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The Muppet Show

The Muppet Show
★ 8.0/10•1976•26m•TV-G•Comedy•Family
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It's time to raise the curtain on The Muppet Show!

Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.

StatusEnded
Runtime26m
LanguageEN
First Air DateSep 5, 1976

Episodes

Episode 1 - Joel GreyE126m

Joel Grey

Fozzie works on a new act -- jokes on any subject -- and drives everyone crazy. Finally, he gets on stage and asks for any word. Statler and Waldorf call his bluff by yelling out: "Amoeba!"

Sep 5, 1976

Episode 2 - Rita MorenoE226m

Rita Moreno

Fozzie Bear becomes embroiled in a running gag involving the backstage phone. Throughout the episode, Rita parodies her combative image. She battles with several Muppets, including Miss Piggy, a Full-Bodied Muppet, and Animal, who's backing her on drums in her closing number, "Fever."

Sep 12, 1976

Episode 3 - Sandy DuncanE326m

Sandy Duncan

Fozzie performs Gags Beasley's famous "banana sketch," which everyone has heard of except Kermit. When Kermit asks Sandy and Fozzie to tell him what it is, they laugh too hard to explain it.

Sep 19, 1976

Episode 4 - Jim NaborsE426m

Jim Nabors

A young kid named Scooter applies for a job as a go-fer. When Kermit remarks that he doesn't even look like a gopher, Scooter explains that he'll go-fer coffee, he'll go-fer sandwiches, he'll go-fer anything. Kermit says he doesn't have the money to hire him, until Scooter mentions that his uncle owns the theater.

Sep 26, 1976

Episode 5 - Ruth BuzziE526m

Ruth Buzzi

Scooter's uncle sends a mechanical, wind-up TV show host, an exact duplicate of Kermit. The robot harasses Kermit and flirts with Miss Piggy.

Oct 3, 1976

Episode 6 - Paul WilliamsE626m

Paul Williams

Scooter talks Fozzie into doing "the telephone pole bit," and Fozzie practices dutifully until he finds out what the bit is: Fozzie dresses up as a public telephone, and Scooter asks what his name is. "Mike Oznowiczki," Fozzie says, and Scooter exclaims, "Oh, so you're the telephone Pole!"

Oct 10, 1976

Episode 7 - Florence HendersonE726m

Florence Henderson

The Muppet Theatre is plagued by a variety of pig-related problems, both onstage and off. First, The Bouncing Borsalino Brothers flub their act and crash through the stage floor. Backstage, Miss Piggy throws herself at an uninterested Kermit and then jealously interrupts his onstage Talk Spot, physically threatening guest star Florence Henderson, whom she thinks is horning in on her frog. The feud continues in the Panel Discussion as Florence throws pig slurs around.

Oct 17, 1976

Episode 8 - Peter UstinovE826m

Peter Ustinov

Kermit becomes jealous when Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Hilda and Scooter rave about Peter Ustinov. At the end, Peter admits that he's jealous of Kermit; he's always wanted to be a frog.

Oct 24, 1976

Episode 9 - Lena HorneE926m

Lena Horne

Kermit cuts Miss Piggy's scheduled song so she won't look foolish following Lena Horne. He tells her that "there are singers and there are singers," making her think that he doesn't want her to show up Lena.

Oct 31, 1976

Episode 10 - Harvey KormanE1026m

Harvey Korman

Embarrassed about being the "token person" on the show, Harvey is dressed up as a giant chicken.

Nov 7, 1976

Episode 11 - Candice BergenE1126m

Candice Bergen

Fozzie brings a series of deliveries to Kermit, pestering the frog with lousy gags.

Nov 14, 1976

Episode 12 - Ben VereenE1226m

Ben Vereen

Fozzie gets stuck in a magician's trick cabinet. The cabinet is dragged onstage so that he can perform his act -- and at the end of the act, two pig stagehands tip the box over so he can take a bow. Crazy Harry, who makes frequent appearances (and frequent explosions) during the show, blows up the cage before the end of the show so that Fozzie can escape.

Nov 21, 1976

Episode 13 - Charles AznavourE1326m

Charles Aznavour

When he's unable to get a spot on the show, Gonzo asks Scooter to be his manager. Scooter advises Gonzo to do a rock act, banging on a large rock with a mallet. Later, Gonzo tries his hand at female impersonation, wearing a dress and a blonde wig. Scooter gives up managing when Gonzo eats his contract.

Nov 28, 1976

Episode 14 - Phyllis DillerE1426m

Phyllis Diller

Aging wardrobe woman Hilda puts on a wig and makeup to try to make herself look younger. She is spotlighted in a backstage plot for the first and last time.

Dec 5, 1976

Episode 15 - Avery SchreiberE1526m

Avery Schreiber

To make Kermit jealous, Miss Piggy instructs Scooter to tell him that Avery is in love with her. Kermit finds out that it's all a trick, and Piggy karate-chops everybody.

