The Great Muppet Caper

The Great Muppet Caper
File:The poster of the movie The Great Muppet Caper.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jim Henson
Written by	Tom Patchett Jay Tarses Jerry Juhl Jack Rose
Produced by	David Lazer Frank Oz Bruce Sharman Martin Starger
Starring	Jim Henson Frank Oz Dave Goelz Jerry Nelson Steve Whitmire Rob Paulsen] Charles Grodin
Cinematography	Oswald Morris
Edited by	Ralph Kemplen
Music by	John Williams
Production company	Virgin Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures Henson Associates, Ltd.
Release date	June 21, 1981 (1981-06-21)
Running time	94 minutes
Countries	United States United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$31,206,251

The Great Muppet Caper is a 1981 mystery musical comedy film directed by Jim Henson. It is the second of a series of live-action musical feature films, starring Jim Henson's The Muppets. This film was produced by Henson Associates, Ltd., originally released by 20th Century Fox, and premiered on June 21, 1981. It is also the only Muppet feature film directed by Henson. Shot in England, the film was released shortly after the final season of The Muppet Show. Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street makes a cameo in this film.

Plot

Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo the Great play newspaper reporters for the Daily Chronicle. Kermit and Fozzie, specifically, are playing identical twin reporters, which becomes the source of a running gag - supposedly, nobody can tell they are twins unless Fozzie wears his hat. While Gonzo is too busy taking pictures of a chicken, the biggest fashion designer of London named Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg) gets robbed of her necklace. The trio are eventually assigned to investigate the theft of the valuable jewels from Lady Holiday, which they have to beg for after their boss Mike Tarkenian (Jack Warden) dismisses them following the Daily Chronicle's headline about the twins joining the staff (while the other papers report on the jewel heist).

They travel to London to interview her, but with only $12 for the trip, they are forced to fly in the airplane's baggage hold and are thrown out of the plane as they arrive over Britain while it continues on to Italy. They stay at the dilapidated (but free) Happiness Hotel, run and populated by Pops, Scooter, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, Sam the Eagle, Swedish Chef, Rizzo the Rat, Annie Sue, and Lubbuck Lou and his Jughuggers. When Kermit seeks out Lady Holiday in her office however, he instead finds the alluring Miss Piggy, and mistakes her for the fashion designer. Piggy (who was interviewing for a job) masquerades as Lady Holliday, even going so far as to sneak into a ritzy townhouse (located at 17 Highbrow Street) to impress Kermit with her dwellings much to the surprise of the true British residents Neville (John Cleese) and Dorcas (Joan Sanderson).

At a night club restaurant, Lady Holiday's necklace is stolen by her jealous brother Nicky (Charles Grodin) and his assistants Carla (Kate Howard), Marla (Erica Creer), and Darla (Della Finch), three of her put-upon fashion models; during the robbery, Miss Piggy's charade is revealed and she bolts, leaving Kermit behind, though they later reconcile in a park. Despite Nicky's instant attraction to Miss Piggy, they successfully frame her for the theft and plan to steal an even more valuable prize: the coveted Baseball Diamond on display at the local Mallory Gallery. Unfortunately for them, Gonzo is under a nearby table and overhears the plot. Kermit's crew, along with their friends from the Happiness Hotel, decide to intercept and catch the thieves themselves in order to exonerate Miss Piggy.

The Muppets get to the Mallory Gallery, and get to the Baseball Diamond at the same time as the thieves, use the Baseball Diamond in a game of Keep Away and later baseball, complete with Louis Kazagger commentating. Piggy, meanwhile, has escaped from prison and, in a bout of serendipity, finds a motorcycle which she uses to crash into the Gallery's window, knocking Nicky, who is holding Kermit hostage, out in the process. Carla, Marla and Darla confront Piggy, only to be quickly dispatched by a flurry of furious karate chops. As the police arrive, Piggy is cleared from all charges, Nicky and his fashion model-accomplices are arrested, and the Muppets get their deserved credit for foiling the heist.

The Muppets then return to America the same way they departed, being thrown out of the cargo hold and parachuting back to The USA, over the end credits which concludes with Gonzo taking a photo of the audience with his overly powerful flashbulb causing the screen to go black as if he blinded his subjects again.

Cast

• Charles Grodin as Nicky Holiday, Lady Holiday's irresponsible brother and the principal antagonist of the film. He is responsible for the jewel heist on his sister with the help of three of her fashion models, Carla, Darla, and Marla.
• Diana Rigg as Lady Holiday, a famous British fashion designer who has been the victim of a jewel heist.
• Erica Creer as Marla
• Kate Howard as Carla
• Della Finch as Darla
• Joan Sanderson as Dorcas, Neville's wife. Joan Sanderson previously appeared alongside John Cleese in the Fawlty Towers episode "Communication Problems."
• Michael Robbins as Henderson, the Mallory Gallery's security guard.
• Peter Hughes as Stanley, a Maitre D' at the Dubonnet Club and an old acquaintance and favoured patron of Lady Holiday.
• Peggy Aitchison as a guard at the prison where Miss Piggy is detained.
• Tommy Godfrey as a bus conductor.

