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| The Muppet Show | |
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| Guest | Harvey Korman |
| Production | May 27, 1976 |
| Premiere | UK: November 7, 1976 NYC: December 13, 1976 |
| Releases | Season One |
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Embarrassed about being the "token person" on the show, Harvey is dressed up as a giant chicken.
Songs/Sketches[]
- "Love Ya to Death."
- Kermit the Frog interviews Animal.
- Talking Houses: Movers
- Harvey and Thog.
- Panel Discussion: What is the Meaning of Life?
- At the Dance
- "Sweet Tooth Jam."
- Talk Spot
- Veterinarian's Hospital: Hiccupping Patient
- Wayne and Wanda: "I Get a Kick Out of You"
- Blackout: Harvey, chickens, T.R. and Muppy
- Fozzie's Comedy Act
- Muppet News Flash
- "Halfway Down the Stairs."
Episode[]
| Picture | Description |
|---|---|
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"The Muppet Show Theme": Gonzo breaks the center of the O in the logo. (Repeated from episode 102.) |
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Kermit welcomes the audience to the show. Kermit wants to start the show with a "high note" before getting a trumpet blasted in his ear. Waldorf suggest it's better than starting it with a "bang", leading them to face down Crazy Harry. With the weirdness calmed down, Kermit introduces Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. |
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Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem sing "Love Ya to Death" as everything explodes around them. |
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Kermit interviews the drummer Animal, going over his love of drumming, food and his influences, including Tony Checkers, who will replace him next week. (until Animal beats the idea out of his head) |
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Talking Houses: Left House has pain on her insides due to movers. |
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Harvey plays "Maurice the Magnificent", an animal tamer who tries to tame the dangerous (and extremely docile) Thog. Thog compliments "Morris" as Maurice rages. Maurice eventually makes his wild beast dance, only to unexpectedly made part of a duo by the end of the act and thrown in the cage. |
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Panel Discussion: Kermit asks the panel (Miss Piggy, another pig, a Whatnot and Harvey) "What is the Meaning of Life?" Harvey suggests life is like a tennis game, getting on Piggy's nerves with the pig puns. Harvey mentioned he has the last issue of Life before Kermit decides to end with next week's discussion: "Is Conversation a Dying Art?" |
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At the Dance: Mildred finds herself attracted to George while Rowlf finds a guy with a swelled balloon head. (which explodes) |
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Backstage, Rowlf and Muppy suggest their worries of ecology to Harvey: with no trees, the dogs are in trouble. |
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UK Spot: Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem return with "Sweet Tooth Jam", with Animal yelling "Jam!" throughout the number. |
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Talk Spot: As Kermit worries the guest isn't having a "great time", Harvey complains about being the token person on a show with "dogs and frogs and pigs and chickens" and the fear of hoof-and-mouth disease. Feeling weird about his experience, the Muppets dress him in a chicken suit. Upon the experience, Harvey pronounces he feels like laying an egg backstage. |
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Veterinarian's Hospital: A patient has the hiccups, but Dr. Bob is more concerned with his own problems, such as being overworked and underpaid. The patient eventually explodes, and decides to quit while he's ahead. |
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Wanda sings "I Get a Kick Out of You", where Wayne kicks her at the end. Sam cries throughout it, both due to the tear in his eye thinking of them and the embarrassment of the act. |
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Blackout: T.R. the Rooster leads a platoon of chickens with Harvey at the end, wondering how he could get out of this "chicken outfit". Muppy keeps him in line. |
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Fozzie Bear does an act with Kermit requiring him to say "Good grief, the comedian's a bear!" at the moment he says "hear"...but a problem with homophones and timing leads to the frog and the bear to nearly screw up the act until they compromise. When pointed to, Kermit says the line, to which Fozzie responds (in a bad Italian accent) "No, he's a-not! He's a-wearing a neck-a-tie!" |
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Muppet News Flash: Middleweight champion Carl Boomer can't find anyone to defend his title against, so he's fighting himself. He thinks he can knock himself out in the 10th round. The Newsman thinks his head is "down for the count". |
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Robin sings "Halfway Down the Stairs" in the middle of a staircase. |
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At the closing, Kermit reintroduces Harvey Korman as "Chicken Little". Harvey gets sick of the chicken bit and Kermit apologizes. |
Notes[]
- During the interview with Animal, Kermit mentions that one of his idols is famed drummer Buddy Rich. However, when Rich was invited for his episode by Muppet Show bandleader Jack Parnell, Jim Henson stated that he didn't know who he was.
- This is a rare episode that does not feature a backstage plot. Outside of one brief joke between Korman, Rowlf the Dog and Muppy, everything in this episode was depicted onstage. Rather than a full plot, Harvey Korman dressed as a chicken appears as a running gag in three scenes.
- The topic teased as next week's Panel Discussion "Is Conversation a Dying Art?" was the subject for the Panel Discussion featured in the Rita Moreno episode, which taped the week after this episode (though sequenced earlier in the season).
- Two different versions of "Halfway Down the Stairs" were taped for this episode, with different airings using different versions. The one with a blue background was used on Nickelodeon, the Season One DVD, and Disney+, while the version with the yellow background was used on the German version as well as the VHS compilation, Children's Songs and Stories.
- Jerry Nelson performs Crazy Harry in this episode rather than John Lovelady, his regular performer this season. Nelson would take over the character full-time next season.
Edits[]
- Wayne & Wanda's song, "I Get a Kick Out of You," was cut on Nickelodeon.
- The backstage scene was cut on Odyssey.
Cast[]
Muppets:
- Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Rowlf the Dog, Statler and Waldorf, Crazy Harry, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Animal, Zoot, Janice, The Houses, Thog, Pigs, Whatnots, George the Janitor, Mildred Huxtetter, Dancers, Balloon-Head Conductor, Muppy, Sam the Eagle, Wanda, Wayne, T.R. the Rooster, Chickens, The Newsman, Robin the Frog
Background Muppets:
Performers[]
- Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Dr. Teeth, Waldorf, and the Newsman
- Frank Oz as Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, Patient, Pig, Chicken, Baskerville, George the Janitor, and Mildred
- Jerry Nelson as Robin, Thog, Crazy Harry, Floyd, the Announcer, one of the Houses, Whatnot, Chickens, and T.R. Rooster
- Richard Hunt as Statler, Miss Piggy, Wayne, and Miss Piggy's dancing partner
- Dave Goelz as Zoot and Muppy
- Eren Ozker as Rowlf's dancing partner, Janice and Wanda
- John Lovelady as one of the Houses
Gallery[]
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