Jim Henson first introduced the
“Muppets” in Sam & Friends, a short-lived TV series in Washington D.C. in
1955. After making appearances in TV advertising and occasionally popping up on
late-night talk shows, the next significant appearance of Muppets was when they
were integrated into the new Childrens Program, Sesame Street in the mid-1960s.
There, characters like Bert & Ernie, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar the
Grouch and many others, taught children lessons in spelling, counting, and
general learning concepts with love and affection. One of the most popular and
famous Sesame Street Muppets, and long thought to be Jim Henson’s alter-ego,
Kermit the Frog then served as the central character on The Muppet Show, a
syndicated half-hour variety comedy series, which introduced dozens and dozens
more new felt friends from 1976 to 1981.
This 1979 film (yes -- it is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year!!) was a spin-off of
The Muppet Show, and served as kind of an “origin story” for many of the
characters on that series — Kermit, Fozzi Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great,
Ralph the Dog, the Swedish Chef, critics Statler and Waldorf, and Dr. Teeth and
the Electric Mayhem (including Animal the drummer). Kermit is a swamp-dwelling,
sensitive, musically-inclined frog, who decides to seek his fame and fortunate
in Hollywood, by going on a road trip and picking up friends along the way.
There are cameos from numerous big-name stars (Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Mel
Brooks, James Coburn, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Bob Hope, and many more),
plus numerous musical numbers featuring songs by famed Nebraska musician Paul
Williams, including the film’s central number “The Rainbow Connection”.
For anyone who grew up with The
Muppets, this is essential viewing. For anyone who’s been living under a rock
for the past 40 years, this is a wonderful introduction to the whole manic
gang, and should be followed up by viewing all the seasons of the original
Muppet Show. This is literally one of my all-time favorite films — I can’t
recommend it highly enough!
[If
you enjoy this, you may also wish to try all the seasons The
Muppet Show.]
Have you watched this one?
What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!
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