The Shows
It was a ritual in my family to sit down in front of the television every week and watch The Muppet Show all together. There was always something in every episode that made us all laugh out loud, and my parents never had to worry that something might be inappropriate for our young ears. With the release of the twenty four episodes of season three, which aired from 1978-1979, Disney continues its commitment to release all of the episodes of this groundbreaking series.
By the third season, the main characters have all been well established, and some new characters appear with mixed success. Gladys, the waitress who runs the Muppet theater cafe, was not all that interesting, and essentially disappeared about halfway through the season. The guest stars for season three are a very interesting mixed bag, including familiar names, as well as some that have faded from my memory; I admit having to look several of them up online. Included on the set are episodes starring Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge, Leo Sayer, Roy Clark, Gilda Radner, Pearl Bailey, Jean Stapleton, Alice Cooper, Loretta Lynn, Liberace, Marisa Berenson, Raquel Welch, James Coco, Helen Reddy, Harry Belafonte, Lesley Ann Warren, Danny Kaye, Spike Milligan, Leslie Uggams, Elke Sommers, Sylvester Stallone, Roger Miller, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Lynn Redgrave, and Cheryl Ladd.
There are some definite highlights in the group. The episode with Alice Cooper includes a running gag that Alice is trying to get Kermit to sell his soul to the devil. I wonder who had the idea for being on the show first, Alice Cooper or the producers. Either way, it looks like Alice Cooper enjoys himself and everything is done with tongue firmly in cheek. Another high point is Harry Belafonte’s closing number, where he performs “Turn the World Around” accompanied by some wonderfully detailed Muppets styled to look like African tribal art. The performance builds to the end, where Belafonte is joined by the Muppet regulars who continue singing over the credits; even Statler and Waldorf are moved to sing a few bars of the upbeat chorus. Lynn Redgrave plays Maid Marion in a Muppet version of Robin Hood, that includes an amusing turn by Gonzo as the Sheriff of Nottingham who doesn’t quite grasp the concept of torture very well; I half expected him to bring out the comfy chair any minute.
The Goodies
The first extra on the set is “Muppets on Puppets,” which was created for the predecessor to PBS and aired in 1970. The show is hosted by Jim Henson and is a well-done presentation on the art of puppetry, and how different puppets work, including historical puppets from around the world. There are also some great tips on how to create your own puppets from all kinds of materials you might have around the house, and the puppeteers put on several skits that help inject what could have been a dry presentation with some humor. One of the sketches features Rowlf the dog doing his best to narrate a fairy tale that quickly devolves in a very Muppet-like way. After the sketch, the Jim Henson shows what the sketch looked like from behind the scenes, and discusses how certain effects are done. Even though the show is in black and white, I found it instructional, while still maintaining a good level of entertainment. Its inclusion on the set is a welcome addition, as it’s likely to be new to many people.
“A Company of Players” gives a glimpse of what it was like to work with such a strange cast of characters through the eyes of some of the Muppet performers as well as other people involved with the Muppets over the years. Archival behind the scenes footage of filming as well as table readings is presented alongside contemporary interviews. I wish this extra had gone on longer; the camaraderie and fun was apparent in the clips, and you could see the energy that Jim Henson had and brought out in others.
The last extra is a series of commercials produced for Purina Dog Chow. The black and white ads were seen on television in 1962, and introduced the character of Rowlf the dog, along with his sidekick Baskerville. There are some funny moments in the commercials, but they are mostly interesting from a historic perspective. All of the Muppet extras appear on the fourth disc, and the trailers for the upcoming Pixar release Wall*E and the special edition Disney DVD and BluRay DVD release of Nightmare Before Christmas are included on the first disc.
The one extra I would have loved to see on this set is some sort of commentary track for some of the episodes. The Muppet Morsels that appeared on the first season set, were a great way of providing little bits of information on various aspects of what is appearing on screen at the time, from details about the guest stars to production information. One of the best things about television on DVD is the ability to add layers like this and I’m disappointed that this feature wasn’t continued from the first season.
The Audio, Video, and Interface
As with the previous sets, the audio and video quality are mainly limited by the source material. However, the digital restoration has enhanced the picture and sound quality as much as possible and the set definitely benefits from this effort. The interface is very well done, with animated menus hosted by Kermit and Miss Piggy. Watch the menu without pushing any buttons for a little while; Miss Piggy is not a patient Muppet.
The Final Evaluation
As I said in my previous review, the magic of the Muppets is that they appeal to all ages. I still wonder though if nostalgia for my youth colors my viewing of these episodes, and if they are still relevant to kids who have grown up on humor with a heavy dose of sarcasm and movies saturated with digital effects.
My view can be summed up pretty well by Michael Frith, a former art director for the Jim Henson Company, who said, “No matter how cynical the age is that we live in, there is an innocent place. The Muppets allow you to go to that place.”
Pick up season three of The Muppet Show on DVD and relive those innocent days, or share them with your own children. Let yourself be silly, laugh out loud and have fun.
DVD details
- Release date: May 20, 2008
- Dolby Digital sound
- Aspect ratio 1.33:1 Enhanced
- Retail Price: $34.99
