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Muppet Show (The): Season Two
R1 - America - Buena Vista Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (13th September 2007). |
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The Show
 I was very much looking forward to watching this show again. I used to watch the reruns with a passion that couldn't be expressed. I must have seen must about every episode in the series and enjoyed every single one of them. It was with this that I jumped into watching the second season, and, surprise of surprise, the show is still just as spectacular and entertaining as ever. Jim Henson knew how to entertain everybody. This show is probably the best example of this. The show has universal appeal, having jokes that are funny for the youngest child to the oldest adult. The writing has some very sharp observations and quips. In just about every episode, there are some great zingers that would make anybody laugh. In 'Zero Mostel', two tennis balls are dancing. The first one says, 'What did you do today?', the second answers: 'Oh, I spent the day in court'. In 'Milton Berle', Mr. Berle are talking to the two geezers, Waldorf and Statler, Waldorf speaks first: 'You work like Gregory Peck.' 'I know Gregory Peck. Gregory Peck isn't a comedian.' 'Well...' The show also has some very simple but touching moments as well. In 'Edgar Bergan', they do a very, very nice version of 'Time in a Bottle'. Having some funny pieces like that keeps the younger crowd interested for things they normally wouldn't interested in seeing or hearing. For example, the muppets sing some very nice songs. You can hear 'What a Wonderful World' and (a muppet version of) 'Windmills of Your Mind' in 'Don Knotts', the very first episode of the season. You also get a jazz version of a Chopin piece (Polonaise in A Flat) in 'Zero Mostel', Minuet in G Major in 'Rudolph Nureyev' and many others. They even have their own rendition of 'Swan Lake' in 'Rudolph Nureyev'. 'Pigs in Space' and 'Veterinarian Hospital' are two staples with great jokes, especially the latter. You also have Gonzo wrestling a red brick, blindfolded, and losing, in 'Edgar Bergen', Gonzo dancing with cheese and Peter Sellers being a gypsy pirate playing a violin, and Peter Sellers wanting to recite Charles Dickens while playing two tuned chickens. The craziness never stops, and is always funny for everybody. Having watched it again, I can now appreciate it on more levels than just the entertainment value. Something that completely passed by me some 20 years ago when I last watched it were the technical challenges that had to be overcome every single episode. Every week, there were two, three or four sets with half a dozen costumes and muppets that had to be created. The difficulty and cost must have been great, but all of that makes for an amazing half hour, every single episode. In every episode, also the producers managed to get very big stars to help the Muppets out. From Bernadette Peters to Rudolph Nureyev to George Burns, the variety and talent are undeniable. The second season alone has such people as Mr. Burns, Madeline Kahn, Bob Hope, Don Knotts, Elton John, Milton Berle and Peter Sellers. Waldorf and Statler have the best lines, of course. Those two old geezers have a pretty nifty sense of humour. However, a big highlight for me was hearing 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' as sung by Elton John and Miss Piggy. The episodes with Milton Berle and especially John Cleese were standouts for me. Throughout the season (and, indeed, the series) there's a tremendous joy of entertainment that's extremely rare. These guys had a great time doing what they did, no matter the challenges. For kids and adults, the show's appeal shows through, keeps on entertaining and will keep entertaining for years to come. Here is a breakdown of the episodes on the discs. disc 1: Don Knotts (25:40), Zero Mostel (25:40), Milton Berle (25:38), Rich Little (25:40), Judy Collins (25:41), Nancy Walker (25:38) disc 2: Edgar Bergen (25:38), Steve Martin (25:42), Madeline Kahn (25:41), George Burns (25:42), Dom Deluise (25:38), Bernadette Peters (25:42), Rudolf Nureyev (25:34) disc 3: Elton John (27:38), Lou Rawls (25:42), Cleo Laine (25:38), Julie Andrews (25:39), Jaye P. Morgan (25:41), Peter Sellers (25:43) disc 4: Petula Clark (25:38), Theresa Brewer (25:42), Bob Hope (25:43), John Cleese (25:41), Cloris Leachman (25:37)
Video
1.33:1 full screen. The picture, almost as good as the sound, is still pretty impressive. For a show that was some thirty years old at the time of transfer, the video looks surprisingly clean. There are no specks, scratches, colour fluctuations or other blemishes. The colours are pretty accurate, though sometimes I feel they've deteriorated slightly. The video also gives way to print-based problems like very slight overmodulation (look in the first episode near the end) and comet trails (seen during the disco-y musical numbers with flashing coloured lights). The contrast is very nice and noise is very minimal (or, actually, pretty much non-existent). The video quality is very nice and pretty impressive.
Audio
The only track is the original Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track, and it's been nicely cleaned up. All the music, gags and falls are clear, unmuffled and audible. Any hissing and popping is also gone, leaving the track as good as any modern-day show. English HoH subtitles are provided.
Extras
On disc one, you get some Sneak Peeks, the first three of which are also start-up trailers: 'Jungle Book' (1:35), 'The Muppet Show: Season One' (1:27) a Blu-ray ad (0:49) and a TV on DVD ad (1:43). Nothing special, but the best of the extras are on disc four. The first thing is a bonus episode, The Muppets Valentine Special (25:37), which Mia Farrow. This aired on January 30th, 1974, about 2 years before 'The Muppet Show' began. Like a regular-season episode, this is very entertaining, and the focus is love. There are songs and skits. The show centers around a writer/director trying to get the show ready for Valentine's Day, and Kermit is, unusually, not the host, though he is in the episode. Next is The Muppets on The Muppets interviews. These 13 short clips have the muppets answering various questions, being funny without trying. It's a lot of fun to watch and it’s interesting to see how they poke fun at stars and stardom while not even trying. It's a shame some of the muppets are from the newer series, and, for example, you don't see Scooter or Rowlf (my favorite muppet, 'cause he plays the piano!), but the interviews are still very nice. The questions they answer are: Kermit and Fozzie, Why Are You Friends? (1:00), Gonzo & Rizzo, What is Friendship? (0:58), Are You Dating? (1:00), What about Piggy? (0:59), Rizzo & Pepe, Does Size Really Matter? (1:00), A Place in Maine? (0:59), Where is Your Favorite Place to Visit? (0:59), Pepe the Prawn: What is the Secret to Success? (0:50), Where Do You Find Happiness? (0:59), Animal: What Makes You Truly Happy? (0:57), Who Inspires You? (0:59), What Was Jim Henson Like? (0:58) and How Does it Feel to Be a Role Model? (0:59). The last thing is the Weezer and the Muppets, "Keep Fishin'" music video (4:27). This music video is pretty good. It features the muppets being the muppets while Weezer is being Weezer. Nothing special, but enjoyable because it has the muppets.
Overall
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