RIP Linda Lavin (1937-2024)

Sad news, Linda Lavin, the Tony-Winning Broadway Actor who appeared on both The Muppet Show and The Muppets Take Manhattan has died.

Lavin was best known for her Tony-winning performance in the 1986 play Broadway Bound and for her Emmy-nominated role in the 1976 sitcom Alice, based on the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, which ran on CBS for nine seasons and 202 episodes.

She was a guest on the fourth season of The Muppet Show in which she helped plan Kermit's surprise party and later made a cameo appearance as Kermit's doctor in The Muppets Take Manhattan. 

Lavin died unexpectedly due to complications from recently discovered lung cancer. The news is particularly shocking as she was working on the upcoming Hulu series, Mid-Century Modern when she died. 

 

Linda Lavin was 87.

RIP Dabney Coleman (1932 - 2024)

Sad news as veteran character actor Dabney Coleman has died.

Coleman began his career in the film The Towering Inferno, and guest / recurring roles on That Girl, Bonanza, The Mod Squad, and The Mary Tyler More Show. 

He is best known as the boss Franklin Hart in the film 9 to 5 co-starring Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda. He played similar roles in films such as Tootsie, Dragnet, Modern Problems, and The Beverly Hillbillies. 

Coleman starred on the acclaimed but short-lived sitcom Buffalo Bill as an egotistic talk show host. He also appeared in War Games and on HBO's Boardwalk Empire. 

Of course Coleman is known to Muppet fans for playing Martin Price /Murry Plotski in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

ExtraTV broke the news, where you can read more about Coleman's life.

Dabney Coleman was 92.

The Muppets Take Manhattan Coming to 4K!

According to a press release issued by Sony, The Muppets Take Manhattan is coming to 4K this fall. 

The Muppets Take Manhattan debuts on 4K Ultra HD October 24th, 2023 and will include a new feature commentary with director Frank Oz.

It also appears Sony is using the original posted art instead of the art used for the last few home media releases.

Bellow is the press release:

Broadway bound, the Muppets take Manhattan by storm in this magical musical about breaking into show business! Fresh out of college, Kermit, Fozzie and the entire cast of Kermit’s musical “Manhattan Melodies” head for the Big Apple with plans to turn their small play into a big hit! All they need now is someone to produce their show! But when no one in town will even meet with them, it’s up to Kermit to believe hard enough for all of his friends that the show WILL go on! Family entertainment has never been more fun than this comedy marking Frank Oz’s solo directorial debut.

DISC DETAILS & BONUS MATERIALS

• 4K ULTRA HD DISCFeature remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision, plus all-new Dolby Atmos immersive audio  

• 4K picture and Atmos sound mix approved by director Frank Oz 

• Also includes English 5.1 + mono 

• Special Feature: NEW: Feature Commentary with Director Frank Oz

BLU-RAY DISC

• Feature presented in High Definition 

• 5.1 audio 

• Special Features: Interview with Jim Henson 

• Muppetisms: Miss Piggy™ & Kermit the Frog™, Pepe™ and Fozzie Bear™

CAST AND CREW

Directed By: Frank Oz
Produced By: David Lazer
Executive Producer: Jim Henson
Story By: Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses
Screenplay By: Frank Oz and Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses
Starring the Muppet Performers: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson
Cameo Guest Stars: Art Carney, James Coco, Dabney Coleman, Gregory Hines, Linda Lavin, Joan Rivers

SPECS

Runtime: Approx. 94 minutes 

Rating: G

4K Ultra HD Feature Picture: 4K Ultra HD: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 1.85:1

4K Ultra HD Feature Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English Mono

The Muppets Take Manhattan 4K Ultra HD will be released October 24th. 

No pre-order links are available yet. 

Thanks to Rick Weaver for the heads up.

ONLINE EVENT! Dave Goelz and Frank Oz Talk Filming The Muppets in NYC!

The Museum of The Moving Image is hosting online event Saturday night with Dave Goelz and Frank Oz as they discuss shooting The Muppets Take Manhattan in and around NYC.

A charming ode to the backstage musical, The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) - Oz’s directorial debut - features quintessential New York locations and characters: Central Park, cheerfully rat-infested diners, Mayor Ed Koch, Madison Avenue, Port Authority, Broadway theaters, Liza Minnelli... and, of course, the Muppets! The story follows Kermit and friends as they attempt to “make it” on the great white way, culminating in a Kermit and Miss Piggy wedding…was it for real or just part of the show? 

