Much of the contents of which are the definitive versions of the songs for me. I was listening to the Christmas radio station (which has already begun the 24/7) yesterday in the car when some tinkly-sappy version of “We WIsh You A Merry Christmas” came on. By the time the “We won’t go until we get some” repetition began I was hearing Animal’s increasing agitation on the Muppets version in my head (and eventually John Denver’s “Animal! Sit!” at the end of the verse).
I was originally going to say Steve Martin but then I decided to change it to Elton John just for the fact that he did Crocodile Rock with crocodiles, of course.
Why does he dress like a stolen car?
I’m quite fond of the Christopher Reeve show. IIRC they did Hamlet with pigs.
But there are tons of great ones.
When the hell is Disney, which has all the power in the world, going to issue seasons 4 and 5?
I’m going to go with Milton Berle simply because I love the song The Entertainer.
Alice Cooper, hands down. That show made me a lifelong fan.
Rita Moreno. Always, always Rita Moreno. Though Raquel Welch (and her absolute failure to seduce Fozzie Bear) is a close second.
Spike Milligan. And Linda Ronstadt made 9 year old me feel funny.
James Coburn
"Animal, serene.’
“SAAAREEEEEEN!!!”
“Animal! You don’t go around breaking chairs like that!”
“No?”
“You do it like this!”
Some of my favorites:
Vincent Price, Sweetums, Uncle Deadly, etc, singing “You’ve Got a Friend”.
Mark Hamill gargling Gershwin.
Roger Moore singing “Walk With the Animals”.
Mikhail Baryshnikov dancing “Swine Lake”. (And Sam the Eagle’s reaction.)
Mummenschanz.
Luke Skywalker
Slight hijack:
Does anyone else remember “The Muppet’s Seven Deadly Sins (Holiday Special?*)”? Of course, Miss Piggy is Lust, they do the other five, forgot about the seventh, did the closing music, credits and sign-off, then:The door opens and the character says Hi! I’m Sloth, am I late? Thought I’d die laughing.
*I don’t remember the exact title.
Him or Vincent Price - toss up between the two for me.
You’re thinking of The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scV_l8nIkd0
I liked many of the guests on the show, some already named. It’s impossible for me to pick one. But two that stand out for me are Liza Minelli (the entire show is a murder mystery) and Mummenschanz.
Pierce Brosnan in Muppets Tonight was quite memorable, I’ve always thought. Despite his protests that he is not James Bond, the show builds to the point where he is attempting to fight off would-be crustacean terrorists, by firing clocks at them with a giant catapult, while dressed in a lobster costume. All the while, Johnny Fiama is singing a ripoff of “Goldfinger” in the background…
Ditto, though Alice’s scene with Miss Piggy kind of frightened me as a child.
Steve Martin
Bob Hope was cool. He didn’t need the money or the exposure, and sure didn’t think a puppet shoe was beneath him.
The Star Wars episode is a strong memory from my childhood. It was a complete surprise to me, and thrilled me no end because it came in between Star Wars and Empire. It was like checking in on the characters in a different context.
Watching that episode again, I think the funniest moment was a conversation between Kermit and C3PO, who is explaining why they are visiting the Muppet Show. It seems Chewbacca was kidnapped and left a note saying he’s being held by a bunch of “weird turkeys.”
C3PO: It does sound rather like your show.
Kermit: (Nodding ruefully) Yeah. It does.
I think the Gilda Radner episode was very charming too. She was wonderful, and the scene of her singing an operetta with the giant carrot is hysterical.