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The Best of The Muppet Show
Studio: Columbia
Year: 1976 - 1981
Rated: NR
Film Length: 80 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame (1.33:1)
Subtitles: None
It’s time to play the music.
It’s time to light the lights
It’s time to meet the Muppets
on the Muppet Show tonight
Due to the amount of screener product I have
had to do recently, I have had to delay this
particular review for the past few weeks. I am
happy that I finally had the opportunity this
morning to finally sit down and watch two of the
very first DVD releases that represent the Best
of The Muppet Show.
While the "Muppets" (the combination of the words
‘marionette’ and ‘puppet') had been around on
television for the past two decades, it was tough
for Henson to sell his idea of a variety show to
the major networks who had labeled his creations
as kiddie fare. Henson ended up taking his Muppet
staff to England, where he had set up a deal with
English entrepreneur Sir Lew Grade to finance
The Muppet Show. Not only did it become the
most popular first-run syndicated series in
television history, it also became the most widely
seen television show of the late seventies.
The weekly variety show was actually a show within
a show, with Kermit as the producer/host of Muppet
Theater. Kermit had the considerable task of
keeping guests and Muppets happy, fending off Miss
Piggy's advances, bolstering Fozzie's confidence
after another joke falls flat, and tolerating
Gonzo's bizarre stunts. The show became a hip
place for big-name stars to make appearances. Among
the greats were Elton John, Peter Sellers,
Rudolf Nureyev, Zero Mostel, Steve Martin and
Alice Cooper.
Within the past year, Time Life began releasing
The Muppet Show on DVD as a subscription
series. Soon afterwards, Columbia Tristar Home
Entertainment also began releasing episodes as a
"best of" series. These first two 25th Anniversary
Edition DVDs feature 3 full-length shows each,
including Special Bonus Material.
The first DVD release features guests Mark Hamill,
Paul Simon and Raquel Welch. The second
DVD features Elton John, Julie Andrews and
Gene Kelly.
It's hard to pick a favorite show or even a favorite
DVD here. All of these episodes are clear winners.
There's Elton John singing "Don't Go
breaking my heart" with Miss Piggy. Gene Kelly
decides to take a break from being a guest star only
to be coaxed on stage to perform a dance number with
Kermit. Of course, there's the highly popular Star
Wars show with guest-star Mark Hamill and
his co-horts C3PO and R2D2 hijacking PIGS IN SPACE
in order to rescue the kidnapped Chewbacca.
How is the transfer?
While transfer quality looks very good, you can
see how the clarity of the DVD format brings out
the limitations of the original video broadcasts.
There's a lack of sharpness and detail in the
picture. You also get occasional ghosting --
especially in the opening curtain shots where
Kermit enthusiastically introduces the show.
Otherwise, there excellent color rendering here
and images remain mostly clean throughout.
Unfortunately none of these shows were preserved
in stereo. The mono sound and absence of any
dynamic range severely limits the impact of most
of the great musical numbers found here. I found
myself having to raise the volume a bit, but
fortunately in doing so, there was no introduction
of background hiss.
Special Features
There was a real attempt to make these DVDs a fun
and enjoyable experience for the fans.
The content of these DVDs are laid out wonderfully,
thanks to extensive menus that break down the show
by various skits. There's no hassle trying to find
your favorite episode of Pigs in Space, Swedish
Chef or soap opera Veterinarians' Hospital.
Each show contains an introduction by Brian Henson
who tells you a little history of the episode you
are about to watch. For instance, Elton John didn't
originally want to wear flamboyant costumes on the
show (just getting out of that period of his life).
Gene Kelly made a point of not wanting to sing his
signature song, "Singin' In The Rain". But of
course, the Muppets always win and both performers
succumbed to the charms of the show's characters.
Each DVD contains a set of Muppet Extras
that are quite hilarious. I was rolling in laughter
as I watched the cast audition for the part of Yoda
in The Empire Strikes Back. And just wait till
you see the trailer for Kermit's broadway premiere
in Flipperdance. There's also some neat
original artist sketches of Muppet favorites.
There are also trailers for Muppet movies
and programs available on DVD.
Final Thoughts
It's easy to see why The Muppets had such universal
appeal for both adults and children. These foam-rubber
creations had a realistic, human-like warmth that made
them easy to love. The Best of Muppet Show is
a wonderful reflection of how Henson's popular
characters became a sensational inspirational
celebrational Muppetational part of our lives.
Release Date: Now
