wermuth601 Reviews

Studio DC: Almost Live! (2008– )

better than the first

[10/10 · 7 October 2008]

The first Studio DC special, hosted by Dylan and Cole Spouse, was rather so-so, despite being better than I'd expected. This second special is a lot better, and feels like it has a lot more (despite also being a half-hour special). The first one had a really long sketch, and a few musical numbers (some of which were also long). The scenes in this special were a lot shorter, which I guess allows time for more material and characters.

This special has many Muppet characters missing from the first production, including Fozzie, Beaker, Scooter, and Camilla (okay, so some were in the opening sequence in the first one). Beaker's big musical duet was the highlight of this special, but I also liked the subplot involving Camilla turning into a turkey (it's a shame that we didn't get to see how it happened).

All in all, this felt more like a Muppet production than the first special, and I like the Muppets more than any of the celebrities in this special (and aside from Selena Gomez, I can't remember any of their names; At least with the first one I already knew the names of some of the celebrities, and remembered the ones that I didn't know of).

Studio DC: Almost Live! (2008– )

a decent special

[10/10 · 4 August 2008]

Studio DC: Almost Live! is a good special. I mainly watched it for the Muppets, and was surprised by how much screen time they got. I only expected them to be in two or three songs and/ or skits. But they are in pretty much every scene. I wonder why they get last billing.

I am not a fan of any of the other celebrities, and although this special was better than expected, I don't think I'll become a fan of them. But the best sketch was The Suite Life of Zack and Cody sketch. I also liked the number with Miley Cyris and The Electric Mayhem (and the Snowths, from The Muppet Show's "Mahna Mahna" number).

It's a shame that more Muppet characters weren't in this special. Fozzie, Rowlf, Bunsne, and Beaker all appear at the beginning, but don't have anything to do here. it'd also be great if Scooter was in it, along with fan favorites Beauregard, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, and Lips. But still a good special, though the Muppets have done better.

Skyscraper Caper (1968)

one of my favorite Daffy and Speedy cartoons

[10/10 · 26 June 2008]

While many Looney Tunes fans dislike the cartoons pairing Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales, I actually like them. They are enjoyable, whether Daffy has a reason to be Speedy's enemy or not. In Skyscraper Caper, however, they are actually friends. It's interesting that in this cartoon, despite their friendship, Speedy charges Daffy for helping prevent Daffy from sleepwalking, and Daffy actually doesn't mind paying Speedy.

I'd read about this cartoon years ago, and was a bit surprised when I finally saw it. I expected Daffy to sleepwalk into the construction site at night, yet he sleepwalks in the morning. I also didn't expect Daffy to wake up while at the construction site; I merely expected him to sleepwalk through the site.

However, this is a great cartoon. Other great Daffy and Speedy cartoons include Rodent to Stardom, Daffy Rents, and A Ship in the Deep. Your opinion may differ, of course.

Learning About Letters (1986 Video)

best of the alphabet

[10/10 · 3 January 2007]

Learning About Letters is one of the best Sesame Street videos ever produced. The plot involves Big Bird, Telly, and others celebrating Alphabet Day, where they look for objects that Begin with each letter of the alphabet. This video also features segments from Sesame Street, and all are from the 1970s (and I think some are from 1969). Segments include Cookie Monster singing C is for Cookie, Ernie and Bert singing La, La, La, Kermit drawing an M, and cartoons such as Madrigal Alhpabet and The Villain in the Pantima Hat.

This video is really great, and nearly every major characters from 1986 is included (except for The Count, Prairie Dawn, and Elmo). Howvever, this video should have been longer. Not every letter of the alphabet is represented by a song or skit from the show. It would be hard to include segments for every letter and have a linking plot in only 30 minutes. Not only that, but this video features three segments about the alphabet, and the letter M is the only letter ti be represented with two segments. After objects that Begin with every letters is represented, Luis reads a story, The Prince Banishes the letter P, which is about the letters P. The sketch is great, but this segment should have been shown when the letter P was represented, not after every letter had an object found.

However, I definitely recommend this video. It is one of the best Sesame Street videos ever made.

Learning About Numbers (1986 Video)

best Sesame Street numbers video

[9/10 · 3 January 2007]

Out of all of the Sesame Street videos about numbers, this is the best one (however, I haven't seen 123 Count With Me, so I could be wrong). Produced in 1986, this video has a lot of classic number segments from the early years. The linking plot involves Big Bird hosting his own number talk show, in a format similar to The Tonight Show. The Count acts as announcer, though he does leave during the middle of the show for his own needs.

