Episode 105: Rita Moreno

The Muppet Show
Guest	Rita Moreno
Production	May 25-27, 1976
Premiere	UK: September 12 1976 US: September 20, 1976
Releases	Best of the Muppet Show Season One
(TRANSCRIPT)

File:Ritamoreno.jpg

Backstage, Fozzie Bear answers the phone a lot. Throughout the episode, Rita parodies her combative image. She fights and battles with several Muppets, among others Animal, who's backing her on drums in her closing number, Fever.

Songs/Sketches

• Guest star Rita Moreno dances to "I Get Ideas," beating up her Muppet boyfriend in a bar.
• Veterinarian's Hospital: Fozzie Bear
• Muppet News Flash: Dancing Chicken
• The Swedish Chef: Flapjacks
• At the Dance : a shark wanders in the ballroom.
• UK Spot: The Country Trio sings "To Morrow."
• Marvin Suggs plays "Lady of Spain" on the Muppaphone, an instrument made of fuzzy round creatures that he hits with a mallet.
• Panel Discussion: Is Conversation a Dying Art? Raging battle between Rita (otherwise known as "Tiffany Gonzales" in this sketch) and Miss Piggy.
• Muppet News Flash: No News Tonight
• Talk Spot: Rita tries to get Kermit to ad lib it, Muppet-style, but ends up getting carried away by Sweetums.
• Wayne and Wanda sing "Goody Goody."
• Fozzie's Comedy Act
• Rita's rendition of "Fever" is ruined by Animal's bursts of percussion; she smashes his head between cymbals.

Notes

• Rita Moreno won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music for her work on this episode of The Muppet Show.

• In Rita's "Fever" number, she speaks to Animal for a moment in Spanish, saying, "Listen, buddy. All I wanna tell you is that you shouldn't do that. It's not nice, you understand? Look at me when I'm talking to you. This is my number, and if you bother me any more I'm gonna hit you so hard, it's gonna leave you stupid. Cool it."

• This episode is the first appearance of Veterinarian's Hospital.

• This was the first episode broadcast in many US cities.

• Miss Piggy is switched between Richard Hunt and Frank Oz again in this episode. She is performed by Richard for most of the episode, Frank taking her only for the Panel discussion.

• Some of the members of The Muppaphone included Lucy, Bernard, and the one named after Marvin Suggs!

• The Announcer is performed by Jerry Nelson in this episode, along with episodes 110 and 118. John Lovelady performed him from episodes 109 to 117. Jerry will perform the Announcer full-time from Season Two onward.

Cast

Muppets:

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Rowlf the Dog, Statler and Waldorf, The Newsman, The Swedish Chef, Sam the Eagle, Marvin Suggs, The Muppaphones, Rita's Dancing Partner, Zoot, Janice, Animal, George the Janitor, Mildred Huxtetter, Jim Henson Muppet, Jerry Nelson Muppet, Frank Oz Muppet, Brewster, Sweetums, Wayne, Pigs, Whatnot, Trumpet Girl, Frogs

Background Muppets:

Brunette Woman, Floyd Pepper, Wanda, Muppy

Performers

Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Waldorf, Rowlf, The Swedish Chef, The Newsman, the Jim Henson Muppet, and some of the Muppaphones

Frank Oz as Fozzie Bear, Animal, Marvin Suggs, Sam the Eagle, the Frank Oz Muppet, George the Janitor, Mildred, Animal's Dancing Partner and Miss Piggy

Jerry Nelson as The Jerry Nelson Muppet, Pig Bartender, the Announcer, Whatnot, and some of the Muppaphones

Richard Hunt as Miss Piggy, Miss Piggy's Dancing Partner, Statler, Sweetums, and Wayne

Dave Goelz as Rita's Dancing Partner, Zoot and The Guru (Brewster)

Eren Ozker as Janice

John Lovelady as others

Edits

• When aired on Nickelodeon, Rita's opening number is replaced with her closing number, "Fever." Subsequently, part of the first backstage scene is cut, as is the part of the last backstage scene where Kermit called Floyd and Animal on-stage for the closing number.
• When aired on CTS, the UK skit To Morrow is cut.

Template:Ep-nav