The Muppet Show Season 5

(1980) October - August | # of Episodes : 24

Ratings

8.4

Series Details

Seasons: 5

Total Episodes: 120

Creators: Jim Henson

Networks: ITV1

Status: Ended

First Air Date: Sep 5, 1976

Recent Air Date: Mar 15, 1981

Run Time: m

In Production: No

Original Language: English

Age Rating: TV-G

Website: Link

Production Companies: Henson Associates , Associated Television (ATV) , ITC Entertainment , Jim Henson Television , The Muppets Studio , ITV

Genres

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Stream Sources

Episodes 22 on Disney Plus

Synopsis

No Synopsis for this season yet

Main Cast

Jim Henson

Kermit the Frog, Waldorf, Rowlf the Dog, Link Hogthrob, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth, The Newsman (voice)

Age : 53 | Popularity : 8%

Frank Oz

Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Animal / Sam Eagle / Marvin Suggs / George the Janitor (voice)

Age : 79 | Popularity : 20%

Jerry Nelson

Floyd Pepper, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Pops, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Louis Kazagger, Chicken, Crazy Harry (voice)

Age : 78 | Popularity : 5%

Dave Goelz

Gonzo / Zoot / Beauregard / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (voice)

Age : 77 | Popularity : 9%

Richard Hunt

Statler, Scooter / Janice / Beaker / Wayne / Sweetums (voice)

Age : 40 | Popularity : 7%

Eren Ozker

Hilda / Wanda / Janice (voice)

Age : N/A | Popularity : 5%

Louise Gold

Annie Sue Pig / Additional Muppets (voice)

Age : N/A | Popularity : 5%

Karen Prell

Additional Muppets (voice)

Age : N/A | Popularity : 3%

Episodes

Episode 1

05 October 1980 - Roger Moore

Kermit calls the Secret Service to hire real spies for Roger's closing number. (They're listed in the Yellow Pages.) However, Roger wants to do a cute, cuddly version of "Talk to the Animals". The spies, anxious for a chance to rub out James Bond, pose as fluffy animals to infiltrate the number.

Episode 2

12 October 1980 - Loretta Swit

How well can Loretta fit into Miss Piggy's roles? It all comes to a dramatic climax with the ""Pigs in Space"" installment.

Episode 3

19 October 1980 - James Coburn

Animal hits it off with tough guy James Coburn -- but James decides that Animal isn't centered enough, and introduces him to meditation and Zen. Animal doesn't take well to Zen.

Episode 4

26 October 1980 - Linda Ronstadt

Afraid that Linda will steal her frog away, Piggy locks Kermit up in a chest owned by Gonzo when Scooter helps him move his mildew ""collection"" and hides it.

Episode 5

02 November 1980 - Tony Randall

Browsing through an old book of magic spells, Tony accidentally turns Miss Piggy into stone. He considers bringing her to a stonemason for help. Fozzie, Gonzo and Floyd crack stone jokes as Kermit and Tony try to find a spell to change her back. Of course, the show must go on, and the Piggy statue takes the stage for "Pigs in Space".

Episode 6

09 November 1980 - Brooke Shields

Thinking she was booked to do "The Muffin Show," Brooke finds herself growing and shrinking as the Muppets stage Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Episode 7

16 November 1980 - Melissa Manchester

Kermit is plagued by a night of backstage crises. A group of skiers get hurt during the opening number, and after Kermit says that the theater will cover their medical costs, Scooter forgets to cash the check. The Teeterini Family are angry that their teeter board won't fit on the stage. The Swedish Chef prepares spring chicken, and the bouncing chicken drives Kermit crazy. And let's not even talk about the blindfolded, hang-gliding yodelers.

Episode 8

23 November 1980 - Señor Wences

In honor of Señor Wences and his puppets, Kermit decides to do something new -- a puppet show! Fozzie wants to do a marionette act with a Dancing Clown puppet, but the marionette eventually pulls Fozzie down on the stage with him and takes control of the strings himself.

Episode 9

30 November 1980 - Jean-Pierre Rampal

Miss Piggy is cornered by flautist Jean-Pierre, who wants to speak French with her. She claims to have laryngitis, whispering, "My vocal coach told me not to speak French. I'm not even supposed to eat French fries!"

Episode 10

07 December 1980 - Gladys Knight

The theater is under repair, but the workers have to destroy in order to build. They take the roof right off, leaving this show victim to the elements.

Episode 11

14 December 1980 - Joan Baez

Rizzo and the other rats bother Kermit for a spot on the show, so Kermit asks Beauregard to "take care of them." Of course, Bo takes that literally, and treats them as guests. The rats make Beau their president, and manipulate him into giving them food. The rats eventually become so bold that they decide to take over the show. Kermit says Beau has to kick them out, or he goes with them. Beau chooses to stick with his new rat friends, until Miss Piggy enlightens him.

Episode 12

21 December 1980 - Marty Feldman

The Muppets present their version of 1001 Arabian Nights, with guest star Marty Feldman playing the role of Scheherazade, telling tales to an evil Caliph (played by the Swedish Chef).