This video features segments for the numbers 1 through 10, and a few for 20. A few numbers appear in multiple segments. Included are such classics as The King of 8, Martian Beauty, Dollhouse, I Just Adore Four, two animated segments starring a country fiddle player (Two Toucans Two-Step and Four Lions at My Door), two segments featuring John-John, and more.

Unfortunately, although most of the segments are really great segments, most of them are animated or non-Muppet segments. Not very many Muppets appear in this video (just Big Bird, The Count, Ernie, Grover, Kermit, Chip, Dip, and the Honkers). It would have been great if some more Muppet segments were included, such as Harvey Kneeslappers pranks involving the numbers one, two, or four, Kermit counting Twiddlebugs, Lefty the Salesman attempting to sell Ernie an 8, The Count and Cookie Monster counting cookies or apples, Four with Little Jerry and the Monotones, a Sesame Street News segment featuring The Three Little Pigs (there have been a few of these), and Bert's Six song, to name only a few.

There are also a lot of animated and/ or film segments that should have been included. Anything from the Pinball Number Count, Jazz, Mad Painter, and/ or Baker film series of sketches would have made this video better.

However, it's still a good video, especially for those who are big fans of The Count or Sesame Street animation, or even those who are interested in 1970s Sesame Street sketches.

The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street (1998 Video)

Kermit's Best Sesame Street Moments

[8/10 · 3 January 2007]

This 1998 home video release features Kermit the Frog's best segments from Sesame Street. In addition to many classic sketches featuring Kermit, there is a linking story in which Grover presents Kermit with "The Frog of the Year" award, and recites his own poem for Kermit, with constant interruptions by the Three Little Pigs, who are there because Kermit has interviewed them twice on Sesame Street News (actually, there have been at least five Sesame Street News segments concerning the Three Little Pigs).

Grover recites the poem, with many verses leading to classic Kermit sketches from Sesame Street. Among the classics are Bein' Green (the version from the 1970s, not the original or the version with Lena Horne), I Love My Elbows, Caribbean Amphibean, and This Frog. This video also features the classic sketch where Kermit and a girl recite the alphabet.

Unfortunately, this video is only a half hour long. It should have been an hour long. This video includes three clip montages, one of which includes clips from the various Sesame Street News segments. While these clips are fun to watch, I feel like most of these clips could confuse viewers who haven't seen the full segments. It would have been great if the video featured an opening clip montage, with music playing over the clips. And there are not any complete Sesame Street News segments included, nor are there any clips from the first season.

If I could only change one thing about this video (besides make it an hour long), it would be to eliminate the new scenes where Grover talks to real kids about Kermit. Sure, it's great to talk about Kermit, but Kermit isn't in these scenes, they don't take place at the award ceremony, and they take away time that could have been spent showing more Kermit sketches (even if this was an hour-long video I would have wanted them to not be included).

Since this video represents Kermit's best moments from Sesame Street, it makes sense that his Muppet Show friends are not included, though it would have been great if Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and Robin were at the ceremony. However, it would have been great if more Sesame Street characters were at the ceremony. In fact, it would have been great if this video featured some Kermit skits that also featured other regular characters (besides Grover). Perhaps it could have included the skit where Kermit interviewed Little Red Riding Hood (as portrayed by Cookie Monster), the skit where Kermit and Elmo talk about happy and sad, and the skit where Kermit x-rayed Herry Monster.

But still, this is a very good video. If you can find a copy it's worth watching.

Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943)

The best if the Cecil Turtle cartoons

[10/10 · 6 April 2006]

This was the first cartoon with Cecil Turtle that I have seen, and it's instantly been one of my favorite Looney Tunes shorts. It's also my favorite of the three Cecil Turtle cartoons.

When I first saw this cartoon, I thought it was weird that Bugs was basically a bad guy (like in Falling Hare) and actually lost. However, I thought it was funny and clever that Bugs dressed like a turtle while Cecil dressed like a rabbit.

I first saw this on TV, and due to censorship I didn't get to see the ending until this carton was shown uncut on The Bob Clampett Show. I won't spoil the ending here, but the ending is very funny (this cartoon is available uncut on the first Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD, as well as all previous video and laserdisc releases).