Gonzo puppeteer Dave Goelz and Frank Oz discuss the challenges and charms of bringing the Muppets to the streets of New York City.

The online event will be held this Saturday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. EST. 
Please RSVP here. Instructions for joining the live event will be sent by email.

While this event is free, we hope you will consider supporting the Museum with a donation. MoMI's entire staff is doing its best to continue fulfilling its mission without a building. This comes with both opportunities to experiment but also with profound challenges to our operations. Your support is critical in ensuring the vitality of our work, which you have come to value. Suggested donation: $10. Donate here.

But that's not all, Dave Goelz will also be a part on an online Q&A brought to you by The Walt Disney Family Museum the night before.

In keeping with our mission, The Walt Disney Family Museum is finding new and unique ways to connect to our audience virtually. We are thrilled to announce our new Happily Ever After Hours virtual series with Disney luminaries, including animators, artists, directors, and Imagineers, who will discuss their careers and connections to Walt’s story. Hosted via Zoom webinar, audience members will have the opportunity to submit questions to our special guests in advance and watch them answered live. Grab a refreshment and hear from some of your favorite Disney personalities from the comfort of your home.

The Walt Disney Family Museum is excited to invite you to join Muppeteer Dave Goelz for the second installment of the museum’s newest virtual series, Happily Ever After Hours. From the comfort of your home, join Goelz for stories about his work on hundreds of Jim Henson productions and what it was like to be the hand (and voice) behind some of our most beloved Henson characters, including Boober Fraggle, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, and, most famously, The Great Gonzo.

The museum is accepting questions now and will be sharing the live chat with Dave Friday, April 17th at 8:30PM EST. 

To join, RSVP on the Walt Disney Family Museum website, and then they’ll send you a link to the Zoom webinar. The conversation will be free, but all participants are encouraged to donate to the museum.

Update: The Walt Disney Family Museum Dave Goelz event is SOLD OUT!

The Muppets Take Manhattan Takes... Manhattan!

Disney fan club, D23, is hosting a special screening of The Muppets Take Manhattan in NYC honor of the film's 35 anniversary.

From the event description: 

D23 Gold Members and their guests are invited to see Kermit, Fozzie, and the entire cast of Kermit’s aspiring Broadway hit “Manhattan Melodies” on the big screen!

Manhattan! It’s time to get “together again” with D23: The Official Disney Fan Club! Join us in the Big Apple to celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Muppets Take Manhattan for an exclusive screening! This celebration of the Jim Henson classic will take place on Friday, October 4, 2019 at the AMC Empire 25 Theatres in Midtown.

This special event will include a voucher for popcorn and a soda and a one-of-a-kind gift created exclusively for this D23 event!

Note: 

Ticketed Members and guests who do not attend the event forfeit their place as well as all experiences, benefits, and gifts associated with the event. D23 Members must be present or guests will not gain admittance to event.

Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, August 28, at 10 a.m. PT. and cost $10 per person (plus $3 processing fee). 

It's great that Disney is acknowledging this film as it's one of the few theatrical Muppet film's they don't own the rights to (Sony owns this and Muppets From Space).

This is during Comic Con weekend so many Disney has something in the works for the con as well. 

More info at D23. 

RIP Stan Lee (1922 - 2018)

Legendary writer, editor, and publisher of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee has died. 

Lee created or co-created Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Mighty Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Ant-Man, Dr. Strange, and countless other characters.

While their publisher, Marvel produced comic adaptations of The Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppet Babies, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Fraggle Rock. 

Lee was also instrumented in setting up Marvel's animation studio which produced the original Muppet Babies cartoon. 
Over the last decade, Marvel's films have become massive cultural milestones, and most have featured a cameo by Stan. Before appearing in mega blockbuster films, Lee appeared in the Muppet Babies episode "Comic Capers."

According to Muppet Wiki: "After Baby Rowlf and Skeeter enter the Spider-Man newspaper strip, Lee appears, hovering over a drawing desk, and takes the kids to task: "Don't you know there's only one Spider-Man?" Rowlf is apologetic ("Sorry, Mr. Lee"), but Skeeter accidentally releases a stream of webbing at Stan, coating his head with it."

