The Muppet Show (partially found advertisements for sketch comedy TV series; 1976-1981)
The Muppet Show was a half-hour family television program, created by Jim Henson, which aired on CBS in the U.S. and ATV in the U.K., from 1976 to 1981. The show starred The Muppets, attempting to put on a weekly variety show, while in between acts showing The Muppet's back stage antics. In addition to the numerous characters, a guest celebrity would perform and become intertwined with the plot in each episode.
To draw excitement for each new episode, Jim Henson and, Miss Piggy/Fozzie Bear performer, Frank Oz (and occasionally Gonzo performer Dave Goelz) would create short, 10-30 second promos. Many of these were improvised on the spot, with main characters Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear announcing that week's guest star and showing a short clip, almost exclusively following this format:
Kermit: This week on The Muppet Show, we're gonna have music and comedy, and our guest star is Mr/Mrs (Insert guest star name)
(Insert Guest Star Clip)
Kermit: Fun for the whole family, on The Muppet Show!
(In the background, Fozzie does a gag, often interrupted by Kermit)
Many of these have been, unfortunately, lost overtime. Of the approximately 120 shorts, only 13 have been found, with even less being readily avaliable on the internet. 7 of the shorts used to promote season one were included in the 2005 "The Muppet Show: Complete First Season" boxset. These are the Bruce Forsyth, Phyllis Diller, Valerie Harper, Candice Bergen, Paul Williams, Sandy Duncan, and Peter Ustinov promos.
In addition, The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York presented a screening on November 20th, 2016 of many of the previously lost promos for a 40th anniversary celebration. As of right now, no videos from this panel have been released on YouTube.
List of Promos
Bumper Name | Status | Description/Found By |
---|---|---|
Season One Promo | Found | Found by: OscarfanMW |
Episode 101: Juliet Prowse | Lost | |
Episode 102: Connie Stevens | Lost | |
Episode 103: Joel Grey | Lost | |
Episode 104: Ruth Buzzi | Found | Found by: Jamie Gee |
Episode 105: Rita Moreno | Lost | |
Episode 106: Jim Nabors | Lost | |
Episode 107: Florence Henderson | Found | Found by: LEMISHDOG |
Episode 108: Paul Williams | Found | |
Episode 109: Charles Aznavour | Lost | |
Episode 110: Harvey Korman | Lost | |
Episode 111: Lena Horne | Lost | |
Episode 112: Peter Ustinov | Found | |
Episode 113: Bruce Forsyth | Found | |
Episode 114: Sandy Duncan | Found | |
Episode 115: Candice Bergan | Found | |
Episode 116: Avery Schrieber | Lost | |
Episode 117: Ben Vereen | Lost | |
Episode 118: Phyllis Diller | Found | |
Episode 119: Vincent Price | Lost | |
Episode 120: Valerie Harper | Found | |
Episode 121: Twiggy | Lost | |
Episode 122: Ethel Merman | Lost | |
Episode 123: Kaye Ballard | Lost | |
Episode 124: Mummenschanz | Lost | |
Episode 201: Don Knotts | Lost | |
Episode 202: Zero Mostel | Lost | |
Episode 203: Milton Berle | Lost | |
Episode 204: Rich Little | Found | |
Episode 205: Judy Collins | Lost | |
Episode 206: Nancy Walker | Lost | |
Episode 207: Edgar Bergan | Lost | |
Episode 208: Steve Martin | Lost | |
Episode 209: Madeline Kahn | Lost | |
Episode 210: George Burns | Found | |
Episode 211: Dom DeLuise | Lost | |
Episode 212: Bernadette Peters | Lost | |
Episode 213: Rudolf Nureyev | Lost | |
Episode 214: Elton John | Lost | |
Episode 215: Lou Rawls | Lost | |
Episode 216: Cleo Laine | Lost | |
Episode 217: Julie Andrews | Lost | |
Episode 218: Jaye P. Morgan | Lost | |
Episode 219: Peter Sellers | Lost | |
Episode 220: Petula Clark | Lost | |
Episode 221: Bob Hope | Found | Found by: OscarfanMW |
Episode 222: Teresa Brewer | Lost | |
Episode 223: John Cleese | Lost | |
Episode 224: Cloris Leechman | Lost | |
Episode 301: Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge | Lost | |
