Your Thoughts: TMS Season 1 DVD

[minor muppetz]

I have watched some more episodes and would like to comment on them.

*Florence Henderson: This was an okay episode. I liked the Koozebanian Mating Ritual (although I had already seen that in Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff, The Muppets: A celebration of thirty years, great performances: the world of Jim Henson, the Muppet Show Book, and the original version from The Muppet Valentine Show), as well as happy Together, the talk spot, and the "knock it off" gag. I didn't care much for the acrobatic pigs or Florence hendersons first number. I watched this without morsels. three stars.

*Paul Williams: This episode is a classic. I am surprised that this episode wasn't released by Time-Life (did henson or Time-Life have a problem with music rigths and not want to release any cut episodes?). Since i had already seen this episode on Nickleodeon, the only "new" thing I got to see was the first Muppet Labs sketch, which was superb. was this the only muppet labs sketch that didn't have any victims? I really liked the muppet news sketch and paul Williams scene with Sweetums, Thog and a Mutation. nitpicks on morsels: although the morsels mention many of paul Williams other callaborations with the muppets (and the jim henson company), there is no mention that he wrote the music for The Muppet Christmas carol, and no mention of the recent Paul Williams DVD that also featured Gonzo and fifth season guest star mellissa manchester. five stars (without "ALL Of Me", give it four and a half stars).

*candace bergan: an episode that I had already seen, but a classic nonetheless. I like "that face", "put another log on the fire", and the swedish chefs spot (one of the few times that he was seen without his hat). i watched this one without muppet morsels. like the Paul Williams episode, this one should have been released by Time-Life. five stars.

*Sandy Duncan: a great episode. sandy seemed like she enjoyed working with the muppets. I like the openign number. it's too bad that the entire banana sketch couldn't be heard. it is odd seeing a full-body shot of behemoth (and also odd that he wore pants in what I think is his only full-body appearance).The u.k. spot and Never Smile At A crocodile were funny. I watched this without morsels. four stars.

*Avery Schriver: I watched this one with morsels on. I had also already seen this one before. but it is still one of the greatest episodes ever. I loved tenderly, the Gorillia Detector, the monster of the moores, and "may you always". one nitpick on the morsels: it says that the female kozebanian creature is in the closing number when it is actually the male koozebanian creature. five stars.

*phyllys diller: another great episode that I had already seen. the only episode where the backstage plot focuses on Hilda. I like Hugga Wugga and the exploding clothes in muppet Labs (oddly enough, these sketches are shown side-by-side, with only a backstage scene and a comment by statler and waldorf between them, just like in Gonzo presents Muppet Weird Stuff), as well as Mississippi Mud and the closing number. iw atched the morsels on this episode but can't think of any observations/ nitpicks/ comments. oh, well. this episode gets four stars.

I'll watch and review more episodes later.

 

[Gorgon Heap]

That being said, the new shot of the band sitting the ending out and Kermit waving works well for me in terms of the show's plot - it's not the original, but works well.

Erm, what WAS the original shot?

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[Ernie101]

Wait, I don't get it .. what's Sean talking about?

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

It's easier to lose that one word and irk the "purists" than to have your child say, "But Kermit says it!"

I can definitely see it that way. After all, this is meant for everybody, and a whole lot of people are going to buy it for their younger children. Other uses of "****," like in the Happiness Hotel song in GMC, are not as repeatable by kids as Kermit saying "What the **** was that?" The one thing Disney can't afford to do now is turn a growing audience off to the Muppets.

 

[anathema]

Erm, what WAS the original shot?

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

The original was a shot of Nigel and Rowlf in the orchestra pit with the ITC/ATV logos supered over it.

www.digitalis.plus.com/kb_closing1.jpg

 

[minor muppetz]

mummenshaz and charles aznavour

I have now watched two more episodes and am going to comment on them. I watched both without the muppet morsels on.

