The Muppets Take Manhattan
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| The Muppets Take Manhattan | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Frank Oz |
| Produced by | David Lazer Jim Henson |
| Written by | Tom Patchett Jay Tarses |
| Starring | Jim Henson Frank Oz Dave Goelz Jerry Nelson Richard Hunt Steve Whitmire |
| Music by | Ralph Burns Jeff Moss |
| Cinematography | Robert Paynter |
| Editing by | Evan A. Lottman |
| Distributed by | Tri-Star Pictures |
| Release date(s) | July 13, 1984 |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8 million |
| Gross revenue | $86 million |
| Preceded by | The Great Muppet Caper |
| Followed by | A Muppet Family Christmas |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Muppets Take Manhattan is the third of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets, and the final film before Henson's death. This film was produced by Henson Associates, ITC Entertainment and TriStar Pictures, and originally released in movie theatres in 1984. It was the first film directed solely by Frank Oz, who also performs Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and Animal, as he previously co-directed The Dark Crystal with Jim Henson.
The film introduced the Muppet Babies, as toddler versions of the Muppet characters in a fantasy sequence. The Muppet Babies later received their own Saturday morning animated television series, which aired from 1984 until 1992.
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[edit] Plot summary
As the film opens, Kermit and many of his friends are graduating from college and are performing in a variety show on campus. Instead of splitting up and going their separate ways after graduation, the gang decides to try to take their act to New York and try to make it on Broadway. Kermit and the others are so confident in the show that they anticipate becoming instant stars, but as the months pass and their funds run dry (due to the fact that the local producers refused to produce their show, except for Murray Plotsky, who agreed to produce their show (but only for the money), but he's arrested for tricking an elderly woman into giving him her life savings and impersonating a producer Martin Price) they are forced to go their separate ways and find jobs. Kermit remains in New York and gets a job at a local diner, befriending the owner, Pete (Louis Zorich), and his daughter Jenny (Juliana Donald) who works there as a waitress. She has just been accepted to a college in fashion design.
Complications arise in the form of unsavory jobs for Kermit's friends (Scooter becomes an usher at a movie theater in Cleveland, Ohio, Fozzie hibernates in Maine, Dr. Teeth and the gang work as a party band outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Gonzo works as a daredevil in Michigan, Rowlf runs the desk at a dog kennel in Delaware), a jealous Miss Piggy who secretly remains behind to keep an eye on Kermit and Jenny, and Kermit's additional failed attempts to break into stardom. After finally finding a producer who is willing to fund the show, however, Kermit is so excited that he unknowingly steps into the path of an oncoming vehicle and is knocked unconscious. He awakens with no memory, decides his name is Phil when he sees an advertisement with similar diction, and eventually falls in with a group of fellow frogs who write ad campaign slogans. Kermit, as "Phil", then begins to work as an advertising executive.
Kermit's companions are reunited in New York, along with the many friends they've each met along the way. Despite the fact that Kermit is missing, they decide the best thing to do is to go on with the show in his honor. After the amnesiac Kermit visits the diner and his friends recognize him, they recover him and Miss Piggy manages to knock him back to his senses. The show is a tremendous hit, and during the finale, Miss Piggy and Kermit are joined together in marriage. (Kermit would later disavow the marriage in later appearances, but Miss Piggy insists it was legitimate.)
[edit] Cast
- Jim Henson - Kermit the Frog (voice) / Rowlf (voice) / Dr. Teeth (voice), Swedish Chef (voice) / Waldorf (voice) / Ernie (voice)
- Frank Oz - Miss Piggy (voice) / Fozzie (voice) / Animal (voice) / Bert (voice) / Cookie Monster (voice)
- Dave Goelz - Gonzo (voice) / Bill (voice) / Chester (voice) / Zoot
- Steve Whitmire - Rizzo the Rat (voice) / Gill (voice)
- Richard Hunt - Scooter (voice) / Janice (voice) / Statler (voice)
- Jerry Nelson - Camilla (voice) / Floyd Pepper (voice) / Lew Zealand (voice)
- Juliana Donald - Jenny
- Louis Zorich - Pete
- Lonny Price - Ronnie Crawford
- Kathryn Mullen - Jill (voice)
- Karen Prell - Yolanda (voice)
- Brian Muehl - Tattooey (voice)
- Bruce Edward Hall - Masterson (voice) / Beth (voice)
[edit] Celebrity appearances
- Dabney Coleman - Murray Plotsky/Martin Price
- Gates McFadden - Nance, "Price"'s secretary
- Gregory Hines - Roller Skater
- Brooke Shields - Customer in Pete's Diner
- Liza Minnelli - Herself
- Linda Lavin - Kermit's Doctor
- Elliott Gould - Police Officer
- James Coco - Mr. Skeffington
- Art Carney - Bernard Crawford
- Joan Rivers - Eileen
- Edward I. Koch - Himself, Mayor of New York City
- John Landis - Leonard Winesop
- Frances Bergen - Mr. Winesop's Receptionist
[edit] Soundtrack album track listing
- Together Again (Kermit and Friends)
- You Can't Take No For An Answer (Dr. Teeth)
- Saying Goodbye (Everyone)
- Something's Cooking (Rizzo and the Rats)
- Together Again (Carriage Ride)
- I'm Gonna Always Love You (The Muppet Babies)
- Right Where We Belong (Everyone)
- William Tell Overture (The Chickens)
- Somebody's Getting Married (Everyone)
- Waiting for the Wedding (Everyone)
- She'll Make Me Happy (Miss Piggy and Kermit)
- The Ceremony (Everyone)
- Closing Medley: Overture/Saying Goodbye/Together Again (Everyone)
[edit] External links
The Muppets Take Manhattan
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