Friday, May 20, 2005

The Muppet Show Season One Features

Disney insiders have responded to my questions regarding the upcoming "The Muppet Show - Season One Special Edition" DVD box set. They now have a tentative list of features and specifications regarding the release. This is not a full details and complete list of features; but gives you a good idea of some of the major features to expect on the first set's release. Disney also states that they plan on releasing the other four seasons of the show on equally great sets, but no further information on their disc features or release is publicly available at this time.

I'm still looking into uncovering more details; such as inclusion of the season 1 opening/closings, which pilot episode(s) to expect, what a "Muppet Morsel" really is, what is meant by "...and much more", if there will be subtitles, when will season 2 be coming, and anything else I can. I'll keep you posted as more things surface.

The Muppet Show Season One - Special Edition

Technical Specifications:

  • 2.0 Mono
  • French Audio Track
  • 4-disc collection

Episode Listing:

  • Juliet Prowse
  • Connie Stevens
  • Joel Grey
  • Ruth Buzzi
  • Rita Moreno
  • Jim Nabors
  • Florence Henderson
  • Paul Williams
  • Charles Aznavour
  • Harvey Korman
  • Lena Horne
  • Peter Ustinov
  • Bruce Forsythe
  • Sandy Duncan
  • Candice Bergen
  • Avery Schreiber
  • Ben Vereen
  • Phyllis Diller
  • Vincent Price
  • Valerie Harper
  • Twiggy
  • Ethel Merman
  • Kaye Ballard
  • Mummenschanz

Bonus Feature Lisiting:

  • "Muppet Morsels"
  • Original Muppet Pitch Reel
  • Original Pilot
  • Season One Promo Gag Reel
  • The Muppets' Wizard of Oz Trailer
  • ...and much more!

Retail Specifications:

  • $39.99 suggested retail price
  • Release date: August 9, 2005

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey - Is the feature which you list simply as "Original Pilot" in fact that which aired as a special on ABC in 1975 under the full title "The Muppet Show Presents: Sex & Violence?"

Anonymous said...

$39.99 isn't a half-bad price. Coming from Disney, that's somewhat shocking. The "Wizard of Oz" trailer is a bit of fluff, though. Do we really need THAT?

Anonymous said...

Will it be Region 2 also

Anonymous said...

We know that it's no luck that Time-Life didn't have Season One openings. Should the complete first season DVD have these original openings?

Anonymous said...

d.w. here. (YAY ON THE NEW NAME!) :)

Im placing my money on the pilot being Sex and Violence since (1) even though there were two pilots for TMS, this one was really closer to a pilot for would would become the Muppet Show as it would end up being (and the full title was The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence).

We can all watch Disney engage in a double standard too since ill bet we all have to suffer a Kermit less Emmett Otter because of Disney greed but how much you wanna bet they wont even pay Sesame Workshop for the right to show Bert in Sex & Violence (and Bert & Ernie in the Connie Stevens episode).

It would be nice to see Sam & Friends but quite honestly thematically im not sure it works as a good extra for a Muppet Show set...lets leave it for an Early Muppet treasures release down the line...theres much more extras directly related to The Muppet Show itself that would better belong here.

Dean asked Should the complete first season dvd have these original openings? If you read the post, thats something GelflingWaldo (or do we call him Muppet newsman now?) doesnt yet know and is working on finding out. If the context of your question is asking us if we agree they should be on the set, i would emphatically answer yes as there is no good reason for them not to...i can expand on this answer in an article length post, but suffice do say the reasons for inclusion are immense and any arguements against them ultimately dont hold water.

Wizard of Oz trailer doesnt bug me. Trailers for other dvds are pretty par for the course and being that the two are coming out at the same time and that the trailer isnt really taking the place of something else, i say whats the harm?

