Status
Not open for further replies.
I am not sure how LucasFilms could have helped the band last longer and be better remembered...
By at least making them canon in Star Wars, like the Cantina Band. I do agree with the record deal thing, maybe have a different company do the record or have Disney Warner Records and transform it into something akin to Hyperion.
 
By at least making them canon in Star Wars, like the Cantina Band. I do agree with the record deal thing, maybe have a different company do the record or have Disney Warner Records and transform it into something akin to Hyperion.

Ahh, I see.

Given that the fan base that seemed to respond to the band best were the teeny-bopper crowd (in the words of one former band-member), I suspect that Disney would actually be a good label to move an album. The suit's worries about Disney lacking the cool cred to push the band aside (though he did seem like a lovely former suit). Though maybe Disney wouldn't be able to handle a tour right.

fasquardon
 
Muppets on Broadway
Mad About Muppets on Broadway (1984)
From Mad About Muppets with Mad Molly Moolah Netsite, August 20th, 2002


Hi again, it’s Molly, I’m Mad for Muppets, and you are too or why would you be here? And today I’m going to talk about the third Muppets Movie (and my personal fav thanks to the Muppet Babies and the Muppet Marriage…squeee!!!), Muppets on Broadway! MoB came out at a tough time for Disney. They were in the middle of a massive corporate battle with the fate of, like, everything in the balance, which I talked about in another post (link below) and everyone reading this obviously knows what happened there (eek!) so I won’t talk about that now.

Instead, let’s talk about Muppets on Broadway!

The film follows the Muppets immediately after the events of A Muppet Mystery!, now without a job since their Hollywood gig fell through with the arrest of their former studio head Bobby Caracas in the prior movie. They are largely considered has-beens by Hollywood by this point, so they sing “Well, What Now?” Then they get lured to New York with the promise of a Broadway Musical by producer Abner Plotz-D’Vice played by Dabney Coleman, and thus they set out across the US in the Electric Mayhem’s bus singing “Broadway Dreams” along the way. But Plotz-D’Vice turns out to be the con artist Meyer “Red” Haring, and thus the Muppets suddenly find themselves stuck in New York City, broke, and struggling to get a show made. After some hijinks at Sardi’s, where Kermit’s attempts to scam producer “Laser” Dave Dunlop (played by Eric Idle) into thinking he’s a big-name director fall through, the disappointed Muppets go their separate ways.

themuppetstakemanhattan11.jpg

(Image source “onthesetofnewyork.com”)

So, Kermit, still struggling to get a show greenlit out of a sense of duty to his fellow Muppets, starts working a series of progressively more demeaning jobs while struggling on the side (without luck) to get the show going. This manifests at one point in a restaurant dishwashing gig where the whole kitchen is run by the Swedish Chef, naturally, along with Rizzo and the rats (“our specialty is ratatouille!”), who sing “Let’s Cook Up some Magic” as they skate across the griddle on butter pats and other crazy Muppet effects.

20-years-before-ratatouille.png

(Image source “70srichard.wordpress.com”)

Kermit finally takes a cubicle job where he is actually quite successful and well-respected. Soon he’s a suit-wearing creative executive at Inne-Decann Marketing on Madison Avenue, making bank, but various events conspire in ludicrously serendipitous ways (as they always do) to remind him of his Broadway dreams and thus Kermit doth sing “Dreams as Fleeting as Rainbows”.

kermit2.jpg

(Image source “theroarbots.com”)

Meanwhile, the other Muppets go on to find success themselves. Scooter gets a job as a bellhop at the Waldorf Astoria, remaining chipper despite the harassment of guests Statler and Waldorf. Fozzie constantly fails at standup gigs, heckled by Statler and Waldorf of course, only to get a job on Coney Island in a dunk tank…where Statler and Waldorf have bought $200 in balls, leading the boss (Eddie Murphy) to exclaim “he’s tripled income overnight!” Gonzo is doing surreal performance art in Times Square only to be discovered by Andy Warhol and become a hit in Greenwich Village (Statler and Waldorf are there too, providing snark). The Electric Mayhem are opening for Van Halen (Statler and Waldorf are in attendance, saying “Does this rock?” “You’d need a head full of rocks to enjoy it!”).

Best of all, Piggy auditions for a musical by singing a cover of Leonard Cohen's “Bird on a Wire”[1], where she gets a standing ovation from Cohen himself (the other judges, Statler and Waldorf, of course, are less appreciative). Naturally, Cohen falls for her and soon sweeps her off her feet in a romantic montage using all of his deep-voiced Cohen charm, but though she swoons, she soon realizes that she misses Kermit. This manifests in my second favorite scene: a dream sequence where the Muppets are all babies, her singing “Only Wanna’ Be with You” to Baby Kermie who is sooo adorable!!

