26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Two good, and one GREAT, episodes., May 12, 2004
This review is from: Best of the Muppet Show - Harry Belafonte / Linda Ronstadt / John Denver (DVD)
I'm glad that someone finally got around to releasing episodes of the zaniest variety show in history, Jim Henson's hilarious puppet-driven "The Muppet Show," which first ran in the late seventies and early 80s. Unfortunately, Columbia/TriStar is releasing only three episodes per DVD, when they could easily fit six onto one. The packaging also show that they're marketing these DVDs to a children's audience, but the presence of some extras shows that they also want to attract viewers like me, who fell in love with the show as children and want to relive these great episodes. So as a presentation, these DVDs fall in the middle: could be much better, but could have been much worse.
As for the episodes themselves: this is the first of the DVDs released, and they couldn't have picked a better episode to lead-off the series. The Harry Belafonte episode is my personal favorite and the one I best remember from childhood. In his brief introduction to the episode, Jim Henson's son Brian Henson comments on the close friendship between his father and Harry Belafonte, and that Belafonte performed the final number from this episode, "Turn the World Around," at Jim Henson's memorial service. "Turn the World Around" is a beautiful, very moving melody, and the performance in the episode with African mask Muppets is stunning puppetry artwork. The episode's running plot has Fozzie trying to script out the whole show, which doesn't really work well. Harry Belafonte sings "The Banana Boat Song" in a hilarious scene where Fozzie keeps interrupting him for explanations. Harry and Animal get involved in a drum duel, Floyd and Zoot perform "Honeysuckle Rose," and there's an episode of Pigs in Space where Dr. Strangepork switches everybody's bodies around. This is an all-around hysterical episode, and touching as well.
The Linda Ronstadt episode, from late in the show's run, is the weakest on the DVD. The running plot, with Linda getting a crush on Kermit while Miss Piggy fumes, is kind of a bore, as are all of Ronstadt's numbers. She performs "Blue Bayou" of course, but nothing particularly Muppet-like or clever happens during it. The highlight of the episode are two musical numbers (without Linda) that are classics among Muppet fans. Rowlf the Dog sings "The Cat Came Back," complete with bombs and cannons and an invincible little feline. Hilarious! Later, in one of the strangest musical numbers ever, two anonymous muppets in a dusty mansion dressed in dreary black clothing, both coated in cobwebs, sing "I Am So Happy" with the joy of a funeral dirge. It's screamingly funny to hear this gloomy puppet moan, "I - like - to - have - fun." The rest of the episode is just okay, but we do get another installement of Pigs in Space.
Finally, we have John Denver, another man very closely connected to Jim Henson (and also gone too young). Brian Henson again provides some interesting information on Henson's relationship with Denver at the beginning of the episode. John Denver seems very comfortable performing with the Muppets and seems to having a good time (in fact, he almost cracks up and loses it during one scene). His numbers are okay: "Grandma's Feather Bed" is pretty cute, but the garden number doesn't have enough happening in it. The real killer musical number is the opener: a version of "Why Can't We Be Friends?" performed in the midst of a full-scale war between every nation and every time period in history. The technical skill here is incredible, and the idea is darkly funny. The Swedish Chef pops up to make squirrel stew, only to face a deadly squirrel uprising. Some pigs sing "The Happy Wanderer" while climbing the Alps and fall off one by one. It's a pretty fun episode.
I recommend this DVD for the Belafonte episode alone; I really think it's of the best half-hours the Muppets ever did. But you also get exploding cats, Pigs in Space, two Swedish Chefs, the most depressing "happy song" ever, and Miss Piggy slugging an obnoxious tree. They just don't make entertainment like this any more.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Show For Both Kids & Adults!, April 25, 2003
This review is from: Best of the Muppet Show - Harry Belafonte / Linda Ronstadt / John Denver (DVD)
I remember watching the original broadcasts of "The Muppet Show", when it first came on TV in the the 1970's.I greatly enjoyed the strange and hilarious backstage antics of Kermit (my favorite), Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and the rest of the foam cast, as they weekly tried to put on a vaudeville style show. Now, over twenty five years later, my two year old toddler and I are laughing out loud watching the series on DVD.The great thing about "the Muppet Show" is that it was always fast, witty with an almost surealistic sense of humor.Both kids and adults alike can enjoy it, because the storylines and jokes are so well written.It also helps that the series featured a wide variety of interesting, international stars from the world of entertainment to 'guest host'. This particular DVD volume is my favorite. It features three wonderful singers, Harry Belafonte, Linda Rondstadt and John Denver.The Belafonte episode is very artful presenting a hilariously, interrupted version of the Calypso tune, "Day-O".But the real show stopper is a soaring, beautiful song called "Turn the World Around".The Ronstadt episode is one of my favorites, featuring a very jealous, Miss Piggy and Linda performing "Blue Bayou" in a swamp backed by rippetting frogs!Finally, there is the John Denver episode, which has an ecological theme and a explosive version (literally) of the old rock classic "Why Can't We Be Friends". The DVD series "Best of the Muppet Show" is well put together. Each volume contains three episodes (introduced by Brian Henson, son of the late Muppet creator, Jim Henson) plus some Muppet extras.For kids and adults of all ages, I highly recommend this DVD series.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I hope they release all of The Muppet Show episodes!, March 14, 2003
This review is from: Best of the Muppet Show - Harry Belafonte / Linda Ronstadt / John Denver (DVD)
If you are my age (33) and watched The Muppet show as a kid, I am sure you are going to love it just as much or maybe even more! When you realize the work and artistry that went into each episode and the Muppets, you appreciate the show even more! It is touching how Brian Henson gives introductions for the episodes, there are 3 on this disc, plus some bonus clips.
I am a John Denver fan as well and hope that Brian Henson brings all of The Muppet Show episodes to VHS and DVD for this generation and our children. My son loves the Muppets and I am so glad to be able to share with him something I loved as a child with him. Thanks Jim in Heaven! Thanks to Brian Henson for continuing your dads legacy for all kids and for me! Thanks to all of the Muppets!
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