Petula Clark - Episode 44

GENERIC INTRO: ACTION UNDERNEATH

Brian Henson: "Hi, I'm Brian Henson. When you watch The Muppet Show, it's the only show on air where you're actually only seeing the top 18 inches of the action. And in a lot of ways, what goes on underneath the camera frame is just as exciting and sometimes more exciting than what's going on in front of the camera."

"You think about it. This is the way it is. The camera's shooting basically from the top of your head up to your hand and that's the way all the performers are working. They're all watching monitors to see what the camera can see and it's great fun watching the performers underneath, watching them jockeying for position and people reaching between each other trying to get to an arm rod. It's really a bit like watching a pit stop at an Indy 500 race. It's really quite impossible which is what makes it so much fun to do. Here's The Muppet Show."

DRESSING ROOM

Petula Clark finds a moose in her dressing room.

OPENING

The balcony: Statler says, "Well, it's downhill from here."

Gonzo's horn: Horn flies away (same as episode #40, but fades out quicker.)

CURTAIN

The moose from Petula's dressing room wanders onstage during Kermit's
intro.

OPENING NUMBER - "SEA CHANTEY"

Link, Scooter, Fozzie, Robin, and Gonzo perform a nautical quintet...in a rowboat! (Fozzie being the only one at the oars!)

[This song appeared on The Muppet Show 2 album and Muppet Hits Take 2.]

BACKSTAGE

Kermit is almost willing to let the moose with the John Wayne accent hang around backstage being they have just about every other type of animal (Moose: "You got true grit, Frog.") until he learns its name is Mickey Moose.

CURTAIN

Kermit still shaking his head his head in exasperation brings on Petula Clark.

MUSICAL NUMBER - "BOY FROM IPANEMA"

Petula's tall and tan and young and handsome boy is one of the huge Bossmen. (No wonder he doesn't see her when he looks straight ahead!)

BALCONY

WESTERN CHICKEN SKETCH

T. R. Rooster is the white hat hero in a saloon of chickens (bartended by Gonzo) who has a showdown with a bully black rooster. The traditional Western scene is rendered more untraditional by containing no other language than the clucks of the cast.

BACKSTAGE

Petula and the cast have some fun at Kermit's expense by donning moose antlers and starting to sing "M-I-C-K-E-Y..."

AT THE DANCE

Janice takes a moment to enjoy being in Dr. Teeth's arms while a Merdlidop makes a cameo.

UK SKIT: CURTAIN

UK SKIT: MUSICAL NUMBER - "UPIDEE"

On the same set (and with much the same cast) as Julie Andrews' "Lonely Goatherd" number, the Muppets present a silly song silly sung.

MUSICAL NUMBER - "TOO SHY TO SAY"

After a brief check with Rowlf's piano tuna (he works for scale), Petula croons a tune on a bare stage.

BALCONY

BACKSTAGE

Kermit further demonstrates his low tolerance for puns as Mickey Moose is sought after by his friend, Ronald Duck.

VETERINARIAN'S HOSPITAL

After Dr. Bob verifies his patient can pay for his operation ("I don't make my cut until I take my cut!"), he finds the operating table to be responsible for the patient's slipping as it tends to devour the cast one by one.

BALCONY

SWEDISH CHEF

The Chef prepares chocolate mousse by - what else - coating Mickey with chocolate sauce.

DRESSING ROOM

After Mickey crashes into the 50 foot glass fountain and eats the flowers meant for Petula's closing set, she reassures Kermit that her song can be sang anywhere as she launches into...

CLOSING NUMER - "TOMORROW"

After starting the song in her dressing room, Petula takes the number to a simple set of risers and demonstrates the song actually can work quite well when song with Muppets rather than moppets.

CURTAIN

Petula's admission that she's crazy about the moose causes Kermit to almost say goodnight from The Mickey Show.

CLOSING