Cameo guest stars

• Robert Morley as a British Gentlemen by Pond
• Jack Warden as Mike Tarkenian, the editor in chief of The Daily Chronicle.
• Peter Ustinov as a Truck Driver whose truck is stolen by Miss Piggy. Ustinov had previously guest starred in a first season episode of The Muppet Show.
• John Cleese as Neville, a middle-aged British homeowner who lives with his wife Dorcas at 17 Highbrow Street. Cleese had previously guest starred in a second season episode of The Muppet Show.
• Peter Falk as a Man in Park (uncredited)

Muppet performers

Main article: List of Muppets

• Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, The Swedish Chef, Shakey Sanchez, The Muppet Newsman, Rowlf the Dog, Waldorf, and Dr. Teeth
• Frank Oz as Animal, Sam the Eagle, Fozzie Bear, and Miss Piggy
• Jerry Nelson as Lew Zealand, Statler, Floyd Pepper, Pops, Camilla the Chicken, Louis Kazagger, and Slim Wilson
• Dave Goelz as Crazy Harry, The Great Gonzo, Zoot, and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew
• Steve Whitmire as Rizzo the Rat and Lips
• Louise Gold as Annie Sue, Janice, Lou
• Kathryn Mullen as Gaffer
• Caroll Spinney as Oscar the Grouch
• Rob Paulsen as Scooter, Beauregard, Sweetums, and Beaker

Additional Muppets performed by Robbie Barnett, Brian Henson, Brian Muehl, Bob Payne, Mike Quinn, and Hugh Spight

Some of the puppeteers also appear in cameo roles.

• Jim Henson cameos as one of the Dubonnet Club patrons to whom Gonzo offers a souvenir photo with Amy van Gilder.
• Frank Oz cameos as a reporter in the Daily Chronicle office.
• Jerry Nelson cameos as a man in the park alongside his daughter Christine Nelson playing the man's daughter.
• Richard Hunt cameos as a cab driver.

Also, Henson's son Brian appears riding a tricycle that pulls a line of Muppets on bicycles.

Release

Box office

The film grossed $31.2 million domestically on a $14 million budget thus making it a box office success. It is the fourth highest grossing Muppet film behind The Muppets, The Muppet Movie, and Muppet Treasure Island.

Critical reception

The Great Muppet Caper has received generally positive reviews. The film holds a 79% approval rating on aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 6.4/10, based on 19 reviews. The site's consensus says "The Great Muppet Caper is overplotted and uneven, but the appealing presence of Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang ensure that this heist flick is always breezily watchable." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a two star rating (out of four) and concluded his review by saying that "the lack of a cutting edge hurts this movie. It's too nice, too routine, too predictable, and too safe."

Home media

The film was first released on Betamax and VHS in 1982 by 20th Century Fox Video. It was later released on DVD by Sony Pictures as Kermit's 50th Anniversary Edition.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released The Great Muppet Caper on Blu-ray and DVD, alongside Muppet Treasure Island, on December 10, 2013.

Music

In 1982, John Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The First Time It Happens". This was the only one of the first three Muppet films not to be nominated for Best Music, Original Song Score.

In 1981, Miss Piggy won the Youth in Film Award for Best Young Musical Recording Artist for her performance of "The First Time It Happens", becoming the first, and only, non-human recipient in the history of the award.

Soundtrack

Untitled

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	<ref>Allmusic review

The Great Muppet Caper: The Original Soundtrack contains all of the songs from the movie, as well as several portions of dialogue and background score. The album reached #66 on Billboard's Top LP's and Tapes chart in 1981.

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Williams

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"The Main Title" (Instrumental)		2:48
2.	"Hey A Movie!"	Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and The Great Gonzo	2:44
3.	"The Big Red Bus"		1:25
4.	"Happiness Hotel"	The Muppets	3:07
5.	"Lady Holiday" (Instrumental)		1:13
6.	"Steppin' Out With a Star"	Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and The Great Gonzo	2:32
7.	"The Apartment" (Instrumental)		0:54
8.	"Night Life"	Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem	2:58
9.	"The First Time It Happens"	Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy	4:13
10.	"Couldn't We Ride"	The Muppets	3:08
11.	"Piggy's Fantasy" (Instrumental)		3:58
12.	"The Heist/The Muppet Fight Song/Muppets To The Rescue" (Instrumental)		3:47
13.	"Homeward Bound" (Instrumental)		0:52
14.	"Finale: Hey a Movie!"	The Muppets	1:30
15.	"Finale: The First Time It Happens"	Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy	1:37

External links

• Official site
• The Great Muppet Caper at IMDb
• The Great Muppet Caper at the TCM Movie Database
• The Great Muppet Caper at Box Office Mojo
• The Great Muppet Caper at Rotten Tomatoes
• Muppet Movies Lyric Archive

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