One to One with Julie Andrews

OneToOne1

Kermit conducts a (shrinking) choir.

Although, technically, One to One is the third Julie Andrews/Muppets special–after Julie on Sesame Street and Julie: My Favorite Things–it barely feels like it, as Julie and the Muppets hardly ever interact over the course of the show, other than the finale, in which two Anything Muppets stand at the back of the stage while Julie sings in the front, which doesn’t really count. It seems kind of shocking that anyone would pass up the opportunity to actually take advantage of Julie and the Muppets being in the same studio together, but there you have it.

 

This is also much less of an entertainment variety special than the first two. Instead, it’s an infomercial for World Vision, an Evangelical-Christian-run charity that raises money for humanitarian aid, and while its religious

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Julie: My Favorite Things

Julie and Kermit share a duet.

Julie and Kermit share a duet.

Back when I watched and reviewed Julie Andrews’ first special with the Muppets, Julie on Sesame Street, I explained the circumstances surrounding how these shows came to be produced for ABC, so instead of going over that again, I kindly direct anyone who might not remember (and that’s completely understandable; it’s been quite a long time!) back to that post.

 

For now, what’s important to know is that, despite frustration at ABC yet again not picking up The Muppet Show to series, Jim Henson and Co. collaborated with Julie on a second special, again produced by ATV and shot at Elstree Studios in London, where The Muppet Show would eventually find a home. This one was called Julie: My Favorite Things,

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The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence

"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.

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Ray the Raychem Seal and Miss Piggy

Ray the Raychem Seal

Ray the Raychem Seal

Today I looked at two unrelated yet fascinating curiosities, the first of which is the first thing I’ve watched for the site that actually wasn’t created or run by Jim Henson at all but which is significant due to its performer, and the second of which features the debut of one of the most important characters in the entire Muppet canon.

 

We begin a short industrial video, much like the films Jim made for companies such as IBM, but this one was actually done by Dave Goelz, who is best known today for performing such beloved characters as Gonzo and Boober Fraggle. In my post on Jim’s 1974 appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, I discussed how Goelz originally became involved with the Henson Co., and how Jim initially hired him as a

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The Muppets Valentine Show

"The Muppets Valentine Show"

“The Muppets Valentine Show”

In 1973, Jim Henson decided to once again pitch a TV variety show starring the Muppets, which had been a goal of his since all the way back in the immediately-post-Sam-and-Friends era but which had always failed to come to fruition due to American network executives not being able to get over their bias that puppets were for children, despite all the evidence as to how much adult audiences enjoyed the Muppets when they made appearances on other peoples’ shows and even on Sesame Street.

 

Jim’s written pitch announced that the “time is right for a variety show hosted by dogs, frogs, and monsters…The show is aimed at the adult or young adult audience, but it is a show for the whole family…The Muppets,

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