The Muppets: "Single All The Way"

Premiered December 8, 2015.
(Note:The Muppets was a TV series that aired for sixteen episodes on ABC during the 2015-16 TV season.)

Christmas is approaching and the cast and crew of Up Late With Miss Piggy are busily preparing the live Christmas episode.  Fozzie Bear (Eric Jacobson), who serves as the show's announcer, can't focus because his girlfriend Becky has recently dumped him.  He is supposed to play Santa Claus in the episode, but Fozzie can't stop crying about the break-up.

Miss Piggy's (Jacobson) special guest star Mindy Kaling is being difficult.  Kaling is a terrible singer, but she insists on performing a Christmas song with Piggy.

Sam Eagle (Jacobson), the show's head of Broadcast Standards and Practices, is interested in dating Janice (David Rudman), the show's lead guitarist.  He camps out by the mistletoe for the purpose of "jump-starting" a relationship with Janice.  This does not go the way Sam hopes.

Meanwhile, Yolanda the rat (Julianne Buescher) has rigged the "Secret Santa" gift exchange so that she will get every gift. The previous Christmas, Yolanda was left off the list and received no present.

The star of the show, Miss Piggy, is also having some holiday problems.  She's nervous about attending George Clooney's ugly Christmas sweater party.  Piggy doesn't think her sweater is ugly enough.  She is also upset about being alone during the Christmas season, since she and Kermit the frog (Steve Whitmire) have recently broken up.

In the middle of it all is Kermit the frog (Steve Whitmire), executive producer of Up Late.  He's got to help Fozzie to get in touch with the Christmas spirit, soothe Mindy Kaling's ego and get everyone to work together to make it through the holiday episode.

Shortly before airtime, Kermit learns that Miss Piggy is having an emotional breakdown and is unable to go onstage.  If the star of the show won't go on, they literally have no show to put on the air!

Can Kermit get everyone to pull it together before the live showtime arrives?  Will Yolanda's attempt to rule the gift exchange backfire?

J.A. Morris says:
I watched every episode of this series and generally enjoyed it during its brief run, but I can understand why it was short-lived.  I think the main reasons it didn't last was that the creative team couldn't didn't know how to appeal to kids and adults at the same time (a hallmark of earlier Muppet productions) This often resulted in flat storytelling.

However, "Single All The Way" is a fun episode and it's one of the best episodes of the series.  It's got some entertaining holiday tropes, like a gift exchange gone awry. The "Christmas episode within a Christmas episode" gives it an interesting "meta" quality.  It also touches on more serious topics like loneliness during the holidays, which Miss Piggy and Fozzy are facing.  Mindy Kaling is funny and plays off the Muppets very nicely.

 While it's not as good as earlier Muppet holiday offerings (like Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas or Muppet Family Christmas), "Single All The Way" ends with a an all-hands-on-deck singalong of "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year," which reminded me of those classic Muppets holiday offerings.

 "Single All The Way" is recommended to all Muppets fans and it also works as an introductory episode to this series.

J.A. Morris' rating;

3 candy canes.

RigbyMel says:

 

I am always happy for more Muppets content and quite enjoyed "Single All The Way" overall. 

It has a lot going for it in terms of festive fun -  Secret Santa mix ups (Yolande's scheme is diabolical), finding excuses to stand under mistletoe, a bit of humor, a bit of pathos and lots of good cheer.  

Plus, some of the slightly newer secondary characters like Uncle Deadly and Pepe the King Prawn get a chance to shine in this episode as well as others in the rest of this series.

As J.A. Morris mentions above, the writing on "The Muppets" series is a little bit uneven - but I think this is the case with most post-Henson projects with our favorite fuzzy friends.  It does not mean that there's nothing to enjoy here, though!

It's a shame this particular series was never allowed to really get into a flow before being cancelled. 

"Single All The Way" is a nice addition to your Muppet holiday viewing if you feel so inclined. 

RigbyMel's rating:  

3 candy canes. 

Dennis The Menace: "Father's Day for Mr. Wilson"

 
Premiered June 18, 1961. 

It's Father's Day and Dennis Mitchell (Jay North) has spent the day celebrating with his father Henry (Herbert Anderson).  Dennis has given his father a hat as a present and served him his favorite meal, "hot dogs and three kinds of ice cream (which also "just happens" to be Dennis' favorite meal!)."  

That evening, the Mitchells host their neighbors, Mr. George Wilson (Joseph Kearns) and his wife Martha (Sylvia Field) for dinner.  Mr. Wilson is worried about a pending lawsuit involving his dog Fremont.  The pooch bit a neighbor known as "Old Man Hatch" and Wilson fears hew will be forced to pay for Hatch's injuries.  However, Dennis witnessed the biting and says Fremont was kicked by Hatch, which led to the biting.  Mr. Wilson realizes that he'll need Dennis' help to get out of the lawsuit.  

