Episode 107: Florence Henderson

	The Muppet Show
Guest	Florence Henderson
Production	June 15-16, 1976
Premiere	UK: October 17, 1976; NYC: November 15, 1976
Releases	Season One; The Muppet Show Sampler
	(TRANSCRIPT)

The Muppet Theatre is plagued by a variety of pig-related problems, both onstage and off. First, The Bouncing Borsalino Brothers flub their act and crash through the stage floor. Backstage, Miss Piggy throws herself at an uninterested Kermit and then jealously interrupts his onstage Talk Spot, physically threatening guest star Florence Henderson, whom she thinks is horning in on her frog. The feud continues in the Panel Discussion as Florence throws pig slurs around.

Songs/Sketches[]

Episode[]

Picture	Description
	"The Muppet Show Theme": Fozzie complains of hamburger prices so high that he needs a cosigner. Guest star Florence Henderson shares a laugh with the monsters from her "Happy Together" number. Gonzo successfully strikes the "O" as the "Muppet Show" sign rises into the rafters.
	Kermit introduces the first all-pig opening act on The Muppet Show, calling The Bouncing Borsalino Brothers of Boston "one of the most exciting acrobatic acts in the entire business." Although he announces that they have been bouncing since birth, the six members of the troupe display no such talent in their performance, instead attempting their "El Pyramido" act. When Tiny, the largest of the pigs, attempts to take the topmost position, the pyramid not only crumbles, but so does the stage below them.
	Backstage: As the Borsalino Brothers trudge offstage past a disappointed Kermit, one of them reveals that Tiny weighs 975 pounds. When asked to repair the stage, George the Janitor initially complains that he is "sick and tired of cleaning up after them lousy pigs," but when Kermit suggests quitting as an alternative, George asks "What, and get out of show business?" As he goes onstage, he knocks Kermit in the head with his mop.
	Talking Houses: The house second from the left tells his neighbor that his brother, who has ghosts in his attic, is on the Ten Most Haunted list.
	Florence Henderson fades in and out of a misty forest as she sings "Elusive Butterfly." Although the lyric has her chasing the titular bright elusive butterfly of love, she merely ambles through the snow white trees behind a single, yellow butterfly. As the song comes to a close, she disappears for the last time, her tie-dyed muumuu dissolving into a collection of multi-colored butterflies.
	Backstage: Watching Kermit try to usher the injured and bandaged Borsalino Brothers out of the theater, Miss Piggy is stirred by his masculine yell. Liberated pig that she is, she unabashedly throws herself into his arms, smothering him with oink-filled kisses.
	At the Dance: As George hops up and down, repeatedly bumping into Mildred Huxtetter's beak, they both complain about the new generation, with Mildred calling Miss Piggy and her porcine partner "a couple of floor hogs." Purple Heap, chalking it up to the wine, admits how beautiful he finds Green Heap. Rowlf suspects his partner doesn't like dancing with a dog. It must be the flea collar she's wearing. Two rats contemplate moving out of the ghetto and into a nice, little dump in the suburbs. A loud, blue female Whatnot asks the green partner she danced with previously in episode 106 if they can announce their engagement, so he proposes.
	Talk Spot: When Piggy catches Kermit sweet-talking Florence, Florence tries to save Kermit by claiming that Kermit was just practicing on her what he really wanted to say to Piggy. Despite buying the ruse, Piggy nevertheless warns Florence not to make a move on her frog. She makes good on her veiled threats when she catches Florence innocently touching Kermit on the shoulder, giving the guest star two karate chops and (the only time she attacks so brutishly) a bite on the arm.
	UK Spot: Rowlf introduces A. A. Milne's poem, "Cottleston Pie," explaining that it was a song Winnie the Pooh would sing when someone said something he didn't understand, as an alternative to saying "What?" or "I beg your pardon." Rowlf modulates to the key of G-Sharp Minor for the song's second verse.
	Panel Discussion: Florence serves on a panel with Kermit, Floyd Pepper, Brewster, and Miss Piggy to determine whether Shakespeare was, in fact, Bacon. Piggy, not recognizing Francis Bacon as the subject of the debate, is immediately offended, and the fire is further fanned when Florence proclaims (in poor taste) the good taste of pork products. Piggy demands that the "pigs of the world, unite!" but can't keep Floyd from joining in the punnery. The Bouncing Borsalino Brothers, who had been listening from offstage, are similarly offended and attempt to demonstrate their sophistication by reproducing their pyramid act for the guest star, unfortunately failing once more. Upon announcing next week's topic, "Do Attack Dogs Make Good House Pets?," Kermit is attacked by Muppy.
	Backstage: Kermit asks Hilda, Zoot, and Wayne to tell the arguing Borsalinos to knock it off. In a game of telephone, Hilda instead tells Zoot to knock it off, who tells Wayne, who finally passes the message onto the pigs. Frustrated, Kermit asks them to "knock off the 'knock it offs,'" at which point Wayne, Zoot, and Hilda ask each other to "knock off the 'knock it offs'" in reverse until Kermit has a major freak-out and finally succeeds at quieting the backstage. However, his pig problems are hardly over, when Miss Piggy smothers her frog. Finally, he explodes and runs to the curtain to introduce Fozzie.
	Fozzie's Comedy Act: Fozzie does impressions of famous actors from famous movies but all of them are the same.
	Florence sings "Happy Together" with Lenny the Lizard, Droop, Miss Kitty and the Frackles.
	Backstage: Piggy is still jealous of Florence, so she continues to bother Kermit, until he triumphs, by making a wisecrack. She responds to this, by karate chopping him.
	Blackout: Sweetums tells Florence that he could fall for her. And he does.
	Kermit reports from Planet Koozebane on the rare Galley-oh-hoop-hoop. (This is a rerecorded version of the sketch from The Muppets Valentine Show.)
	During the curtain call, Fozzie presents Florence with a special wire.

Notes[]

The Koozebane sketch is the first appearance of this planet on the show; they return to Koozebane on a recurring basis throughout the series.

Edits[]

On Nickelodeon, the second backstage sequence was cut.

Cast[]

Muppets:

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Rowlf the Dog, Statler and Waldorf, The Bouncing Borsalino Brothers, George the Janitor, Mildred Huxtetter, Red-Haired Woman, The Shouting Lady, Whatnot, Talking Houses, Brewster, Floyd Pepper, Hilda, Wayne, Zoot, Lenny the Lizard, Sweetums, Male Koozebanian Creature, Female Koozebanian Creature, Koozebanian Pups, Muppy, Frackles, Purple Heap, Green Heap, Miss Kitty, Rats

Background Muppets:

Droop, Wanda

Performers[]

Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Waldorf and Green Frackle

Frank Oz as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Mildred, George the Janitor, Blue Frackle, Borsalino Brother and Male Koozebanian Creature

Jerry Nelson as Borsalino Brother, Shouting Lady, Shouting Lady's dancing partner, Floyd Pepper, Lenny the Lizard, one of the Houses and Female Koozebanian Creature

Richard Hunt as Statler, Sweetums, Borsalino Brother, Snake Frackle and Wayne

Dave Goelz as Purple Heap, Muppy, Zoot, Borsalino Brother, Brewster and Miss Kitty

Eren Ozker as Hilda, Droop (In the Happy Together number.) and Rowlf's Dancing Partner

John Lovelady as Blue Scoff, Rats and one of the Houses

Gallery[]

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The Muppet Show

Guest	Florence Henderson
Production	June 15-16, 1976
Premiere	UK: October 17, 1976 NYC: November 15, 1976
Releases	Season One The Muppet Show Sampler
(TRANSCRIPT)

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