Muppet Central Guides - The Muppet Show: Florence Henderson

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EPISODE NOTES

Miss Piggy's first use of the word, "Moi". When Kermit notes, "Jealousy doesn't become you.", Piggy replies, "Jealous? Moi?"

Much has been made in interviews and articles about how Miss Piggy went from chorus girl to taking the writers by surprise as to how she was becoming a star and her role was elevated in the second season. This episode shows how this story has become slightly exaggerated. The first part is true. About Miss Piggy's starting out a chorus girl (though some magazines said the whole bit about Piggy's declaring her love for the frog was improvised on the spot when this was obviously scripted). But the writers knew early on in the first season that Miss Piggy was destined for main character status, even if they may not have known HOW MUCH the audience would love her.

In this episode, the whole show is built around her pursuit of Kermit and jealousy of Florence. Miss Piggy would also be a major player in other episodes of the first season. A more accurate (but less tailored to sound-bites) version of events is that Fozzie was initially thought to be Frank Oz's main character; the "second banana." After the pilot episodes (Prowse and Stevens) were taped, the writers saw potential in this supporting player, Miss Piggy, and her part was increased to core character status.

Between the two seasons, the staff recognized that Piggy was due to replace Fozzie as Frank's main character and Kermit's "costar" (both due to the strengths of Piggy's character including the advantage of being a strong female character, in a male dominated cast and her being in love with the "male lead". The weaknesses in Fozzie's character, the "bad comedian" angle wasn't working as an effective hook to make him an endearing character. Piggy was featured heavily on stage and in backstage plots while Fozzie was de-emphasized as the writers tried to explore his possibilities as a rounded character "off-stage" as opposed to the the one dimensional "bad comedian".

THE MUPPET PEOPLE

Frank Oz (Fozzie Bear, Borcellino, George, Mildred, Miss Piggy, Boppity, Male Koozbanian)

Jim Henson (Kermit the Frog, Waldorf, Rowlf, Gloat)

Jerry Nelson (Borcellinos, house, Screaming Girl, dancer, Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Female Koozbanian)

Richard Hunt (Tiny, Statler, Wayne, green Frackle, Sweetums)

Dave Goelz (monster, Brewsters, Borcellino, Muppy, Zoot, Miss Kitty)

Eren Ozker (dancer, Hilda, Droop)

John Lovelady (house, rats, Scoff)

WRITTEN BY: Jack Burns, Marc London, Jim Henson,
and Jerry Juhl

PUPPET MAKERS: Bonnie Erickson & Don Sahlin and
Caroly Wilcox, Mari Kaestle, Dave Goelz, Rollin Krewson, Faz Fazakas, Larry Jameson

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER FOR HENSON ASSOCIATES
INC./MUPPETS: David Lazer

THEME MUSIC: Sam Pottle

ORCHESTRA: Jack Parnell

CHOREOGRAPHER: Irving Davies

MUSIC CONSULTANT: Larry Grossman

MUSICAL ASSOCIATE: Derek Scott

FLOOR MANAGER: Richard Holloway

VISION MIXER: Moyra Bird

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Sue Taylor

SOUND: Ted Scott

VISION: Jim Willmont

CAMERA: Dennis Bartlett

VTR EDITOR: John Hawkins

LIGHTING: Hamilton J. Willis

DESIGN: Paul Dean

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jim Henson

PRODUCER: Jack Burns

DIRECTOR: Peter Harris

Florence Henderson - Episode 7

Taping Dates: June 15-16 1976
Original Airdates: November 15, 1976 (New York) and November 20, 1976 (LA)
DVD Release: Buena Vista Home Video, 2005

GENERIC INTRO: GROWING UP WITH THE MUPPETS

Brian Henson: "Hi, I'm Brian Henson. I grew up in a house full of Muppets. And friends of mine use to always ask "What's it like?", "It must be great fun.", 'It must be crazy." And the truth is the Muppets were always kind of awesome to me. And I have a lot of respect for the Muppets. My father use to work endlessly, hours and days on end... working all these pieces and making them just exactly right."

"Years later The Muppet Show went into over 100 countries, in 20 different languages. It was the first show to do that. Have a listen to this and you'll hear the way some of the characters sounded in other countries around the world. (A clip of Fozzie's monologue in French is shown with Staler and Waldorf heckling him in Mandarin.) Unfortunately for Fozzie, his jokes weren't any funnier in French or Mandarin. Enjoy the show."

OPENING THEME

Fozzie's joke: "Prices are so high, yesterday I bought a pound of hamburger and had to have a co-signer."

Gonzo's gong: Gonzo hits the "O" (Yay!) and "The Muppet Show" sign goes up.

STAGE CURTAIN

Kermit brings on the Bouncing Borcellino Brothers (from Boston).