340

(Image source “muppet.fandom.com”)

So it appears that the Muppets will disband and go their separate ways, but after a soul-searching crossover musical number “Apart and Yet Together” sung by each of the separate Muppets in split-screen, each of them decides that their Broadway dreams are bigger than their immediate job needs, but all still feel trapped in golden handcuffs.

And Statler and Waldorf, riding a horse-drawn carriage through Central park that night, comment on what a great vacation they’re having so far.

Finally, due to a conspicuously serendipitous set of circumstances commended upon by Kermit, all of the Muppets arrive at the same time at Inne-Decann for various promotional shoots and Kermit convinces all of the Muppets’ new star cameo bosses to all fund the Muppet’s new Broadway show once the Muppets amaze them all by performing “Together Again”. All of the big-name cameos thus agree to fund the production and the movie transitions to a “show within a show” performance of “Broadway Dreams”, with the Muppets performing a reprise of the song.

The show is a success and, in my totally fav scene, Kermit and Piggy celebrate by getting married in an elaborate ceremony! Leonard Cohen sheds a manly tear and Gonzo catches the bouquet, causing Camila to bat her eyes, as the movie ends[2].

Wedding.mtm_.jpeg

(Image source “themarysue.com”)

Ye gods, I love this movie! Can you tell?

So, this film did well, but not spectacular, but it’s remembered well. It spawned the popular Muppet Babies Muppet series and cartoon and even a Disney live Muppet show turned travelling show, even though it’s non-canon and an imagine sequence, but whatever. And then the marriage scene, which is still a running gag between Kermit and Piggy where she says it was real and he says it was Hollywood. I say it happened and they’re married and I challenge you to tell me otherwise.

And yea, Muppets on Broadway is not everyone’s fav, but I love it. But I love everything Muppets. I think I have a problem. Perhaps I should seek help?

300

(Image source “muppet.fandom.com”)

NO WAY, BUB!!!





[1] To @Kalvan, I really wanted to make this song “First we Take Manhattan” per your request, but was written in 1986, 2 years after this movie debuts. I decided to at least honor the request through a Leonard Cohen cameo.

[2] This synopsis brought to you at the insistence of @Garrett_Cartoonist.
 
PS: clearly a lot of love for Halyx. I watched the Defunctland docu last night and yes, it's hard not to root for them. They clearly were talented musicians who deserved better than they got. Lora in particular sounds like she really got screwed by the studios. I'll make sure they make an appearance.
 
That movie sounds like pure Muppet fun.

Not a fan of the baby versions myself, but I can see why they would be big.

Any breakout pop chart singles from this movie?
 
They were in the middle of a massive corporate battle with the fate of, like, everything in the balance, which I talked about in another post (link below) and everyone reading this obviously knows what happened there (eek!) so I won’t talk about that now.

stop teasing us reeeeeeee

But seriously, that movie sounds like a lot of fun. It reminds me a little of the 2011 movie, in a good way, as well as the OTL film.
 
That movie sounds like pure Muppet fun.

Not a fan of the baby versions myself, but I can see why they would be big.

Any breakout pop chart singles from this movie?

I enjoyed the MB as a kid. Thanks to Jim's friendships with George Lucas and Steve Spielberg he got to use Star Wars and Indiana Jones in the cartoon.

Let's say "Dreams as Fleeting as Rainbows" breaks into the top 40.

I just love how Statler and Waldorf are everywhere. You can't escape them. They're like cockroaches.

Always fun to throw them in.

I was going to say that they really get around. :p

That's a different movie entirely.

stop teasing us reeeeeeee

But seriously, that movie sounds like a lot of fun. It reminds me a little of the 2011 movie, in a good way, as well as the OTL film.

Are you quivering with antici.......

Fear not, all, another few days and we'll be through the buyout battle.

Glad you like the "movie". I deliberately quoted the set pieces from Muppets Take Manhattan, obviously. The 2011 quote may have been unintentional.

Am I the only who could see Halyx being big in Japan?

Oh by the Force yes, Japan would have gone nuts over Halyx, especially 1980s Japan.
 
I’m not here for the board room manoeuvres.
I’m not here for the theme parks.
I’m not here for the US pop culture.
It’s the depiction of executive and workplace cultural change after a long ossification that does it for me.

I just wanted to emphasise a perhaps under complimented aspect of the writing.
 
I’m not here for the board room manoeuvres.
I’m not here for the theme parks.
I’m not here for the US pop culture.
It’s the depiction of executive and workplace cultural change after a long ossification that does it for me.

I just wanted to emphasise a perhaps under complimented aspect of the writing.
This timeline so far have a little for everyone on a way...but i'm hating RL disney more and more i'm starting to not give a damn anymore fictional disney either
 
You really shouldn't hate Disney OTL or ITTL but rather American capitalism especially in the 1980s.
Disney is going all in into monopolies, they're removing all movies their own channel, recalling dvd and bluray so you're forced to disney+, even by AC standard...disney is the worse
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top