The Muppet Show – Season Two
Directed by Peter Harris, Philip Casson
Studio: Disney
Year: 1977-78
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 612 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: EHD
MSRP: $39.95
Release Date: August 7, 2007
Review Date: July 29, 2007
Directed by Peter Harris, Philip Casson
Studio: Disney
Year: 1977-78
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 612 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: EHD
MSRP: $39.95
Release Date: August 7, 2007
Review Date: July 29, 2007
The Series
5/5
Jim Henson was a genius, pure and simple. Beginning his career in 1955 and continuing to his death in 1990, he and his cohorts entertained generation after generation with their warm, witty, and wise puppetry. At some point in our lives, we’ve likely been touched by one or more of his various enterprises and contributions to larger productions: a season on Saturday Night Live, Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street, the films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. But perhaps his greatest contribution to worldwide entertainment was The Muppet Show, a five year musical comedy-variety half hour that was syndicated around the world and which led to a series of delightful feature films. The franchise of amazing characters it created (some 400 during the run of the series) are still going strong decades after the peak of popularity for this show, and this new box set includes all 24 episodes from the second season of the series which ran during the 1977-78 television season.
Having established running parody features during the first season like “Pigs in Space,” “The Swedish Chef,” “Muppet Labs,” and “Veterinarian’s Hospital,” Henson continued them throughout the run of the series. Wisely, he didn’t try to cram all of the recurring skits into every week’s half hour show. Rather, he alternated them every few weeks thus insuring they stayed fresh and anticipatory for the audience.
As in the previous season, a major guest star toplined each week’s episode. The Muppet Show offered tremendous international exposure for any celebrity, and many of the biggest stars of the day clamored to sign on for a week of anything goes. For some like Judy Collins, the Muppets were warm and fuzzy. For others like Milton Berle, the razzing and mayhem was constant. In fact, Berle’s standup routine was subject to the most hilarious five minutes of hectoring and abuse by the curmudgeonly Statler and Waldorf in the history of the series. But even with stars who found it hard to fit into the Muppet world (Dom DeLuise, Don Knotts), there was something endearingly whimsical to be found in every show. There was never a joke too corny nor an idea too weird for the Muppets to fully embrace.
Among the most memorable sequences during season two: Rowlf’s tender singing of “What a Wonderful World” to a real puppy, Judy Collins’ haunting “Send in the Clowns” with three acrobatic dancing clowns in the background, Rudolf Nureyev dancing “Swine Lake,” Bernadette Peters’ hilarious country song “Apple Jack,” Cleo Laine and Lou Rawls each scat singing with abandon with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Julie Andrews’ sweet “When You Were a Tadpole” sung to Kermit, and Kermit’s signature “It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green.”
Here’s a rundown of all 24 episodes contained on four discs. An asterisk (*) marks a truly exemplary episode.
1 – Don Knotts
2 – Zero Mostel
3 – Milton Berle
4 – Rich Little
5 – Judy Collins
6 – Nancy Walker
7 – Edgar Bergen
*8 – Steve Martin
9 – Madeline Kahn
10 – George Burns
11 – Dom DeLuise
*12 – Bernadette Peters
13 – Rudolf Nureyev
*14 – Elton John
15 – Lou Rawls
16 – Cleo Laine
*17 – Julie Andrews
18 – Jaye P. Morgan
*19 – Peter Sellers
20 – Petula Clark
21 – Bob Hope
22 – Teresa Brewer
23 – John Cleese
*24 – Cloris Leachman
Video Quality
3.5/5
The series was videotaped, and these thirty year old 1.33:1 tape masters have held up pretty well over three decades. For most of the episodes, the sharpness is well above average, and aside from aliasing on some fine line markings in blinds, few artifacts are present. Color, however, varies from bright on most episodes to dishwater dull on others, and there is occasional color banding on some colored backgrounds. Even though there isn’t a tremendous amount of detail to be found in the images, however, this is undoubtedly the best these shows have ever looked.
Audio Quality
3/5
The Dolby Digital 2.0 track is decoded by Dolby Prologic into the center channel. Fidelity is limited, but the sound is clear lacking hiss, pops, or any other digital artifacts.
Special Features
3/5
A 1974 Muppet Valentine special is the primary bonus on this set. Guest starring a very pregnant Mia Farrow, the thirty minute program predates the creation of most of the recognizable faces from The Muppet Show. Kermit’s around, of course, but few others in this special would make it to the television series two years later. The show displays average sharpness and mediocre color but is a valuable memento of Muppet history nonetheless. The program is heavily laced with love songs culled from Broadway musicals including “Love Is a Simple Thing” from New Faces, “Real Live Girl” from Little Me, and “I Got Love” from Purlie.
A series of thirteen interview segments featuring characters from the 1996 short-lived ABC variety program Muppets Tonight are included on the disc. There are some good one-liners and puns from the familiar characters, but it’s obvious some of the voice talent has changed over the years. These segments are presented in widescreen letterbox.
A 4-minute music video of the song “Keep Fishin’” featuring some of the Muppets with rock band Weezer also seems to have been taken from Muppets Tonight. It’s presented in a brightly colored 4:3 video transfer.
There are the usual Disney trailers for the upcoming re-release of The Jungle Book, the previously available The Muppet Show – Season One, and the familiar Blu-ray preview trailer.
One must mention the hilarious Muppet skits behind the main menus on each of the four discs. The funny characters are usually imploring the viewer to make a selection.
In Conclusion
4.5/5 (not an average)
The Muppet Show’s second season earned and richly deserved an Emmy Award for Best Variety-Music Series against formidable competition (The Carol Burnett Show, Saturday Night Live, Evening at Pops, America 2Nite). The five major puppeteers Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, and Jerry Nelson accomplished the herculean task of infusing different and engaging personalities into scores of foam rubber and felt designs. For fans or even for the curious, it’s a box loaded with pure entertainment.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC