Michael Wermuth, Jr. - I'm back again with more thoughts on my favorite sketches and songs from The Muppet Show. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 before reading on.
11. Kermit and Koozebanian Phoob Episode 205: Judy Collins
My
favorite of the Planet Koozebane sketches, this one finds Kermit
interviewing the Koozebanian Phoob, the most delicious creature on the
planet. Despite that, the species is actually flourishing due to
evolution. They evolve faster than most creatures, turning into
whatever is nearby, and in the end, the Phoob evolves into Kermit,
complete with trenchcoat and microphone.
A
great opener to one of the best episodes ever. Kermit
shows the audience what they'd been asking, "Can the frog tap-dance?"
Of course, since Muppets are normally shot above the waist, we never see
Kermit's feet. As a kid, I never got that joke--I thought it was funny
because in the middle of the song they show several Kermits. The shots
of Statler and Waldorf and the audience that follow this are also
interesting: We briefly see Statler and Waldorf obviously liking it, and we see a shot of the
audience that wasn't used before or after.
For
me, it was a toss-up between including this sketch and the spaghetti
sketch, but I settled on this one, in which The Swedish Chef is about to
cook a lobster, only to be attacked by lobster banditos. I like the
dialogue from the lobsters ("Haven't I seen you somewhere before?").
Is it any wonder Lobster Banditos were pack-ins to the Culinary
Catastrophe Swedish Chef action figure?
The
highlight of another episode filled with segments worthy of this list, in this scene Robin decides to run away from
home due to not being noticed, but then Bernadette Peters sings this
inspirational song to him, slowly joined by other characters. The
Muppets would go on to perform it a few more times, including The
Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson and Jim Henson's memorial service, making
it one of those songs that's perhaps more associated with the Muppets
than the source material.
One
of the best duets between Kermit and Miss Piggy (along with "Waiting at
the Church"), this one has a tropical setting, with Kermit serenading
Miss Piggy, who sits on a moon. I like the setting here, and the tune
sounds good with Scooter and a Whatnot providing back-up harmony. It's also a rare opportunity to see Miss Piggy without her
gloves.
16. Sam the Eagle's Speech on Crime Episode 218: Jaye P. Morgan
My favorite of Sam the Eagle's editorials is this one, in which he speaks out
against crime, initially unaware that three Whatnot robbers are stealing from the stage he's on. I
wonder if the robbers were worried about stealing in front of an
audience (or did they think the audience would assume it was part of the
act?).
17. Gonzo Catches a Cannonball Episode 223: John Cleese
One
of Gonzo's best acts, Gonzo catches a cannonball with only one hand,
which gets shot from a cannon by Crazy Harry. This results in giving
Gonzo a very long arm, resulting in one of the shows funniest running
gags, which is left unresolved (and also the reason for Gonzo NOT being
in the next entry on this list).
A
great duet between the small Robin and the large Sweetums, a duo whose
team-ups occurred less often than people think. During Kermit's introduction it's said that Gonzo
was supposed to be in this number but Sweetums replaced him, a wise idea
because I doubt the number would be as good (or on the list) if the
final product was Gonzo and Robin.
Earlier
in the episode, Gilda helped out in Muppet Labs, and was responsible
for squirting super adhesive all over the theater, resulting in pretty
much everybody getting stuck to something. But the show must go on, even
with a glue problem, and Gilda pulled through with this show-stopping
number, getting her feet stuck to floor boards and her back stuck to the
wall. Funny stuff.
20. "Daddy Wouldn’t Buy Me a Bow-Wow" Episode 306: Jean Stapleton
The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com
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