Watched The Muppet Movie and noticing a lot of new stuff...

[Mo Frackle]

I'd highly recommend reading ToughPigs' article on the original script for TMM. It's really cool to look at how much wound up being changed.
http://www.toughpigs.com/anthmovie00.htm

 

[mupcollector1]

Cool, thanks. I remember seeing on a couple of sites where they either sell copies or actual copies of Muppet Movie scripts (mainly movie script sites), some are rough drafts and some are the final draft. I'm still trying to find Jerry Juhl's original Muppets From Space script since I heard that certain directors...well let's just say that there was a lot changed, especially the ending. By the way, MFS was based on Gonzo's song from The Muppet Movie right?

 

[Mo Frackle]

Cool, thanks. I remember seeing on a couple of sites where they either sell copies or actual copies of Muppet Movie scripts (mainly movie script sites), some are rough drafts and some are the final draft. I'm still trying to find Jerry Juhl's original Muppets From Space script since I heard that certain directors...well let's just say that there was a lot changed, especially the ending. By the way, MFS was based on Gonzo's song from The Muppet Movie right?

Yeah that script was written by Jerry Juhl and Joey Mazzarino. Originally, Randal Kleiser was set to direct, but it was felt he wasn't bringing enough 'vision' to the project. Jerry and Joey had to choose between two other guys to direct the film. They wound up choosing Tim Hill. While a nice guy, Tim made way too many pointless changes to the script that really hurt the film. And I'm assuming MFS was at least partially inspired by "I'm Going to go Back there Someday" (though Brian Henson once said that the Henson Company wanted to explore the relationship between Gonzo and Rizzo a little deeper).

 

[mupcollector1]

Yeah that script was written by Jerry Juhl and Joey Mazzarino. Originally, Randal Kleiser was set to direct, but it was felt he wasn't bringing enough 'vision' to the project. Jerry and Joey had to choose between two other guys to direct the film. They wound up choosing Tim Hill. While a nice guy, Tim made way too many pointless changes to the script that really hurt the film. And I'm assuming MFS was at least partially inspired by "I'm Going to go Back there Someday" (though Brian Henson once said that the Henson Company wanted to explore the relationship between Gonzo and Rizzo a little deeper).

Yeah Tim Hill, even though he also directed the CGI Alvin and The Chipmunks movies (shivers) I think the only good thing that I liked from the guy was KaBlam's Action League NOW! Those were really funny. They were knock-offs of famous toys like HeMan and Barbie and they get ran over by cars or thrown into blenders, kind of a Mr. Bill kind of feeling to them. lol But yeah, I remember Frank Oz said how much he didn't like the film and I wonder if that was the reason why he slowly left The Muppets.

Personally I would have liked either Brain Henson to direct or even Kirk Thatcher since I wrote a draft called "Muppets In Space". It just doesn't make much since to me that they got an outside director. Then again, we had Jason Segal and The Muppets (2011) in my opinion was a lot better than MFS. Especially Miss Piggy and Fozzie both having some sort of toilet joke in the movie. Animal dunking his head into a toilet is okay with me, he's primitive so it makes since to his character. But what really disturbed me was Sam the Eagle dancing with some girl at the Celebration musical number. So NOT Cool, so not his character. Man, Frank's characters totally didn't get much respect in that movie, did they?

But like I was mentioning about The Muppet Movie and even in Great Muppet Caper, there were so many dialog jokes that I now get as an adult. "If that's the happiness hotel, I wonder what the sad one looks like" lol The joke just came to me one morning and I was like "OH NOW I GET IT!" lol But like what Jane Henson said in the Henson's Place documentary "It was camp since the begaining" lol From the explosions to the slapstick, The Muppets also had a love of bad campy jokes. lol And I don't see much of that anymore with the current stuff. I think It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie was the last production I've seen with that nature sort of.

 

[Mo Frackle]

Yeah Tim Hill, even though he also directed the CGI Alvin and The Chipmunks movies (shivers) I think the only good thing that I liked from the guy was KaBlam's Action League NOW! Those were really funny. They were knock-offs of famous toys like HeMan and Barbie and they get ran over by cars or thrown into blenders, kind of a Mr. Bill kind of feeling to them. lol But yeah, I remember Frank Oz said how much he didn't like the film and I wonder if that was the reason why he slowly left The Muppets.

Personally I would have liked either Brain Henson to direct or even Kirk Thatcher since I wrote a draft called "Muppets In Space". It just doesn't make much since to me that they got an outside director. Then again, we had Jason Segal and The Muppets (2011) in my opinion was a lot better than MFS. Especially Miss Piggy and Fozzie both having some sort of toilet joke in the movie. Animal dunking his head into a toilet is okay with me, he's primitive so it makes since to his character. But what really disturbed me was Sam the Eagle dancing with some girl at the Celebration musical number. So NOT Cool, so not his character. Man, Frank's characters totally didn't get much respect in that movie, did they?

