Product Details

• Actors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Eren Ozker
• Directors: Philip Casson, Peter Harris
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Original recording remastered, Restored, Special Edition, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
• DVD Release Date: August 9, 2005
• Run Time: 604 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (260 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0009ULBGS
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #297 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Movies & TV > Kids & Family > Television > The Muppet Show
  #2 in	Movies & TV > Kids & Family > 3-6 Years > Muppets
  #3 in	Movies & TV > Kids & Family > Characters & Series > Jim Henson Home Entertainment

• For more information about "The Muppet Show - Season One (Special Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The charm, the zaniness, the corny jokes, the showbiz cliches--every element of The Muppet Show holds up 30 years after Jim Henson's legendary variety series' debut season. Well, perhaps not everything: Today's younger viewers might have a hard time placing some of The Muppet Show's then-guest stars, such as Florence Henderson or Ruth Buzzi. But then, the Show's real celebrities are perennial icons Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the... whatever, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and the rest of the Muppets' harried, well-meaning family of entertainers. Season One finds the show pretty much in the basic shape longtime fans will remember: A musical introduction followed by backstage chaos, another musical number, a sketch, a scene with the guest star, and so on. A half-hour episode can fly by pretty quickly, but it's interesting to note that the series hadn't quite found its familiar tone through much of the first year. A reliance on too many disposable verbal jokes and redundant, so-so material for sketch fodder ultimately gives way to more creative premises and the development of key relationships between characters. By the final half-dozen episodes in the first season, The Muppet Show is truly cooking. Season highlights include Kermit's confession to guest Juliet Prowse that he always wanted to be a dancer, and Prowse's comparison of the little green superstar to Robert Redford. Joel Grey does a cabaret-style act for a roomful of Muppets and is later outraged when Kermit's introduction of the actor proves so thorough there is nothing left for the latter to say. Rita Moreno proves quite game in a funny piece, set in a French cafe, in which her dance with a man-size Muppet turns from romantic to table-smashing violent. Harvey Korman plays bumbling ringmaster Maurice the Magnificent, easily the worst animal trainer in history. Phyllis Diller bats out shameless one-liners ("I sang 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,' and it fell on me"), and Vincent Price toys with his own horror film image by playing a ghoul who turns into a maudlin orchestra conductor at midnight. --Tom Keogh

Stills from The Muppet Show (click for larger image)

The divine Miss Piggy	Kermit and Miss Piggy	Fozzie Bear and Kermit
Sing along!	Everyone's a critic

Product Description

It's time to raise the curtain on THE MUPPET SHOW! Join Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, the Swedish Chef and more, in the complete first season of this groundbreaking twist on the classic Variety Show. Included are all 24 episodes, completely restored and remastered, plus two never-before-seen episodes, bonus features, and something you were never meant to see: Jim Henson's original "pitch reel" that propelled the Muppets' blend of original songs, sketch comedy and guest stars into a primetime hit for all ages! Come discover for yourself the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational pleasures of THE MUPPET SHOW: SEASON ONE!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Caveat Emptor: These episodes are not complete, September 27, 2005

By	David Michael Cohen (California) - See all my reviews

Like most children of the 70's, I grew up loving The Muppet Show. Sitting down to watch the Muppets was a weekly ritual the whole family enjoyed. Everyone could enjoy their humor and the music. More than that though, the Muppets could be inspiring and touching at times as well. There really is no way to adequately express how wonderful the Muppets can be.

So why am I only giving this collection 3 star? Because despite the claim on the box of being "restored and remastered," some of the episodes have been butchered. I saw the Vincent Price episode when it was originally shown, and it closed with Vincent and the Muppet monsters singing "You've Got a Friend." It was, for me, one of the most enjoyable scenes in the series. The sequence was included in the Columbia House "Best of the Muppets" series, but it is excluded from this set. Likewise, the Jim Neighbors episode originally opened with Jim singing, "You'll Never Walk Alone." Re-runs on Nickelodeon included this sequence, but the sequence is missing from this set. I can only guess what is missing from the other episodes in the set.

Mind you, these omissions do not keep one from enjoying the set, especially children who did not see the series when it originally aired and do not realize that they are missing. And, I must admit, the screwy antics of the Swedish Chef and the weekly face offs between Fozzie Bear and Stadler and Waldorf still make me smile. Still, it is frustrating to read that the episodes have been "restored" when they clearly have not.

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete But Pleasing, August 10, 2005

By	DVDisney - See all my reviews

I love this set but I think I should let everyone know that some of the episodes on this set have been edited. There are 6 songs & 2 news skits that are missing.