All in all, this is my favorite of the three Cecil Turtle cartoons.

Duck Amuck (1953)

One of Daffy's best!

[10/10 · 20 March 2006]

In this cartoon, Daffy Duck constantly get's tortured by the animator. Daffy keeps complaining to the animator, but no matter what, the animator always manages to outsmart him, often by either painting him or erasing him. At the end, the animator turns out to be Bugs Bunny.

This is a really hilarious cartoon. It's one of the best Daffy Duck cartoons ever, and also one of Chuck Jones' best. It's too bad that this cartoon didn't even get an Oscar nomination. I mean, this didn't get nominated, and Knighty Knight Bugs won an Oscar? How shameful!

One of the funniest scenes in this cartoon is a scene in which the screen goes up a few times, until it get's stuck and the screen is split into two halves, with Daffy in the bottom half and his feet in the top half, and then both images of Daffy start arguing with each other.

A few years later, Bugs Bunny starred in a similar cartoon, Rabbit Rampage. That is good too, but not as good as this cartoon.

Porky Pig's Feat (1943)

a good Porky and Daffy cartoon

[10/10 · 20 March 2006]

This was a very funny cartoon, in which Daffy gambles the money that he was going to pay for his and Porky's stay at a hotel, so they try to escape but the manager (who kind of reminds me of Mickey Mouse's enemy Pete) keeps outsmarting them.

One of my favorite scenes from this cartoon is the end, in which Daffy and Porky are locked up and call Bugs Bunny, hoping that he can save them. This scene is interesting for a few reasons: It's one of the few times that Bugs appeared with Porky Pig, the only time Bugs appeared in a black-and-white cartoon, Bugs seems to have been outsmarted as well, and, being the first time he and Daffy were in a cartoon together, Daffy actually talks positively about Bugs, even saying that Bugs was his hero.

The Bugs Bunny/Road-Runner Movie (1979)

A good movie

[10/10 · 7 March 2006]

This is easily one of the best Looney Tunes compilation movies, along with Daffy Ducks Movie: Fantastic Island.

However, the title, The Bugs Bunny/ Road Runner Movie, is a bit misleading. Bugs Bunny hosts this movie, but Road Runner doesn't co-host or co-star with Bugs, and he does not appear at all until near the end of the movie, when we first see a framed portrait of him, followed by clips from many Road Runner cartoons. Road Runner doesn't even appear in the opening sequence. The more recent video release cover (from 1997) would also make it seem like Road Runner appears equally with Bugs (the original poster features almost every character who appears in this movie). The only reason I can think of for it being called The Bugs Bunny/ Road Runner Movie would be to tie-in with The Bugs Bunny/ Road Runner Show, which I think was still being broadcast at the time of this movie.

However, this is still a great movie. Bugs Bunny shows viewers around his mansion and presents clips from many Warner bros. cartoons, most of which feature Bugs Bunny (some don't feature Bugs or Road Runner). All of the cartoons shown are directed by Chuck Jones. Highlights include Duck Amuck, Rabbits Feat, What's Opera, Doc?, Operation: Rabbit (one of Wile E. Coyotie's pairings with Bugs), Hare-Way To The Stars, For Scent-Imental Reasons, and more. There are a lot of classic Chuck Jones cartoons not included, such as The Rabbit of Seville, One Froggy Evening, and The Scarlett Pumperknickle. Also not included are the Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog cartoons (in fact, there are no cartoons featuring only rarely-used characters or one-shot characters). Since the movie only includes cartoons directed by Chuck Jones, there are no appearances by Yosimite Sam (except for on a picture), Sylvestor (though he did appear in a handful of Chuck Jones cartoons), Tweety, Foghorn leghorn, or Speedy Gonzoles.

Still, this is one of the best compilation movies, and most of the cartoons presented here are the full versions, with the exception of openings, closings, and credit sequences (even then, a handful of cartoons have their title cards shown). Operation: Rabbit and Long-Haired hare are both shortened, but all other cartoons that are not presented in clips are otherwise complete.

Muppet Video: Rock Music with the Muppets (1985 Video)

Rock on!

[10/10 · 13 January 2006]

Dr. Teeth is the host of this video from 1985, in which he presents the best rock and roll moments from The Muppet Show, featuring such songs as Don't Blame The Dynamite, Rockin' Robin, Disco Frog, Wild Thing, and Rock Around The Clock. He is also joined by Beaker, which is a bit of an odd pairing. Animal might have been a more appropriate choice to assist Dr. Teeth, but Beaker is still funny in this, and I like beaker better than Animal, anyway.