I really like what i see so far. Im guessing the promo gag reel is a collection of the original promos which i was dearly hoping would be on there and the pitch tape is a winner as well (as is the pilot). Reserving judgement on Muppet morsals to we learn what they are. And the *...and much more...* is encouraging since that implies even more goodies. Im hoping for commentaries (even if on just select episodes), the Brian Henson intros, and some kind of feature that has current interviews or clips from the creative people from the show that they could get a hold of.

Things i also would love to see and would include if it was up to me but doubt will make it on are the various versions of Halfway Down the Stairs and the special material taped for the German version of the Twiggy episode. Also different audio tracks for the Vincent Price episode, one where one can hear Uncle Deadly saying Vincent turns into Jack Parnell and the other he says Guy Lombardo(?)
And id also include appearances on talk shows to promote the show.

Anonymous said...

I'm mostly Concerned about Music Rights. I just hope this set doesn't suffer from "Quantum Leap Syndrome" where all of the music is replaced

Anonymous said...

Muppet morsels most likely is an ad for the season 2 boxed set. that proves their working on it.

Anonymous said...

Do you think they'll have the UK sketches which timelife had?

Anonymous said...

Hey, Just to answer a couple of questions. Muppet Morsels are the triva that I worked on and was added to by Craig Shemin and then Jerry Juhl and Dave Goelz. UK skits will be on the DVD's and I believe both Sex and Vilolence and Valentine. Though I think that depended on space. The pitch tape is the one from Muppetfest.

Hope that helps.

Michael.

Anonymous said...

Forgot to add, the Muppet Morsels are trivia that are specific to each episode. We worked on the basis of one "morsel" every 30 seconds, making it around 50 trivia facts per ep. You should have the option to watch each episode with the Morsels popping up. They are based on Muppet facts and some about the guest stars.

Michael.

Anonymous said...

Excellent, thats essentially the same as a commentary so that should really be fun. Thanks!

d.w.

Anonymous said...

And the original opening and closing sequences??? Hello? Is someone going to answer this question?

Anonymous said...

As you may recall from the original post, thats something were still waiting to find out (its possible Disney hasnt even fully decided yet), but if it sets your mind at rest for half your question, you can pretty much count on the original closings being here since theres never been an issue with them, the original closing heme has always aired on repeats (its almost identical to the closing theme in season two)...only the opening themes were often replaced with ones from later seasons in most markets starting in the mid 80s.

d.w.

Anonymous said...

besides the opening credits, I wonder will the ending credits be aired COMPLETE: i.e. the very end aired intact (with the ITC Wordwide Distribution,etc. info intact) instead of the end being covered up/replaced by "modern" copyright-holder screens (such as seen on the British PAL VHS tapes from 3-4 years ago).

Don't know if it affects season one, but the last shot where the sax player blows the final note, and looks into the bell of his horn, is always "covered" by the new screens on modern syndication versions, ruining the joke.

Anonymous said...

All episodes have triva tracks? Well I like the sound idea but I really don't want to read them during the Vendaface sketch on the Ballard episode. That one scares me unless I get use to it. Any suggesions? I relly want to read all facts.

Anonymous said...

Doubtful youll see that very last shot of Zoot as it appeared in 1976...specifically because that was the distribution tag for ATV...which would no longer apply. It may be replaced with the newer shot of Zoot taped in the 80s or something to that effect.

The only way i can see that original closing shot being included would be if (a) the original footage was located somewhere in the vaults which considering how Henson went through the trouble of taping a replacement shot in the 80s doesnt seem likely or if (b) they have the technological capability to remove the credits over the shot...and if the expense in doing so wouldnt be really prohibitive (again doubtful).

This doesnt bug me...that last shot is in all technicality the distribution tag and even though it would be a pleasant surprise to see 1976 Zoot at the end, i wont shed any tears or cry foul if its not there...not anywhere near the importance of maintaining the opening theme.

d.w.

Anonymous said...

Well, as of yet, the Data on the discs are approved, but the artwork was rejected for some reason (I thought it looked great... 1 muppet per disc, green backgrounds) so hopefully it won't be delayed. The artwork is currently scheduled to be approved this week however.

