sabato 24 settembre 2011

Google doodle per il papà dei muppet Jim Henson

 
Google festeggia il 75° compleanno del geniale creatore dei Muppets Jim Henson (1936-1990) con questo doodle interattivo in cui ci si può improvvisare burattinai. I sei personaggi possono essere animati premendo il pulsante colorato sotto di loro e muovendo il mouse.
 

Henson è nato nel Mississippi nel 1936 e successivamente trasferito a Washington DC, dove nel 1954, ha eseguito dei burattini in uno show televisivo. L'anno seguente, mentre studiava alla University of Maryland, Henson ha guadagnato il suo spazio personale di cinque minuti, uno show televisivo due volte al giorno su una affiliata locale della NBC. Lo spettacolo, che Henson ha prodotto con la sua futura moglie Jane Nebel, è caratterizzato da una prima versione di Kermit la Rana. The Muppet Show è andato in onda negli Stati Uniti dal 1976 al 1981.


Fra i muppet principali si ricordano Kermit (la rana che presenta lo show), la scrofa Miss Piggy, l'extraterrestre Gonzo, il truce Animal, l'Orso Fozzie barzelletterie, Rowlf il cocker pianista, e animali di tutte le specie in grado di assumere sembianze antropomorfe. Non sono mancati dei Muppet umani, tra cui il cuoco svedese Olaf e, come partecipanti stabili, Statler e Waldorf, una coppia di uomini anziani (spettatori seduti su un palco posto alla destra dell'ipotetico proscenio del teatro di posa) che erano soliti commentare i contenuti dello spettacolo con una vena polemica tipica del cliché dei vecchietti brontoloni, e ai quali tocca la battuta conclusiva di ogni puntata, al termine della sigla finale.
Oltre a parodiare il varietà televisivo così come era diffuso nella America anni 60 e 70, il Muppet Show ripete anche i meccanismi del classico contenitore (che in quegli anni era arrivato anche nel palinsesto italiano), con numerose rubriche, fiction (la più famosa è Maiali nello spazio (Pigs in space, titolo originale, parodia di Star Trek) e stacchi musicali, oltre a quelli con l'ospite di turno, dove si alternano canzoni inedite in chiave parodistica a coreografie di brani famosi.

 Ospite Christopher Reeve (grande e sfortunato Superman) che suona il piano e duetta con Miss Piggy e lei lo incoraggia con un (adesso) triste "just play perfect body".... (versione italiana qui)



 Tutti i personaggi del Muppet Show (Wikipedia)

