"It's time to dress up right." - The Muppet Show theme
The Best of The Muppet Show featuring Steve Martin, Carol Burnett, and Gilda Radner DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
For more information on the background of The Muppet Show, please read the review of The Best of The Muppet Show with Elton John, Julie Andrews, and Gene Kelly.
This edition of The Best of The Muppet Show focuses on three popular '70s comedians - Wild and Crazy Guy Steve Martin, variety show legend Carol Burnett, and Not Ready for Primetime Player Gilda Radner. Martin's episode is presented first. The conceit of the episode is that the show has been cancelled because Kermit accidentally scheduled Muppet Show auditions during the normal show time, a development that upsets Martin, who was to be the show's guest. As the audience leaves the theatre, Muppet personnel settle into their seats to watch the auditions.
The first group to audition is a sister act in which rat siblings dance the Garbage Can-Can. A bored Martin then performs a demented balloon animal routine, first using deflated balloons, and then forming random masses of balloons and claiming that they are actually animals. A band from the planet Koozebane then performs a musical number - using themselves as instruments. Against Kermit's better judgment, Gonzo decides to perform a new act in which he dances with a wedge of cheese. Martin returns with his banjo, proving that he is a "Ramblin' Guy." Cranky hecklers Statler and Waldorf leave their box seats long enough to perform a song and dance number - "Varsity Drag." Fozzie, of course, jumps at the chance to finally heckle them. The next performers are Marvin Suggs and his All Food Glee Club. This delightfully stupid number features cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, and other similar veggie singers performing "Yes, We Have No Bananas." Martin returns with a juggling act before the Zucchini Brothers perform their cannonball act. Interspersed throughout are performances by Carrie, Terry, and Mary Louise (who duets with a frog who provides "ribbits" in such songs as "Old Man Ribbit.") The show wraps up with Martin playing "Dueling Banjos" with the Muppets' jug band.
While this episode does contain funny moments, its lack of focus - and its de-emphasis on favorite Muppets - hampers its overall effectiveness.
The next episode features Carol Burnett. As she shows up at the theatre, Burnett is disappointed to learn that a dance marathon will be taking place in the theatre during her show. As Muppet extras twirl and tell jokes, marathon organizer Gonzo points out excitedly that it is like their regular "At the Dance" feature, but "it goes on forever." Burnett is further disillusioned when her assigned dance partner turns out to be Animal. She takes advantage of a rest period to sing a gentle ballad, but when the competition begins anew, she is forced to change the ballad first into a polka and then into a Can-Can. While the increasingly agitated Burnett has a meltdown, Miss Piggy is eaten by her alien dance partner in a very special all-dance episode of "Pigs in Space." The "Poke Me Polka" musical number features full contact dancing. A distraught Burnett now threatens to leave, but Kermit convinces her to stay by telling her that she can perform her "Lonely Asparagus" number on the show. As she prepares for the number, Burnett's charwoman character - who appears at several points throughout the show - sings "But Not For Me." When Burnett, now wearing her asparagus costume, learns that she will not be able to perform until the last contestants are standing, she eggs the dancers on with an increasingly fast disco number. The ploy works, and couple by couple the dancers begin to drop. Unfortunately for Burnett, by the time the last couple is left standing on the dance floor, there is no time left for her act.
The skills that Burnett honed throughout the years on her own terrific variety show are put to good use in this episode. She amusingly segues from derision to disdain to barely controlled hysteria over the course of the show. Fans of the deft comedian will be especially thankful to see this high energy episode since The Carol Burnett Show itself is currently available on DVD only by subscription. Be sure to watch the closing credits - at the end we see a snippet of her Lonely Asparagus.
Bundle of energy Gilda Radner is the guest for the final episode. The first act is the usual Muppets weird musical number, this time featuring a group of Eskimos performing "Lullaby of Broadway." To make it even stranger, the Eskimos are played by pigs. There is even an appearance by one of Ed Norton's sewer buddies from The Honeymooners! Radner's first number involves singing excerpts from Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.with an acerbic seven foot tall talking carrot. In these songs, she makes an art of stumbling over words. Next is "Muppet Melodrama" in which damsel in distress Miss Piggy finds herself hanging off of a cliff as her dragon-like captor laughs maniacally. Marvin Suggs makes another appearance with his Muppaphone to perform "Witchdoctor." Miss Piggy returns for a musical number featuring a talking bird on a hat. Radner becomes a human guinea pig when Muppet Labs experiments with a new super adhesive. Things go terribly awry when Radner becomes hopelessly glued to Beaker. The glue spreads, and soon Rowlf and Zoot find themselves glued to their instruments when they try to perform a jazzy musical number. Radner then takes to the stage for a big tap dance finale - while still attached to Beaker. All of the performers take a final bow simultaneously, mostly because they are now ALL glued together.
Radner is a fun guest choice, maintaining a good mix of ironic detachment and goofy abandon. We are even treated to a brief appearance by her SNL character Emily Litella.
As usual, the three episodes are included on a single DVD which is housed in a white keepcase. Viewers can play all episodes from the main menu or choose individual episodes. The individual episodes' scene selection menus, while colorful, are a tad too complicated.
