Original air date: February 1, 1979
“Perfection” is not a word anyone should toss around lightly. And yet, I find myself going back to that word fairly regularly when it comes to The Muppet Show. There are sketches that transcend all others, like “Good Grief, the Comedian’s a Bear“. There are full episodes like the ones starring Harry Belafonte or John Cleese that stand as pure works of genius. And then there’s “Cheek to Cheek”.
“Cheek to Cheek”, dare I say, may be one of the greatest accomplishments the Muppets have ever achieved. Sure, it’s just another duet between Miss Piggy and a male Muppet Show guest star, but it also tells a complete story in just two simple scenes.
The sequence begins in the rarely-seen Muppet Theater’s canteen, as Piggy practices the number with Rowlf the Dog. Already, we’re privy to something we never see (and, considering the quality of the show, something we don’t expect they ever do) – rehearsals. Danny Kaye joins the duo and immediately throws a double-whammy set of insults. First he insinuates that Piggy is old by saying that he remembers when she sang this song “years and years and years ago” (for the record, Piggy never actually sang this song before, but Beauregard later sang it to a mop in The Muppet Show On Tour), and then saying he remembers it from when she was thin. Two strikes, you’re out, Kaye.
Immediately after the scene in the canteen, we’re transported to the stage where Kermit introduces the number, while the continuing argument is clearly audible behind the curtain. The curtain opens, and both Piggy and Danny attempt to continue with the romantic duet for the sake of the audience, both swallowing their contempt for the other.
What follows is a double act of comedy genius and musical whimsy. Piggy and Danny go through the entire song bumping into each other, deliberately stepping on the other’s lines, and at one point, Kaye screams his lyric to scare the crap out of Piggy. But then! Then something remarkable happens. Slowly and naturally, the angry love song morphs into an actual love song, and the chemistry between the movie star and the lady pig is palpable. Through the course of just a few verses, they went from hating each other to loving each other, thus proving that the two emotions really are just opposite sides of the same coin.
In other words, perfection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJthlgKaf5Q
Best Joke: Near the end of “Cheek to Cheek”, Danny looks out to the audience with an impish look on his face as if he knows he’s about to invite trouble and says, “I never knew you when you were thin”. Talk about cheeky.
Lamest Joke: A very brief segment features the Zucchini Brothers jumping into a pool of water, but Beauregard moves the pool. And then I bruised my shoulder from shrugging too hard.
MVM (Most Valuable Muppet): Miss Piggy, naturally. She’s been great for years and years and years…
Most Classic Moment: Danny Kaye sings “Inchworm” (which was previously, slightly less memorably performed by Charles Aznavour a couple years earlier) backstage with the Muppet troupe as, “just friends”. Lovely.
First Appearance Of…: Clive Cahuenga, the Singing Civil Servant! I say this with absolute zero irony – I adore the idea of this nerdy Muppet whose first passion is the law and second passion is singing about it. I’m just so disappointed that this is his only appearance. Where’s my Clive Cahuenga merchandise, Disney???
Coolest Puppetry Effect: There are a few good ones in this episode. Miss Piggy karate chops a piano, which breaks and emits a puff of dust. The lead singer of “Jogging” seems to be running past a bunch of characters and things, but the actual puppet is just running in place while everything moves past the camera. But the best is “Lunch Time”, which not only features dancing food (including a tap dancing banana peel!), but also manages to make the whole thing look like it’s taking place on a construction beam with no visible puppeteers below.
Missed Opportunity: Statler and Waldorf miss the whole show because they think the guest is Manny Kaye, the infamous tuned clam player. And now all I want is to see what that act would look like.
Obscure Character Watch: Just before “Cheek to Cheek”, Miss Piggy is running through the backstage area and finds herself behind a slow-walking Nigel the Conductor. It’s always nice to see that emcee wannabe!
Adultiest Content: At the end of “Jogging”, the jogger collapses and has his face licked by a dog. The dog’s owner, Wayne, then begins to lick the other side of the jogger’s face. It’s hard not to fetishize it.
One More Thing…: Floyd and Janice spend the episode in Statler and Waldorf’s box, and it’s never not jarring to see anyone but the two old codgers sitting up there. It’s like seeing your teacher outside of school.
Okay, One More Thing…: The Swedish Chef’s name is Tom! Is that canon?
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
