Eras in Muppet History: The Prime-Time Era (1975-1981)

Eras in Muppet History: The Prime-Time Era (1975-1981)

It’s time to get things started! The prime-time era is the point in time most commonly referenced when people talk about the Muppets. The reason for this is simple: The Muppet Show, debuting in 1976. Despite the fact that the show ended its run over 30 years ago, it seems like everyone still loves the Muppet Show and is at least vaguely familiar with it. It is the beating heart of the Muppet franchise, because it set the tone for these characters. Characters were made into superstars during this era. Superstars who are still around today. I would label ­the start of this era with the second, and ultimately successful pilot for the show titled “The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence”, which aired in 1975. The format is similar to a guest-less episode of The Muppet Show, hosted by Nigel, who would later go on to conduct the Muppet Orchestra. The only cohesive storyline is a series of Muppet-style manifestations of the seven deadly sins who check in for a pageant. In between segments of this story are a variety of sketches. Some of these sketches mark the debut of key characters and would go on to become staples of The Muppet Show, such as a musical number from the Electric Mayhem and a zany, culinary demonstration from the Swedish Chef. Overall, the pilot is a little too random and all over the place for me. It isn’t one I typically like to re-watch, but it did serve its purpose. It paved the way for the show that over 120 episodes would catapult the Muppet’s star status to new heights. In 1976, The Muppet Show debuted and the world was introduced to one of the catchiest television theme songs in history. The song itself is so iconic that in the future programs, Muppets Tonight (1996), and The Muppets (2015), the melody of the Muppet Show theme song can be heard in their intros if you listen carefully.

 

Backstage at The Muppet Show

Jim Henson modeled The Muppet Show off of what was popular at the time. Variety shows were at their peak popularity with shows like The Carol Burnett Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. The Muppets were given their own variety show, set in a vaudeville-style theater. In addition to the sketches and musical numbers of The Muppet Show, we were also shown the backstage world. We saw Kermit trying to hold this show together and manage all of the crazy characters who were running around, causing chaos. Kermit had already been around for 20 years at this point and it was during The Muppet Show that he was established as the star of the show. Among the wide variety of additional characters is the core group of Muppets. This includes Fozzie Bear, the insecure, struggling comedian, who you can’t help but root for; Scooter, the Go-Fer, nephew to the theater owner who was essentially Kermit’s assistant; The Great Gonzo, the resident weirdo, known for his daring, crazy stunts; Rowlf, the easy-going, piano-playing dog; and the Electric Mayhem consisting of Dr. Teeth and his band members, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Animal, and Zoot. This group of oddballs became a family of characters that the world couldn’t get enough of.

 

Of course, you can’t talk about stars of The Muppet Show without mentioning Miss Piggy, arguably the world’s biggest barnyard diva. The interesting thing about Miss Piggy is that she was never intended to be a star. Miss Piggy was initially created as a generic lady pig. She didn’t even have a stable performer at first. In early episodes, she was traded back and forth between Frank Oz and Richard Hunt. Miss Piggy started to have some moments that solidified her as a real character. One of these notable moments is The Muppet Glee Club sketch, where Piggy is given the solo and completely hams it up, taking over the number. By the end of the first season, Miss Piggy had nudged her way into the core group of Muppets and she was performed solely by Oz. The reality of how Piggy became a star is likely how this played out in-universe. Miss Piggy is not the type to be content to sing in the back of the chorus line, she would do anything she can to break into stardom and make sure she’s known as a star. She became so popular, that when guest stars were asked what character they wanted to act or sing with, Miss Piggy was the top request.

