SNL: “The Land of Gorch” #1-6
“The Land of Gorch”
Although the major networks had still chosen to pass on The Muppet Show, Jim Henson and the Muppets did get a big TV break in 1975, when Lorne Michaels hired them to appear as regulars on his then-brand-new late-night sketch comedy show, then called Saturday Night, later to be known as Saturday Night Live. In fact, the Muppets appeared on the very first episode and weekly thereafter for the first months of the show (the first season of SNL is up on Hulu and Amazon, or you could watch it on DVD).
Rather than highlighting any of the known characters up to that point, however, these sketches–collectively known as The Land of Gorch–were an entirely new creation, with a cast of fantastical alien creatures living in
Read MoreThe Muppet Show Pitch Reel
Leo pitches “The Muppet Show”!
And now, after viewing the two failed ABC pilots, we come to Jim Henson’s next attempt to finally bring The Muppet Show to primetime, one which ultimately proved successful but not directly or immediately.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. To tell a long story as succinctly as possible, Jim hired David Lazer–an IBM exec who worked with him on the short films he and the Muppets made for that company and who was extremely enthusiastic about Jim and his talents–as a new producer. Lazer was a much slicker, savvier Hollywood type than the Henson people were generally used to but he knew how to sell things in the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, Jim made an appearance on CBS’ Cher show (unfortunately, I wasn’t able to locate any clips to watch), which also had a major impact. Cher and her producer, George Schlatter–the
Read MoreElectric and Carson, Again
Grover and Vi on “The Electric Company”
Today, I’m looking at two brief Muppet guest appearances from 1975. In the first, which aired March 10, 1975, Grover visits The Electric Company (the fourth and finale Sesame Street character to appear on that show), or rather, like Big Bird did in his appearance, wanders away from home, gets lost, and winds up on this show accidentally.
The scene opens with Crank, who we previously saw singing a song with Oscar the Grouch, and who doesn’t seem nearly as bad-tempered as his name and description of himself would suggest (This guy has nothing on Oscar. He even seems genuinely concerned for Grover. Amateur.), taking a seat at Vi’s Diner and chatting with the eponymous
Read MoreThe Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
“Sex and Violence”
After the first Muppet Show pilot, The Muppets Valentine Show, failed to be picked up to series, Jim Henson and Co. shot yet another pilot in December 1974, which like Valentine, made it to air as a special on ABC (this one in March 1975) but the network similarly opted to not take it any further. And as much as I sympathize with the frustration Jim must have felt, I can’t actually say that I entirely either disagree with or don’t understand ABC’s decision. Although, as with Valentine, this special, Sex and Violence–available as a bonus feature on The Muppet Show Season 1 DVD set–displays many of the features that would become beloved Muppet Show staples, this show has still not yet found its voice.
Read MoreWhat’s My Line, Etc.
Kermit and Jim on “What’s My Line?”
And now, for the first time in a very long time–given how much footage I found for Sesame Street season 6 and my unexpectedly extended hiatus–we have another assemblage of miscellaneous Jim Henson-related clips, all of which range from late 1974 to early 1975.
The most interesting is probably the first one, an appearance that Jim and Kermit made on What’s My Line?, which aired on November 16th, 1974. What’s My Line? was a game show that began in 1950 and ran all the way through 1975 in which a panel consisting of 4 celebrity guests would at first try to guess a contestant’s occupation through yes or no questions, and then, in the second round, be blindfolded in order to guess
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