BOUNCING BORCELLINO BROTHERS

A team of acrobatic pigs attempt a porcine pyramid and crash through the floor.

BALCONY

WALDORF: They really brought down the house.

STATLER: Well, at least the stage.

BACKSTAGE

Kermit implores a reluctant George the Janitor to clean up after the pigs.

TALKING HOUSES

HOUSE 2: My brother has ghosts in his attic...he's on the Ten Most Haunted List.

STAGE CURTAIN

Kermit presents the lovely Miss Florence Henderson.

MUSICAL NUMBER: "ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY"

Amidst a white forest and Muppet butterflies, Florence fades in and out of the set as she sings.

BACKSTAGE

Kermit shoos away the still-arguing pyramid pigs but then runs into more porcine problems in the form of a lustful Miss Piggy.

PIGGY: Is there anything at all, anything, I can do for you, my dear?

KERMIT: Uh...no.

PIGGY: Because I want to make you happy.

KERMIT: Uh...good.

PIGGY: Because when you are happy, the pig is happy!

KERMIT: Uh...wonderful.

AT THE DANCE

MILDRED (about Miss Piggy and her pig dancing partner): They're just a couple of floor hogs!

TALK SPOT

Kermit's attempt to wax poetic to Florence is interrupted by a jealous Miss Piggy who last week panted all over the male guest in front of Kermit! Double standard? Florence covers by saying Kermit was just rehearsing the things he wanted to say to Piggy.

PIGGY: You mean it?!

KERMIT: No!

UK SKETCH: MUSICAL NUMBER: "COTTLESTON PIE"

Rowlf plays the piano and sings one of his favorite Winnie the Pooh songs. [This song appears on the original Muppet Show soundtrack, Muppet Favorites, and a re-recorded version appears on Ol' Brown Ears Is Back.]

CONVERSATION PANEL

This week's panel includes Florence Henderson (the first time the guest appears as herself and not another character), Kermit, Guru Brewsters, Floyd, and Miss Piggy who takes serious offense at the topic, "Was William Shakespeare, in fact, Bacon?" Florence doesn't help matters much when she responds to Piggy's assertion that the topic's in bad taste, "Oh no, bacon tastes real good, I had some this morning - really made a pig of myself!"

Even when Kermit tries to get back on subject, Florence continues with the jokes:

FLORENCE: Well there's no question in my mind!

KERMIT (after a pause): As to what?

FLORENCE: Nothing! There's no question in my mind! No answers either!

BALCONY

WALDORF: Wake me when the show starts.

STATLER: It's already been on awhile!

WALDORF: Wake me when it's over.

BACKSTAGE

After everyone readily obeys Kermit's orders to tell the riled pigs to knock it off, Kermit then requests, "Now can we knock off the 'knock it off's?'"

WAYNE: Knock off the 'knock it off's'!

ZOOT: Knock off the 'knock it off's'!

HILDA: Knock off the 'knock...'

KERMIT: Knock it off!!!

Kermit's pig problems are hardly over though as Miss Piggy continues to smother the flustered frog with unwanted attention. PIGGY: "...and you, I see, a seething volcano, erupting with uncontrollable passion...and explodes..."

KERMIT: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

[Kermit's facial expressions throughout this entire scene are among his all-time funniest!]

FOZZIE'S COMEDY SPOT

Tonight, something new: impressions of famous actors from famous movies. Unfortunately they all sound the same.

FOZZIE: I can't help that. They were all written by the same writer.

STAGE CURTAIN

A calmed down Kermit introduces Florence's next song.

MUSICAL NUMBER: "HAPPY TOGETHER"

Florence sings amid a gaggle of Muppet Monsters.

[PUPPETEER SPOTTING: Jim's arm is shown performing Gloat.]

BACKSTAGE

Piggy, still jealous of Florence continues to work Kermit's last nerves.

PIGGY: Me thinks the frog protests too much, Shakespeare!

KERMIT: Sounds more like Bacon! From a ham!

PIGGY: How would you like a pork chop?! HIIIII-YAAAA!

ONSTAGE

Sweetums assures Florence he can really fall for her...and demonstrates!

SKETCH: KOOZBANIAN MATING RITUAL

Reporting from the planet Koozbane, Kermit (in his trenchcoat), presents the odd courtship habits of the local creatures. [This sketch is a retaped version of the bit that appeared in the pilot, The Muppets Valentine Show.]

STAGE CURTAIN

As Kermit bids farewell, Fozzie presents Florence with a special wire.

CLOSING THEME

STATLER: I loved it!

WALDORF: So what? You also loved World War II.

Guide Written by
D. W. McKim and Phillip Chapman

With contributions from
Jogchem Jalink and Dave Ebersole

Fan site Muppet Central created by Phillip Chapman. Updates by Muppet Central Staff. All Muppets, Bear
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