 

Kermit & Piggy with Dick Van Dyke in
The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979)

On the subject of Guest Stars, The Muppet Show has an amazing resume in terms of the stars that came to guest star each week. Stars including Milton Berle, Steve Martin, Bob Hope, Johnny Cash, Elton John, Julie Andrews, Christopher Reeves, Vincent Price and many more. Everyone wanted to be a part of this Muppet phenomenon. The best example of the star quality of the Muppets in the late 70s is the promotional event The Muppets Go Hollywood, in 1979. A party was being held at the Coconut Grove to celebrate the upcoming release of The Muppet Movie (1979). The sheer amount of A-List celebrities in attendance was astounding. Johnny Mathis, Dick Van Dyke, Rita Moreno, Peter Falk, everyone was there! The Muppet Show had three seasons under its belt at this point, which meant that celebrities mixing with Muppets was nothing new. The difference was that on The Muppet Show, the guest stars would appear one at a time and were treated as special guests. The Muppets Go Hollywood attracted a wide variety of big names to congregate together and to concede the spotlight to Kermit. In the 1970s, Muppets were kings.

 

               

The Muppet Movie (1979)

Along with the tremendous success of The Muppet Show, this era in Muppet history is also when they branched out of the television world and made their way to the big screen. The Muppet Movie proved that Muppets could hold their own in a real world setting outside of a sound stage. The plot follows Kermit as he starts out in a swamp and ends up traveling to Hollywood to become a star, picking up all sorts of wacky companions along the way. This is essentially an interpretation of how the Muppets got started, coming from humble beginnings back in 1955 and making it all the way to having a world-famous feature film littered with celebrity cameos. They even made a subtle nod to this when Kermit tells Robin that this is approximately how the Muppets got started. The Muppet Movie is another great example of the mix between crazy and heartfelt. On the crazy side, there are things like the Electric Mayhem painting Fozzie’s car to disguise it, Gonzo flying through the air with a bunch of balloons, and the fact that Kermit is being chased by the owner of a frog’s legs restaurant. On the heartfelt side, we have Kermit singing one of the best Muppet songs in history, Rainbow Connection, as well as the close friendships that the Muppets have for each other by the end of this journey. This was a major pivotal point for the franchise, with the iconic songs written by Paul Williams as well as showing the world that the Muppets don’t have to be contained to TV.

Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas (1977)

In the midst of all the hype for The Muppet Show, there was one last production for Tales From MuppetLand, called Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas (1977). Emmet is a poor otter, living with his mother who forms a band with his friends. Emmet and his mother both secretly enter the talent show in order to buy each other a Christmas gift with the prize money. It’s a sweet story performed brilliantly by Henson and his team. This special also features music written by Paul Williams, who would continue to write music for The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). Williams’ most famous song from this special is “When the River Meets the Sea”, a tear-jerking song about moving on after the loss of a loved one. The song has since been performed several times, even at Jim Henson’s funeral.

               


Fozzie, Kermit, & Gonzo in The Great Muppet Caper

I would identify one last Muppet production that in my mind, concluded the Prime Time Era, The Great Muppet Caper (1981). The film was released shortly after The Muppet Show ended its run. In the movie, Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo are reporters investigating a jewel robbery in England. The three heroes check in to the Happiness Hotel where they are greeted by all our old friends from The Muppet Show. It quickly turns into a caper to bring the thieves to justice. At the same time, Kermit becomes romantically involved with Miss Piggy, who is claiming to be the world famous Lady Holiday. As the opening number suggests, “There’ll be heroes bold, There’ll be comedy. And a lot of fuss that ends for us real happily.” This movie brings it all, romance, action, comedy, suspense all in true Muppet style. It really feels like you’re watching an extended episode of The Muppet Show. To this day, it remains my all-time favorite Muppet movie.



The Great Muppet Caper (1981)



The Prime Time Era brought so many changes to the Muppets and launched them to a level that was unheard of. So far in this chapter, I’ve mostly been focusing on The Muppet Show and the first two Muppet movies, but that’s because so much happens in these productions. I could dive much deeper into these productions as well as all of these great characters but my recommendation would be to watch it for yourself. It’s great television you won’t regret watching. Jim Henson made these characters so compelling that people kept wondering, what are the Muppets going to do next?


Continue on to The Post-Muppet Show Era (1982-1990)