Your Thoughts: TMS Season 1 DVD

[Gorgon Heap]

If you're speaking of why the episodes are in the order that they are on the set, and why they are numbered as such, it's because those are official episode numbers. They are set before the season even begins, and while they generally run close to production order, there are occasional switches (like the Gene Kelly episode being numbered the Season Five opener when it was the closer). In the book "Of Muppets and Men", the second half details a week at TMS, the week Linda Ronstadt taped, and the stage manager mentions when calling the take that it's episode #119, even though it was taped only halfway through the season. It was something like "Muppet Show episode 119, Scene 1, Cold opening, Take 1" or something along those lines.

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[anathema]

They are NOT in Production Order. The Production Order is different, as was pointed out in a thread I created which listed the taping order for all 120 episodes on the Classic Muppets board. My guess is that this is the order that the episodes were aired in originally in the UK.

No, it's not the UK running order.

 

[Beauregard]

Watched 18 episodes now, and have decided I am in love with Mildred. She's a darling, really, she is. So classy. Why did they get rid of such a charmer?

 

[David French]

No, it's not the UK running order.

Oh, okay. Do you happen to know what the original UK running order was? I've got the London airdates from an article on bbc.co.uk .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/m/muppetshowthe_7774625.shtml

 

[rumtar_10165]

the loss of Mildred

Watched 18 episodes now, and have decided I am in love with Mildred. She's a darling, really, she is. So classy. Why did they get rid of such a charmer?

Many of the first season muppets were droped. (example Geroge the janator, Muffy aka/ ruffus from the frog prince and others.) with the execttion of Wayne and Wanda. After the first season They was droped but only Wayne came back every once and a while. (his last apearance was on the Blondie episode) I think that Jim may wanted to use some newer Muppets like Bo the janitor, and Lewzeland to keep it fresh.

 

[anathema]

Oh, okay. Do you happen to know what the original UK running order was? I've got the London airdates from an article on bbc.co.uk .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/m/muppetshowthe_7774625.shtml

Unfortunately not. I have some of the airdates, but by no means all, and matters are complicated significantly by the fact that different regions aired the shows on different dates (or not at all).

The dates I regard as 'definitive' are the ATV ones, since it was an ATV production.

For the first season, I have:

Juliet Prowse - aired week of 15-21 Jan 77 on YTV
Connie Stevens - aired 12 Feb 77 in London
Charles Aznavour - aired week of 27 Nov - 3 Dec 76 on YTV
Sandy Duncan - aired 19 Sept 76 on YTV
Vincent Price - aired week of 23-29 Apr 77 on Granada
Twiggy - aired week of 18-24 Dec 76 on HTV and YTV
Ethel Merman - aired 5 Feb 77 in London

 

[anathema]

Many of the first season muppets were droped. (example Geroge the janator, Muffy aka/ ruffus from the frog prince and others.) with the execttion of Wayne and Wanda. After the first season They was droped but only Wayne came back every once and a while. (his last apearance was on the Blondie episode) I think that Jim may wanted to use some newer Muppets like Bo the janitor, and Lewzeland to keep it fresh.

Also, their original performers left, which didn't help :-P

 

[anathema]

The one thing that totaly confused me was if the Vincent Price episode was cut. Then, why wasn't the Time Life video release cut ?

There are three obvious possibilities:

1) The rights situation has changed since Time-Life's release was negotiated, and the rights are now either much more expensive, or unavailable.

2) Time-Life was willing to pay more than Disney were for the rights.

3) Time-Life screwed up and omitted to get clearance for their release (it happens).

 

[rumtar_10165]

why wasn't the timelife sets not cut?

The one thing that totaly confused me was if the Vincent Price episode was cut. Then, why wasn't the Time Life video release cut ?

In a sence I would say the same thing but if you stop to think the muppets was not with Disney at the time, which ment that Time could aford the money for the entire episodes. Also this was before they cracked the (what will be known as the Napster Law,(Why I don't know.)) most of the songs were copyrighted and the song writers wanted more money.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I was wondering about that too. So your saying that though Disney owns the Muppets, they still don't own the rights to the original recordings. Also, I was thinking maybe the reason some of the eps are cut was since they spent money restoring the original openings, they decided to save some extra money by cutting some other things out. Just a thought.