Anonymous said...

I think the artwork on the dvds should be a scene from the first episode on the disc showing the guest starand list the content on the dvd. As for the cover it should b the last scene from the original season 1 opening.

Anonymous said...

"That last shot is in all technicality the distribution tag and even though it would be a pleasant surprise to see 1976 Zoot at the end, i wont shed any tears or cry foul if its not there...not anywhere near the importance of maintaining the opening theme.

d.w."

Yeah, well, I for one WOULD shed tears and cry foul. And a lot of other people would too.

Anonymous said...

If the dvd is readyearly do you think it would be realeased early.

Anonymous said...

The DVDs are locked in for an August 9th release date. It is extremely unlikly that they will be pushed back, and almost impossible that they will come out earlier.

Anonymous said...

As far as the "original pilot" goes, perhaps it will be the extremely rare ORIGINAL version of the Juliet Prowse episode.

For those who don't know, the Juliet Prowse episode that we all know and love was not the version that was originally taped. Though it is, in production order, the first episode, it actually aired quite a bit into the run.

Between its taping and its broadcast, Henson and co. re-edited the episode, changing the order of the sketches, adding new stage/backstage/etc. wraparounds (including the scenes with Scooter, who was not in the original version). In addition, they changed the opening (which was, in its initial form, rather different, even from the Season 1 opening).

So far, the only place this version is available to the public is at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York and Los Angeles. As it was shot before the rest of the series, as a "pilot," it may indeed be the "original pilot."

But we don't know, do we?

And as far as UK skits, it's almost a given that they'll be included within the episodes. Every prior release of the series (here, in the UK, and elsewhere) has used the UK versions, UK skits included.

(Unfortunately, this probably means that we won't get the "Guy Lombardo" line in the Vincent Price episode; Henson and co. replaced his name with someone else's, because nobody outside of the U.S. would know who Guy Lombardo is. Maybe they will realize this difference this time, and drop in the original dialogue from the U.S. master. But if they don't, whatever...)

Anonymous said...

Correction:

Henson and co. replaced the reference to Guy Lombardo for the OVERSEAS versions. The line was intact on all U.S. broadcasts from the original run up to the TNT reruns. (Starting with the Nickelodeon reruns, Henson began using the UK versions for U.S. broadcasts...which is why all post-TNT airings have had OTHER segments cut out...)

Anonymous said...

The menu for the season1 dvd should be the backstage with the with the categories on the dressing room doors. When you select it it should open to the dressing room andthe menu of the selection.

Anonymous said...

I have ideas for other special features for the Muppet show season dvds. First there should be a virtual tour of the muppet theater from every angle inside and out. Secondly there should be comentary on the muppet show by the muppets. this would tell us how they feel think of the muppet show and why they left. the virtual tour of the Muppet theater the next best thing to being at the muppet theater.

Anonymous said...

Tell ME what you think of my bonus features ideas and what are The World Premiere Interstitials?

Anonymous said...

Some people got the set a week early and said some episodes were cut. I think its not true and their sets are cut because they got it early and got a bad copy.

Anonymous said...

I'm through the first disc -- the first six episodes -- and have found two shows with cuts.

The Joel Grey episode is missing two Muppet Newsflashes and the debut of Wayne and Wanda (and Sam's introduction of them).

The Jim Nabors episode is missing his "Gone with the Wind" number and the Danceros number.

Anonymous said...

Its because you got it early that the shows are cut. The oned people get on August 9 is uncut with U K skits. IF you go to nickatnite.com it has an ad for THE Muppet Show Season 1 boxed Set with clips of scenes not on muppets.com . One of the scenes is one that people were saying is cut. THAT proves its a messed up copy that some people got that stores were too anxious too release.

Anonymous said...

When is the show featuring Loretta Lynn going to be released? I loved "One's on the way" with the muppet babies.