Talking Houses

Talking Houses

The Talking Houses appeared in their own recurring sketch during the first season of The Muppet Show. Each sketch consisted of a single joke told between two houses, usually about one of their relatives but always about a building of some sort. Because the Houses never appeared outside of their sketches, it was never made clear whether they were supposed to be full-sized or in scale with the show's other Muppets.

The Houses' first six appearances featured jokes told between House #1 and House #2 on the left side of the screen. House #3 and House #4 only spoke in the final sketch on episode 119.

Performers

• John Lovelady as House #1 (Jerry Nelson performed this house in episode 107)

• Jerry Nelson as House #2

• Frank Oz as House #3

• Eren Ozker as House #4

Individual Sketches

Episode 104: Ruth Buzzi:

House 2: I hear your son, the hotel, has become interested in his religion.

House 1: Oh, interested isn't the word. He's seriously thinking about becoming a monastery.

Episode 106: Jim Nabors:

House 2: My wife's not feeling well.

House 1: Sorry to hear it. What's wrong?

House 2: She's got the shingles.

Episode 107: Florence Henderson:

House 2: My brother has ghosts in his attic.

House 1: Sounds scary.

House 2: Yeah, he's on the top 10 most haunted list.

Episode 108: Paul Williams:

House 1: My mother is very religious.

House 2: She's a fanatic?

House 1: No, she's a church.

Episode 110: Harvey Korman:

House 1: My insides are killing me!

House 2: Oh, ulcers?

House 1: No, movers.

Episode 117: Ben Vereen:

House 2: My uncle's into poetry, he loves Edgar Guest.

House 1: Why?

House 2: Why else? He's a guest house.

Episode 119: Vincent Price:

House 3: My youngest boy is very interested in medicine.

House 4: He's a doctor?

House 3: No, a hospital.