TV Quote/Trivia of the Day Its time to play the music. Its time to light the lights. 1) Kermit - A tap-dancing chicken act? Gonzo, Ive never heard of anything as ridiculous as a dancing chicken. Gonzo - How about a talking frog? 2) Statler - I know what is wrong with this show, its the theater! Waldorf - Whats wrong with it? Statler - The seats face the stage! 3) The Swedish Chef - Børk! Børk! Børk! -Kermit, Gonzo, Statler, Waldorf and The Swedish Chef (Jim Henson, Dave Goelz and Richard Hunt in The Muppet Show) Did you know? The Swedish Chef was a favorite of Jim Henson and Frank Oz, as they both got to perform him. Henson was the head and voice, while Oz provided the hands. Frequently, one of the two would ad lib a line or bit of business, forcing the other one to keep up. The Swedish Chef has been said to be inspired by the first and only television appearance of Lars Baeckmann. His appearance was a total failure, as he mumbled a strange mixture of English and Swedish while hectically preparing some sort of food. It was thought that the shows producers found it very funny and created the Swedish Chef in Baeckmanns likeness (including the thick mustache). However, show writer Jerry Juhl has refuted this statement and believes Baeckmann invented the rumor himself. Baeckmann, who presently earns his money with a traveling cooking show in Sweden, was paid $80 for the rights to the character. He is considered to be a good cook with a great sense of humor. Because they found the character so funny, extraneous members of the crew would often crowd into the studio to watch filming of skits with the Swedish Chef. Often, the laughter heard in the final sketch is not from a laugh track, but from members of the crew who couldnt contain themselves. Initially, the producers had such difficulty casting guest stars that they had to call upon all their personal friends in the entertainment industry for help. This changed dramatically after Rudolf Nureyev agreed to appear. The publicity of a renowned ballet dancer appearing on such a bizarre show created such positive publicity that the show became popular and soon celebrities were lining up to appear on the show. Jim Henson wanted the show to end during the peak of its popularity and creativity - and it did. The final year featured the highest Nielsen ratings of its existence. John Cleese was a big fan of the show and wrote much of the episode he appeared in, including the pirate sketch, his scene with Gonzo (the ugly, disgusting one who catches cannonballs) and the finale. Guest stars were allowed to appear on the show only once and never appeared a second time. Some of Fozzies physical looks, and much of his comic persona was patterned after those of the classic Jewish and so-called Borscht Belt Comedians. The Mahna-Mahna number was originally performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Originally, the producers intended to create Muppet versions of each guest star. These can be seen in the early episodes when the guest star takes his or her bow. The practice was scrapped after the third episode. Mark Hamill along with R2-D2, C-3PO, and Chewbacca from the Star Wars movies guest starred in one episode. This was largely an outgrowth of Frank Ozs work as Yoda in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. The Swedish Chef is the only character to have bare human hands, presumably because of the dexterity needed. Animal, the Muppet drummer, was inspired by Keith Moon of The Who. Many guest stars would be asked about their favorite Muppet and be given scenes with them. Miss Piggy was reportedly the most requested. Animal was a close second. Besides the theme song, very few songs were actually written for the show. They were taken from old comedy albums, vaudeville standards and British music hall routines. The episode hosted by Steve Martin featured auditions of new acts for the show. It was actually a dumping ground for all of the ideas that hadnt quite formed into coherent scenes. Since there was no audience, the laugh track wasnt used. Instead, the producers had a few stagehands provide the laughter. Because there is no audience track in this episode, it is thus the only episode in which the closing theme is audible for its entirety; in all other episodes the closing theme is obscured by canned applause and audience laughter. Floyd Peppers name combined the name of the rock band Pink Floyd with the title of The Beatless Sgt. Pepper album. Reflecting this was Floyds pink color. The outfit and moustache he wore were similar to those worn by the Beatles in their Lonely Hearts Club Band persona. Many of the characters were redesigned early in the shows run. Miss Piggys long hair and nose were replaced with shorter, curly hair and a shorter nose. Gonzos nose was resized, and Fozzie had his wagging ears and drooping mouth removed because Frank Oz felt they were unnecessary to bring the character to life. The character of Miss Piggy was originally alternately played by Richard Hunt and Frank Oz. As the character grew in popularity, a hesitant Oz took on sole performer status. He once remarked that Piggy was such an intense and over-the-top woman, she could only be played by a man. The flamboyant costumes and mannerisms of Dr. Teeth were modeled after New Orleans jazz musician, Dr. John.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 00:13:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015