The Muppet Show – Season Two + Three
(Disney DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: B+
The
Disney DVD releases of The Muppet Show
have been terrific, consistent and the kind of treatment the show should have
had all along. You can start with Season One, which we covered at this
link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2662/The+Muppet+Show+-+Season+One
The
picture (1.33 X 1 color PAL videotape) and sound (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) are
as clean and clear as they can be for their age, with the sets so far proving
that the master tapes were being stored properly and that these have been
remastered with some care and consideration.
One
again, the covers have the main characters with materials that feel the way the
actual characters would feel is a great move and the great cavalcade of big
name stars continued without missing a beat.
Here are the lists for these seasons:
Season
Two:
1)
Don Knotts
2)
Zero Mostel
3)
Milton Berle
4)
Rich Little
5)
Judy Collins
6)
Nancy Walker
7)
Edgar Bergen
8)
Steve Martin
9)
Madeline Kahn
10) George Burns
11) Dom DeLuise
12) Bernadette Peters
13) Rudolf Nureyev
14) Elton John
15) Lou Rawls
16) Cleo Laine
17) Julie Andrews
18) Jaye P. Morgan
19) Peter Sellers
20) Petula Clark
21) Bob Hope
22) Teresa Brewer
23) John Cleese
24) Cloris Leachman
Season
Three:
1)
Kris Kristofferson & Rita
Coolidge
2)
Leo Sayer
3)
Roy Clark
4)
Gilda Radner
5)
Pearl Bailey
6)
Jean Stapleton
7)
Alice Cooper
8)
Loretta Lynn
9)
Liberace
10) Marisa Berenson
11) Raquel Welch
12) James Coco
13) Helen Reddy
14) Harry Belafonte
15) Leslie Ann Warren
16) Danny Kaye
17) Spike Mulligan
18) Leslie Uggams
19) Elke Sommers
20) Sylvester Stallone
21) Roger Miller
22) Roy Rogers & Dale Evans
23) Lynn Redgrave
24) Cheryl Ladd
Those are
incredible talent line-ups I doubt you would get on cable or pay TV today, plus
even with all the great variety TV shows that had come and gone, this series
was the last great such showcase in a way few realized. The shows hold up incredibly well,
constructing their own world in a way even the revivals have not totally
captured.
Highlights
of the second set include Don Knotts showing up as almost an inspiration of the
gang’s antics. Zero Mostel, Milton Berle,
Bob Hope and Edgar Bergen are in shows closest in spirit to the Vaudevillian
roots of the show, while Nancy Walker surprises in her handling of co-starring
with the characters. Madeline Kahn’s
show is a gem, Bernadette Peters goes brilliantly Broadway in hers, Martin is
as funny then as ever, Sellers is in top form, Clark is really good and Cleese
is right at home with the lunacy. My
favorite show is the Elton John episode, with John’s voice and showmanship at
its vintage best and how perfectly his wild stage persona fits right at home
with the “regular cast” on the show.
The third
season is also a big winner. Besides
co-star hosts in the cases of Kristofferson/Coolidge and Rogers/Evans, Gilda
Radner is amazing in a show that takes risks, tries to be something different
and is one of the most unique, special and effective shows in its whole
run. The great singer/songwriter Leo
Sayer is so good and filled with energy here, you wonder if the Muppets will be
able to keep up and if he’ll start to perform, Godspell as a one-man
show. His music also works perfectly on
this show. His and Radner’s shows are a
tie for my favorite here. Cooper
delivers the most (relatively) darkly thematic show and Welch is amazing, also
appearing in a body suit that would have the censors climbing the walls today,
but it is a classy, great show all the way.
Sommer, Ladd, Berenson, Liberace (a natural) and Reddy (with her voice
at its best and already a Sesame Street alumni) deliver great shows. Even Stallone’ show works better than you’d
imagine.
Each set
comes in a nice slide case and with three extras each. The second set has the brilliant Keep Fishin’ Music Video in which The
Muppets appear with one of the greatest bands around, Weezer. You also get an interviews section called The
Muppets on The Muppets and the
1/30/74 Muppets Valentine Special.
Set Three adds the Muppets on Puppets featurette (1969) as we see the
creators of the characters, while A
Company Of Players shows us the behind-the-scenes of the making of these
programs. Vintage TV commercials in
which The Muppets promote Purina Dog Chow are also added.
That is all
great and we are not alone in waiting for the next sets to arrive. Until then, you’ll have plenty to enjoy over
ands over again.
- Nicholas Sheffo
