When the Muppets Took Manhattan
“The frog is staying!”
Three Muppet movies were released during Jim Henson’s lifetime, and each is a delight. As a kid, I most frequently rewatched the third: The Muppets Take Manhattan.
Frank Oz directed the 1984 movie, which is a bit more grounded than its two predecessors. Indeed, the plot involves bringing the characters down to earth as they attempt to go straight from college to Broadway. They were a big hit on the school stage, and after some encouragement from classmates, they’re tempted to go pro.
But it’s not that easy. Being green is a cakewalk compared to getting a show produced on Broadway.
They nearly fall victim to a con artist. They sleep in lockers. They run out of quarters and need to go their separate ways. Kermit gets hit by a car. Amnesia steers him to a job in marketing.
Yeah, there’s no standard rich-and-famous contract this time. No matter how much Kermit talks up his Manhattan Melodies script, people aren’t interested. They have no reason to be. It’s appropriate that their demo keeps getting cut off at “Look at me, here I am,” because that’s about all they have when they first arrive in the city. And that’s not enough.
Manhattan Melodies is missing something. Kermit knows this. Right from the start, he doubts the show is good enough for Broadway, but he tries anyway because he wants to keep his friends together.
Toward the end of the movie, Kermit figures out the missing ingredients:
Fozzie Bear: Hey, Kermit. Can our friends watch the show from backstage?
Kermit the Frog: What? No! No, they cannot watch the show from backstage. That’s it! That’s what’s been missing from the show! That’s what we need! More frogs and dogs and bears and chickens and … and whatever! You’re not gonna watch the show, you’re gonna be in the show! Come on, everyone!
It’s not simply the bigger ensemble. It’s the variety of experiences that have led them to these new friends.
Rowlf works in a kennel. Scooter takes a job handing out 3D glasses at a movie theater. Fozzie tries to hibernate with his fellow bears. The Electric Mayhem plays gigs that are neither hip nor groovy. Gonzo flails before a bored audience. Miss Piggy gets fired from selling makeup because she’s too busy spying on Kermit and his new friend Jenny, who has the nerve to keep hugging him.
No one is doing what they want to do, but they all benefit from these detours. They gain life experience and new friends, all of which enriches the show (which comes together remarkably fast at the very last second—their new friends sure are quick studies).
As the Rolling Stones sang, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes, well, you just might find you get what you need.”
And as the Muppets sing here, “It’s not starting over, it’s just going on!”
The Muppets need to go their separate ways and come back together, and only then do they have what they need to turn Manhattan Melodies into a show that deserves a Broadway audience.
The movie retains plenty of classic Muppet mayhem along the way: A roller-skating Miss Piggy tackles a purse snatcher. Her purse randomly includes a saw among its contents. Special cameo guest star Gregory Hines mediates a heated argument between frog and pig. And that’s just one sequence. If you think that’s wild, just wait until you hear Kermit pitch an advertising slogan for soap! I’m certainly convinced that Ocean Breeze will get me clean.
The cure for Kermit’s amnesia is especially fitting. After Miss Piggy tells him they’re in love, Kermit—or rather, “Phil”—laughs at the idea of a frog and pig in love. “Wait till I tell the guys in Marketing!” This earns him a patented Miss Piggy karate chop, which knocks his memory back into place. Never has there been a more perfect resolution to an amnesia storyline. Granted, there’s rarely ever a good resolution to an amnesia storyline.
The Muppets Take Manhattan may not be as flashy or colorful as The Muppet Movie or The Great Muppet Caper, but it pushes the Muppets into new territory without losing sight of who they are—which seems to be the point.
Sometimes we all need to step out of our comfort zone and try something different. That’s how you create a strong melody, Manhattan or otherwise.
Also, fun fact: The con artist’s receptionist is played by a pre–Star Trek Gates McFadden, who had done some choreography work for the Jim Henson Company.
A big muppet fan. We named one of our cats "Muppet." Did Manhattan also have a Greek restsurant owner who said "Pibbles is pibbles?"