The Mitchells feel bad for Mr. Wilson, who has no children and hasn't experienced the joys of Father's Day.  Dennis decides he will make the following day a special Father's Day for Mr. Wilson.

The boy wakes up Wilson the next morning at the crack of dawn and wishes him a Happy Father's Day. He presents Mr. Wilson with same he gave to his father.

Dennis says he will stay with Mr. Wilson every minute of the day.  They have breakfast together, Dennis gets Wilson a pipe (filled with tobacco...and grass) and gets him the morning paper, ripping it in the process.  

Mr. Wilson wants to dismiss Dennis, but his wife reminds him that Dennis is his key to winning the dog-biting lawsuit.  

Will Mr. Wilson survive his first Father's Day?  Can Dennis help Mr. Wilson win his lawsuit?  

J.A. Morris' says:

Dennis The Menace was a series I watched frequently back when it was featured regularly on Nickelodeon's Nick At Nite block, but this was the first time I'd watched the show in years.

"Father's Day for Mr. Wilson" is a fairly typical episode of Dennis The Menace.  Dennis unintentionally does something that gets under Mr. Wilson's skin and hijinks ensue.  Except in this case, Father's Day sets all the action in motion.  It's basically fun episode, Dennis' Father's Day gestures are sweet and Jay North makes them feel believable.  He genuinely sympathizes with Mr. Wilson and wants him to know how it feels to celebrate Father's Day.  

There is a nice scene where Mr. Wilson reads the "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip to Dennis and provides the barks for Annie's dog Sandy.  It's a nice showcase of Joseph Kearns' talents and he seems to be enjoying himself.  To modern audiences, this scenes might feel sort of "meta," since it features characters adapted from a comic strip reading a comic strip!

I won't spoil the ending of "Father's Day For Mr. Wilson" and tell you what happens with Old Man Hatch's dog-biting lawsuit.  I will say that the Wilsons' dog Fremont is cute, so dog lovers of all ages will probably appreciate that.  

I also enjoyed this episode because, let's face it, there aren't many Father's Day episodes.  This is probably due to the fact that Father's Day takes place in June, when most TV seasons have ended.  This episode actually aired on Father's Day in 1961.  So I'm always happy to discover any Father's Day episodes.  

While it's mostly harmless fun, like most episodes of 1950s/early-60s sitcoms, the storyline isn't particularly deep.

If you've ever been a fan of Dennis Mitchell's adventures in the funny papers or its live action adaptation, you'll enjoy "Father's Day For Mr. Wilson."  

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 Father's Day neckties.

RigbyMel says:

Like J.A. Morris, I was familiar with the Dennis the Menace tv series because of its inclusion in the Nick at Nite programming block back in the mid-1980s.  

"Father's Day for Mr. Wilson" is a cute episode of this rather innocuous sitcom from the late 1950s/early 1960s.     

Both Henry and Mr. Wilson are pretty tolerant (although Mr. Wilson's movtivation is a touch more self-interested)  of Dennis's tender ministrations - including a terrible hat (which at least is a bit different than a necktie, so points to Dennis for creativity!), since they realize that his efforts come from a place of love and admiration.   

Viewers today may find that Joseph Kearns, who played Mr. Wilson, sounds a bit familiar.  This is likely because he also provided the voice for the Doorknob in the 1951 Disney version of Alice in Wonderland. 

This is a sweet episode of a series and an enjoyable (rare) Father's Day TV sitcom episode.  

RigbyMel's rating: 

3 Father's Day neckties. 

M*A*S*H: "April Fools"

Premiered March 24, 1980.

"The festive spirit of April Fool can scarcely be contained within a mere 24-hour period."

-Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester

In the midst of the Korean War, at the 4077th M*A*S*H unit, army doctors Capt. "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda), Capt. B.J. Honeycutt (Mike Farrell), Maj. Charles E. Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) and Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan) are feeling more down and disillusioned than usual about their wartime surroundings.  Their mood is brightened when a package from B.J.'s wife arrives containing brownies and a can of pralines.  Charles is particularly excited about opening a can of pralines, only to be shocked when he learns...

...the can contains rubber novelty snakes!  

At that exact moment, nurse Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Loretta Swit) screams in horror when she finds dead minnows in her pocket!  Winchester takes credit for the fish and he says it's an April Fool's Day prank, even though April 1 hasn't arrived.  

Col. Potter says they can prank each other, but he wants nothing to do with the seasonal festivities.  The April Fool's pranks continue the next morning when Hawkeye wakes up to find oatmeal in his boot (courtesy of Maj. Houlihan).

The humorous atmosphere is broken up when Potter learns his M*A*S*H unit will receive a visit from Col. Daniel Webster Tucker (Pat Hingle), who Potter calls "lord high executioner of the surgeon general's office!"  Col. Tucker will be inspecting their medical facilities and he's a stickler for details who does not suffer (April) fools gladly.  Potter orders his company clerk Cpl. Max Klinger (Jamie Farr) to organize files and order every medical supply he can think of.  

