NBC to Re-Air SNL's First Episode with The Muppets!

As part of SNL's 50th Anniversary Celebration, NBC will air the show's very first episode. 

The episode was hosted by comedian George Carlin with musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian.

As we know, SNL made stars of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman,  as well as future Muppet Show guest Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase who made a cameo in Follow That Bird, and Andy Kaufman, who's alter ego Tony Clifton appeared in The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show. 

The Muppets were also part of the SNL's first season in the recurring The Land of Gorch sketches, which the SNL writers famously hated to work on. Sadly, while the sketch wouldn't last beyond the first season, during their time at SNL, the Muppets got a deal for their own show. 

 
You can watch SNL's first episode, featuring The Land of Gorch Saturday, February 15 at 10PM on NBC.

Be sure to watch NBC's 3-hour SNL50: The Anniversary Special the following evening to see if the Muppets return to studio 8H!

"Saturday Night" Poster Reveals More Muppets!

The poster for Jason Reitman's upcoming film about the first night of SNL, Saturday Night has been revealed and with it a look at another Muppet that will appear in the film.

If you look closely, you can spot not only Jim Henson, but King Ploobis and Queen Peuta as well. 

We'll see if any other Land of Gorch characters or Muppet performers so up when Saturday Night arrives in theatres October 11.

"Saturday Night" Trailer!

Yesterday, we got our first look at as Nicholas Braun as Jim Henson in Jason Reitman's upcoming film Saturday Night, and today the first trailer including Braun's Henson.

You can watch the trailer below:

Saturday Night will be released October 11. 

"Saturday Night" First Look: Nicholas Braun as Jim Henson!

Saturday Night, Jason Reitman's upcoming film about the premiere of Saturday Night Live, is a only  few months away and Vanity Fair has a first look at the cast and scenes from the film. 

Of note to us Muppet fans is an image of Nicholas Braun playing Jim Henson, "who isn’t sure his kind of puppetry is the right fit for SNL. "  Braun also plays Any Kaufman in the film. 

You'll note a puppet of King Ploobus from the Land of Gorch sketches next to him. It looks like a recreation of the puppet (the original is currently on display at he Museum of the Moving Image). I'm sure we'll find out soon if the Henson company made it and if the other Gorch characters appear. 

The Original King Ploobus

In the Vanity Fair interview. Reitman says “What was so unusual about this show (SNL) was not only that it was live, but the format was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. You had sketch comedy, you had two musical guests, you had a live band, you had stand-up comedians, you had Andy Kaufman, you had the Muppets, you had a film by Albert Brooks….”

And we'll see it all unfold in real time when Saturday Night is released this fall. 

Thanks to Lorna Mitchell for the heads up. 

RIP Raquel Welch (1940-2023)

Sad news to report as Raquel Welch has died.

Welch famously appeared in the 3rd season of The Muppet Show in what is easily one of the most memorial episodes of the series.

She played up her images as a Hollywood sex symbol, as she danced with an oversized spider:

 

 

Flirted with Fozzie:

 

And sang about women's empowerment with Miss Piggy:

 

The Muppet Show wasn't the first time Rachel first worked with the Muppets though as she appeared in a "Land of Gorch" sketch on the April 24, 1976 episode of SNL:

 

Welch also appeared on the cover of the November 28, 1978 issue of US magazine with Kermit and made a brief appearance in The Muppets Go Hollywood. 

Welch is best known for her roles in the films “One Million Years B.C.” and “Fantastic Voyage."

You can read more about her life and career here. 

Welch died after a “brief illness” at 82.

Happy Birthday Dave Goelz!

You may know Dave Goelz as the performer under such Muppets as Gonzo the Great, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Boober and Zoot. 

But did you know he started his career an industrial designer, then became a puppet builder and occasional performer with the Henson Company?

Here he is building Wisss from Saturday Night Live's "Land of Gorch" sketches.