who wrote what?

minor muppetz

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On most variety shows, all of the writers get credited equally, with no specific credit regarding what segments each writer wrote. Do you ever wonder who wrote what?

I often wonder who wrote what sketch on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and other shows. There isn't much information out there regarding this, so I thought I'd starta thread about it.

I am guessing that the head writers write most of the sketches on shows. I guess Jack Burns wrote most of the first season plots, while Jerry Juhl wrote most of the other plots.

I know that the plot of the Glenda Jackson episode was pitched by Chris Langham, but the other writers didn't like the idea untill a few years later, after Glenda jackson said that she'd do whatever the writers wanted her to do.

In the booklet for The Muppet Show 25th anniversary album, Jerry Juhl was quoted for saying that he'd gladly take credit for "Good grief! The Comedians a Bear!" I assume that he meant it, and wasn't just joking. However, the album only credits Dereck Scott, who wrote the opening music but most likely didn't write the actual dialogue.

It has been said that Don Hinley wrote all, or most, of the Veterinarian's Hospital sketches from after the second season.

I wouldn't be surprised if, for every At the Dance segment, the writers wrote or pitched jokes that were then selected and used in different sketches.

I have a feeling that Jim Henson wrote most of The Swedish Chef sketches. I wonder if dialogue was normally written, or if actions were mostly written while Henson ad-libbed mock sweden.

Since Jerry Juhl had the shows focus change from gags to character developement, I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote most of the first season episodes that had character development, like the Avery Schrieber episode.

I guess Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl wrote most of the sketches that were remakes of sketches that originated elsewhere, but then I wonder if they rewrote them, or if somebody else rewrote them (or if they were even rewrte if the only differences were visual).

I have a feeling that Jim Henson might have also wrote many of The Newsmans sketches.

When John Cleese guest starred, I wonder if he only wrote skeches for himself, or if he wrote sketches that he was not part of, and I wonder if John Cleese wrote all of his sketches (John Cleeses scenes seem considerably weirder than the scenes without him). The Muppet Central guide says that he co-wrote the Pigs in Space sketch. I wodner if that's all he wrote.

I have read somewhere that Jack Burns came up with the idea of Gags Beasley, so I guess he wrote the backstage plot for the Sandy Duncan episode.

It's too bad that the Muppet Morsels don't specifically state who wrote what skit.
 

MartyMuppets

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Well I have wondered who wrote my very favourite sketch the Pigs singing the Happy Wanderer as can be read at the start of my thread. I don't really worry too much if nobody can give me the answer now though.
My thread has become a big joke in itself with many silly little thoughts I've had about the sketch being posted in it.:big_grin:
Course if I ever do find out whose idea it was that would be nice still. :smile:
 

minor muppetz

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Since Chris Langham was hired because the producers wanted to have a crazy british writer, I wonder if Chris Langham wrote most of the craziest, most bizarre stuff from the later years, like Pigs in Space: dissolvatron, trudge trudge streaka streaka, Danny Boy, the cluck-itis backstage plot, the backstage plot with Beaker being cloned, most of the skits from the Melissa Manchester episode, and more.
 
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