Hi there and welcome to the 2nd edition of Dave-El's Weekend Movie Post, where I Dave-El cover my love of Movies in a Post that appears on the Weekend.
Everybody got that?
This week's post is about what I think may be my favorite Muppet movie ever
I’m not just saying that because we have a cameo from Gates McFadden before she become Dr. Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
And this post is happening on an auspicious occasion. It was 40 years ago today (on July 13, 1984) that Muppets Take Manhattan premiered.
Muppets Take Manhattan has all the goofy stupid fun one expects from a Muppets movie but it also has dark tone, dare we say realistic?
How can a movie with the Muppets be realistic?
The basic plot of the movie is a classic Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney “Hey kids! Let’s put on a show!” plot.
But the efforts to get Kermit the Frog’s “Manhattan Melodies” on Broadway do not encounter success.
Yeah, there’s that one producer who says “Yes” but he’s a con man and arrested by the police.
And there’s the producer who isn’t a producer but the son of a producer who is looking for his first big break.
But in between, it’s all…
No!
No!
No!
No!
No!
No!
And the constant string of failures is starting to take it’s toll. When Fozzie tries to rally the gang to not lose hope and Kermit will figure things out, Kermit just loses it and says they tried, they failed and everyone should just go their separate ways.
So they do.
Well, this has taken a depressing turn.
Kermit sticks around to work at Pete's diner where Pete offers advice:
Hey, I tell you what is. Big city, hmm? Live, work, huh? But, not city open. Only peoples. Peoples is peoples. No is buildings. Is tomatoes, huh? Is peoples, is dancing, is music, is potatoes. So, peoples is peoples. Okay?
Everybody got that? Write it down. There might be a test later.
Pete's daughter, Jenny, an aspiring fashion designer, tries to help keep Kermit's dream alive, coming up with plans to get the attention of Broadway producers.
Jenny and Kermit do seem to be developing a (ahem!) close relationship. Much to the chagrin of Miss Piggy who did not leave town and is spying on Kermit and Jenny.
Oh, you're OK with the frog and the pig but not the frog and the human, huh? Well, screw you! Love is love is love, man!
Meanwhile....
- Scooter is managing a Cleveland, Ohio movie theater
- Fozzie has joined some other bears hibernating in Maine
- Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem have a gig in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, performing in a retirement home
- Gonzo and Camilla are trying to launch a water skiing act in Michigan
- Rowlf gets a job at a dog kennel in Delaware.
Meanwhile Kermit gets a lead with a producer who might be interested in the show.
It's that producer who isn’t a producer but the son of a producer who is looking for his first big break we mentioned earlier.
It's better than nothing and it looks like "Manhattan Melodies" is back on! The gang is summoned by to New York City!
When is just when Kermit is hit by a truck, loses his memory and vanishes.
Devoid of his memories and quite frankly much of a personality, Kermit adopts the name "Phil" and goes to work with Bill, Gill and Jill at an advertising agency. Phil becomes a success with ad campaigns that actually say what the product is supposed to do.
The Muppets have been scouring the city looking for Kermit but are unable to find him.
Until Phil and his fellow ad execs drop in at Pete's diner for lunch. The Muppets immediately descend on their long lost friend but "Phil" has no idea who they are. Miss Piggy tries to appeal to their long romance which "Phil" thinks is high frickin' hilarious ("A frog AND a pig?!? In love? Ha!") which pisses off Miss Piggy who karate's chops the frog.
And the blunt trauma restores Kermit's memories.
Kids! Let's put on a show!
The show is a smash, yeah, baby! The big finales is a staged wedding between Kermit and Piggy's characters.
Holy Crap! Is that a real minister?
Kermit: "Wasn't Fozzie supposed to play the minister?"
Miss Piggy giggles.
The show must go on!
It's a big old everyone on deck finale with ALL the Muppets, including the ones from Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock!
The "It's That Person Who Was In That Thing" Department
- Gates McFadden wasn't the only cast member to go on to Star Trek. Juliana Donald who played Jenny would go on to appear in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- Of course Martin Price was an unscrupulous con man; he was played by Dabney Coleman, the misogynist asshole boss from 9 To 5.
- Elliott Gould was a police officer at Pete's Diner. Gould was Ross and Monica's dad on Friends.
- Yes, that's Joan Rivers as the perfume saleswoman who works with Miss Piggy. Besides being a mainstay on QVC, she was also the voice of Dot Matrix in Spaceballs.
- Playing themselves are Liza Minnelli and Brooke Shields.
Muppets Take Manhattan was directed by Frank Oz who was the voice of Miss Piggy. Oz would go on to a career of directing movies that were not Muppet related.
Muppets Take Manhattan is a fun frolic that one expects from a classic Muppet movie but with unexpected emotional depth.
Dave-El's Weekend Movie Post will be around next week as I post about a relatively recent rom-com that Andrea and I watched recently, Crazy Rich Asians.
Tomorrow we're back with more Doctor Who and look back at the "Pyramids of Mars".
Until next time, remember to be good to one another.
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