World Famous Comics: Best of the Muppet Show - Harry Belafonte / Linda Ronstadt / John Denver
Best of the Muppet Show - Harry Belafonte / Linda Ronstadt / John Denver
Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Eren Ozker Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Format: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC Label: Sony Pictures Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 99 Release Date: March 04, 2003 Running Time: 80 minutes Theatrical Release Date: January 29, 1976
Amazon.com: The emphasis is on music in this lively minicollection of episodes from The Muppet Show, but that doesn't mean the late Jim Henson's creative genius goes on holiday. Linda Ronstadt, at the height of her popularity in 1976, belts out her hit "Blue Bayou," though accompanied by Henson's delightful swamp critters. Gentle eco-warrior John Denver has no shortage of lovely nature songs, yet nothing tempers the rage of Miss Piggy, forced to share Kermit with Denver on a camping trip. In a classic Muppet showstopper, this DVD includes Harry Belafonte joined in a Guinea folk song by breathtaking African masks, which move and sing in a moment of true television magic. Brian Henson (Jim's son) introduces all three episodes with some shared memories; the most touching includes footage of Belafonte singing that same Guinea song, years later, at a joyful memorial for Jim. --Tom Keogh
One of the best of the "best of" These were three excellent episodes of the Muppet Show, each one showcasing the potential of the creations of Jim Henson and company. Belafonte's will always be a classic, allowing his famous "Bannana Boat" song to become a comedy act (a series of bizarre interupptions and stage whispers during the song) while still highlighting his vocal talent. Turn the World Around was one of the best numbers in the history of the show. John Denver and Linda Ronstadt also highlight the creativity of the backstories in the show (Linda having a crush on Kermit while Miss Piggy tries to break them up and John inviting the group to go camping). The moment where Kermit tells Piggy that she doesn't have to go camping, and that they can instead go where "her roots are, the sty! Where pigs eat swill and wallow in the mud!" was a classic. Look for the "why can't we be friends" song, which does not feature any of the guest stars, but was a great concept, with excellent execution. Together with the Coburn/Stallong/Harry DVD, some of the best moments in Muppet Show history.
Truly deserving of this title! This set truly deserves this title. The segment where Harry Belafonte sings "Turn the World Around" with all the Muppets- including the grumpy old men(!) singing along has to be the greatest moment in Muppet history! I think most Muppet fans will agree. The John Denver segment has it's moments too, and while the Linda Ronstadt segment is not up to the other two, there is really no such thing as a completely bad Muppet Show.
It would be nice if the Alice Cooper episode, with the stuffy eagle having a fit over the freakish one, and the Milton Berle episode, where the heckling old men go toe to toe with Uncle Miltie, would also see the light of day.
The genius of the Muppets and Jim Henson was their ability to appeal to both kids and adults at the same time, unlike much of the Sid and Marty Kroft stuff and the New Zoo Revue and their descendant Barney who will make anyone over three years old run to the Pepto-Bismol! This DVD is a fine example of what I mean.
2 out of three ain't bad This disk is worth having just for the Harry Belafonte episode. It's FABULOUS, and includes music worth introducing to children.
The Linda Ronstadt episode is very flat. I love The Cat Came Back- but that's about it. Linda's numbers are downright boring, and not very Muppet-y.
The John Denver episode is lovely, but not like the Belafonte episode. Even if they don't put out all the Muppet episodes- and I wish they would- I would at least like a collection of teh John Denver Episodes. This is the one with Grandma's Featherbed and Inch By Inch. It also has a rendition of the Happy Wanderer done by Muppets that I adore.
Two good, and one GREAT, episodes. I'm glad that someone finally got around to releasing episodes of the zaniest variety show in history, Jim Henson's hilarious puppet-driven "The Muppet Show," which first ran in the late seventies and early 80s. Unfortunately, Columbia/TriStar is releasing only three episodes per DVD, when they could easily fit six onto one. The packaging also show that they're marketing these DVDs to a children's audience, but the presence of some extras shows that they also want to attract viewers like me, who fell in love with the show as children and want to relive these great episodes. So as a presentation, these DVDs fall in the middle: could be much better, but could have been much worse.
As for the episodes themselves: this is the first of the DVDs released, and they couldn't have picked a better episode to lead-off the series. The Harry Belafonte episode is my personal favorite and the one I best remember from childhood. In his brief introduction to the episode, Jim Henson's son Brian Henson comments on the close friendship between his father and Harry Belafonte, and that Belafonte performed the final number from this episode, "Turn the World Around," at Jim Henson's memorial service. "Turn the World Around" is a beautiful, very moving melody, and the performance in the episode with African mask Muppets is stunning puppetry artwork. The episode's running plot has Fozzie trying to script out the whole show, which doesn't really work well. Harry Belafonte sings "The Banana Boat Song" in a hilarious scene where Fozzie keeps interrupting him for explanations. Harry and Animal get involved in a drum duel, Floyd and Zoot perform "Honeysuckle Rose," and there's an episode of Pigs in Space where Dr. Strangepork switches everybody's bodies around. This is an all-around hysterical episode, and touching as well.
The Linda Ronstadt episode, from late in the show's run, is the weakest on the DVD. The running plot, with Linda getting a crush on Kermit while Miss Piggy fumes, is kind of a bore, as are all of Ronstadt's numbers. She performs "Blue Bayou" of course, but nothing particularly Muppet-like or clever happens during it. The highlight of the episode are two musical numbers (without Linda) that are classics among Muppet fans. Rowlf the Dog sings "The Cat Came Back," complete with bombs and cannons and an invincible little feline. Hilarious! Later, in one of the strangest musical numbers ever, two anonymous muppets in a dusty mansion dressed in dreary black clothing, both coated in cobwebs, sing "I Am So Happy" with the joy of a funeral dirge. It's screamingly funny to hear this gloomy puppet moan, "I - like - to - have - fun." The rest of the episode is just okay, but we do get another installement of Pigs in Space.
Finally, we have John Denver, another man very closely connected to Jim Henson (and also gone too young). Brian Henson again provides some interesting information on Henson's relationship with Denver at the beginning of the episode. John Denver seems very comfortable performing with the Muppets and seems to having a good time (in fact, he almost cracks up and loses it during one scene). His numbers are okay: "Grandma's Feather Bed" is pretty cute, but the garden number doesn't have enough happening in it. The real killer musical number is the opener: a version of "Why Can't We Be Friends?" performed in the midst of a full-scale war between every nation and every time period in history. The technical skill here is incredible, and the idea is darkly funny. The Swedish Chef pops up to make squirrel stew, only to face a deadly squirrel uprising. Some pigs sing "The Happy Wanderer" while climbing the Alps and fall off one by one. It's a pretty fun episode.
I recommend this DVD for the Belafonte episode alone; I really think it's of the best half-hours the Muppets ever did. But you also get exploding cats, Pigs in Space, two Swedish Chefs, the most depressing "happy song" ever, and Miss Piggy slugging an obnoxious tree. They just don't make entertainment like this any more.
Great Movie My husband and I bought this, along with other Muppet Show DVDs, for our son (1 yr. old) and this is by far his favorite. He loves dancing to all the music.
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