The Muppets and Sesame Street have spoofed and also referenced by Lee's creations many times. Muppet Wiki has a full list, but you can take a look at a few below:  

You can read more about the "Excelsior" Stan Lee at The Hollywood Reporter. He was 95. 

RIP Louis Zorich (1924 - 2018)

Broadway veteran Louis Zorich, who is best remembered to Muppet fans as diner owner Pete in The Muppets Take Manhattan has died. 

On Broadway, Zorich appeared in nearly two dozen productions, including The Odd Couple, Moby Dick, and Stephen Sondheim's Follies. 

He also appeared in taped-for-TV versions of the stage plays Death of a Salesman as Dustin Hoffman's brother Ben (reprising his Broadway role), and Antigone as Jonas the guard. 

On TV, Zorich played Paul Buchman's father Burt on the NBC sitcom Mad About You, Milo Simonelli on the soap Another World, and guest starred as two different judges on Law & Order.

Pete in The Muppets Take Manhattan comic

In 1988, Zorich teamed up with director Frank Oz again as a greek millionaire in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, has 89 other credits on IMDb, and was married to actress Olympia Dukakis.

That's a very long and impressive career, but we'll all remember him as Pete giving the lesson of "Peoples is Peoples" to Kermit...

Marvel Muppet Babies Omnibus!

Marvel announced that they are reprinting entire the 1985 -1989 run of the Muppet Babies comic series.

Regular Omibus Cover

Just like Marvel's Muppet Omnibus, the issues will come in a large hardcover book with both a regular cover and a limited edition variant cover (based on the original comic's issue 10 cover) by artist Marie Severin.

Limited Edition Omibus Cover

Issue #10 Cover

The Muppet Babies Comic book series was written by Stan Kay, Laura Hitchcock, Bill Prady, and Angelo Decesare, with art by Marie Severin, Jeff Butler, and Dean Yeagle.

As an extra bonus, not only will the omnibus include every Muppet Babies issue, it will also include Marvel's Super Special #32 - The Muppets Take Manhattan. The film that marked the Muppet babies debut!

You may recall, that back in 2014, we covered the Super Special for a Throwback Thursday!

Below this the official Omnibus synopsis 

They’re making their dreams come true — and they’ll do the same for you! It’s all your favorite Muppets, in pint-sized antics from their youth! There’ll be adventure! Romance! Great jokes! And more! Like the ghostly tale of the haunted nursery! The fable of Kermit and the Beanstalk! And the quest for the Idol of Doom! The Muppet Babies will be lost in time and lost in space, they’ll caper in Story Land and they’ll take flight as super heroes! They’ll even end up in a comic book! And your favorite fantasy-loving frog will step into the shoes of some of fiction’s greatest heroes! Plus: Relive the Muppet Babies’ first appearance in an amazing adaptation of The Muppets Take Manhattan! Collecting MUPPET BABIES #1-26 and MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL #32.

680 PGS./All Ages …$75.00

No release date or pre-order link yet, but will keep you posted!

Throwback Thursday: The Muppets Take Manhattan comic book adaptation!

Believe it or not, on July 13th The Muppets Take Manhattan turned 30 years old! To help promote the film Marvel produced "Marvel Super Special #32" a 68 page comic adaptation of the film.

It was later released as a 3-issue mini series that ran from November 1984 - December 1985.

This comic was great way to relieve the events of the film while waiting for the home video release, which at that time was around 6 months or more for just the initial  rental market. 

The adaptation was based off the original script and featured scenes and dialogue not included in the final film. 

Here are a few pages from the first issue:

Thanks to blogger Dean Yeagle, you can read the entire first issue right here on his flickr page, classic ads and all!

Throwback Thursday: Cheerios The Muppets Take Manhattan Box

With The Muppets once again adorning Cheerios boxes, for this week's Throwback Thursday we take a look at Cheerios's The Muppets Take Manhattan box from 1984. 

The box not only was used to promote the movie but, with 4 UPC symbols, you could mail away for a book and record of the movie narrated by Scooter. The order form was on the side of the box...

...were Cheerios hailed the storybook and record as "From the movie MUPPET BABIES." Guess they didn't have enough room on the side for the movies actually title. Yikes!