I am not really clear on whether Dr. Teeth is hosting a radio program or a music video program. However, in addition to the Muppet's, this video also includes clips with many guest stars from The Muppet Show. Alice Cooper sings Welcome to My Nightmare and School's Out For Summer, Debbie harry sings call me and One Way or Another, Leo Sayer sings You Make Me Feel Like Dancing and When I Need You, Ben Vereen sings Boogie Woogie Music, Helen reddy sings How Can You Be?, Lorretta Swit sings I Feel The Earth Move, and Paul Simon sings Loves Me Like a Rock. Oddly enough, this video doens't include any of Elton John's numbers (were the makers of this video unable to get the rights to use his songs on this video?).

There are also a lot of good numbers from The Muppet Show that should have been included, such as tenderly, Love Ya To death, and New York State of Mind. Another thing that's interesting is the fact that this video only has a small amount of well-known Muppet's in this video (though I'm not complaining). Kermit only appears in Disco frog, Scooter sings in Mr. Bassman, Gonzo sings car wash blues, and Rowlf plays piano in Boogie Woogie Music and How Can You Be? Miss Piggy and Fozzie bear don't appear at all on this video, and neither do Statler and Waldorf (the video could have used some of their comments after the songs), Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, or The Swedish Chef. then again, this is a good video for fans of The Electric Mayhem, as they appear throughout this video, and Beaker has a big part.

If you can find this video, get it.

The Jim Henson Hour (1987–1992)

NBC should have given this a longer chance

[19 October 2005]

The Jim Henson Hour was broadcast in 1989. It was a mix of The Muppet Show and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Jim Henson always introduced and closed the show in a room with a white lion. The first half hour for most shows was MuppeTelevision, which was similar to the Muppet Show but also different. It had many characters from The Muppet Show, but some were main characters (Kermit, Gonzo, and to a lesser extent Link Hogthrob), some made a few appearances (Fozzie Bear, Rowlf), and some only made special appearances (Miss Piggy, Bunsen, Beaker, The Swedish Chef). This was partly due to the facts that Frank Oz (Fozzie bear, Miss Piggy) and Richard Hunt (Scooter, Janice, Beaker) had limited availability on the show.

However, the new characters on this show were great. They included Bean Bunny, who was only hired to be cute, Leon, a purple lizard-like character, Digit, an android technician who also played in a band called Solid Foam, Waldo C. Graphic, a computer-animated bird who later appeared in Muppet*Vision 3D, and Clifford, the bass player for Solid Foam who would later host Muppets Tonight. MuppeTelevision also took place in a room full of monitors and usually featured a guest star (Bobby McFerrin, K.D. Lang) and even a theme (Science Fiction, Garbage).

The second half hour for five of the shows was The Storyteller, starring John Hurt. There were also half-hour specials, including Miss Piggy's Hollywood, Songs of The Cloudforrest, and Lighthouse Island. Some shows had specials for the entire hour, including Dog City (although that did have a 20-minute pre-show with the Muppets), Monster Maker, and The Secrets of The Muppets. After the show was canceled, all of the second half-hours have been shown on their own, and the hour-long specials have been shown without The Jim Henson Hour openings.

In 2004, The Walt Disney Company bought the rights to The Muppets, and unfortunately this is the only production where ownership is split up between companies. Disney owns MuppeTelevision, Miss Piggy's Hollywood, most of The Secrets of The Muppets, and the pre-show to Dog City, while The Jim Henson Company owns the rest. I hope that Disney releases the MuppeTelevision portions on television or DVD soon, as I have't seen those since the shows original run. I also hope that more of the shows original characters (especially Digit) come back someday.

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

one of the best

[10/10 · 18 October 2005]

In this Muppet movie, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rowlf, Scooter, Camillia, Dr. Teeth, Floyd, Animal, Janice, and Zoot are college graduates who decide to bring their successful college musical, Manhattan Melodies, to Broadway. Unfortunately, no producer will even meet with the Muppets. After being denied by too many producers, Scooter suggests that the Muppets decide to move on on their own. However, Kermit still believes that he can get his show on Broadway, but after he finally does and let's everybody know that he sold the show, Kermit get's amnesia and the others don't know where he is.