Characters


  • Afghan Hound (performed by Louise Gold) - An Afghan Hound who appeared occasionally.
  • Annie Sue (performed by Louise Gold) - A young pig who is Miss Piggy's innocent rival.
  • Baskerville the Hound (performed randomly by Jerry Nelson, John Lovelady, and Dave Goelz) - A hound who made many appearances on the show. He once auditioned a comedy act which caused Fozzie Bear to hook him off the stage.
  • Beauregard (performed by Dave Goelz) - The dimwitted janitor and stagehand.
  • Behemoth (performed randomly by Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt and Jerry Nelson) - A Full-Bodied Muppet who made various appearances on the show.
  • Billy the Bear (performed randomly by Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, and Brian Muehl) - A bear who appeared occasionally. He later won a Fred Award for "Best Bear Comedian."
  • Bobby Benson (performed by Richard Hunt) - The leader of the Baby Band.
  • Butch the Tiger (performed randomly by Jim Henson and Jerry Nelson) - A tiger who appeared occasionally.
  • Chickens - Outside of Camilla, a bunch of chickens are often seen performing with Gonzo.
  • Crazy Harry (performed by John Lovelady in 1976-1977, Jerry Nelson for the remainder of the run) - A pyrotechnician and bomb expert who enjoys blowing things up far too much.
  • Doglion (performed randomly by Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and Jim Henson) - A Full-Bodied Muppet Monster with horns. He is sometimes paired with Sweetums and the other Full-Bodied Muppets.
  • Dr. Julius Strangepork (performed by Jerry Nelson) - A pig who serves as the chief science officer in "Pigs in Space".
  • Droop (performed by Jerry Nelson) - A green creature who was previously used as a Frackle in The Great Santa Claus Switch.
  • Fletcher Bird (performed by Graham Fletcher, voiced by Steve Whitmire) - A giant bird who appeared occasionally. He is named after Graham Fletcher.
  • Foo-Foo (performed by Steve Whitmire) - Miss Piggy's dog. A real dog that Foo-Foo is based on would be used for full shots.
  • Forcryingoutloud Bird (performed by Frank Oz) - A green bird with a yellow beak who appeared occasionally.
  • George the Janitor (performed by Frank Oz) - The crotchety old janitor. He is seen primarily in the first season occasionally in the "At the Dance" segments dancing with Mildred Huxtetter.
  • Gladys (performed by Richard Hunt) - She works as a cafeteria lady in the Muppet Theatre's canteen delivering the food made by the Swedish Chef to its customers.
  • Gorgon Heap (performed randomly by Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz and Jerry Nelson) - A Muppet Monster who made many appearances in the show. He is one of the Muppets who eat other Muppets.
  • Hilda (performed by Eren Ozker in an Eastern European accent) - She is the seamstress/wardrobe mistress on The Muppet Show. For the most part, she only appears in the first season of the show. She makes rare appearances as a background character later.
  • J.P. Grosse (performed by Jerry Nelson) - Scooter's uncle who owns the Muppet Theatre.
  • Lenny the Lizard (performed randomly by Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Jim HensonRichard Hunt) - A turquoise lizard who made many appearances on the show. He once auditioned for an emcee only to be dismissed by Kermit. and
  • Link Hogthrob (performed by Jim Henson) - A hunky but dim-witted pig who is the star of "Pigs in Space" and Captain of the USS Swinetrek. He also stars in "Bear On Patrol" with Fozzie Bear.
  • Luncheon Counter Monster (performed randomly by Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, and Jerry Nelson) - A hungry purple monster.
  • Lydia - A bespectacled red-haired pig.
  • Marvin Suggs (performed by Frank Oz) - The sadistic, crazed and flamboyant Muppaphonist.
  • Mary Louise (performed randomly by Fran Brill, Eren Ozker and Louise Gold) - A young Whatnot girl. She once auditioned with an unnamed frog three times only to be hooked off stage by Miss Piggy who states that she's the only one who can sing with a frog.
  • Mean Mama (performed randomly by Richard Hunt, Jim Henson, and Jerry Nelson) - A voracious brown monster who is a Full-Bodied Muppet.
  • Mildred Huxtetter (performed randomly by Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, and Frank Oz) - George's dancing partner in the "At the Dance" segments who was seen primarily in the first season.
  • Miss Kitty (performed randomly by Dave Goelz and Richard Hunt) - A purple monster who appeared occasionally. She was previously used in The Great Santa Claus Switch as one of Cosmo Scam's henchmen.
  • Miss Mousey (performed by Jerry Nelson) - A mouse who was Miss Piggy's rival for Kermit's affections. She would sometimes be paired up with Kermit in the "At the Dance" segments.
  • Ohboy Bird (performed by Richard Hunt) - A blue bird that various appearances on the show.
  • Ohreally Bird (performed by Fran Brill) - An orange bird who appeared occasionally.
  • Penguins - These characters also make recurring appearances on the show.
  • Pops (performed by Jerry Nelson) - The elderly doorman who greets the guest stars with a friendly "Who're you?"
  • Quongo the Gorilla - A wild mountain gorilla who appeared occasionally.
  • Righton Bird (performed by Dave Goelz) A purple bird who appeared occasionally.
  • Robin the Frog (performed by Jerry Nelson) - A frog who is Kermit's small nephew.
  • Sopwith the Camel - A bactrian camel who appeared occasionally. He is one of the Full-Bodied Muppets and was built by Caroly Wilcox.
  • Sundance the Lion (performed randomly by Dave Goelz and Jerry Nelson) - A lion who appeared occasionally. Although he is a Full-Bodied Muppet, he does have a Live-Hand Muppet counterpart that was used in Season 4 and 5.
  • Sweetums (performed by Richard Hunt) - A 7-foot-tall ogre-like monster who is one of the Full-Bodied Muppets. He is sometimes paired up with the other Full-Bodied Muppets.
  • The Frackles - They have been previously seen in The Great Santa Claus Switch and have been recycled here in various roles.
  • The Mutations - A trio of purple Full-Bodied Muppets. They are a parody of the music group The Temptations.
  • Thog (performed by Jerry Nelson) - A friendly 9 1/2 ft. blue monster who is one of the Full-Bodied Muppets. He is actually the biggest Muppet character on the show. His ears often go up if he's startled or excited about something. Despite his size, Thog is actually a gentle soul. He was previously used in The Great Santa Claus Switch as one of Cosmo Scam's henchmen.
  • Timmy Monster (performed randomly by Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, and Steve Whitmire) - A large green monster who is one of the Full-Bodied Muppets.
  • T.R. (performed by Jerry Nelson) - A rooster who made various appearances on the show.
  • Trolls - Three trolls appeared occasionally. One has red hair, one has green hair, and one has gray hair.
  • Uncle Deadly (performed by Jerry Nelson) - Also called "the Phantom of the Muppet Show", Uncle Deadly is a sinister blue dragon-like character who lurks around the theatre and appears occasionally on the show.
  • Wayne and Wanda - Wayne (performed by Richard Hunt) and Wanda (performed by Eren Ozker in Season One, Kathryn Mullen in Season Four) sing songs that inevitably end in disaster. It is considered an accomplishment for them to get to the chorus. They are usually introduced by Sam the Eagle as part of his idea of "good, wholesome entertainment". After a recurring run in the first season, they disappeared after Eren Ozker quit the show. Wayne still appeared occasionally as a background character or as the hero in a series of Melodrama sketches co-starring Miss Piggy and Uncle Deadly, but soon vanished as well. It was eventually revealed in the Linda Lavin episode that Kermit had fired them, but forgot why he did and decided to rehire them. Unfortunately, seconds after they started to sing, Kermit remembered why he fired them (because they were terrible) and instantly fired them again and forced them off the stage. Wayne and Wanda would reappear in The Muppets Take Manhattan as guests at the wedding of Piggy and Kermit, and Wanda was seen participating in a choir. They are a slapstick tribute to Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald.
  • Whaddayasay Bird (perfromed by Jerry Nelson) - A red bird who appeared occasionally.
  • Whatnots - A bunch of customizable puppets whose blank faces can be customized for each act. They are similar to the Anything Muppets from Sesame Street.
  • Winny (performed by Richard Hunt) - A bird who was a canteen waitress in Season Four replacing Gladys.
  • Woodland Animals - Some Woodland Animals have appeared in different sketches of this show. Among the featured Woodland Animals are:
  • Youknow Bird (performed by Jim Henson) - A pink bird who appeared occasionally.
  • Zelda Rose (performed by Louise Gold) - A tall pink Muppet.
Etichette: , , ,

Nessun commento:

Posta un commento

Grazie, i vostri commenti sono la più gradita ricompensa
Thank you, your comments are my reward

Iscriviti a: Commenti sul post (Atom)