1981 Directed by Jim Henson
Kermit and Fozzie are newspaper reporters sent to London to interview Lady Holiday, a wealthy fashion designer whose priceless diamond necklace is stolen. Kermit meets and falls in love with her secretary, Miss Piggy. The jewel thieves strike again, and this time frame Miss Piggy. It's up to Kermit and Muppets to bring the real culprits to justice.
Jim Henson Frank Oz Dave Goelz Jerry Nelson Richard Hunt Charles Grodin Diana Rigg John Cleese Robert Morley Peter Ustinov Caroll Spinney Jack Warden Susan Backlinie Joan Sanderson Peter Falk Danny John-Jules Erica Creer Kate Howard Della Finch Steve Whitmire Michael Robbins Peter Hughes Peggy Aitchison Tommy Godfrey Christine Nelson Valli Kemp Mike Quinn
Giallo in Casa Muppet, Muppets 2 - Great Muppet Caper, Die große Muppet-Sause, La grande aventure des Muppets, Os Marretas contra-atacam, Die große Muppet-Party
No franchise has music so consistently great as The Muppets. "Hey A Movie!" is so fun. The running bit of Fozzie and Kermit being identical twins is perfect, as is every single bit of physical comedy involving them being thrown around, especially Gonzo catching a taxi and the ending of them returning to the US. So much of this movie is just them showing off the Henson Company's puppeteering prowess and I can't figure out how they did almost any of it. Absolutely magical!
One of the greatest films ever made about investigative journalism, neck and neck with All the President’s Men, Spotlight, and Fletch.
it’s Charles Grodin’s real singing voice in this when he sings about being horny for Miss Piggy - the man was a prince and a TALENT !!!!!
A few stray observations I noticed while watching The Great Muppet Caper.
1. This picture easily retains the meta comedy and movie within a movie subject of the first Muppets picture while giving some actual form to the musical numbers.
2. That form is heavily inspired by Busby Berkeley, and this films Ginger Rogers is Piggy. She is at the center of all these great sequences as dancers twirl and slide around her.
3. This is pretty much the most Piggy centric Muppets film which I greatly appreciate considering she is such a good character. She's not afraid to be unlikeable, vain and self centered. The creators of the Muppets never damn her for this behaviour as well which I…
Girl: Look, Dad. There's a bear.
Father: No, Christine, that's a frog. Bears wear hats.
You can’t tell me that Charles Grodin and Miss Piggy didn’t have a torrid behind the scenes love affair while filming this, I simply will not be convinced otherwise.
The Muppet Movie has better songs, cameos and more raw sincerity than this, but the jokes here are unbeatable. There are a lot of perfect one liners but I was absolutely howling at the sight of 30 Muppets wearing Groucho glasses.
Also this is a technical masterpiece??? I feel like Henson was just making Muppets do things they shouldn’t have been able to do? The bike ride, climbing up walls, swimming, big group scenes, just incredible stuff I didn’t appreciate until this viewing. The man simply did not have to go this hard.
I love this movie very much.
Had so much fun, laughed throughout. Piggy’s fantasy sequence at the fashion show was cherry on sundae. (Kermit duetting with opera singer, “Ah, Miss Piggy, it’s you!”).
“Your lawyer is here to see you.”
“Lawyer? I don't have a lawyer!”
“Sure you do. Little green guy.”
“Kermie!! Oh, no wonder he hasn't come by to see me! He had to finish law school!”
Cinematic Time Capsule
1981 Marathon - Film #23
”Identical Twins Join The Chronicle Staff.”
So there I was doing a little photographic essay on kneecaps when along came a frog and bear who looked exactly alike. It took forever for me to finally realize that the bear was the one in the hat. It turns out they were trying to catch some jewel thieves red handed, which begs the question: What color are their hands now?
The way Charles Grodin stares into Miss Piggy’s eyes is exactly how I feel about the Henson & Oz era Muppets.
Muppets on bikes, a pig that swims and more fourth wall breaks than a Kool-Aid Man prison escape.
This is my happy place and the Happiness Hotel is my kind of people.
”You know, I may be mistaken, but the bellhops look like rats.”
“You should see the chambermaids..”
