Worst TMS guest stars

[Marky]

Really they are one person and a muppet Marky.
He likes to be known as JJ and his favourite muppet is Janice.

Wow.

I though he was a chick!

 

[crazed gonzo fa]

Hate it when that happens to me.

 

[Gorgon Heap]

The Alice Cooper Episode was one of my absolute favorites. Pete Ustinov and Zero Mostel are the worst to me.

Careful, Barry: one might get the idea that you have something against bearded fat guys!

No, actually I agree with you to an extent. I think both episodes have the same problem: the guest star acts AT the Muppets instead of WITH them.

In Ustinov's case, it was clearly their doing, seeing as he was a big, highly respected name in show business.

In Mostel's case, it was his doing because seemingly he was just doing his own thing almost irrespective of what the other performers were doing. There's an extent to which one can get away with that, and IMO certain things in that episode worked (like Zero howling and licking Muppy, trying to eat Sam etc.), but Zero was notorious for crossing that line. I can imagine outtakes in which Zero went over the top to the point that the director had to stop him.

I kind of got the idea that he made people angry while he was there or that there was at least some friction. Reason I say this is because they were a lot less 'gushy' over him than they were for most guests. Kermit introduces him in the beginning as a man with "many many talents... and they all add up to a great big zero, for Zero Mostel". Statler & Waldorf, after his first number, don't comment positively about Mostel like they did for practically every other guest that season (and the previous). At the end, Kermit says "but right now we'd like to bring out our guest star, who has joined the ranks of the Muppet monsters..." Nowhere does he ever say "our wonderful guest star" or "the very talented Mr. Zero Mostel". Anyone get the feeling there's a deliberate reason for that?

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[Gorgon Heap]

To me, the worst TMS guest star was Alice Cooper. It seemed very "devilish" and bad. STINKER!! Forgive me AC fans... though I doubt any of you are AC fans! LOL!

I am. Alice Cooper was my second-ever concert.

In reality, Alice Cooper has been known to remark that "The Muppet Show" was the most fun he ever had performing.

I agree about the devil thing, that weirded me out when I saw it as an adult (I remember seeing the episode as a kid but remembered little of it). You couldn't do that today without sparking an absolute outcry. It's interesting that Jim and company had enough of a sense of humor about it to tread that storyline, not to mention big enough cojones to take the risk. I think because it's the Muppets, they had more elbow room. The Muppets can do a lot and make lots of things funny that others couldn't. It was in pondering this thought that I came up with a related idea for one of my upcoming fan fictions: an opening number set in the 'unmentionable place' and featuring Muppet devils (along with perhaps an air conditioning repairman).

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[JJandJanice]

Wow.

I though he was a chick!

,

Wow, ummm, I don't even know what to say to that, lol.

I do sometimes wish I picked a different name, but it's no big deal.

 

[JJandJanice]

To me, the worst TMS guest star was Alice Cooper. It seemed very "devilish" and bad. STINKER!! Forgive me AC fans... though I doubt any of you are AC fans! LOL!

No I'm actually a huge Alice Cooper fan and it's one of my favorite Muppet Show episodes.

What makes you think no one here could be Alice Cooper fan, Jacobsnchz?

 

[Marky]

,

Wow, ummm, I don't even know what to say to that, lol.

I do sometimes wish I picked a different name, but it's no big deal.

Now I feel like when Bugs Bunny put on a dress...