Great Straight Me in Muppet Comedy Duos
Hilarie Mukavitz - With all the great comedy duos, it is usually the "funny man" that we remember. We remember Lou Costello saying "Hey Abbooooott!" but not Bud Abbott's delivery that led up to that point. The comic in the duo often gets most of the credit. Today, however, I'd like to spend a bit of time talking about those unsung heroes in Muppet comedy: the great straight men of Muppet comedy duos.
Bert - played by Frank Oz
In the ongoing debate about whether it should be "Bert and Ernie" or "Ernie and Bert," I am firmly in the "Bert and Ernie" camp. Why? When a comedy duo is billed, the straight man's name goes first: Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen, Martin and Lewis; and the one that had the most direct impact on the Muppets: Burns and Schreiber.
Bert is a rare example of Frank Oz getting to play the straight man. As hard as it is to believe now, initially Frank Oz and Jim Henson played around and traded off who was Bert and who was Ernie before
Sesame Street began. Jim Henson once commented "Frank didn't like Bert. He felt Bert was too dull. But then after a while he realized that Bert's dullness was really a lot of fun, and he got into this dullness thing and turned it into this wonderful personality."
Bert and Ernie have the classic odd couple dynamic. Bert is the one with the routine, and usually the more rational of the two (as can be seen by the classic "banana in the ear" bit). Like many a straight man, there are the long-suffering looks at the camera when the goofy Ernie is pulling his antics. What makes Bert unique as a character is his passionate devotion to interests very few others share. (A trait which, as a geek, I can relate to strongly.) Bert loves oatmeal, argyle socks, pigeons, paper clips, and bottle caps and the letter W. There is even an example of a rare sketch starring Bert without Ernie in which Bert is surprised and delighted to find out that Rick Moranis shared a lot of the same interests.
Out of all the duos that Frank Oz and Jim Henson performed together, Bert and Ernie were the ones they performed for the longest time. They are also the only Muppet characters to be mentioned in Frank Oz's eulogy at Jim Henson's memorial service. If you haven't had the treat of hearing about "Bert in Self-Contemplation," I highly recommend it... just keep a Kleenex box nearby for the end.
Sully - played by Richard Hunt
Like Penn and Teller, Sully is literally the silent partner for construction worker buddies Biff and Sully. It is implied that even though we never hear Sully speak, it is probably because Biff never lets him get a word in edgewise. However, when given the opportunity, Sully demonstrates that still waters run deep, and that he has talents his usually oblivious partner is unaware of.
Sully is an accomplished musician... When
Biff and Sully move a piano together, Biff can pound out a basic scale. When he leaves, Sully plays a Chopin prelude. When
Biff forgets his radio, Sully actually constructs an entire piano to play so Biff can have music while he works. Sully also seems to have a side gig as a bass player with
a band that Ernie leads. Notice that Bert specifically yells at Sully... probably because he's thinking "Hey, you have a loudmouth best friend too. You should understand what I'm going through." Also included in Ernie's band is another classic Sesame Street straight man: Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson - played by Jerry Nelson
Let us pause for a moment and reflect on the special hell that is the life of Mr. Johnson (sometimes known as Fat Blue). It seems that he is fated, whenever he decides to go out to eat, to always be served by the cute, lovable, totally inept Grover. I would recommend to Mr. Johnson that perhaps he should start cooking for himself... but I'm guessing the grocery store cashier would also be Grover. Grover seems to be the only one working customer service jobs in Mr. Johnson's tortured universe. Mr. Johnson's name was revealed during Grover's stint delivering singing telegrams. Grover has also shown up in Mr. Johnson's world as a pizza delivery monster, a flight attendant, a street musician, a wig salesman, a department store salesman, an employee at a framing shop, a fitness instructor, a taxi driver, a move theater concession stand worker, a photographer, a hot dog vendor, a baker, a rental car company employee, a reality show host, and the star of "Spidermonster."
Kermit the Frog - played by Jim Henson
The ultimate straight man in the Muppet universe is Kermit. He's been straight man to
Sesame Street characters,
Muppet Show characters, humans, you name it. Besides his versatility, one thing that makes Kermit unique as a straight man is, when he is not showing frustration, he has a mischievous side as well. Kermit can give as good as he gets. Here are a few examples:
Kermit and Grover
When Grover is not pestering Mr. Johnson, he can often be found at Kermit's place. Grover makes repeated attempts to sell Kermit items that would require body parts that Kermit does not have: a nose-warmer, a toothbrush, earmuffs. Once, we not only see Grover try to sell Kermit sunglasses, but we get to see Kermit do a Groucho Marx impression.
It was also common for Grover to interrupt whatever Kermit was trying to teach with a "Heeeeey froggy babyyyyyy!!!" Although Kermit does manage to get Grover back a few times, particularly when Grover tries to talk about how great the number 2 is.
