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The original incarnation of The Muppet Show lasted 5 seasons and 120 episodes, from 1976 to 1981, and successful that clip immoderate of nan biggest names successful show-business lined up to return nan shape alongside Kermit nan Frog, Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear. A notable objection was nan precocious Elizabeth Taylor, who, possibly realizing her mistake, provided her look for “Spicy Chicken”, to beryllium alongside John Travolta’s “Lobster pinch Three Sauces.” Ivana Trump’s “Beef Goulash,” General “Stormin’” Norman Schwarzkopf’s “Sour Cream Peach Pie” and Yo-Yo Ma’s “Barbecued Spare Ribs pinch Beer and Honey” successful nan 1996 cookbook, In nan Kitchen pinch Miss Piggy.
At its height, Jim Henson’s bid earned 21 Emmy nominations and 4 wins betwixt 1977 and 1981 unsocial and spawned 8 theatrically released movies. This year, The Muppet Show turned 50 pinch a one-off typical guest-starring Sabrina Carpenter, Maya Rudolph and Seth Rogen, and, to observe this milestone, we return a look backmost astatine immoderate of nan stars who trod nan boards of The Benny Vandergast Memorial Theater pinch Kermit and co…
1 — Rudolf Nureyev (1977)
Expectations were truthful precocious for nan presence of nan world’s top ballet dancer that Sam nan Eagle wore a tux for nan occasion. Nureyev performed 3 philharmonic numbers, including a pas de deux pinch a human-sized Miss Piggy, played by Graham Fletcher of The Royal Ballet (Wayne Sleep was not available). In nan show, Kermit explains that this is an excerpt from “Swine Lake”, successful which a beautiful princess has been turned into a pig by an evil magician. Sam later apologizes for each nan indignities the Muppets person made nan awesome creator suffer, but Nureyev won’t perceive it. “I wanted to do them,” he replies. “And it was fun!”
2 — Rita Moreno (1976)
Rita Moreno’s capacity of nan opus “Fever,” made celebrated by Peggy Lee, remains a classical portion of Muppet comedy. Backed by Floyd Pepper connected bass and Animal connected drums, Moreno oozes activity entreaty successful a slinky reddish dress. Her sultry, finger-clicking move is upstaged astatine each turn, however, by nan progressively out-of-control drummer, who she yet squashes betwixt 2 cymbals. “I sewage my first Emmy for it, but it didn’t show successful my career,” Moreno said later. “You know, erstwhile you person a Latino name, you’re benignant of f*cked. But Frank [Oz] and Jim [Henson] loved it. They felt I was a Muppetess.”
3 — Johnny Cash (1980)
The Muppets faced a dispute takeover pinch nan presence of state fable Johnny Cash; nan show is group to beryllium a co-production pinch state power position WHOG, but Kermit finds himself successful nan firing statement from nan power show’s big Big Tiny Tallsaddle. Big Tiny plans to switch each nan Muppets pinch his ain cronies, bringing successful comedian Wally Whoopie down Fozzie Bear’s back. Cash sings respective songs, including “Ghost Riders successful nan Sky” and, arsenic portion of a medley pinch Miss Piggy, “Jackson,” 1 of nan fewer times he performed it pinch anyone different than his woman June Carter Cash.
4 — Gene Kelly (1980)
Looking bully astatine 68, Gene Kelly arrives astatine nan Muppet theatre expecting to be nan show arsenic a guest, and for a clip simply watches from nan wings. When Miss Piggy points retired that he hasn’t really done anything, Kelly serenades her pinch “You Wonderful You,” but has to pivot to Gonzo erstwhile she is called disconnected to look successful “Pigs In Space.” Kermit’s attempts to person Kelly execute “Singin’ successful nan Rain” autumn connected deaf ears, until nan poignant finale, successful which Rowlf plays nan opening bars complete and complete again and Kelly wistfully croons a fewer bars earlier heading retired into nan street, brolly successful hand.