Potter fears that a failed inspection from Tucker will hurt his career and bans April Fool's pranks until Tucker has departed.  However, Charles, B.J. and Hawkeye decide to pull one last prank on Margaret.

Klinger has a history of dressing in women's clothes in order to get a Section 8 discharge from the Army.  After getting some advice from Sgt. Luther Rizzo (G.W. Bailey), Klinger decides his ticket out of the military is to act like the world's greatest soldier in front of Tucker and then go back to his old methods.  

Later on, Margaret's tent is ransacked by the doctors.  Col. Tucker arrives to witness Houlihan swinging a pillow at the pranksters. 

Potter is furious at them for continuing their April Fool's activity.  Tucker is disgusted by everything he sees, with the exception of Klinger...

...who has put on a dress uniform and transformed himself into a model soldier.  

The next morning, Tucker observes the nurses and doctors during surgery and tells them he is not impressed.  Hawkeye gets fed up and confronts Tucker directly when he interferes with Pierce's patient.  The others back up Hawkeye and ask Tucker to back off.  Tucker accuses them of conduct unbecoming officers and gross insubordination and plans to court-martial them.  

When Tucker visits Klinger, he is instead greeted by Cleopatra!  Tucker believes Klinger has lost his mind and needs to be discharged and sent home.  Potter is NOT amused.  

Facing a court-martial, Hawkeye believes they have nothing left to lose and he decides to cook up the mother of all April Fool's Day pranks for Col Tucker.  Charles is ready to "nail the swine."   

Will Hawkeye and friends be court-martialed?  Will Klinger get the discharge he's been chasing for years?  

J.A. Morris says:
First off, let me say that I'm excited to announce that this is our first review of April Fool's Day programming!

M*A*S*H was a big part of my childhood TV viewing (I can recall a few nights when I watched 3 different episodes in syndicated reruns), but I’d forgotten about “April Fools” until I stumbled on a re-run a few years ago.  It’s a good episode of M*A*S*H and there aren’t many April Fool’s Day episodes, so it was nice to rediscover it.  

Father Mulcahy (William Christopher) becomes an April Fool's victim when his bathrobe is replaced with a house frock!

M*A*S*H was a series that started out as a more traditional comedy but it gradually shifted to more serious comic-drama format during its later seasons.  “April Fools” shows that M*A*S*H could still pull off the sillier episodes during the show’s 8th season.  Alan Alda cackles in a way that’s more reminiscent of Hawkeye’s earlier less-evolved stage.  

Harry Morgan has some great scenes in “April Fools.”  Col. Potter gets more exasperated with every prank.  Potter was always a nice guy, but his worries about his career being jeopardized by the doctors’ pranks are justified.  

It's also fun to see the straight-laced Margaret and stick-in-the-mud Winchester take part in the pranks.  

In addition to the M*A*S*H series regulars, “April Fools” features guest star Pat Hingle as Col. Tucker. 

Hingle was a recognizable and prolific character actor who appeared in lots of memorable movies like On The Waterfront, Hang ‘Em High, Splendor In The Grass, Norma Rae, Sudden Impact and he portrayed Commissioner Gordon in four Batman movies.  On the holiday films front, Hingle played the Ghost of Christmas Present in Carol For Another Christmas. 

"April Fools" is a fun episode of a classic series and I believe it'll be something I watch around April Fool's Day every year from now on.

J.A. Morris' rating:

.5

3 and a half April Fool's Day whoopee cushions.

RigbyMel says: 

I've definitely watched a few M*A*S*H reruns in my time and was delighted to learn of this prank-filled April Fool's Day episode.   

One of the basic tenants of the M*A*S*H series is that the medical team uses pranks and humor as a way to cope with the horrors of war, and this episode uses April Fools Day as a means to crank up the stakes a bit in this instance - I found myself genuinely worried that our heroes would be facing court martial and jail for taking on a spit and polish stickler for the rules like Col. Tucker.  

Here we see Klinger literally clinging to Col. Tucker in his Cleopatra get-up (said costume is likely inspired by the 1934 film Cleopatra, which starred Claudette Colbert) 

Some of the pranks on offer in this episode are truly impressive.  For instance, one wonders how Hawkeye et al succeeded in absconding with Maj. Houlihan's tent undetected. 

In point of fact, the folks of the 4077th draw the festivities out over a couple of days which is NOT traditional in terms of April Fool's Day celebrations.  But in a war situation, you've got to do what you've got to do to stay sane, I guess.  

Seeing the gang try to one up each other feels very "on brand" for the show and the April Fools milieu makes for an extra funny episode of a great TV series thanks to the ensemble cast's comedic timing and skill.  

Like J.A. Morris, I rather suspect this will become regular springtime viewing. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 April Fool's Day whoopee cushions (no fooling!)