Episode 305: The Muppet Broadcasting Company
From Muppet Wiki
| Muppet Babies | |
| Air Date | October 11, 1986 |
| Written by | Jeffrey Scott |
| Director | |
The babies play with dominoes, until Baby Piggy accidentally knocks them over. Then they fight, until an electrical storm hits that causes the TV to go out. So Nanny brings out a tape player and collection of old-time radio shows, telling the kids they can listen and use their imaginations in the darkness. Inevitably, the group picture themselves in the stories, and later recreate their own radio dramas. Baby Animal relishes the role of sound effects man.
A slew of radio programs are spoofed, including the following:
- Captain Midnight (1939-1949)- Baby Kermit as "Kermit Midnight," with Animal as his sidekick and Baby Piggy as the jungle princess.
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1930-1950)- Baby Bunsen and Baby Beaker as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and Baby Gonzo as "The Weirdo" (The Shadow).
- Burns and Allen (1932-1950)- Baby Fozzie as Fozzie Burns and Animal in the Gracie Allen role.
- Duke Ellington (1943, 1945-1946)- Baby Rowlf as the big band conductor, with Piggy, Baby Scooter, and Baby Gonzo as an Andrews Sisters take-off.
- The Shadow (1930-1954)- Gonzo as "The Weirdo," who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of kids.
Songs
Notes
According to the radio announcer, the Sherlock Holmes broadcast was presented by "The Jupiter Theater," a reference to Orson Welles' Mercury Theater on the Air. Welles' program did in fact produce a Sherlock Holmes installment, which aired on Sept. 25, 1938, and starred Welles himself as the great detective.
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