Episode 13

28 December 1980 - Glenda Jackson

Glenda reveals herself to be Black Jackson the pirate captain, and she takes over the Muppet Theater with the help of Short John Silver (Sweetums) and Eric, a heartless pirate parrot (in disguise as a penguin). They tie Kermit up, turn the theater into a ship, and cast off to look for buried treasure. The show ends with a musical battle at sea, with Gonzo and a crew of chickens fighting to save Kermit and the theater.

Episode 14

04 January 1981 - Gene Kelly

Gene is under the impression that he's a "guest" -- that is, he's going to sit and watch, but not perform onstage. Frantic, Kermit tricks him into performing by asking him to give him a dance lesson on-stage. Kermit plans a surprise closing number, "Singin' in the Rain," Gene refuses, saying that he doesn't think he'll ever sing the song as good as he did in the movie, but he does eventually sing it backstage. Meanwhile, Scooter uses his Tarot cards to predict that the world is coming to an end. Beauregard believes him, and tries to convince the rest of the cast the apocalypse is near.

Episode 15

11 January 1981 - Hal Linden

Statler and Waldorf get their chance to do a better show than Kermit--they play host, while Kermit and Fozzie heckle from the balcony. Unfortunately, Statler and Waldorf's acts don't turn out exactly as they plan. The Berlin National Opera Company cancels and are replaced by the Salzburg Sauerkraut Singers. Hal's Fourth of July number is invaded by Gonzo on a sleigh singing Christmas songs. Finally, Statler and Waldorf admit that the show is harder to put together than it looks and happily go back to complaining from the balcony.

Episode 16

18 January 1981 - Wally Boag

In honor of vaudeville-influenced guest star Wally Boag, the Muppets salute vaudeville, with a balloon animal act, a bagpipe player and a hypnotist. Wally performs acts he made famous at the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland, including the Pecos Bill teeth-spitting sketch.

Episode 17

25 January 1981 - Debbie Harry

Robin's Frog Scout troop visits the show, getting in everyone's way backstage. They ask Debbie for help earning their punk merit badges, and she teaches them how to do the pogo. When Gonzo cancels his act, the Frog Scouts get their chance to do a performance of close-order drills.

Episode 18

01 February 1981 - Johnny Cash

In honor of Johnny Cash's appearance, the show is simulcast over country radio station WHOG, and the radio broadcast threatens to overwhelm the actual show. The head of WHOG, Big Tiny Tall Saddle, insists on making all the decisions. He refuses to let Rowlf go on, and instead schedules Grampaw McGuire and his whistling bricks. Kermit tries to run his own show, but Big Tiny is one of the toughest men alive -- when he's annoyed, he has a habit of wrapping microphone stands around people's necks. Fozzie is replaced by Wally Whoopie, a stand-up comedian who makes fun of the bear -- which inspires Kermit to stand up for his friend, and his show.

Episode 19

08 February 1981 - Carol Burnett

There's no show today, almost; the theater is turned into a dance marathon hosted by Gonzo.

Episode 20

15 February 1981 - Buddy Rich

Thanks to Gonzo's refrigerated mildew collection, the power goes out in the theater, and Beauregard almost electrocutes himself trying to fix it. Half of the acts have to perform in the dark, until Dr. Bunsen Honeydew hooks up a generator that runs on Beaker-power. Beaker runs on a huge wheel to generate power, and when he gets tired, Bunsen helps to motivate him by releasing a hungry tiger onto the wheel.

Episode 21

22 February 1981 - Paul Simon

Paul inspires Gonzo to be a songwriter. Unfortunately, Gonzo writes songs like "For You": "For youuu... I'd wash my hair with stinky glue, I'd fry my legs and eat them too, I'd put a spider in my shoe -- for yoouuuu!" Paul is stunned. Later, Gonzo's chickens run off with Paul, so Gonzo develops a new obsession -- asparagus. But at the end of the episode both the chickens and the asparagus run away when Paul asks for chicken with a side of asparagus.

Episode 22

01 March 1981 - Chris Langham

A messenger brings a message from the scheduled guest star -- Benny Brillstein, the Yiddish yodeler. Benny refuses to be on the show, so Kermit asks Chris, the messenger boy, to be the guest. Chris knows a joke, so Kermit introduces him as a comedian.

Episode 23

08 March 1981 - Mac Davis

Beaker tests Muppet Labs' new copier machine, ultimately falling into it and making seven copies of himself. The multiple Beakers gang up on Bunsen, and the doctor is forced to wear a disguise and hide from his assistants.

Episode 24

15 March 1981 - Shirley Bassey

Kermit borrows fifty million dollars worth of gold for Shirley's closing number, "Goldfinger". Security guard Bruno is suspicious that Kermit wants to steal the gold, but keeping an eye on the frog makes him overlook a band of pig thieves, who steal all the gold as Shirley sings.

Crew

Department	Role	Name
Production	Producer	Jim Henson Jack Burns
	Executive Producer	David Lazer
Department	Role	Name

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