Close Encounters of the Third Kind
From Muppet Wiki
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 film written and directed by Steven Spielberg with music by John Williams. The film tells the story of a family man, who is overcome by a series of strange instances amongst an evolving mystery concerning UFOs.
Mentions
- "The Square Song" from Sesame Street is featured in a significant scene from the film. A cover of the song plays on a record player which is brought to life in a little boy's room, and plays over the commotion created by all of his other toys which have seemingly been stimulated by extra-terrestrial visitors.
References
- In a Sesame Street segment, Count von Count asks the viewer to count "hellos" with him from the residents on Sesame Street. Before they say hello to the camera, Bob asks Linda if she had yet seen Close Encounters. Linda responds by signing with her hands, a spacecraft descending from the sky, suggesting that she had seen it.[1]
- The film's title was spoofed as "Clothing Counter's on the Third Floor" in the book, The Great Muppet Caper!: The Making of the Masterpiece.
- In the Summer 1988 issue of Muppet Magazine, the Siskel and Ebert Muppets trade jokes about various film classics: "What's Miss Piggy's favorite movie? Clothes Encounters of the Third Kind."
- A first season Muppet Babies episode references the film's title: "Close Encounters of the Frog Kind."
- The waiting queue of Muppet*Vision 3D in Walt Disney World features a poster using a photo of Miss Piggy in space originally seen in The Miss Piggy Cover Girl Fantasy Calendar. The image is redubbed "Closet Encounters of the Worst Kind," and carries an additional spoof of the 1979 film Alien with the subtitle: "In space, no one can find their shoes."
- Muppets From Space features a scene in which dozens of people witness Gonzo's declaration of his alien origins on live TV. One follower explains that they were drawn to the Muppet Boarding House and produces a mashed potato sculpture in the shape of Gonzo's head. The concept spoofs a similar phenomenon from Close Encounters of the Third Kind whereupon earthlings were drawn to Devil's Tower by images of the monolith implanted in their brains by the aliens.
- In the "Premiere" episode of Farscape, John Crichton remarks, "Boy, was Spielberg ever wrong. Close encounters my ass!"
- The Elmo's World episode, "Open and Close," parodied the title when the Open and Close Channel broadcaster Jerry Nelson announced the upcoming film, "Closed Encounters of the Third Kind starring Glenn Close."
- Episode 31 of From the Balcony featured an interview with Woody Allen in which he speaks about what his version of the film would be like. The segment also featured a caricature of one of the film's aliens.
