Alternate Muppet Show guest stars

overoceans

cortz#9 said:
Vincent Price was also on the Muppets but him and Alice together would've been interesting.
Click to expand...

He sang James Taylor's You've Got A Friend for the final number.

Not sure if it was supposed to be horror-themed or not, but I do recall being somewhat weirded out by the line "They'll take your soul if you let them...", never having heard the song before, and more-or-less taking Price's sinister reputation at face value.
 

overoceans

overoceans said:
I will take some exception to the OP's unqualified description of muppet guest stars as "B-list".

Just off the top of my head, Peter Sellers, Debbie Harry, and Elton John were NOT B-list when they appeared on the Muppet Show. I suppose Sellers might be considered more of a specialized taste, but that's not the same thing as saying he was past his prime, ready for a guest-spot on Fantasy Island. The Pink Panther films were huge, and Being There certainly solidified his art-house cred.

I'd also mention Alice Cooper, though I do seem to recall that by the mid-80s, he was regarded as a has-been. Not sure what his status was at the time of his Muppet Show appearance.
Click to expand...

This list makes for some interesting reading.

The guest stars really were a combination of B-list, past-their-prime, and top-of-their-game, with no category seeming to predominate in any one period. For example, Don Knotts, relegated in 1977 to the pre-Eisner Disney live-action ghetto, is followed the next week by John Cleese, still basking in Python/Fawlty glory in the UK and with his best years in the US market still ahead of him. Lots of other vivid juxtapositions, too.
 

overoceans

And if it wasn't subject to the reverse-stigma of being an innocent children's show, I really think the muppets would have made a good match with Cheech and Chong. Have an episode where the Swedish chef uses their recipe to make some special brownies, and Cheech and Chong end up being the most coherent people on the show.
 

overoceans

cortz#9 said:
Andy Kaufman.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Wonder how you would work anti-humor into the muppet formula. He could do a sraight man/funny man routine with Fozzie Bear. Kaufman keeps deliberately messing up the punch-line to Fozzie's set-ups, but Fozzie laughs anyway, 'cuz he's not too bright.

For the finale, something like Cleese's, where he refused to sing any song the band started playing. Kaufman comes on ready to do an Elvis number in full regalia, then when he starts singing, it's the weirdo slavic guy's voice, the band gets confused, and they have to start all over again.

And at the end where they all come on stage and say good-bye, Kaufman could announce that he wants to wrestle Miss Piggy, and then Miss Piggy comes on and knocks him down with one karate chop. (If they can get the sexual innuendo past Lew Grade.)

(Caveat: I only know Kaufman from Taxi and Jim Carrey's portrayal in the Forman film.)
 

cortz#9

overoceans said:
Interesting. Wonder how you would work anti-humor into the muppet formula. He could do a sraight man/funny man routine with Fozzie Bear. Kaufman keeps deliberately messing up the punch-line to Fozzie's set-ups, but Fozzie laughs anyway, 'cuz he's not too bright.

For the finale, something like Cleese's, where he refused to sing any song the band started playing. Kaufman comes on ready to do an Elvis number in full regalia, then when he starts singing, it's the weirdo slavic guy's voice, the band gets confused, and they have to start all over again.

And at the end where they all come on stage and say good-bye, Kaufman could announce that he wants to wrestle Miss Piggy, and then Miss Piggy comes on and knocks him down with one karate chop. (If they can get the sexual innuendo past Lew Grade.)

(Caveat: I only know Kaufman from Taxi and Jim Carrey's portrayal in the Forman film.)
Click to expand...
If they get Kaufman in the first or second season, they get a sillier (but still weird) Kaufman if they get Kaufman on season 4 or 5, they get super weird Kaufman but he liked kids shows and he might decide to just have fun with it.
 

DTF955Baseballfan

Another cool when I thought of later, Ted Knight. His Ted Baxter is similar to Fozzie in some ways, like how Fozzie kept messing up Nancy Walker's name that time and calling her fancy talker, or how Ted acted like ge was a lot better than he was or like Fozzie acts like his simple jokes are so hilarious - I remember once I'm saying he had the best joke ever and Kermit said it wasn't funny and he said he had a better one.

I could see Kermit asking him to help Fozzie and Ted giving Fozzie pointers on humor - except Fozzie already has done some of the same things at different times. Maybe someone else makes an appearance, or it could just be a phone call, and they could be asking if Fozzie could replace Ted Baxter as the news anchor at WJM.
 

georgy176

With his acting career long past it may not qualify for this OP, but how about Ronald Regan (prior to his election of course unless this appearnce somehow derails that). In a debate between him and Sam the Eagle on American values and exceptionalism wonder who would emerge the more partiotic?
 

Hadley

Did Henry Winkler ever show up? You know they would have done something with how Fonzie and Fozzie sounded similar.
 

Kaze

Banned
How about this off the ball idea - BIG Bird from Sesame Street? The Frog jumps from one show to the other - it would be interesting to have the bird to do the same.
 

Seandineen

H.Flashman(VC) said:
Carrol O'Connor. There could be a nice wordfight between him and Statler& Astoria, where he outgrumps them.
(Thought of this one when i saw Jean Stapleton was already on the list)
And how about David Bowie, in a right incarnation he outmuppets every other muppet on the show.
Click to expand...
Oconner would be great interacting as archie bunker with Sam the Eagle.
 

Mort the Reaper

I think Bruce Lee might've done well as a guest star if he'd lived longer. Wonder how Miss Piggy would react to one of the most famous karateka in the world appearing on the show... kinda torn between admiration and jealousy.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top