The missing songs are:

"Stormy Weather" (Joel Grey Episode)
Sung by Wayne and Wanda

"Gone With The Wind" (Jim Nabors Episode)
Sung by Jim Nabors

"The Danceros" (Jim Nabors Episode)
Sung by The Danceros; also cut backstage and intro

"All Of Me" (Paul Williams Episode)
Sung by Two Monsters; also cut intro

"Old Fashioned Way" (Charles Aznavour)
Sung by Charles Aznavour with Mildred; also cut intro

"You've Got A Friend" (Vincent Price Episode)
Sung by Vincent Price, Uncle Deadly and a chorus of Muppet Monsters; also cut intro


Also, the original pitch reel is missing it's final scene w/Kermit. In the final scene missing from this set Kermit is standing infront of a CBS logo. He looks out and says " What the hell was that ? "

The pilot episode on this set is not the original pilot as advertised. There were 2 pilot episodes. The original pilot was called " The Muppet Valentine Show " which aired in 1974. The pilot on this DVD set is the second pilot called " The Muppet Show: Sex And Violence " which aired a year later in 1975.

It's too bad this is not a complete season set but for now, it'll still do nicely.

616 of 705 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally :o), June 16, 2005

By	Ronald Markworth "rmarkworth" (Berlin, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Finally, the Muppet Show - 1st season is arriving. And this is their program:


Charles Aznavour
Song: "I Feel Pretty"
Song: "Dance the Old-Fashioned Way" - Charles
Sketch: Gonzo's rock act ('Art! (thunk!) Art! (thunk!)')
Sketch: Vet's Hospital
Sketch: French bread
Sketch: At the Dance
Backstage?: Charles & Kermit - use French to get women (Piggy)
Sketch: panel (Gonzo: 'art and culture', Kermit: 'MA, PhD, RSVP, whatever')
Song: "Inchworm" - Charles


Kaye Ballard
Song?: Hillbilly band
Song?: Floyd & the theme song
Song: "What Would You Say" - Kaye
Sketch: At the Dance
Backstage?: Kaye & Kermit talk
Sketch: Vendaface
Song: ? - Kaye


Candice Bergen
Song: "What Now My Love?" - Piggy
Song: "Put Another Log on the Fire" - Candice
Fozzie's running wire/letter running gag
Panel: Travel
Kermit & Candice & photography
Swedish chef - spicy sauce
Song: "That Face" - Candice as model
Vet's Hostpital
Song: "You've Got to Have Friends". - Candice et. al.


Ruth Buzzi
Song: "Sunny?" - Fast # by Dr. Teeth
robot host replaces Kermit
At the Dance
Song: "Row, Row, Row" - Wayne & Wanda
Song: "You're Just Too Good to be True" - Ruth & Sweetums
Ruth & Kermit talk
Fozzie
Ruth as an interrogated spy
Song: "Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd" - jug band


Phyllis Diller
Song: "Mississippi Mud"
Phyllis & Rowlf commiserate ('it fell on me!')
At the dance
Phyllis & Fozzie chat
Song: "Hugga-wugga"
Muppet Labs - exploding clothes
Vet's Hospital - sick bread
Phyllis plays the sax


Sandy Duncan
Two bomb jokes
Song: Sandy does a drunken bar song & dance
Fozzie's writer Gags Beasely (and the banana sketch)
At the Dance
Sandy cheers up Sweetums (and overdoes it with the next one)
Song: "Never Smile at a Crocodile"
Sandy & Fozzie tease Kermit about the banana sketch
Vet's Hospital
Song: "Try to Remember the Kind of September" - Kermit & Sandy


Bruce Forsyth
(the only one I don't have!)
Song: "Trudge-Trudge/Streaka-Streaka"


Joel Grey
Song: "Comedy Tonight"
At the Dance
Song: "Cabaret"? - Joel
Joel & Kermit
Song: "A Calafica" (sp?)
Fozzie's topical jokes
Song: "Stormy Weather" - Wayne & Wanda
Song: "Razzle Dazzle" - Joel


Valerie Harper
Song: "Broadway Baby" - Valerie
Swedish chef - Japanese (?) cake
Statler courts Valerie
Rowlf poem
At the Dance
Song: "Gonna Find Her"
pinch/punch line
Wayne & Wanda
Valerie & the Clodhoppers.


Florence Henderson
Bouncing Borcelano Brothers
Song: "Bright Elusive Butterfly of Love" - Florence
At the Dance
Kermit & Florence & Piggy
Panel
Fozzie
Song: "So Happy Together" - Florence & monsters
Koozbanian Mating Ritual ('blam! peep! peep! peep!')


