Michael Wermuth's Top Ten Monsterpiece Theater Segments

Top Ten Monsterpiece Theater Segments

Michael Wermuth, Jr. - Monsterpiece Theater is one of Sesame Street’s best recurring segments. While it’s hosted by Cookie Monster (in the role of Alistair Cookie), it sure does have a lot of variety (being an anthology series of parody segments). So here now is my top ten list of the best Monsterpiece Theater segments.

10.   Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is a great segment in which Herry Monster sings about the fact that some guys like to play with dolls, while the rarely-seen Ruby Monster sings about girls liking to play with trucks. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the majority of fans only know Ruby from this song. I don’t think I cared much for this song as a kid, but in recent years I’ve found that this segment is very enjoyable.


9.   ABCD Blue
I first heard about this segment a few years ago, and it is a great segment. Grover and Herry play cops who help kids solve the alphabet. And pretty much any segment with Cookie, Grover, and Herry (even if they don’t all appear together) has to be great.


8.   One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
There’s been a number of great Monsterpiece Theater segments in which Cookie Monster keeps introducing the wrong story or the story keeps going wrong, and this is one of them. It’s a great way of teaching the number 1 (which seems hard to do). And it includes a cameo by The Muppet Show chickens!

7.   Upstairs, Downstairs
I don’t really remember seeing this one as a kid... Grover keeps running up and down the stairs. I’d like to see behind-the-scenes footage or videos of this segment (I wonder if Frank Oz kept getting on his knees and standing up straight, or what). And there’s a photo of Dr. Teeth in the background!

6.   Little House on Prairie
A funny parody of Little House on the Prairie, with a little house appearing on top of Prairie Dawn, as well as a couple of additional stories, showing a little house under Prairie, and then a little house in Alistair Cookie.

5.   Twin Beaks
One of the few times Cookie Monster starred in the Monsterpiece Theater story, and it's my favorite of Cookie Monster's starring roles (on Monsterpiece Theater). This story is really weird and really funny. Cookie Monster plays a detective who tries to figure out why a town full of birds with two beaks is called "Twin Beaks." I especially like the Log Bird scene.

4.   Me, Claudius
I don’t really remember seeing this one as a child, but I remember watching Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting and seeing a clip from the introduction which took place in a different room than usual, and being very curious about it. The story itself is funny, with various monsters fighting over which one is Claudius, and none of them cooperating or figuring out which one is Claudius. And it’s an opportunity to hear Elmo with a different voice.

3.   The Taming of the Shoe
Many of the best Monsterpiece Theater segments star Grover, and this one is kind of funny. Grover needs to cooperate with a talking shoe, who refuses to be worn by Grover, but realizes she can’t walk on her own. I also like the music heard at the end of this sketch.

2.   Gone with the Wind
The only Monsterpiece Theater segment to feature Kermit. This parody of Gone with the Wind involves heavy wind and a lesson in subtraction. Kermit (in the role of “Green”) is paired with Miss Scarlett, who I’m unsure as to whether she’s a frog or a human. The end of this segment, in which Cookie Monster catches and cuddles with a  lamb who got blown into the set, is kind of sweet (though it would be funny if Cookie Monster ate the lamb).

1.   Chariots of Fur
My favorite of the Monsterpiece Theater segments, I always felt like it was an event whenever this one aired. I listed this as number one in my list of the top ten Sesame Street segments not on DVD and listed it in my Top 41 Sesame Street Moments list, so I won’t talk much more about this, other than the plot involves Grover and Herry running at the beach (and as I said about ABCD Blue, any sketch with Cookie, Grover, and Herry must be great).

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Michael Wermuth's Top Ten Sesame Street Inserts Not on Video, Part 2

Michael Wermuth, Jr. - Well, about a year and a half ago, I wrote an article on the top ten Sesame Street inserts that have not been released on any commercial video format. Unfortunately, all those segments are still unreleased. But, despite that, I’ve decided to make a second top ten list.

10. Monsterpiece Theater: Little House on Prairie

A great Monsterpiece Theater segment starring Prairie Dawn, teaching the concepts of “on”, “under”, and “in” (the last of the Monsterpiece segments hosted by Alistair Cookie).

9. Opposite Stuff

One of my favorite performances by Bip Bippadotta (Sesame Street's answer to Mahna Mahna). I like the black background used here, and it’s probably the only time we see Bip’s legs.

 
8. Bert and Ernie: Cake

A good lesson in telling the truth, Ernie eats a piece of cake that Bert was saving for desert. But when Bert states that he was saving two pieces for desert, Ernie makes up a story about a monster eating the cake and planting the evidence on Ernie. Bert doesn’t believe this, and then Beautiful Day Monster comes in and does exactly what Ernie had just told Bert.

7. Super K Cereal

A funny parody of Special K and Alphabet Cereal, only for the letter K. It includes great performances by Leslie Carrara Rudolph and Joey Mazzarino. It's very funny how the kids need the letter K to spell words. I certainly hope it gets included in the upcoming “Best of Sesame Street Spoofs” DVD release.

6. My Pollywog Ways

I recall this one being shown a lot, so it’s a wonder that this song has not yet been released on video or even online. Kermit sings about growing up from a pollywog to a frog. The music is really good.

5. Letter G Game

A very recent sketch where Grover appears as a game show host, and gets Mr. Johnson to participate in his game. In the game, Mr. Johnson has to supply an object that starts with the letter G. Mr. Johnson doesn’t want to play and admits he has no G objects, but wins by accident for being a gentlemen. But the prizes are G objects Mr. Johnson has no use for.