Kermit and Cookie Monster
Pretty similar to the Kermit and Grover sketches... except usually Cookie Monster's interruptions are about, surprise surprise, his single-minded pursuit of the cookie. Now and then ,Cookie Monster would show up playing a character. I especially enjoy the sketch from a Muppet Newsflash where we can see Cookie Monster in drag playing Little Red Riding Hood.
Kermit and Don Music
In the Don Music sketches, Don Music is attempting to compose commonly known songs like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Row Row Row Your Boat." To ease Don's frustration, Kermit gives suggestions for lyrics, which ultimately results in a totally different song such as "Drive Drive Drive Your Car" or "Mary Had a Bicycle."
Kermit and Forgetful Jones
The few sketches with Kermit and Forgetful Jones are classic. More than once Kermit has attempted to direct Forgetful Jones in a movie. You can see Kermit at his most frustrated when Forgetful has to sing the theme song to
Oklahoma in this fan-favorite, truly classic example of Richard Hunt's ridiculousness and Jim Henson's almost broken attempt to keep from laughing.
Kermit and the Sesame Street Kids
There are multiple examples on
Sesame Street of a Muppet playing the straight man to whatever child they are talking to. One example would be Herry Monster and John John. But, perhaps, the absolute best example is Kermit with a girl named Joey, who, when singing "The Alphabet Song," kept bringing up Cookie Monster, pushing Kermit to leave... but then bringing him back in the most adorable way ever conceived.
Kermit and Fozzie
As host of
The Muppet Show, Kermit was basically the straight man to just about anybody that appeared, Muppet or guest star. One of the best combinations was Kermit and Fozzie: the Hope and Crosby of the Muppet world; best friends. Kermit is relatively patient with Fozzie, and keeps trying to help him succeed... but even his best friend the bear can push the frog over the limit. Moments such as "Good Grief, the Comedian's a Bear," Fozzie trying to negotiate with the help of Irving Bizarre, Fozzie after group therapy, and countless other examples illustrate the frustrating, hilarious, and unbelievably fulfilling (for both of them) relationship that Kermit and Fozzie share.
Kermit and Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy rose from being a recurring character to being a lead in just about a year after her debut. She was soon overshadowing Fozzie, which just goes to show the only person who can really upstage Frank Oz, is Frank Oz. Besides having a dynamic like a comedic duo, Kermit and Piggy are also sparring partners. They actually have a relationship similar to some of the pairs in romantic comedies in the 1930's and 1940's, such as Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Though I doubt Katherine Hepburn ever karate-chopped Spencer Tracy (although I bet she was more than capable of it).
The next time you are watching a Muppet project, and one of the characters is making you laugh, don't forget the straight man character who helped make that possible. I've barely scratched the surface here. Tell me, fellow Muppet fans, who are your favorite Muppet straight men?
The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com
Performed by...
The Snowman first comes to life (literally) in A Muppet Family Christmas when Fozzie is outside his Ma's farmhouse building a snowman. Once Fozzie finishes constructing this frozen fellow, he somehow comes to life during a rollicking and joke-filled rendition of the classic holiday song "Sleigh Ride." In the song, the Snowman shows a deftness for comedy that really catches Fozzie's attention.
After the song, Fozzie and the Snowman realize they both have the same sense of humor. The Snowman agrees to join Fozzie ash is comedy partner. The newly formed duo move inside to Emily Bear's farmhouse to entertain her many, many house guests. The Snowman rolls with Fozzie's act--even as Statler and Waldorf constantly heckle them. Unfortunately, the heat in the farmhouse is too much for the poor Snowman, who starts to melt on the floor.
The last we see of the Snowman in A Muppet Family Christmas is during the carol sing at the end. The Snowman is happily singing "Caroling, Caroling" outside with the other forest animals (and inexplicable penguins). The Snowman makes a return cameo appearance in The Muppet Christmas Carol during the song "It Feels Like Christmas." The Snowman tries to dance... but his head falls off. The Snowman's most recent appearance was on Sesame Street in 2011, when he appeared dancing along with Elmo in the song "Elmo's Got the Moves."
Performed by...
Emily "Ma" Bear is the mother of Fozzie Bear. She lives in a farmhouse in the countryside of Grizzly Farm and loves her son and the sun. First appearing in Season Two of The Muppet Show, Ma Bear was seen waiting for Fozzie's act to begin... only to fall sound asleep in between jokes, much to Fozzie's dismay. Her only other appearance on The Muppet Show was in the UK Spot for Episode 410, where she and Fozzie sang "Knees Up Mother Brown." 
Her most major role in a Muppet production came in 1987 in the television special A Muppet Family Christmas. In the special, Ma Bear is all set to fly off to the beach for the holiday while renting her house to Doc and Sprocket. She is soon surprised by a visit from Fozzie and all of his friends, come to stay at Grizzly Farm for Christmas. Ma Bear is left to deal with Kermit "the lizard," cookie-eating monsters, and a whole host of other weirdos. But, through it all, she gets to spend Christmas with her beloved Fozzie--as well as her old friends Statler and Waldorf, whom she invites for the holiday as well.
In 1990, Fozzie repaid his mother's goodwill by bringing her along to Florida with the rest of the Muppets in The Muppets at Walt Disney World. Eventually, Fozzie and Ma end up at Walt Disney World with the rest of the Muppets and try to find something to eat. Without any money, however, Ma convinces Fozzie to perform standup for Walt Disney World guests as they try to raise money. Or, as Ma said, "C'mon folks, a little money for some honey!"
Ma Bear's final onscreen appearance, and first big screen appearance, was in 1992 in The Muppet Christmas Carol as Fozziwig's mom, Mrs. Fozziwig, who is quite eager to get the party started (which she does). Ma Bear is mentioned, but not seen, in a few more instances, including a bonus feature on the DVD for A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, where Fozzie reveals that she knitted the hideous Christmas sweaters that he and a few others are wearing.
Most recently, Ma Bear appeared in illustrated form in the fourth issue of The Muppet Show Comic Book: Family Reunion (2010). In the comic, Ma comes to visit Fozzie at work and Fozzie pulls out all the stops to try to impress her. He impersonates Sherlock Holmes and attempts a whole host of other things--only to realize that Ma Bear loves him just the way he is.
Ma Bear is a wonderful addition to the Muppets, and one who would fit in perfectly with today's world. Fozzie is as insecure and wonderful as ever, and he was often even more enjoyable when he was with his doting, hilarious mother. Their interactions in The Muppets at Walt Disney World are wonderful and I would love to see Ma Bear return to pester Fozzie and watch Fozzie work even harder to impress. She also has a hilarious, uninformed relationship with the other Muppets. Imagine how she and Miss Piggy would get along. Comedy waiting to happen!
"My problem was my need to tell jokes."
"We should travel by map!" 
Bert - played by Frank Oz
Bert and Ernie have the classic odd couple dynamic. Bert is the one with the routine, and usually the more rational of the two (as can be seen by the classic "banana in the ear" bit). Like many a straight man, there are the long-suffering looks at the camera when the goofy Ernie is pulling his antics. What makes Bert unique as a character is his passionate devotion to interests very few others share. (A trait which, as a geek, I can relate to strongly.) Bert loves oatmeal, argyle socks, pigeons, paper clips, and bottle caps and the letter W. There is even an example of a rare sketch starring Bert without Ernie in which Bert is surprised and delighted to find out that Rick Moranis shared a lot of the same interests.
Like Penn and Teller, Sully is literally the silent partner for construction worker buddies Biff and Sully. It is implied that even though we never hear Sully speak, it is probably because Biff never lets him get a word in edgewise. However, when given the opportunity, Sully demonstrates that still waters run deep, and that he has talents his usually oblivious partner is unaware of. 
Let us pause for a moment and reflect on the special hell that is the life of Mr. Johnson (sometimes known as Fat Blue). It seems that he is fated, whenever he decides to go out to eat, to always be served by the cute, lovable, totally inept Grover. I would recommend to Mr. Johnson that perhaps he should start cooking for himself... but I'm guessing the grocery store cashier would also be Grover. Grover seems to be the only one working customer service jobs in Mr. Johnson's tortured universe. Mr. Johnson's name was revealed during Grover's stint delivering singing telegrams. Grover has also shown up in Mr. Johnson's world as a pizza delivery monster, a flight attendant, a street musician, a wig salesman, a department store salesman, an employee at a framing shop, a fitness instructor, a taxi driver, a move theater concession stand worker, a photographer, a hot dog vendor, a baker, a rental car company employee, a reality show host, and the star of "Spidermonster." 
Kermit and Grover
There are multiple examples on Sesame Street of a Muppet playing the straight man to whatever child they are talking to. One example would be Herry Monster and John John. But, perhaps, the absolute best example is Kermit with a girl named Joey, who, when singing "The Alphabet Song," kept bringing up Cookie Monster, pushing Kermit to leave... but then bringing him back in the most adorable way ever conceived.
As host of The Muppet Show, Kermit was basically the straight man to just about anybody that appeared, Muppet or guest star. One of the best combinations was Kermit and Fozzie: the Hope and Crosby of the Muppet world; best friends. Kermit is relatively patient with Fozzie, and keeps trying to help him succeed... but even his best friend the bear can push the frog over the limit. Moments such as "Good Grief, the Comedian's a Bear," Fozzie trying to negotiate with the help of Irving Bizarre, Fozzie after group therapy, and countless other examples illustrate the frustrating, hilarious, and unbelievably fulfilling (for both of them) relationship that Kermit and Fozzie share.
