Liberace Hosts The Muppet Show
Added 2021-04-02 20:44:38 +0000 UTCAfter a suggestion by Drew’s heterosexual acquaintance, we’ve decided to discuss the gayest episode of The Muppet Show we could find. Tony Rodriguez joins us for a discussion of Muppets but also a fairly obscure FCC ruling that shaped prime time television for every child who grew up in 80s and 90s America, plus a rundown of why Liberace is awful. There is a lot going on in this episode, but that seems appropriate given the bonkers chaos that is the Muppets.
Yes, there is a “lost” TableCakes podcast you may never have heard: You Have to Watch This Movie, which is not technically defunct and which was hosted by Tony and which featured guests such as Nicole Byer, Lennon Parham and Beth Dover.
The article Drew mentions is “The Performance of Non-Conformity on The Muppet Show – or, How Kermit Made Me Queer” by Jordan Schildcrout. It doesn’t seem like it’s posted online for free anywhere but if you access to various academic journals you can probably read it. Alternatively you can also just pay to read it here.
Listen to the Bad Gays podcast’s episode about Liberace for more details about his biography.
Watch “My Muppet Valentine,” the Muppet Babies episode Glen mentions about Rowlf making everyone think he is depressed. Also watch the dark and violent Jim Henson-produced ads for Wilkins Coffee. But maybe don’t watch SNL’s Muppet-starring “Land of Gorch” sketches because they are just strange.
Read the Stater & Waldorf gay fanfiction that went viral.
Swedish people do not think the Swedish Chef is funny and also don’t think he sounds Swedish.
Watch Drew’s video compilation of every LGBT joke ever on the history of The Simpsons.
Buy Glen’s movie, Being Frank.
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This episode’s outro track is “I Like Chopin” by Gazebo: Apple Music • Spotify • Amazon
Comments
Glen died out of shame.
Drew Mackie
2021-04-09 20:36:48 +0000 UTCThe Gilmore Girls episode to which you refer is actually about the Donna Reed Show, not the Waltons.
Claire Marinello
2021-04-07 21:00:45 +0000 UTCI think “Great Muppet Caper” is the best of the movies.
VeeAaaRrr
2021-04-05 19:35:58 +0000 UTCOkay, now that I've listened to the episode (loved it), it makes me (a massive muppet fan) watch a lot of Muppets with you two and help broaden your Muppet education.
Ryan Watt
2021-04-05 18:28:32 +0000 UTCOh! And yes, the Baseball Diamond is from Great Muppet Caper.
Seth Aaron Hershman has they she pronouns
2021-04-03 22:37:56 +0000 UTCRe: Muppet segregation: Henson didn't create Sesame Street, but he did own its Muppet characters and was very protective of them. He was wary of having them be a big part of for-profit, non-educational projects, and deliberately limited them to cameos in Muppet Show stuff. The exception was Kermit--and once he figured out The Muppet Show wouldn't work without him, Kermit basically stopped being a Sesame Street character. Re: the Britishness: Henson did take basically his entire team overseas, including his performers and writers, so the humor sensitivity didn't change much. It's not so much a British show as an American show in exile. Re: gay guests being game: Elton John was apparently trying to ditch the gimmicky outfits by the late 70s, but The Muppet Show crew wanted him in full regalia. He was, by some accounts, a little grumpy, but tried to be a good sport about it.
Seth Aaron Hershman has they she pronouns
2021-04-03 22:17:12 +0000 UTCI haven't thought about that bumper in ages, but I instinctively sang the second half.
Erin Hardy
2021-04-03 17:08:12 +0000 UTCHi! I'm Straight Nate! I try not to be terrible, but I'm straight, so....... Ya know.... Still straight. 😕
Nathan
2021-04-03 03:30:31 +0000 UTCI’m so glad you brought up Hee-Haw and muppets in the same show so I could go and watch clips of when Prince was on Muppets Tonight https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3S0I-RNIIHw
Lobo
2021-04-02 23:59:03 +0000 UTCSame! I love everything about this episode and especially appreciate the Muppet Babies acknowledgement. Also, I have a really strong childhood memory of watching the Liberace episode with my mom on Nickelodeon, and my mom (who was a teenager/person in her ‘20s and not a dowager in the ‘70s) turning to me and saying in her very Bobby’s-mom-Midwestern accent,”we were all so surprised when we learned that Liberace was gay, ya know,” and I then filed “Liberace, gay,” in my “list of useful facts if I’m ever in Jeopardy.” You know, in case I forgot.
Kat Heagberg
2021-04-02 23:42:28 +0000 UTCThis makes me so ridiculously happy that you're covering the Muppet show.
Ryan Watt
2021-04-02 21:49:13 +0000 UTC
