looking Through You." Vincent & Kermit's talk spot is cute. Statler & Waldorf have a funny scene, and Vincent's closing number (also not on the DVD), "You've Got a Friend," shows off his impressive vocals. Oh yeah, the 3-headed monster is fun, too!

In all, the VP episode of TMS is one of season one's most solid, entertaining shows. Vincent is clearly having a good time spoofing himself.

The Alice Cooper episode is another standout. It features two of my all-time favorite AC songs, "Welcome To My Nightmare" and "You and Me," in which he sings a duet with a Muppet monster (Louise Gold, I believe). At the end of the song, the monster turns into Miss Piggy! Like Vincent, Alice is poking gentle fun at his spooky image. The opening "Welcome To My Nightmare" number, with Alice as a vampire in a spooky castle is great, and the Muppet monster band that backs him are a bunch of cool-looking ghouls. I swear one of them looks like the Phantom, a.k.a. Winslow Leach, from Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise. Could Jim have seen the film, and have based the character on the Phantom?

The "toothache" sketch always used to creep me out.

"School's Out," performed by Alice and the giant Muppet monsters is another clever bit.

I'm foggy on this, but I know there's a backstage bit where Alice tries to take the Muppet's souls, a la Faust, by promising them wealth and fame. Isn't Gonzo the one who tries to sign the contract, but Kermit stops him? Something like that. Anyway, I remember it being pretty funny.

So...I'm choosing the Alice Cooper episode very slightly over the V.P. show, if only because it has cool music and a slightly spookier atmosphere on/backstage than the Vincent Price ep.

But I love 'em both!

 

[Winslow Leach]

P.S. Great topic, Mad Hatter!

 

[MuppetMarc]

Well, both of them are pretty old by now, but I'd put my money on...oh, you mean the content of the episodes well, I haven't seen the Alice Cooper episode yet, but I am a fan of his. "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"

 

[Mad Hatter]

Thanks for your replies. Winslow, thanks for your good analysis. In the VP episode, my favourite moments are the Horror House, the closing singing number, the spooky "At the dance" (with the couple of ghosts and the vampire biting his partner) and the ghosts performing the Beatles song. And also this short bit of two seconds, in which you can see they’re only monsters in the audience.

A notable difference between the two episodes is the character of the guest : Alice Cooper is wilder and more devilish, when Vincent Price is classier (you notice his easy-going smile of gentleman in the round-table and in the talk-spot with Kermit). Vincent Price even sometimes seems to be a bit overtaken by events, for instance when Kermit, turned into a frog vampire, bites him, or when Sweetums "offers a hand" to him.

Another notable difference is the absence of Miss Piggy in the Vincent Price Episode. Maybe at the time, the screenwriters decided such a sensual, combative character was not very suitable for a spooky, ghastly, scary episode.

 

[Winslow Leach]

Thanks for your replies. Winslow, thanks for your good analysis. In the VP episode, my favourite moments are the Horror House, the closing singing number, the spooky "At the dance" (with the couple of ghosts and the vampire biting his partner) and the ghosts performing the Beatles song. And also this short bit of two seconds, in which you can see they’re only monsters in the audience.

A notable difference between the two episodes is the character of the guest : Alice Cooper is wilder and more devilish, when Vincent Price is classier (you notice his easy-going smile of gentleman in the round-table and in the talk-spot with Kermit). Vincent Price even sometimes seems to be a bit overtaken by events, for instance when Kermit, turned into a frog vampire, bites him, or when Sweetums "offers a hand" to him.

Another notable difference is the absence of Miss Piggy in the Vincent Price Episode. Maybe at the time, the screenwriters decided such a sensual, combative character was not very suitable for a spooky, ghastly, scary episode.

Oh yeah, I forgot that Piggy doesn't appear in the VP episode! In real life, Vincent Price was a classy gentleman, as you said. Although he was noted for his horror roles, he had a wonderful sense of humor about them. He was a gourmet and avid art collector.

The Statler & Waldorf bit I referred to in my earlier post was the one where they recall a former horror actor, "Boris Klinger." He appears in the box, and Statler is so scared, he literally jumps out of his seat. Waldorf tells him to bring back some popcorn, "with butter," adds Boris.

Interestingly, Alice Cooper's real first name is Vincent!

 

[minor muppetz]

The Statler & Waldorf bit I referred to in my earlier post was the one where they recall a former horror actor, "Boris Klinger." He appears in the box, and Statler is so scared, he literally jumps out of his seat. Waldorf tells him to bring back some popcorn, "with butter," adds Boris.

Actually, the monsters name was Thudge McGurk. But I know that the name Boris Klinger was mentioned by either Statler or Waldorf in a first season episode. I forget which one.