*mummenshaz: I had previously seen this episode only once (on Nickleodeon). It is a good episode, but not the best. I think it is weird that this episode was availible on one of the time-life videos but not more deserving first season episodes like the ones with connie stevens, peter ustinov, paul williams and candace bergan. I like the library skit and mr. bassman is a classic. I also liked the mummenshaz in the talk spot. It's weird that this group of guest has a name similar to the word "Muppet". 3 stars.

*Charles Aznavour: Gonzo was hilarious in the plot. I like the conversation panel, "I Feel Pretty" (it's a shame that Fran brill wasn't a regular performer on this series) and "inchworm". But to me, the highlight was seeing the Goggolalla Jubilee Jugband singign "does your chewing gum lose it's flavor on the bedpost overnight?". When I first heard about that song, I was wondering how it went, and since then I heard it a few times but kept forgeting what the lyrics were. three and a half stars (if it weren't for it being edited it might have gotten four stars. I haven't seen the edited sketch.).

I'll comment on more episodes after I watch them.

 

[minor muppetz]

Yes, one of the rare mistakes in the morsels was the one that said Gramps would be the only Season 1 jug band member to continue. The first one was not "Gramps" but "Pa" (not "Paul" this is a mistake that worked its way into Muppet fandom since someone misheard "Pa" as "Paul" and that worked its way into the Kermitage character guide. At least the dvd doesn't make the same mistake...even though it replaces it with another mistake.)

I thought I heard somebody call him Paul in the Bruce Forsythe episode. One weird error is that in the kermitage character guide, a picture of pa is used instead of gramps in the character description of him. I wonder if the writers of the morsels were using that character guide as refference (of course, I have heard that the webmaster of kermitage wrote some of the morsels).

 

[minor muppetz]

ruth buzzi and joel grey

I just watched two more episodes, both with muppet morsels on and both episodes that I had already seen.

*Joel Grey: I think that the guets star scene in the opening was odd (two different clips from the show and the music from those sketches shown). Anyway, this is the second episode that I have ever seen. Comedy Tonight was the highlight, and I also liked seeing the Sherlock Holmes sketch for the first time. I also liked in At The Dance when Gloat gets his dancing partners nose stuck on him. It is a shame that Wayne and Wandas first number on the series couldn't be included. four stars (without the edited skits, three and a half stars).

*Ruth Buzzi: While the joel grey episode was the second episode I had seen, this is the second episode from the first season that I have ever seen. There are many great moments here: the robot kermit, wayne and wanda singign "row, row, row" (although I think it is odd that their secodn act lasted longer. they should have waited untill their fifth or sixth act to get past the first verse. regardless, this song was the first time that I heard wandas voice), the first appearances of the gogolalla jubilee jugband, and Boppity having three feet. Oddly enough, there is no fade to black in the middle of the show, between Ruth Buzzis first number and the u.k. spot, where a commercial break would have been (and I think the first few secodns of the u.k. spot were edited as well; on the "It's The Muppets: More Muppets, Please!" video, Rowlf can be seen walking on-stage before he starst singing "i never harmed an onion", but both here and in the nickleodeon broadcast, the scene starst with him bowing to the audience before he starst playing). five stars.

I'll review the others after I see them. Only a few more for me to watch. Just the ones with Harvey Korman, Leena Horne (the only one of the first season episodes that I haven't seen at all), Ethel Merman, and Twiggy (and I haven't watched the morsels on every episode either).

 

[TotallySpiesFan]

I hope Scarecroe has these sketches from these episodes:

Joel Grey:

Wayne & Wanda
Muppet News

Jim Nabors:

Gone With The Wind
Danceros

Paul Williams:

All of Me

Charles Aznavour:

The Old-Fashioned Way

Vincent Price:

You've Got a Friend

P.S. "You've Got a Friend" is included in one of Time Life video tapes I got in 2001.

 

[Oliver]

Did they cut Kermit's entire line and if so, is it just the audio missing or the video too; did they just cut out the short few second sequence and fade out earlier? Or is it just the word "he11" that's been cut and if so, they should have just dubbed in Kermit's voice from a classic SS episode where he says "what the hey..."?