5 — Liza Minnelli (1979)
Featuring impermanent prima Liza Minnelli arsenic a movie noir-style character whose show is being plagued by a bid of murders and Kermit arsenic a Bogart-like ’40s gumshoe, this section won a typical Raven Award from The Mystery Writers of America. Beating nan celebrated Moonlighting section “The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice” by six years, it plays for illustration a meta-version of The Muppet Show itself, featuring a creation regular successful eden (with The Great Gonzo arsenic nan angel Gabriel), Minnelli singing a type of “Copacabana” successful character, and nan killers yet being unmasked arsenic nan grumpy Statler and Waldorf.
6 — Liberace (1978)
Władziu Valentino Liberace gave his accustomed each to nan Muppets, but aft a little intro successful which nan flamboyant musician is fixed a Muppet soft arsenic a pet, he kept his powder barren for nan first half of nan show, giving nan spotlight to Miss Piggy, smashing plates successful a raucous type of “Never connected a Sunday.” The 2nd half sees him play a mini-concert particularly for birds, pinch Liberace performing everything from “Chopsticks,” Liszt and Chopin and “shameless boogie-woogie” successful a rhinestone-studded tuxedo. The show ends pinch Liberace hiring The Great Gonzo’s chickenhearted enactment to beryllium portion of his Las Vegas set.
7 — Glenda Jackson (1980)
A classically trained character successful her early years and a Labour MP for nan past 20-odd years of her life, Glenda Jackson was nevertheless a dream impermanent for The Muppet Show, telling nan writers, “You group cognize what you’re up to. I’ll do thing you constitute for me.” This they duly did, penning a storyline successful which nan impermanent prima turns retired to beryllium nan infamous pirate skipper Black Jackson, pinch a clone penguin that turns retired to beryllium an evil pirate parrot. Miss Piggy is captured and sentenced to locomotion nan plank arsenic Black Jackson turns nan Muppets’ theatre into a pirate vessel and sets sail to look for buried treasure.
8 — Alice Cooper (1978)
Alice Cooper had already appeared connected Hollywood Squares and The Snoop Sisters erstwhile nan Muppets came calling and was much than fresh for it. Introduced by Kermit nan Frog arsenic “one of nan world’s astir talented and frightening performers,” Cooper plays himself pinch a twist: arsenic good arsenic a well-known stone singer, belting retired nan hits “Welcome to My Nightmare” and “School’s Out,” Cooper is besides a sulphurous agent, moving connected behalf of a customer who tin connection “fabulous riches and world-wide fame” successful speech for a person’s psyche — a Faustian woody that very astir seduces Miss Piggy, who drops retired astatine nan eleventh hour.
9 — Vincent Price (1977)
Filmed conscionable earlier Halloween and inexplicably not aired until nan caller year, this horror-themed episodes saw a riot of three-headed monsters, demons and ghosts successful assistance of typical impermanent Vincent Price, deemed by Statler and Waldorf to beryllium nan scariest character since Thudge McGerk. See-through specters haunt nan backstage area of nan Muppet theater, a Muppet News study warns of man-eating furniture, and Kermit turns nan tables connected Price during a agelong talk astir acting by sprouting fangs and biting nan scary icon’s neck.
10 — Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1979)
The husband-and-wife duo known arsenic nan “King of nan Cowboys” and nan “Queen of nan West” had been a wholesome staple of American TV since The Roy Rogers Show first aired successful 1951. To make them consciousness astatine home, nan show has a state makeover, pinch cows, horse- shoe-pitching, and a medley of Western songs including “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and “Happy Trails.” Mysteriously, Miss Piggy is obscurity to beryllium seen, but Kermit takes halfway shape successful her absence and moreover throws successful a reference to his ain budding movie profession aft Rogers claims to person made 189 films: “Wow! You know, I’ve only made one. 188 to go…”
