Original Air Date: December 2, 1977
When I was growing up, before Disney started putting out the season sets, I had minimal exposure to full episodes of The Muppet Show. Sure, I had few compilations on VHS, but that was about it. We didn’t have cable in our house, so I didn’t get to enjoy the Muppets on Nickelodeon or The Odyssey Channel, and my parents weren’t going to shell out for all of those Time-Life DVDs, though I did have a couple that made their way to Costco, and a VHS that had the episode I’m here to talk about today, starring John Cleese.
For whatever reason, when I thought of The Muppet Show, the recurring premise that kept running through my head was that the guest stars hated being on the show. Of course, now that I’ve seen more complete episodes, I know that was a false assumption. So why did Cleese’s episode stick so much in my mind to the point where I thought that was the baseline for the whole show?
I think the most prominent reason why is that it’s just such a great episode. It’s always been a personal favorite of mine, and most Muppet fans I know tend to rate it highly as well. (So highly that it was a top-five contender for the title of “Best Muppet Show Episode Ever” for the We Got This! podcast when it recorded at the Museum of the Moving Image back in October!) It’s just so funny, and Cleese’s interactions with the whole cast are the highlights of the episode.
Cleese takes his love/hate relationship with the traditional sketch comedy format that he changed the sketch game with on Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and brings it in a more family-friendly fashion to the show. He stops the Pigs in Space sketch cold to explain that he is, in fact, a pirate, which works so well. He plays along without playing along, so to speak. His “suffer no fools” attitude is pushed to the limit by the antics of the Muppets, leading up to what might be one of the all-time best closing sketches in the history of The Muppet Show.
In fact, it might just be my favorite sketch ever. It’s one of those sketches that I don’t to spoil for any readers who might not have seen this episode yet (and I highly recommend that you do), but when Cleese’s demanding, precise image clashes with the “show must go on” attitude of the Muppets, it is comedy gold. (Incidentally, where Cleese on the show is very disdainful of working with the Muppets, in real life, he was extremely cooperative, co-writing the episode with Jerry Juhl, and supposedly got along very well with the performers.)
Elsewhere, Gonzo’s cannonball-catching trick goes slightly awry, leading him to be stuck for most of the show with a stretched arm that’s comically long, while the rest of the cast crack jokes about it. It’s visually cute, though the jokes are corny, at least until Cleese takes a crack at fixing Gonzo’s woes in another memorable spot. Lubbock Lou and His Jughuggers sing a rendition of “Somebody Stole My Gal,” which is relatively uneventful. Rowlf plays a polka accompanied by a chicken. The performance is funny, until the chicken runs off, having laid an egg, both figuratively and literally.
So the edgy comedy of Cleese is balanced with corny jokes from the rest of the cast, leaving something for everyone in the episode. Plus, there’s a Muppet News Flash where nothing happens to the Newsman that’s…*gasp*… still pretty funny! All in all, I hate to throw the word “classic” around willy-nilly, but yeah, this is a classic Muppet Show episode.
(You know what? The heck with it. If you haven’t seen the whole episode yet, at least check out the finale here. Believe me, it’s worth it.)
Best Joke: It’s not even a joke, just that last visual of Sweetums raising the arms of a totally defeated Cleese at the end of the final sketch. It gets me every time.
Worst Joke: Rowlf: “Usually this bird’s a great performer, but tonight she laid an egg.” It’s not bad, but you can see the punchline from a mile away.
MVM (Most Valuable Muppet): You might think it would be Gonzo, given that he gets the B-story, but quite stealthily, Kermit steals the show, particularly in the introduction (“Why don’t you guys watch the opening number? I’m gonna lie down for a while.”), as well as in that closing number. Sweetums does, with a fun number with Robin, and is the other hero in the closing number, so Kermit and Sweetums share MVM honors this week.
Most Classic Moment: I would think Cleese’s appearance Pigs in Space would be the most well-known sketch in the episode, featuring some fun work on his part, as well as a not-so-subtle reference to Monty Python’s famed Parrot Sketch, that leaves many a comedy fan pining for the fjords.
Should-Be-Classic Moment: That closing sketch. Watch it and you’ll know why.
Adultiest Content: In the Koozebane sketch, the liquid-based Koozebanian Spooble is consumed by a thirsty creature. Kermit closes the sketch, saying “Well, there you have it, folks, for the first time in history, a Koozebanian has been drunk on television.” If polygamy is more your speed, the episode’s UK spot, “Waiting at the Church,” features Miss Piggy playing a very pregnant bride jilted at the altar after her beau backs out of the wedding, explaining, “Can’t get away to marry you today, my wife won’t let me.” But it’s all played very cutesy, so it’s not too naughty.
Musical Highlight: Since I’ve already said plenty about the closing number, I’ll give a shout out to Robin and Sweetums singing “Two Lost Souls” from the musical Damn Yankees, which I happened to appear in junior year of high school. So that brought back a few memories.
One More Thing: Gonzo refers to Crazy Harry as his “lovely assistant.” You go, Gonzo, raising Crazy Harry’s self-esteem. #AllMuppetsAreBeautiful
Okay, One More Thing: How has that moment of Cleese’s arms being held up by Sweetums while he has the biggest frown in the world not been made into a meme. That seems ripe for the picking!
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by Matthew Soberman