Lena Horne
The Ragmops
Song: "I Got a Name" - Lena
At the Dance
Lena & Kermit talk
Swedish chef: living spaghetti
Song: "" - Lena & Gonzo
Song: "Sing a Song" - Lena


Harvey Korman
Song: "Atom Bomb" - Dr. Teeth
Animal interview
Harvey - animal act
Panel: Meaning of Life
At the Dance
Kermit & Harvey talk
Vet's Hospital
Wayne & Wanda
Fozzie
Song: "Halfway Down the Stairs" - Robin


Ethel Merman
Song: "Jabba" (slinkies & "whee" sound effect)
Ethel & the Muppets do a medley of her songs
Fozzie's agent
Ethel & Animal (Ethel: 'Eek!'; Animal: 'Perfect pitch!')
Ethel & Kermit talk
Richard Bradshaw - shadow puppets
Fozzie's act ('that Gonzo is so dumb - I told him there was water shortage and he suggested we dilute it!')
Song: "There's no Business Like Show Business".


Rita Moreno
Rita - slapstick cafe
Vet's Hospital (Fozzie)
phone running gag
Swedish chef - flapjacks
At the Dance
Marvin Suggs & the Muppetphones
panel - conversation a dying art?
Rita & Kermit talk
Wayne & Wanda
Fozzie
Song: Rita: "Fever".


Mummenschanz
Song: Scooter & Floyd: "Mr. Bassman"
Gonzo romances Piggy (?)
Mummenschanz- notepad faces
library sketch - Blue Danube
Mummenschaz - crawlies
At the Dance
Kermit "talks" to the Mummenschanz
Song: Wayne & Wanda: "Paper Moon"
Vendaface
Mummenschanz - clay faces.


Jim Nabors
Song: Dr. Teeth: "Money"
intro. of Scooter
Song: Jim: "Gone With the Wind"
danceros (?)
At the Dance
Jim & Kermit
Fozzie
Song: Jim: "Thank God I'm a Country Boy".


Juliet Prowse
Song: "Ma-na-ma-na"
Juliet dances
At the Dance
Juliet & Kermit talk
Western sketch (loaded pickles)
Song: Scooter & Fozzie: "Simon Smith & His Dancing Bear"
Song: glee club: "Temptation".


Vincent Price
Song: "Under My Skin"
Vincent - house of horror ('watch it! I'm the beautiful assistant! Every night at the stroke of midnight the master turns into a screaming, maniacal, demonic, raging, bloodlusting animal! And then I get _mean_!')
Wayne & Wanda
panel - gourmet food ('you must admit Froggy you look mighty tasty!')
At the Dance
Vampires
News flash - furniture monsters (priceless!)
Song: Vincent: "You've Got a Friend".


Avery Schreiber
Song: Dr. Teeth: "Tenderly"
Piggy uses Scooter to make Kermit jealous
Avery duels Sweetums using insults
Muppet Labs - gorilla detector
Avery & Fozzie - the old living painting sketch
At the Dance
Wayne & Wanda
Vet's Hostpital
Avery & Fozzie do an act
Avery & some creatures do a silly song.


Connie Stevens (+ Bert & Ernie)
Song: Kermit: "Lydia" (tattooed pig)
Fozzie & Gonzo's old teddy bear ('that bear is the most beat-up thing I've ever seen - get rid of it!')
Swedish Chef - rubber meatballs
Song: Connie: "Teenager in Love"
At the Dance
Song: Connie & Kermit & Fozzie: "Close to You"
Zoot & his sax
Ernie & Bert & Connie.


Twiggy
Song: "Dance" (fuzzy snakes)
Phantom of the Muppet Show
Song: Twiggy holds a press conference & sings "There Are Places I Remember" (with photo history)
Song: Wayne & Wanda: "Let It Snow"
skit - the king's breakfast
At the Dance
Vendaface
Song: Twiggy: "Nobody's Business But My Own" (country scene)


Peter Ustinov
An evening at the pops
Muppet Labs - Peter as a robot diplomat
At the Dance
Peter & Fozzie discuss economics (a Benny shaved is a Benny urned)
Song: "You Do Something to Me (kablam)"
News flash - cure for the cold
Song: Wayne & Wanda: "Falling Leaves"
panel - psychiatry
Song: "It's Not Easy Being Green".


Ben Vereen
Song: "Boogie Woogie Music"
Fozzie & the magic cabinet
Song: Ben: "Mr. Cellophane"
At the Dance
Ben & Kermit
Vet's Hospital
Wayne & Wanda
Song: Ben: "Imagination".


Paul Williams
Song: "All of Me"
Song: Paul: "Just an Old-Fashioned Love Song"
Muppet Labs: all-purpose tenderizer
Song: Rowlf: "Silence"
At the Dance
Scooter & Fozzie do the telephone pole bit
Paul sings.


I haven't seen it so far, but i know them from TV - and they are still great!