American television special
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
is a one-hour special that aired on
CBS
on November 21, 1990. The program was a tribute to Muppet creator
Jim Henson
, who had died earlier in 1990 due to
toxic shock syndrome
caused by a
streptococcus
infection, and featured characters from
The Muppet Show
,
Fraggle Rock
, and
Sesame Street
.
It marked
Steve Whitmire
's first official onscreen performance as
Kermit the Frog
.
Plot
[
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]
Kermit the Frog
is away traveling, leaving
Fozzie Bear
and the other Muppets in charge of the week's production number. On the day of the show, the Muppets receive a letter from Kermit informing them the production number is meant to pay tribute to
Jim Henson
, who died about six months earlier. However, the group is unfamiliar with who Henson is. The rest of the special depicts the Muppets figuring out Jim Henson's relation to them, while simultaneously creating the production number.
Through the course of the special, interviews of several special guests are shown (including
Carol Burnett
,
Ray Charles
,
John Denver
,
Steven Spielberg
,
Harry Belafonte
and
Frank Oz
), where each guest recounts their personal experiences with Henson and his contributions to film, television, puppetry and
philanthropy
.
As the Muppets are nearing the presentation of their Jim Henson tribute number, Fozzie discovers some of Jim Henson's fan mail. One of the letters, which is addressed to Kermit, initially starts out cheerfully, but then reveals that Henson has died, much to the Muppets' shock. They take turns reading different letters from fans. Finally, Fozzie cancels the production number, deeming it improper for the occasion. Kermit's nephew
Robin
tries to convince Fozzie otherwise by breaking into "
Just One Person
" (a song which was featured in the 1977
Bernadette Peters
episode of
The Muppet Show
). Eventually, Robin is joined by many other Muppets and the song becomes a large musical number with characters from
Sesame Street
and
Fraggle Rock
joining in. As the Muppets finish singing, Kermit (now played by
Steve Whitmire
) arrives and congratulates the group on finding the proper way of honoring Henson. He then decides to enact Fozzie's original number (by saying they should do something silly to end it) and addresses the audience, thanking them and promising "more Muppet stuff because that's the way the boss would want it."
Cast
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]
Muppet performers
[
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]
- Frank Oz
as
Fozzie Bear
,
Miss Piggy
,
Bert
,
Grover
,
Cookie Monster
and
Animal
- Jerry Nelson
as
Robin the Frog
,
Lew Zealand
, Announcer, and
Floyd Pepper
- Richard Hunt
as
Scooter
,
Beaker
and
Janice
- Dave Goelz
as
Gonzo the Great
,
Beauregard
,
Boober
and
Zoot
- Steve Whitmire
as
Kermit the Frog
,
Rizzo the Rat
, Bean Bunny, and Whoopie Cushion
- Kevin Clash
as
Clifford
and
Elmo
- Kathryn Mullen
as Joy Buzzer and Mokey Fraggle
- Caroll Spinney
as
Big Bird
- Pam Arciero
as
Grundgetta
Additional Muppets performed by
Camille Bonora
,
Fran Brill
,
Jim Martin
,
Joey Mazzarino
, Peter MacKennan,
Carmen Osbahr
,
Martin P. Robinson
,
David Rudman
, Cheryl Henson, and
Bill Prady
Production notes
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The set used for this special intentionally combines elements from the backstage set used in
The Muppet Show
and the control room set used in
The Jim Henson Hour
. The special was later
syndicated
alongside
The Muppet Show
.
In later airings, Whitmire's performance of Kermit was redubbed and pitched down for unknown reasons.
This would be one of the last productions
Richard Hunt
performed
Scooter
and
Janice
before his death in 1992.
The logo for the special incorporated characters from all three of Henson's most widely known productions, with
Kermit
,
Miss Piggy
, and
Fozzie
joined by Gobo Fraggle and a Doozer from
Fraggle Rock
, and
Cookie Monster
from
Sesame Street
.
References
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]
External links
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]