This features many great scenes, including a live action sequence that introduced the Muppet Babies, a wedding sequence filled with Muppets, including the Sesame Street cast and Traveling Matt (from Fraggle Rock), Scooter as a movie theatre usher, and a scene where Rizzo and the other rats cook breakfast.

My only complaint is that more characters weren't included more. Sure, many of them appear at the wedding, but there should have been some significant roles for Bunsen, Beaker, Beauregard, and Sweetums, and Lips should have been part of The Electric Mayhem in this movie like he was in The Muppet Show's last season and The Great Muppet Caper, and Miss Piggys dog Foo Foo should have been with her as well (after all, Rizzo The Rat, also performed by Steve Whitmire, had a big part in this movie, and he wasn't very well-known at the time).

Sesame Street (1969– )

always a good show...

[18 October 2005]

I have been a big fan of Sesame Street since I was a kid. I prefer Sesame Street stuff that was made before I was born to now, but I still like it. My favorite characters include Oscar The Grouch, Slimy, Bruno, Ernie, Bert, Hoots The Owl, Elmo, Cokie Monster, Grover, Herry Monster, Lefty the salesman, Biff, Sully, The Amazing Mumford, and Fat Blue (Grover's customer).

Some of my all-time favorite moments from Sesame Street include: all of the Pinball Number Count segments, almost anything featuring Kermit The Frog, Rubber Duckie, Do De Rubber Duck, Monster In The Mirror, Telephone Rock, the sketch where Ernie and Bert go to Egypt, the Miami Mice segments, and Fuzzy And Blue (and Orange).

I wish I was alive when this show began. I would have liked to have seen Sam The Robot, Mr. Hooper, and Rosevelt Franklin in action, I would have liked to have seen all of the baker films, and I would have liked to have seen all Kermit the Frog segments that have rarely been seen in the last five years (or later). I know that Noggin used to show old reruns, and that there is currently a channel, Sprout, that shows episodes, but i don't have either channel, so please put out some really old episodes on DVD, or in reruns on a channel that many people with cable have.

The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

The Great Muppet Caper is a great Muppet movie!!!

[10/10 · 18 October 2005]

This, the second Muppet movie ever made, is one of my favorites. Out of all the Muppet movies that have been made, I think this one has the most characters involved as part of the main cast. In addition to those who are normally part of the main cast (Kermit, Miss Piggy, etc) this is also the only Muppet movie (so far) where Pops (the old doorman), Beauregard (the stage hand), Lew Zeland (the Muppet who throws fish), and Lips (the trumpet player for The Electric Mayhem) are part of the main cast.

This movie also has a lot of great songs, including Hey, a Movie!, Happiness Hotel, Couldn't We Ride, and The First Time It Happens. There are many cool effects such as the Muppets riding bicycles and the Muppets in a double-decker bus, with Pops driving and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem performing on the top deck of the bus. The movie also has a neat opening sequence with Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo in a hot air balloon, and an even neater ending sequence with the Muppets wearing parachutes.

Let's not also forget about the human cast. Diana Rigg plays the wealthy Lady Holiday, whose jewels have been robbed by her brother, Nicky Holiday (played by Charles Grodin), who plants the goods on Miss Piggy. This movie also features cameos by John Cleese, Robert Morley, Jack Warden, Peter Ustinov, and, in an uncredited cameo, Peter Falk. There are also cameos by the Henson staff. Jim Henson makes a cameo at the Dubonnet Club (His date is played by former puppet builder Amy Van Gilder), Jerry Nelson (Floyd, Pops, Lew Zeland) makes a cameo in the park with his real-life daughter, Cristina Nelson, Richard Hunt (Scooter, Beaker) makes a cameo as a cab driver in the opening song, and Frank Oz appears in the background during the newsroom scene. There is also a cameo by that wonderful Sesame Street Muppet, Oscar The Grouch.

Buy this movie if you can.

The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975 TV Special)

The second of two pilots

[10/10 · 18 October 2005]

Before there was The Muppet Show, there were two pilots. The first one was The Muppet Valentine Show, from 1974. The second of these pilots was this pilot, The Muppet Show: Sex And Violence, from 1975. In some ways this is closer to how The Muppet Show would turn out than the first pilot, but it is also different, with the earlier pilot having some things that were closer to the show.