Dec 12, 1976

Episode 16 - TwiggyE1626m

Twiggy

Kermit is skeptical when everyone backstage is terrorized by "the Phantom of the Muppet Show." There turns out to be one, though -- Uncle Deadly, a monster-actor who performed in the theater years ago. After being panned by the critics, he vowed never to perform there again, and not to let anyone else perform either. He warns the Muppets, "Leave or be doomed!"

Dec 19, 1976

Episode 17 - Valerie HarperE1726m

Valerie Harper

This is one of only a few Muppet Show episodes that open the show after the theme song with some kind of offstage scene. There's also a couple of scenes with the guest star in her dressing room conversing with Muppets instead of onstage in the Talk Spot. In last week's "At The Dance", Boppity danced in drag with another monster. This week Boppity appears as normal but his partner is in drag. In both instances, he ends up headless.

Jan 2, 1977

Episode 18 - MummenschanzE1826m

Mummenschanz

Miss Piggy is repulsed when Gonzo tells her that he loves her. Kermit tries to help by asking Piggy if she would like to go to dinner -- and when she accepts, he fixes her up with Gonzo. Everybody gets karate-chopped.

Jan 9, 1977

Episode 19 - Juliet ProwseE1926m

Juliet Prowse

Muppy, the favorite pet of The Muppet Theatre owner J. P. Grosse, becomes a prima donna when Kermit reluctantly allows him to do a musical number with Scooter. Muppy even gets his own dressing room and star billing, but Kermit draws the line when the dog asks to change the show's title to The Muppy Show. When Muppy locks himself in his dressing room and refuses to perform, Scooter does the number with Fozzie instead.

Jan 16, 1977

Episode 20 - Kaye BallardE2026m

Kaye Ballard

Tired of the "embarrassingly square" theme song, bass player Floyd Pepper informs Kermit that he and the rest of the orchestra pit (except Rowlf) are quitting. Kermit says their conductor Nigel will write a new theme, but Floyd refuses: "He wrote the first one, man." Floyd performs his idea for a new theme, a dreadful Zappa-esque piece called "Fugue for Frog." Kermit won't use it and refuses that Floyd submits to Kaye Ballard a petition about the theme song, so the band leaves. The closing theme is performed solo by Rowlf on the piano.

Jan 23, 1977

Episode 21 - Bruce ForsythE2126m

Bruce Forsyth

Fozzie Bear has a plan to get back at Statler and Waldorf when he does his act, but is crushed when he's replaced by Bruce Forsyth. Fozzie throws some nasty jokes and, for the first (and last) time, leaves the two old codgers speechless. Then Fozzie and Bruce end up performing together, and sing "Side by Side." A duck appears frequently in the sketches and skits.

Jan 30, 1977

Episode 22 - Ethel MermanE2226m

Ethel Merman

Fozzie's agent, Irving Bizarre, negotiates Fozzie's contract with Kermit. Kermit ends up offering Fozzie ten times as much money; unfortunately, Fozzie made nothing before. "Yeah, and don't forget," Irving says, "I get ten percent of that."

Apr 9, 1977

Episode 23 - Connie StevensE2326m

Connie Stevens

When Fozzie overhears Hilda, Kermit, and Scooter talking about getting rid of "that bear," he thinks they're talking about him, only to find out later it's actually Gonzo's teddy bear that everyone is badmouthing.

Apr 16, 1977

Episode 24 - Vincent PriceE2426m

Vincent Price

In honor of guest star Vincent Price, the show is filled with monsters, ghosts, bats, vampires and spooky situations. A three-headed monster auditions for the show: "We sing!" "No, we dance!" "No, we tell jokes!"

Apr 23, 1977

Actors

Jim Henson

Jim Henson

Kermit the Frog, Waldorf, Rowlf the Dog, Link Hogthrob, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth, The Newsman (voice)

Frank Oz

Frank Oz

Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Animal / Sam Eagle / Marvin Suggs / George the Janitor (voice)

Jerry Nelson

Jerry Nelson

Floyd Pepper, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Pops, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Louis Kazagger, Chicken, Crazy Harry (voice)

Dave Goelz

Dave Goelz

Gonzo / Zoot / Beauregard / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (voice)

Richard Hunt

Richard Hunt

Statler, Scooter / Janice / Beaker / Wayne / Sweetums (voice)

Eren Ozker

Eren Ozker

Hilda / Wanda / Janice (voice)

Louise Gold

Louise Gold

Annie Sue Pig / Additional Muppets (voice)

Karen Prell

Karen Prell

Additional Muppets (voice)

Brian Muehl

Brian Muehl

Additional Muppets (voice)

Kathryn Mullen

Kathryn Mullen

Additional Muppets (voice)

Steve Whitmire

Steve Whitmire

Additional Muppets (voice)

Recommendations

The Carol Burnett Show
The Muppets
Sesame Street
Leave It to Beaver
Sonny with a Chance
The Donna Reed Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Mr. Bean: The Animated Series
So Random!
All That
Pepper Ann
Father Knows Best
The Muppets Mayhem
Kenan & Kel
Timon and Pumbaa
Alvinnn!!! and The Chipmunks
Zeke and Luther
All Grown Up!
The Flintstone Comedy Show
Pee-wee's Playhouse

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