4. Danger

This is one of the best numbers from Little Jerry and the Monotones, right up there with such great songs as Mad and Telephone Rock. This is a rare Sesame Street segment to involve explosions, something that the Muppets are otherwise known for.

3. Sesame Street News: Old MacDonald and the Spaceship

Kermit has been told that Old MacDonald has spotted a spaceship, but it turns out he mistook a red Frisbee for a spaceship. But then the Martians arrive inside a spaceship. A funny twist ending.

2. X Marks the Spot

One of the few songs performed by Sherlock Hemlock.


1. Hot and Cold

Yeah, I mentioned this infamous number which won’t be shown on Sesame Street. And I don’t really expect it to be released on an official Sesame Street DVD (the upcoming “Best of Sesame Street Spoofs” release would be a great release to include it on). But maybe someday there will be a DVD of Katy Perry music videos, and if we’re lucky the company releasing it will negotiate to include this as a bonus feature (after all, it is on Katy Perry’s YouTube channel).

Honorable Mention: Monster in the Mirror – celebrity edition

The original non-celebrity version of Monster in the Mirror has been released commercially three times, but the version with celebrities added has not. And I prefer that version. By now I’m convinced that there’s problems with one or more of the celebrities involved in getting this on a commercial release, if there’s not issues in getting clearances for the use of The Simpsons characters. Thankfully this version is available at sesamestreet.org, YouTube, and Hulu, but it would be great if this version eventually gets a DVD release someday.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Top Ten Guest Star Moments on The Muppet Show

The Top Ten Guest Star Moments on The Muppet Show

Michael Wermuth, Jr. - The Muppet Show has had 120 episodes and more than 120 guest stars (due to the occasional duo guests). And the majority of those guest stars had some really memorable moments. Here, in my opinion and in no particular order, are the top ten guest star moments. And it sure was hard narrowing it down to just ten moments.

1.   "Fever" with Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno won an Emmy award for her guest appearance on The Muppet Show, and she sure did deserve it. When making this list it was a toss-up to me between selecting “Fever” or Rita’s talk spot. But I chose “Fever,” as that seems to be a more classic moment. “Fever” is Rita's closing number, includes notable back-up drumming by Animal, who keeps going wild when Rita isn’t looking.

2.   "Whenever I Call You Friend" with Melissa Manchester
"Whenever I Call You Friend" is the highlight of the episode. It starts out as a duet between Melissa and Floyd before many of the other Muppets join in. Lips is among them, playing a great trumpet solo. I once sang this song on karaoke because of the Muppets performance. And I feel The Muppet Show performance of the song is better than the original.

3.   Gene Kelly gives Kermit a dance lesson
When Gene Kelly guest starred, he was under the impression that he was just invited to watch the show. Gene tells Kermit that he used to be a dance teacher and offers to teach Kermit how to dance in his place, so Kermit tricks Gene into giving him a dance lesson on the stage, making it his only on-stage act on the show.

4.   "It’s in His Kiss" with Linda Ronstadt
Three of Linda Ronstadt’s four numbers were considered by me for this list, so it was tough deciding whether to include "Blue Bayou," "It's in His Kiss," or "When I Grow Too Old to Dream," but I went with "It’s in His Kiss." After all, it’s pretty much the only duet between a guest star and Janice.


5.   Harvey Korman’s Dangerous Animal Act
One of the highlights of Harvey Korman’s appearance (besides being put into a chicken outfit) was when he appeared as animal trainer Maurice the Magnifficient. In his act, he has a big cage, and warns the audience of a very dangerous animal inside there. But it ends up being the gentle Thog, who steals the show and acts friendly despite Harvey Korman’s yelling.

6.   "Last Dance" with Leslie Ann Warren
Leslie Ann Warren was great in all three of her acts, and her episode is one of those underrated episodes. But the highlight of the episode was her closing number, where she encounters Link Hoghtrob at a bar, flirting a bit before singing "Last Dance." She looks great in that red dress, and the wild music sounds really great.

7.   "School’s Out" with Alice Cooper
This is the highlight of Alice Cooper’s episode with all those full-body monsters in the scene and the rocking music, you’ve got a great number for The Muppet Show! Not only is “School’s Out” a song that I’ve sang on karaoke because of the performance on The Muppet Show, but it’s also one of the few songs that appeared on The Muppet Show that I downloaded to my iPod.

8.   "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart" with Elton John
This is despite the fact that it’s the first episode I ever saw (outside of compilation videos). It was the first episode shown on Nickelodeon, and it’s on the first volume of Time-Life’s “The Best of the Muppet Show” video series. But it has a bit too much guest star focus, even though the guest star numbers are the highlight. I do like all of Elton’s performances in this one. I chose to list "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart," Elton’s duet with Miss Piggy. It’s just a good, lively, rockin’ performance.

9.   "Last Time I Saw Him" with Diana Ross
A big, impressive number. In a way it’s similar to Melissa Manchester’s "Whenever I Call You Friend," in that it starts as a duet between a guest star and Floyd, and most of the number takes place in front of the back wall of the stage. But this number has a bigger number of characters in it. It has all five original members of The Electric Mayhem, it has Rowlf, it has Zeke from the jugband, and it has a back-up band in marching band attire. It is quite impressive.

10.   John Cleese helps Gonzo
This scene is the big payoff of the episode’s main plot. After Gonzo caught a cannonball with his bare hand and his arm stretched out very long, Gonzo got teased by Fozzie and Floyd quite a bit. So eventually Gonzo asks John Cleese for help. Upon being told that Gonzo wants both his arms the same size, John stretches the other arm out. This scene is very hilarious, especially for the fact that John Cleese seems to be weirder than Gonzo here.






The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier