The Great Muppet Caper

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The Great Muppet Caper is a 1981 film directed by Jim Henson. It is the second of a series of live-action musical feature films, starring Jim Henson's Muppets. This film was produced by Henson Associates, ITC Entertainment and Universal Pictures, and premiered on 26 June 1981. The film was released shortly after the final season of The Muppet Show. It was shot entirely in England.

[edit] Plot

In the story, Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo the Great play newspaper reporters for the Daily Chronicle. Kermit and Fozzie, specifically, are playing identical twin reporters, which becomes the source of a running gag - supposedly, nobody can tell they are twins unless Fozzie wears his hat. The two are eventually assigned to investigate the theft of valuable jewels from fashion designer Lady Holliday (Diana Rigg), which they have to beg for after their boss fires them following the Daily Chronicle's headline about the two of them joining the staff (while the other papers report on the jewel heist). They travel to London to interview her, but with only $12 for the trip, they're forced to fly in the airplane's baggage hold and are thrown out of the plane as they arrive over Britain. They stay at the dilapidated (but free) Happiness Hotel, run and populated by Pops, Scooter, Rowlf, and Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. When Kermit seeks out Lady Holliday in her office, however, he instead finds his love life Miss Piggy and fails to recognise her, mistaking her for the fashion designer. Piggy masquerades as Lady Holliday, even going so far as to sneak into a ritzy townhouse (located at 17 Highbrow Street) in order to impress Kermit with her dwellings, much to the surprise of the true British residents (one of whom is John Cleese).

At a night club restaurant, Lady Holiday's necklace is stolen by her jealous brother Nicky (Charles Grodin), assisted by Carla, Marla and Darla, three of her put-upon fashion models. Despite Nicky's instant attraction to Miss Piggy, they successfully frame her for the theft and proceed to steal an even more valuable prize--the coveted Baseball Diamond, which is on display at a local gallery, the Mallory Gallery. Kermit's crew, along with their friends from the Happiness Hotel, have no choice but to intercept and catch the thieves themselves in order to clear Miss Piggy's good name. Piggy, meanwhile, has escaped from prison and, in a bout of serendipity, finds a motorcycle which she uses to literally crash into the film's climax, knocking Nicky, who is holding Kermit hostage, out in the process. Carla, Marla and Darla confront Piggy, only to be quickly dispatched by a flurry of furious karate chops. The Muppets then return to America the same way they departed, being thrown out of the cargo hold and parachuting back to Earth, over the end credits.

[edit] Cast

[edit] The Muppet Performers

• Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog / Rowlf / Dr. Teeth / Waldorf / Swedish Chef / The Muppet Newsman
• Frank Oz as Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Animal / Sam the Eagle
• Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo / Beauregard / Zoot / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew
• Jerry Nelson as Floyd / Pops / Lew Zealand
• Richard Hunt as Scooter / Statler / Sweetums / Janice / Beaker
• Steve Whitmire as Rizzo the Rat / Lips
• Louise Gold
• Kathryn Mullen
• Bob Payne
• Robert Bartnett
• Brian Muehl
• Hugh Spight
• Mike Quinn
• Brian Henson
• Carroll Spinney as Oscar the Grouch

[edit] Guest stars

• Charles Grodin as Nicky Holiday
• Diana Rigg as Lady Holiday
• John Cleese as Neville
• Robert Morley as British Gentleman
• Peter Ustinov as Truck Driver
• Jack Warden as Mr. Tarkenian
• Michael Robbins as Security Guard
• Joan Sanderson as Dorcas
• Peter Hughes as Maitre D'
• Peggy Aitchison as Prison Guard
• Tommy Godfrey as Bus Conductor
• Peter Falk as Tramp (uncredited)
• Danny John-Jules as Street Dancer (uncredited)
• Chai Lee (uncredited)

• Muppet pupeteers Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson also had small cameo roles themselves.

[edit] Supporting

• Erica Creer as Marla
• Kate Howard as Carla
• Della Finch as Darla

[edit] Songs

1. "Main Title Theme" (2:49)
2. "Hey, a Movie!" (2:42)
3. "The Big Red Bus" (1:26) (Score)
4. "Happiness Hotel" (3:05)
5. "Lady Holiday" (1:12) (Score)
6. "The First Time It Happens" (4:12)
7. "The Apartment" (0:53) (Score)
8. "Night Life" (2:57)
9. "Steppin' Out with a Star" (2:31)
10. "Couldn't We Ride" (3:07)
11. "Miss Piggy's Fantasy" (3:58)
12. "The Great Muppet Caper" (3:48)
13. "Homeward Bound" (0:52)(Score)
14. "Finale: Hey, a Movie! (reprise)" (1:30)
15. "The First Time It Happens (reprise)" (1:30)

[edit] Score cues left off the soundtrack

1. Stop the Presses!
2. Splash Landing
3. Lobby
4. "Happiness Hotel" (Full version)
5. Applying for a Job
6. Kermit Meets Piggy
7. Taxi
8. Getting Ready
9. You Can Come/17 Highbrow Street
10. A Pig and a Lizard
11. Dubonnet Club (Instrumental of "Steppin' Out with a Star")
12. I Think I’ve Got a Picture of the Thief
13. The Cookie Jar Just Busted/In the Park
14. Would You Like to Buy a Watch?
15. Kermit and Piggy Argument
16. I’m Sorry I Left You
17. I Can’t Be Responsible For What Might Happen
18. Fashion Show
19. Framed
20. The Baseball Diamond Will Be Ours
21. We Don’t Want the Bad Guys to Win
22. Pig in the Pokey
23. I Love You, Rosenthal
24. The Heist (Full version, much longer with many short cues)

[edit] Reception

The Great Muppet Caper has received generally positive reivews. As of July 6, 2009, Rotten Tomatoes has reported that 71% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 17 reviews. The film grossed $31,206,251 during its run at the box office behind the grosses of The Muppet Movie and Muppet Treasure Island.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Great Muppet Caper

• Official site
• The Great Muppet Caper at the Internet Movie Database
• The Great Muppet Caper at Box Office Mojo
• The Great Muppet Caper at Rotten Tomatoes
• Muppet Movies Lyric Archive

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