In this pilot, the main cast includes Nigel, Sam The eagle, and Sgt. Floyd Pepper, who spend their time in a conference room playing games and preparing for the Seven Deadley Sins Pageant for the end of the show. Floyd was the bass guitar player for Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, who makes it's debut in this special. Nigel was the main character, but after this he was demoted to being the conductor of The Muppet Show orchestra.

Some of the highlights include: a variety of At The Dance segments, which occasionally include a few references to previous Henson productions; a series of segments with the heads of Mt. Rushmore telling jokes; A sketch with two small monsters and two small bird-like creatures; a series of skits that take place at a wrestling match; and a review of an all-new movie, Return To Beneath The Planet of The Pigs (featuring the first appearance of Miss Piggy, who has a different voice, different eyes, and isn't even named yet).

Oddly enough, the majority of characters created for this special (Nigel, Sam, Dr. Teeth, Floyd, Animal, Janice, Zoot, Dr. Nauga, Statler and Waldorf, a Muppet version of Gene Shalit, the seven deadley sins, and The Swedish Chef) were major characters in this, but most characters who were created previously (Kermit, Rowlf, Crazy Harry, Bert, Brewsters, and others) are more minor, with many of them only having one line and only appearing in At The Dance or the wrestling match.

It is also weird because, unlike The Muppet Valentine Show and The Muppet Show, this special doesn't have any guest stars. The ending credit sequence is interesting because we actually get to see the performers performing their characters.

The Muppets Go to the Movies (1981 TV Movie)

great movie parodies

[10/10 · 18 October 2005]

This was a great special. It is similar to The Muppet Show, since it took place at the same theater, but all of the segments had to do with movies, there were two guest stars instead of one (only a small number of Muppet Show episodes had multiple guests, and those were either married celebrity couples or special groups of entertainers), and there didn't seem to be any backstage plot.

This was made in 1981, around the time that The Muppet Show was ending, and it seems to be a promotion for The great Muppet Caper disguised as a regular special, as it features three clips from The Great Muppet Caper as well as a new version of the song Hey, a Movie! However, it is really good.

Dudley Moore and Lily Tomlin are the guest stars, and some of the segments include a medley of Wizard of Oz songs (Long before The Muppets Wizard of Oz) with Miss Piggy as Dorthy, Scooter as the Scarecrow, Gonzo as The Tin Man, Fozzie as The Cowardly Lion, and Foo Foo as Toto. There is also a Casablanca parody with Kermit and Miss Piggy, a Tarzan parody with Gonzo and Lily Tomplin, a Muppet version of The Three Muskateers (with Gonzo, Scooter, and Link Hogthrob), and a foreign film translated by Sam The Eagle and starring The Swedish Chef and Beaker.

All in all, a great special, and I sure hope that it becomes available on DVD some day.

The Muppets Valentine Show (1974 TV Special)

The first of two "Muppet Show" pilots!

[10/10 · 18 October 2005]

I first saw this special when I was in the third grade, and have liked it since. This valentine special was the first of two pilots for The Muppet Show, with the second one being The Muppet Show: Sex And Violence.

This show has many similarities to The Muppet Show, such as the fact that it includes a human guest star (Mia Farrow). However, there are many differences as well. For example, although Kermit has a big part in the special, the shows main character is a hip Muppet named Wally, who would hardly ever be used again in any future production (yet the specials other main characters would be used frequently on The Muppet Show, even if only for one season). This features the first appearance of many lesser-known characters, including George The Janitor, Mildred, Brewsters (the first character performed by Dave Goelz), and Crazy Harry (who is called Crazy Donald in this special), plus various characters from previous productions, such as Thog (from The Great Santa Clause Switch), Droop (who was called Shively in The Great Santa Clause Switch), Rufus (from Hey, Cinderella!), and of course Kermit The Frog, along with brief cameos during the end credits by Rowlf, Ernie, and Bert.

Some of the highlights of this special include all three segments that take place outside of the shows setting (some sort of home, instead of a theatre), such as the Koozebanian Mating Ritual sketch (which would be redone on The Muppet Show when Florence Henderson was a guest star), Real Life Girl (with Mia farrow and Thog, a giant blue monster), and Froggy Went A'Courtin' (which is probably the first of many times that Kermit would ride a bicycle). But the whole special is great.

This special wasn't included on The Muppet Show Season 1 DVD set, but hopefully it will be on a future set. I recommend this special to anybody who gets a chance to see it.