Miss Piggy rose from being a recurring character to being a lead in just about a year after her debut. She was soon overshadowing Fozzie, which just goes to show the only person who can really upstage Frank Oz, is Frank Oz. Besides having a dynamic like a comedic duo, Kermit and Piggy are also sparring partners. They actually have a relationship similar to some of the pairs in romantic comedies in the 1930's and 1940's, such as Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Though I doubt Katherine Hepburn ever karate-chopped Spencer Tracy (although I bet she was more than capable of it).
16. Good Grief! The Comedian's A Bear! - In one of the first bits to feature Fozzie and Kermit, the audience, performers, and writers began to grasp what Fozzie is all about. With this corny yet classic moment the bear and the frog of his heart, Fozzie and Kermit solidify their relationship almost immediately. Fozzie was much different in the season one, and the writers felt that the audience couldn't sympathize with an always-failing comedian. In the second season, Jerry Juhl decided that it would be best to focus on the positive aspects of the bear, and Fozzie became the lovable furry fellow we know today.
15. Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life For Me) - Rowlf the Dog is another good buddy to Fozzie. The two were paired up for many segments together on The Muppet Show. Their relationship, along with the relationship between Kermit and Fozzie, truly mirrored how well Frank Oz and Jim Henson played together for so many years, just making people (and themselves) laugh. One of Rowlf and Fozzie's best schticks was performing the song "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life For Me)" from Disney's Pinocchio. Fozzie tells some terrible fish and hula-hoop jokes while Rowlf muses, "Leaving the stage is funnier than a lot of things the bear does." 
14. Confide In Me - When the sexy and talented Raquel Welch visited The Muppet Show, Fozzie decided to be more aggressive, trying to shake his previous image, much to the amusement of Kermit and Floyd Pepper. Of course, this new, assertive Fozzie didn't last very long and by the middle of the episode he's back to his old self. While moping around backstage, wishing he had the nerve to meet Raquel, Fozzie comes face to face (or face to slightly lower body area) with Miss Welch. When Raquel told the bear that she did the show just so she could meet him, Fozzie melts in her arms as she sings a sexy rendition of Diana Ross's "Confide in Me."
13. Wally Whoopee - One thing Fozzie was never good at was learning how to deal with people upstaging him--or, even worse, possibly replacing him. One of the funniest times when Fozzie had to deal with another comedian on stage was when Johnny Cash guest starred and Wally Whoopee buried the bear in his own jokes, ruining his comedic spot for the night. You can't help but feel sorry for Fozzie, but you have to admit, it was pretty funny.
12. Run Rabbit Run - Sometimes, Fozzie would try accomplishing whatever talent the guest star that week could do, which usually ended poorly. Case in point: the Doug Henning episode, when Fozzie decided to learn how to do hat tricks, showing off for Kermit's nephew, Robin. First he pulls out a Rabbi, then a robot, then, finally, a rabbit pops out, then another, then another. Suddenly, Fozzie has over a dozen rabbits following him around and calling him "daddy." The rabbits beg Fozzie to protect the group from a farmer trying to make rabbit pie out of them, and Fozzie sings "Run Rabbit Run" as he tries to protect his furry friends. 
11. English Country Garden - This sketch starts off with Rowlf playing the piano as usual, and then Fozzie comes to sit down beside him... and starts playing along perfectly. Rowlf is obviously astounded, and the two start playing together. Fozzie turns out to be a terrific piano player, and keeps up with Rowlf the whole way through, even after his hat falls off (turns out he can play hat-less). This is yet another fantastic collaboration of two wonderful and enigmatic performers, Jim Henson and Frank Oz. During the documentary The World of Jim Henson, writer Jerry Juhl points out that, "When the two of them got together and started working as a team, it was like a Laurel and Hardy situation. These were just two guys who were meant to work together." 
10. Top Banana - The thing that made Fozzie more nervous than anything else was having a fellow comedian as the special guest star. Enter Milton Berle, a comedy legend. Fozzie spends most of the episode entire episode hiding from Uncle Miltie, thinking that he couldn't possibly hold a candle to his idol. However, when Fozzie overhears Milton telling Kermit that he always wanted to do a number with the bear, he jumps out from his hiding spot and is more than willing to do an old-school musical salute to comics everywhere, complete with physical comedy and zany one-liners. Yes, folks... he's sweet, shy, fuzzy, loveable, friendly, loyal, and, no matter what Statler and Waldorf say, he's funny. He's the one and only, Fozzie Bear!