But like I was mentioning about The Muppet Movie and even in Great Muppet Caper, there were so many dialog jokes that I now get as an adult. "If that's the happiness hotel, I wonder what the sad one looks like" lol The joke just came to me one morning and I was like "OH NOW I GET IT!" lol But like what Jane Henson said in the Henson's Place documentary "It was camp since the begaining" lol From the explosions to the slapstick, The Muppets also had a love of bad campy jokes. lol And I don't see much of that anymore with the current stuff. I think It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie was the last production I've seen with that nature sort of.

Frank leaving had nothing to do with this movie. His non-Muppet directing schedule simply became busier and busier to the point where he felt it was best to retire from the Muppets. Actually, I didn't mind the Sam joke. Not sure how Frank felt about it, though. Since Frank wasn't on the set for most of this movie and had to dub his characters in post, I can only imagine what Frank was thinking while he had to dub lines like "I have to pee!".

As for getting an outside director, my guess is that was Columbia's doing. I think Disney also wanted an outside director for "The Muppets". Thank goodness it was somebody who actually was a huge fan.

 

[Hubert]

But like I was mentioning about The Muppet Movie and even in Great Muppet Caper, there were so many dialog jokes that I now get as an adult. "If that's the happiness hotel, I wonder what the sad one looks like" lol The joke just came to me one morning and I was like "OH NOW I GET IT!" lol

OK...I have to ask...is there something I'm missing here? I don't want to sound offensive, but it seems like a pretty easy joke to get...unless you are speaking of some deeper meaning?

 

[mupcollector1]

OK...I have to ask...is there something I'm missing here? I don't want to sound offensive, but it seems like a pretty easy joke to get...unless you are speaking of some deeper meaning?

LOL, well like I was mentioning in the begaining of this thread, like some of us if not most I was a Muppet fan since God knows when and I'm slowly getting the irreverent jokes and stuff within the dialog. lol

For this example, I'll explain. When I was a kid and even through out my youth, I thought the joke was refering that this hotel was happy and Fozzie was just curious if there was a sad one. NOW in my 20s, I'm like remembering all these lines and remembering how the Happiness Hotel looked all shabby and falling apart so what I was getting at was the joke makes more sense. Fozzie looks at the Happiness Hotel seeing how bad shape it is and pointing out it's ironic name "If that's the Happiness Hotel, I wonder what the sad one looks like". So what I was pointing at was I finally got the joke and it wasn't just is there a sad hotel or a mad hotel but, the Irony I finally got. lol So that's what I meant on that.

 

[Hubert]

LOL, well like I was mentioning in the begaining of this thread, like some of us if not most I was a Muppet fan since God knows when and I'm slowly getting the irreverent jokes and stuff within the dialog. lol

For this example, I'll explain. When I was a kid and even through out my youth, I thought the joke was refering that this hotel was happy and Fozzie was just curious if there was a sad one. NOW in my 20s, I'm like remembering all these lines and remembering how the Happiness Hotel looked all shabby and falling apart so what I was getting at was the joke makes more sense. Fozzie looks at the Happiness Hotel seeing how bad shape it is and pointing out it's ironic name "If that's the Happiness Hotel, I wonder what the sad one looks like". So what I was pointing at was I finally got the joke and it wasn't just is there a sad hotel or a mad hotel but, the Irony I finally got. lol So that's what I meant on that.

Ah, I see now.

 

[mupcollector1]

I was reading on the ol' Muppet Central FAQ that Jim was one of the bad guys in the western scene with Doc Hopper. I don't remember seeing this. Even Richard Hunt and Jerry Nelson at the El Sleezo Cafe. I did spot Frank Oz attacking Fozzie. lol Though I thought Jim was in the El Sleezo Cafe too being the first ones to grab Kermit and Fozzie off the stage.

By the way, I've been reading that Tough Pigs article, super cool stuff. Thanks. I still need to read the rest of it, I've read the first 4 chapters. I was amazed with the George Burns cameo and just LOVE how Kermit was throwing Henry Kisinger (sorry about the spelling) out of the movie when he wanted to play a sherif, then he's in the El Sleezo Cafe drinking in depression "The frog says I can't be in the movie, I'm not part of the cast he says" lol I would have loved to see that. lol Uh, just because I grew up in the 1990s, wasn't he a politician? The only thing I know about him was Spitting Image made a puppet of him during the first series. lol That's all I know. lol

 

[CensoredAlso]

Uh, just because I grew up in the 1990s, wasn't he a politician?

He was the Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977.