Week of December 2: The Television Evolution of the Muppets

By Sylvia Gurinsky

With last week's successful release of the film "The Muppets," it's good to go back and review where they began - on the small screen.

Jim Henson was just 19 years old when he created "Sam and Friends," a five-minute show in Washington, D.C. But a certain frog named Kermit became the star of the show from the beginning.

Here's a 1961 Kermit interview with the Muppet versions of two famous newsmen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9R5dov0VIw

Almost from the beginning, the Muppets appeared on various variety shows, with Kermit being a consistent character. Here's an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson" from 1965. About halfway through, there's proof that Kermit wasn't always such a nice frog:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOvfXvQygrk&feature=related


Kermit wasn't the only Muppet star during the 1960s. Jimmy Dean had a cute and furry co-star: Rowlf the Dog:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-dHo7sIIb4



The Muppets were popular, but they'd start to go into the stratosphere in 1969, with the creation of a new children's show for public broadcasting, with Henson making an appearance in front of the camera. Forty-two years later.....well, you know the story ( but Big Bird looks considerably different - and much bigger):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laEyKDxRUd8



The original pilot for "The Muppet Show" in 1976 was stream-of-consiousness - so much so that all three major networks passed on it. Lord Lew Grade, head of the ATV studios in Great Britain, said yes, though, and the show was aired in the UK and syndicated to the United States. It would become the most successful syndicated show in American television history.

It became the "go-to" show for the biggest stars - including opera star Beverly Sills, who suddenly became a country singer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBdCVJAPoSk


Sills' performance was actually in Season 4. The DVD release of that season has been announced, but no date yet. There are licensing issues over music. Meanwhile, the first three seasons are available on DVD.


The show was done in vaudeville format, and here's a treat: Closing credits from a British airing in 1976:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu4jH0Ts3aY&feature=related

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See you December 9. Until then, Happy Viewing!