Episode 421: Doug Henning

The Muppet Show
Guest	Doug Henning
Production	February 4-8, 1980
Premiere	UK: March 14, 1980 US: May 1, 1980
(TRANSCRIPT)

While practicing for a magic act sketch, Fozzie pulls out a bunch of rabbits from a hat who adopt him as their "daddy" while constantly ruining his own attempts at magic.

Songs/Sketches

• Miss Piggy sings "It's Magic"
• Doug's magic trick slices up a monster.
• Robin the Frog sings "Leave Me Some Magic"
• Veterinarian's Hospital: Bunnies
• UK Spot: "Run Rabbit Run"
• Doug and Robin perform a trick with two tiny kerchiefs.
• The Switcheroos sing "There'll Be Some Changes Made"
• Fozzie's Monologues: "Fozzie's Magic Act"
• Doug performs a trick with Doglion and the Bird Dancers

Episode

Picture	Description
	Cold Open: Doug is rehearsing a magic act in his dressing room and invites Scooter to watch. He performs a trick with four seashells and his bare hands. Scooter says, "Your magic feats are amazing!" To which Doug replies, "Well, I thank you, and my magic feets thank you" revealing a pair of Muppet sneakers on his feet.
	"The Muppet Show Theme": Gonzo blows his trumpet and his body begins to fade away. Upon this realizes, he wishes the audience goodbye, and disappears in a blink.
	From Kermit's introduction written by her, Miss Piggy sings "It's Magic" while Kermit appears and disappears.
	Backstage, dressed in full magician's attire, Fozzie Bear attempts to pull a rabbit out of a hat for Robin the Frog. His first two attempts produce a rabbi and a robot. Frustrated, he shouts down into the hat asking where the rabbit is. "He's asleep," a voice shouts back. Tapping his wand on the hat brim, a rabbit comes shooting out, nearly hitting the ceiling. He's followed by a seemingly endless stream of rabbits that continue to fly out of the hat. Panicked, Fozzie runs off to find Kermit. The rabbits chase after him, now referring to him as "Daddy".
	Accompanied by two Mutations, Doug recruits an assistant for his magic act. The assistant is placed inside a box constructed of four pieces, into which metal sheets are inserted. Doug and the Mutations pull the pieces apart, dance around with them a bit, and then put them back together. As they open the doors to reveal the assistant, his head and waist have swapped places. Doug and the Mutations take a bow, but the assistant is furious and chases the magician off stage.
	Backstage, Fozzie takes another turn at entertaining Robin with magic. Using a gold handkerchief, Fozzie makes an egg disappear. Robin is impressed at what he calls real magic, but one of the bunnies reveals that the egg is just under Fozzie's hat. Defeated, Fozzie removes his hat to reveal the egg, disappointing Robin to learn it was only a trick.
	Robin goes to the dressing room to find Doug. The room is empty, prompting Robin to wonder if he made himself invisible. In wonder of all the magic props, Robin sings "Leave Me Some Magic".
	In Veterinarian's Hospital, bunnies keep coming out of the operating table, echoing Fozzie's magic trick gone wrong.
	UK Spot: Fozzie, still being followed around by the rabbits, tells a farmer he can have them, until the farmer starts shooting them with a shotgun. Singing "Run Rabbit Run", the farmer chases the rabbits around backstage while Fozzie tries to protect them. The farmer ultimately declares that he may just settle for roast bear.
	Doug returns to his dressing room and almost sits on Robin, still there from before. Robin is still upset about not having found any real magic, but Doug tries to convince him that all he has to do is believe in his own magic and nothing will be impossible. To demonstrate, he makes some tissue dance around in a bottle.
	The Switcheroos sing "There'll Be Some Changes Made". Their act consists of dancing around in front of a tree while they instantly transform their costumes in a blink. The transformations eventually lead to changing their heads into babies and old ladies.
	Fozzie's Comedy Act: Fozzie attempts the "Famous Indian Rope" trick. As he plays his pungi, the rabbits watch the rising rope closely (which is very obviously attached to a string). Looking above them to the fly system grid, they spot Scooter, and shout to him to be careful. Fozzie gets upset, knocking his hat off and revealing a hatched chick where the egg used to be. Ending his act, Fozzie picks up his props which pulls Scooter down from the grid, landing on Fozzie and making him go cross-eyed.
	Kermit introduces Doug's "most famous illusion" for which Doug says he needs a volunteer to examine the trunk on stage. Doglion joins him and the Bird Dancers, demonstrating the sturdiness of the trunk. Doug invites a female Bird Dancer to submit to hand shackles, being tied up in a cloth bag, and locked inside the trunk. Doug stands on the trunk which has been hidden behind a curtain, and performs what he calls "metamorphosis". He ducks down behind the curtain while the Bird Dancer pops up and drops the curtain revealing the locked trunk. Doglion and the Dancers unlock the trunk to reveal Doug in the same hand shakles, having changed his costume.
	Closing out the show, Doug calls out Fozzie as an incredible magician. The rabbits follow him, for which he apologizes. "Oh, that's okay. I love rabbits, too" Doug replies. Misunderstanding him, one of the rabbits exclaims in fear, "You love rabbit stew?!"
	After the credits, a rabbit joins Statler and Waldorf in their box and parodies Porky Pig's "That's all folks" from the end of many Looney Tunes cartoons. Waldorf hits him over the head with a gavel.

Cast

Muppets:

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Robin the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Rowlf the Dog, Janice, Statler and Waldorf, Doglion, Bird Dancers, Rabbits, Doug Henning's Assistant, a rabbi, a robot, a farmer, The Switcheroos, Scooter, The Mutations

Performers

Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Waldorf, Rowlf and Rabbits

Frank Oz as Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy

Jerry Nelson as Robin, Rabbits, Farmer, and the Announcer

Richard Hunt as Scooter, Statler, Janice, Robot and Rabbits

Dave Goelz as Rabbi and Rabbits

Steve Whitmire as Rabbits and one of the Switcheroos

Louise Gold as one of the Switcheroos

Kathy Mullen as one of the Switcheroos

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