The Muppet Show: Season 1 on DVD !

Isaac · 08-09-2005, 08:16 PM

Today I needed a little something to perk myself up so I went to South Coast Plaza and picked up a copy of the new Muppet Show Season 1 DVD set. I'm VERY happy I did!

Swanky

The picture quality is excellent. The transfer from the uk pal films to DVD are clear & vibrant.

The Great Gonzo tries to wow the audience by eating a tire.

There is some bit of fuzziness but that's to be expected from the older source material. The colors are bright but not oversaturated.

Connie Stevens accompanied by The Mutations

One of great things about watching these episodes is the skits and gags are still funny.

Sometimes shows come off as retro & dated but that's not the case here.

Dancer Juliet Prowse gets more than she bargained for.

The jokes are still funny 30 years later.

The continuing story of 'Veterinarian's Hospital'.

For die hard fans, this set has a feature called "Muppet Morsels" which gives viewers pop up trivia & information about the show. One of the funny ones is a counter that keeps track of how many times Miss Piggy gives somebody a karate chop.

The second of the two Muppet Show pilot episodes called " The Muppet Show : Sex And Violence " (1975) appears on this set fully intact.

It's an interesting piece to watch.

Nigel the music conductor for the orchestra is the host of the show while Kermit is only an extra character.

An early version of The Swedish Chef skit as well as Statler & Waldorf appear in this pilot.

At the very end as the credits scroll up you get a look at the actors who voice & control the Muppet characters.

To the delight of many the original season one introduction remains intact.

This original intro was changed in season two and the season two intro was later pasted on the season one episodes when they reran on t.v.

In addition to all of this, the original pitch reel is presented on this set. This brief 2 1/2 minute skit is what Henson used to sell the show to a major network.

It's quite humorous if I do say so.

Some of the guest performers include:

Vincent Price

Sandy Duncan

Candice Bergan (she's on the left )

and Phyllis Diller

So-So

The sound is in mono but that's how it was originally recorded. Still, I think a stereo mix could have been created.

The artwork on the coverbox and discs show contemporary photos of the Muppet characters from the 1990's.

They look nice but too modern when you compair the characters like Gonzo and Miss Piggy to their 1976 counterparts.

Although the second pilot episode is included in this set, the original first pilot episode called " The Muppets Valentine Show " (1974) is absent. Perhaps this will be on a future set ?

Drag

Well, the title of the set is " The Muppet Show: Season 1 Special Edition ". Notice it's not titled " The Muppet Show: The Complete 1st Season " ? That's right. Some of the episodes have been edited! There are 6 songs cut from a few episodes due to some legal reasons ($$$). According to MuppetCentral.com, the following songs are missing:

"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

There are 2 news skits missing from this set as well.

It's believed these were removed due to the fact that they were later added to the episodes after their original airings on television, but that is not confirmed.

Also, the original pitch reel has the final scene cut from it. In the final scene the camera cuts to Kermit infront of a CBS logo. He looks out and says " What the hell was that ?! ". Without this last few seconds of footage the promo loses some of its punch.

photo courtesy of MuppetCentral.com

Overall

It would be nice if this were a complete season set rather than a mildy edited one.

Despite its flaws, this is a great DVD set! I highly recommend it to anyone (well, except Not Afraid

)

08-09-2005, 08:16 PM	#1
Isaac the one n only Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Anaheim Posts: 1,236	The Muppet Show: Season 1 on DVD ! Today I needed a little something to perk myself up so I went to South Coast Plaza and picked up a copy of the new Muppet Show Season 1 DVD set. I'm VERY happy I did! Swanky The picture quality is excellent. The transfer from the uk pal films to DVD are clear & vibrant. The Great Gonzo tries to wow the audience by eating a tire. There is some bit of fuzziness but that's to be expected from the older source material. The colors are bright but not oversaturated. Connie Stevens accompanied by The Mutations One of great things about watching these episodes is the skits and gags are still funny. Sometimes shows come off as retro & dated but that's not the case here. Dancer Juliet Prowse gets more than she bargained for. The jokes are still funny 30 years later. The continuing story of 'Veterinarian's Hospital'. For die hard fans, this set has a feature called "Muppet Morsels" which gives viewers pop up trivia & information about the show. One of the funny ones is a counter that keeps track of how many times Miss Piggy gives somebody a karate chop. The second of the two Muppet Show pilot episodes called " The Muppet Show : Sex And Violence " (1975) appears on this set fully intact. It's an interesting piece to watch. Nigel the music conductor for the orchestra is the host of the show while Kermit is only an extra character. An early version of The Swedish Chef skit as well as Statler & Waldorf appear in this pilot. At the very end as the credits scroll up you get a look at the actors who voice & control the Muppet characters. To the delight of many the original season one introduction remains intact. This original intro was changed in season two and the season two intro was later pasted on the season one episodes when they reran on t.v. In addition to all of this, the original pitch reel is presented on this set. This brief 2 1/2 minute skit is what Henson used to sell the show to a major network. It's quite humorous if I do say so. Some of the guest performers include: Vincent Price Sandy Duncan Candice Bergan (she's on the left ) and Phyllis Diller So-So The sound is in mono but that's how it was originally recorded. Still, I think a stereo mix could have been created. The artwork on the coverbox and discs show contemporary photos of the Muppet characters from the 1990's. They look nice but too modern when you compair the characters like Gonzo and Miss Piggy to their 1976 counterparts. Although the second pilot episode is included in this set, the original first pilot episode called " The Muppets Valentine Show " (1974) is absent. Perhaps this will be on a future set ? Drag Well, the title of the set is " The Muppet Show: Season 1 Special Edition ". Notice it's not titled " The Muppet Show: The Complete 1st Season " ? That's right. Some of the episodes have been edited! There are 6 songs cut from a few episodes due to some legal reasons ($$$). According to MuppetCentral.com, the following songs are missing: "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 There are 2 news skits missing from this set as well. It's believed these were removed due to the fact that they were later added to the episodes after their original airings on television, but that is not confirmed. Also, the original pitch reel has the final scene cut from it. In the final scene the camera cuts to Kermit infront of a CBS logo. He looks out and says " What the hell was that ?! ". Without this last few seconds of footage the promo loses some of its punch. photo courtesy of MuppetCentral.com Overall It would be nice if this were a complete season set rather than a mildy edited one. Despite its flaws, this is a great DVD set! I highly recommend it to anyone (well, except Not Afraid ) __________________
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