Jean Stapleton guest stars, Animal eats Gonzo's Mexican jumping beans, and Crazy Harry gets into explosive music.
Songs and Sketches
- "Tico Tico", performed by Annie Sue and other pigs
- "Play a Simple Melody", sung by Jean and Fozzie and backed by Rowlf and the Muppet orchestra
- At the Dance
- UK Spot: "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow", performed by Annie Sue and Rowlf
- Talk Spot: Jean, Sam and the Swedish Chef
- "Muppet Melodrama": Railroad Tracks
- Muppet Labs: Shrinking Pills
- "I'm Just Wild About Harry", performed by Jean and Crazy Harry
This episode has examples of:
- Actor Allusion: During their duet, Jean calls Fozzie a "dingbat", which Archie Bunker from All in the Family would call his wife, Edith, who was played by Jean.
- Ambiguous Syntax: Gladys brings Kermit a sandwich he didn't order, but she's too busy to ask around and find out who did.Gladys: Look, I got a full grill downstairs. Got six burgers on, couple of steaks, and two lobsters.
Kermit: Lobsters? Since when are they on the menu?
Gladys: They're not on the menu. The lobsters ordered the steak! - As Long as It Sounds Foreign: Sam at long last calls out the Swedish Chef for not actually speaking Swedish. Jean, who happens to be fluent in Mock Swedish, speaks to the Chef and convinces him to speak in his native language. He then talks in Mock Japanese, which Jean doesn't speak.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Miss Piggy hates Annie Sue, so she naturally jumps at the chance to replace the girl when she has a case of stage fright just before the Muppet Melodrama sketch. Kermit lets Piggy go on, then tells the stagehands to tie Piggy to some railroad tracks, since that's what the sketch entails.
- Bizarre Instrument: For "I'm Just Wild About Harry", Crazy Harry reveals an instrument he calls the explodophone. It's a series of Plunger Detonators he pushes in time with the song to trigger explosions.
- Bring the Anchor Along: Piggy ends the melodrama sketch by walking off the stage still tied to the prop railway.
- Chained to a Railway: Piggy in the melodrama sketch. This is why Kermit didn't want her to do the part in the first place.
- Copycat Mockery: During the Muppet Labs segment, a particularly moody Beaker mocks Bunsen's words in meeps.Bunsen: Isn't that right, Beaker?
Beaker: Me-me-me me-me? Meep. [throws the pill bottle over his shoulder] - Exactly What It Says on the Tin: When Jean Stapleton is introduced for her first number, the band plays the wrong music. Floyd says that it was just an ordinary, very elaborate, pretentious orchestration before asking what it's called. After looking at the music sheet, Jean Stapleton answers, "Elaborate Pretensions for Orchestras".
- Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: "Tico Tico" takes place in a Brazilian village. During the number, a pig in a garish floral-print shirt stops to take a picture of the dancers. He's seen by a soldier, who runs over and prods him with his gun. The floral-shirted pig runs away from him, but not before snapping his photo as well.
- Hold the Unsolicited Ingredient: Inverted. The sandwich Gladys brings Kermit is a walnut-lima-bean sandwich. It turns out to be for Gonzo, who tells Gladys to take it back.Gladys: What's the matter with it?
Gonzo: You forgot the jelly. [exits]
Gladys: [Face Palm] Show business! - Incredible Shrinking Man: The Muppet Labs' invention of the day is shrinking pills. Beaker downs a whole bottle and shrinks to the size of an ant.
- Literal-Minded: During "At the Dance", Slim Wilson holds out a ten-dollar bill and asks a waiter if he can break it. The waiter does so by tearing it in half.Waiter: Don't mention it. [Walks off.]
Slim: I wish I hadn't. - Oh, Crap!: Kermit's reaction to hearing that Jean wants to do her closing number with Crazy Harry.
- Plank Gag: Miss Piggy weaponizes this trope after the melodrama sketch goes off script, forcing her to break off part of the railway she's tied to and go backstage with it still tied to her back. She makes her displeasure known to Kermit by turning around so the railway hits him in the head. And then it happens again by accident right afterwards just for good measure.
- Trigger Phrase: When Gonzo can't find his Mexican jumping beans, Kermit suggests that someone may have eaten them.Gonzo: Ate my stars? Kermit! It wasn't you, was it?
Kermit: Uh, no, Gonzo, it wasn't me.
Gonzo: [as Animal enters] I know how to find out. All I have to do is say, "Arriba!"
[Animal jumps.]
Gonzo: [looks at Animal] Arriba? [Animal jumps again.] Arriba! [Animal jumps yet again.] Animal!
Animal: What?
Gonzo: [chasing him] Come back here! You ate my stars!
- Statler: I liked that last number.
Waldorf: [disbelievingly] What did you like about it?
Statler: It was the last number!