Episode 302: Leo Sayer | Lost | |
Episode 303: Roy Clark | Lost | |
Episode 304: Gilda Radner | Lost | |
Episode 305: Pearl Bailey | Lost | |
Episode 306: Jean Stapleton | Lost | |
Episode 307: Alice Cooper | Lost | |
Episode 308: Loretta Lynn | Lost | |
Episode 309: Liberace | Found | Found by: bbctim123 |
Episode 310: Marisa Berenson | Lost | |
Episode 311: Raquel Welch | Lost | |
Episode 312: James Coco | Lost | |
Episode 313: Helen Reddy | Lost | |
Episode 314: Harry Belafonte | Lost | |
Episode 315: Lesley Ann Warren | Lost | |
Episode 316: Danny Kaye | Lost | |
Episode 317: Spike Milligan | Lost | |
Episode 318: Leslie Uggams and Big Bird from Sesame Street | Lost | |
Episode 319: Elke Sommer | Lost | |
Episode 320: Sylvester Stallone | Lost | |
Episode 321: Roger Miller | Lost | |
Episode 322: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans | Lost | |
Episode 323: Lynn Redgrave | Lost | |
Episode 324: Cheryl Lad | Lost | |
Episode 401: John Denver | Found | Found by: MuppetWiki |
Episode 402: Crystal Gale | Found | Found by: Sean Mc |
Episode 403: Shields and Yarnell | Lost | |
Episode 404: Dylan Cannon | Lost | |
Episode 405: Victor Borge | Lost | |
Episode 406: Linda Lavin | Lost | |
Episode 407: Dudley Moore | Lost | |
Episode 408: Arlo Gurthrie | Found | Found by: Daffy Duck |
Episode 409: Beverly Stills | Lost | |
Episode 410: Kenny Rogers | Lost | |
Episode 411: Lola Falana | Found | Found by: derbyjunkie |
Episode 412: Phyllis George | Lost | |
Episode 413: Dizzy Gillepsie | Lost | |
Episode 414: Liza Minelli | Lost | |
Episode 415: Anne Murray | Lost | |
Episode 416: Jonathan Winters | Lost | |
Episode 417: Mark Hamill and Cast of Star Wars | Lost | |
Episode 418: Christopher Reeve | Lost | |
Episode 419: Lynda Carter | Lost | |
Episode 420: Alan Arkin | Lost | |
Episode 421: Doug Henning | Lost | |
Episode 422: Andy Williams | Lost | |
Episode 423: Carol Channing | Lost | |
Episode 424: Diana Ross | Lost | |
Episode 501: Gene Kelly | Lost | |
Episode 502: Loretta Swit | Found | Found by: MuppetWiki |
Episode 503: Joan Baez | Lost | |
Episode 504: Shirley Bassey | Lost | |
Episode 505: James Coburn | Lost | |
Episode 506: Brooke Shields #1 | Found | |
Episode 506: Brooke Shields #2 | Found | |
Episode 507: Glenda Jackson | Lost | |
Episode 508: Senor Welches | Lost | |
Episode 509: Debbie Harry | Found | |
Episode 510: Jean-Pierre Rampal | Lost | |
Episode 511: Paul Simon | Lost | |
Episode 512: Melissa Manchester | Found | |
Episode 513: Tony Randall | Lost | |
Episode 514: Mac Davis | Lost | |
Episode 515: Carol Burnett | Lost | |
Episode 516: Gladys Knight | Lost | |
Episode 517: Hal Linden | Lost | |
Episode 518: Marty Feldman and cast of Sesame Street | Lost | |
Episode 519: Chris Langham | Lost | |
Episode 520: Wally Boag | Found | |
Episode 521: Johnny Cash | Lost | |
Episode 522: Buddy Rich | Lost | |
Episode 523: Linda Rondstat | Lost | |
Episode 524: Roger Moore | Lost |
Unaired/Unconfirmed Promos
At the aforementioned Museum of the Moving Image panel, Dave Goelz claimed that there was a promo that was filmed, but never actually used. Goelz said that before filming the spot, he happened to find a Kermit puppet that was not being used at the moment, and decided that that would be a funny prop to use. As such, while Kermit would narrate the promo, Fozzie would be puppeteering a separate Kermit puppet in the background. This promo went unused, most likely because The Jim Henson Company would've preferred not to directly allude to the fact that the muppets are puppets on the actual promo. It is unknown whether or not any copies of this short still exist.
In addition, there are also four speculated lost promos. As there was a promo that highlighted clips from the entirety of Season One, many Muppet Show fans speculate that similar ones must have been produced for the remaining four seasons. While this seems likely, there is no solid evidence to back up these claims.