Wayne and Wanda

From Muppet Wiki

Wayne and Wanda were a singing duo who performed during the first season of The Muppet Show. They were usually introduced by Sam the Eagle, who approved of their "wholesome, uplifting, and decent" act but was constantly frustrated by their inability to get past the first verse of any song. While their sketches began as mellow and classy, they always ended in disaster, seemingly foretold by the title of their chosen song.

The characters were first "seen" in the unreleased pilot version of episode 101. In the middle of an extended version of "The Muppet Show Theme," Kermit the Frog introduced a clip of the duo singing "You Made Me Love You," even though neither the song nor the performers were featured in the pilot itself. Wanda made her first official appearance in the At the Dance segment in the same episode, where she danced with Mahna Mahna in both the pilot and aired versions.

Wayne and Wanda, as a duo, were properly introduced in a rare backstage appearance in episode 102, where they complained that their act had been cut and badmouthed guest star Connie Stevens until they realized that she was eavesdropping on their conversation. Their first onstage act was "Stormy Weather" in episode 103.

The pair, who had been featured in a majority of the first season episodes, were cut entirely from the second season, due in part to the departure of Wanda's performer, Eren Ozker, and in part to the promotion of Jerry Juhl to head writer, who shifted the show's focus from running gags to character-based comedy. As a result, Wayne and Wanda, who had rarely appeared backstage during the first season and consequently never developed as individual characters, were cut from the show's regular line-up.

Wayne, however, was brought back as an individual performer in the third season, singing solo numbers like "My Wild Irish Rose" and "Dog Walk," and appearing as the hero in series of melodrama sketches where he attempted to save Miss Piggy from Uncle Deadly's dastardly schemes.

In episode 406, Wanda (now played by Kathryn Mullen) returned to the show and rejoined Wayne. The pair have Kermit such a guilt trip for having fired them that he rehired them on the spot. Once they started singing, however, Kermit remembered why he'd fired them in the first place and once again dispensed with their services. Although Wayne appeared once more on the show's fifth season, this would be Wanda's last appearance until the 1980s, when she appeared in the background of Muppets' Studios Presents: You're the Director, a View Master video game. However, the Wanda puppet was used as a Whatnot in At The Dance segments as well as a backround puppet throughout the next four years of The Muppet Show. For these, her hair and attire were altered.

Wayne and Wanda's final appearance, of sorts, was in The Muppets Big Book of Crafts, as a pair of finger puppets designed and built by April Asher.

Contents 1 Sketches 1.1 The Muppet Show Season 1 2 Filmography 2.1 Wayne 2.2 Wanda 3 See also

Sketches

The Muppet Show Season 1
Picture	Song	Episode	Description
	"Stormy Weather"	Episode 103: Joel Grey	Wayne and Wanda get rained on.
	"Row, Row, Row"	Episode 104: Ruth Buzzi	Sam says that they have really rehearsed this segment, and sure enough, they make it past the first verse. They sit on a row boat on water (cardboard water) but they eventually sink.
	"Goody Goody"	Episode 105: Rita Moreno	Wayne accidentally knocks Wanda down.
	"Indian Love Call"	Episode 106: Jim Nabors	Wanda makes the Indian love call.
	"You Do Something to Me"	Episode 108: Paul Williams	Wanda sings while Wayne attempts to saw her in half.
	"I Get a Kick Out of You"	Episode 110: Harvey Korman	Wanda won't let Wayne get a word in edgewise, so Wayne kicks her. (This is one of the few times that their failure was their own fault.)
	"Autumn Leaves"	Episode 112: Peter Ustinov	Too many leaves fall on them.
	"Trees"	Episode 113: Bruce Forsyth	A tree falls on Wayne.
	"Some Enchanted Evening"	Episode 116: Avery Schreiber	Gorgon Heap mistakenly thinks that Wayne said he could eat a stranger.
	"I'll Know"	Episode 117: Ben Vereen	Wayne chases after a girl who walks on-stage (making Wanda jealous).
	"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"	Episode 119: Vincent Price	Wanda's head turns into Blue Frackle.
	"On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)"	Episode 120: Valerie Harper	Their song gets interrupted by factory smoke.
	"Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!"	Episode 121: Twiggy	Snow falls on the set.
	"It's Only a Paper Moon"	Episode 124: Mummenschanz	A paper moon on the set falls.

Filmography

Wayne

See also

At the Dance Bear on Patrol Blackouts Cold Open The Electric Mayhem Fozzie's Comedy Acts Muppet Labs

Muppet News Flash Muppet Sports Panel Discussions Pigs in Space Planet Koozebane A Poem by Rowlf The Swedish Chef

Talk Spots Talking Houses UK Spots Vendaface Veterinarian's Hospital Wayne and Wanda