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The Muppet Movie

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The Muppet Movie
film poster by Richard Amsel
Directed byJames Frawley
Written byJack Burns
Jerry Juhl
Produced byJim Henson
Co-Producer:
David Lazer
Executive Producer:
Sir Lew Grade
Martin Starger
StarringThe Muppets
Edited byChristopher Greenbury
Music byPaul Williams
Kenny Ascher
Distributed byAFD (1979)
Walt Disney (2005 DVD)
Release dates
June 22, 1979
Running time
95 min.
CountriesUK
USA
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15,000,000
Box office$65,200,000

The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by The Jim Henson Company under their second name and ITC Entertainment.

Plot

The film is a film-within-a-film, as we see Kermit the Frog and the rest of the Muppets creating havoc in a screening room, where they are about to watch The Muppet Movie. When asked by Robin if the film depicts how the Muppets began, Kermit responds that the movie is a somewhat fictionalized account.

As the story opens, Kermit is enjoying a relaxing afternoon in a Florida swamp, singing a tune (the Oscar-nominated "Rainbow Connection") and strumming his banjo, when he is approached by an agent named Bernie (Dom DeLuise) who recognizes his talents and encourages Kermit to pursue a career in Hollywood. Inspired by the idea of making millions of people happy, Kermit sets off on a cross-country trip to Hollywood, initially via bicycle but eventually via Studebaker after teaming with Fozzie Bear, who had been working as a hapless stand-up comedian in a sleazy restaurant. During their journey, they are pursued by the villainous Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), owner of a struggling French-fried frog legs restaurant franchise, and his assistant Max (Austin Pendleton). Doc Hopper (who speaks with a southern accent and wears an outfit similar to Colonel Sanders) wants Kermit to be the new spokesman for his restaurants, but when Kermit refuses, Hopper resorts to increasingly threatening means of persuasion.

Kermit and Fozzie's journey also includes misadventures which introduce them to a variety of eccentric characters, some played by human guest stars, others played by Muppets; some of these Muppets, such as Gonzo (who had been working as a plumber) and Miss Piggy (introduced as a beauty contestant) join Kermit and Fozzie as they continue traveling to Hollywood. Along the way, they meet Sweetums, (who wanted to go with them to Hollywood but missed the ride), The Electric Mayhem and their manager Scooter (who planned to turn an abandoned church into a coffee house), Rowlf (who worked as a pianist at a lounge), Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker (who owned a laboratory in a ghost town).

Meanwhile, Doc Hopper continues to try a variety of schemes to coerce Kermit into accepting the spokesman position, including kidnapping Miss Piggy, teaming up with a mad scientist (played by Mel Brooks, doing a fair impression of Ludwig Von Drake) in an attempt to brainwash Kermit, and even hiring an assassin named Snake (Scott Walker) who kills frogs for a living. Before the climax, Max appears to Kermit disguised as a motorcycle policeman to warn Kermit. Their conflict comes to a climax when Hopper and Kermit attempt a Western-style showdown in a ghost town; Kermit breaks tradition by trying to talk Hopper into backing off, but Hopper orders his henchmen to kill him; Kermit is saved only when one of Dr. Bunsen's inventions, the "insta-growth" pills temporarily turns Animal into a giant who is able to permanently scare off Hopper and his men (he is later shrunken back down to his normal size in the next scene since the effect of the pills is temporary). The Muppets proceed to Hollywood, where they finally meet the imposing producer and studio executive Lew Lord (Orson Welles) (a reference to Lord Lew Grade who in real life gave The Muppet Show the green light), who hires them on the spot after an idealistic speech from Kermit.

The film ends with Kermit and the gang attempting to make their first movie, which turns out to be a surreal pastiche of their experiences, hinting that the movie they're making is the same one the audience has been watching all along. As the movie ends, Sweetums tears through the screen, finally catching up with the others. After the credits finish rolling, Animal tells the viewers to go home, then he says goodbye and falls asleep.

Production

The first time a Muppet project is NOT set in Muppetland, instead the plot is based on the real world.

To perform Kermit static in a log, Jim Henson squeezed into a specially designed metal container complete with an air hose (to breathe), a rubber sleeve which came out of the top to perform Kermit and a monitor to see his performance, and placed himself under the water, log and the Kermit puppet. This scene took 5 days to film.

The Muppet Performers

with

and

Guest stars

Note: This movie is dedicated to Edgar Bergen.

The cars

Several classic cars were specially selected by Henson for appearances in the film. The most famous was a pair of psychedelic painted 1951 Studebaker Commander Coupes. In the film Fozzie states that the car belongs to his uncle. When asked by Kermit if his uncle is dead Fozzie replies "no, just hibernating". One car was painted but unmodified and driven by a person in the front seat. It was used for long, traveling shots. The second car was driven by a person in the trunk, who viewed the road through a TV set. The TV received its image from a camera located in the center nose of the car's front grill. This made it possible for Frank Oz to sit in the front seat and portray Fozzie driving the car in close up shots. This car is now on display at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana. Doc Hopper is chauffeured throughout the movie by Max in a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine. The 1959 is distinctive for its enormous fins. The final car driven by the Muppets is a 1948 Chrysler Town & Country Wagon. The Town & Country is famous for its wood panel siding and is a valuable collectible.

Breaking the fourth wall

The Muppet Movie uses meta-references as a source of humor, as characters occasionally break the fourth wall to address the audience or comment on their real-life circumstances:

Fozzie: [to Big Bird] Hey there! Wanna lift?
Big Bird: Oh, no thanks. I'm on my way to New York City to try to break into public television.

In a particularly meta-fictional plot twist, Kermit and Fozzie actually give the screenplay to Dr. Teeth, who later uses it to find and rescue them after they've been stranded in the desert.

Reception

The Muppet Movie was both a critical and commercial success. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 89% of critics gave positive reviews based on 35 reviews. The film grossed $65,200,000 domestically (adjusted for inflation, this would roughly equal over $200 million), making it the highest-grossing Muppet film. The success of the film gave the Jim Henson Company an advantage to release more Muppet productions theatrically, all of which were successful until the commercial failure, Muppets from Space.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the movie was released on CD in March of 1993. As of September, 2008, it still commands a high price on on-line auction sites due to its out-of-print status. The song Rainbow Connection is available on, "The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More-the 25th Anniversary Collection" released in 2002 and selling for considerably less. "Rainbow Connection" was nominated for the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the music score was nominated for Best Original Score Oscar. The second verse of the song "I Hope That Something Better Comes Along", a duet between Rowlf and Kermit, was edited for the movie's release. It contained references that the studio considered too mature for children.

  1. "Rainbow Connection" - Kermit
  2. "Movin' Right Along" - Kermit and Fozzie
  3. "Never Before, Never Again!" - Miss Piggy
  4. "Never Before, Never Again!" - Instrumental
  5. "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along!" - Kermit and Rowlf (expanded version)
  6. "Can You Picture That?" - Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
  7. "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along!" - Instrumental
  8. "I'm Going To Go Back There Someday" - Gonzo
  9. "America" - Fozzie
  10. "Animal...Come Back Animal"
  11. "Finale: The Magic Store" - Company

The Muppet Movie on Muppet Wiki

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