Few performers have been able to bring puppets to life like the legendary Frank Oz, who imbues characters like Yoda, Cookie Monster, and Miss Piggy with so much vitality they are as authentic as any of their human counterparts. But this hilarious behind-the-scenes blooper reel from Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas shows his magic isn’t limited to only what we see onscreen, because his characters are never more relatable than when they’re dealing with the aggravation of a never-ending day of filming.
Thanks to Twitter user TheMilanTooner the internet rediscovered a Blu-ray gem from the 1977 TV Christmas special this week. In it, a small drum refuses to roll out of a door and come to a rest the way Jim Henson wants. Over and over….and over and over and over again the little prop wouldn’t cooperate, requiring more than 200 takes before they got something they could be happy with. The only thing that makes it tolerable–and laugh out loud funny–is Frank Oz (working as Ma Otter’s puppeteer and temporary voice) and Jerry Nelson as Emmet reacting like two real actors who are exhausted from doing the scene repeatedly.
Make sure you watch the whole thing, because it just gets more and more hysterical the longer it goes.
That’s one of the funniest Muppets clips we’ve ever seen. It’s remarkable they were to keep a sense of humor about the whole thing and stay in-character as though the puppets were actual actors.
No wonder someone like Frank Oz is so good at bringing his characters to life on screen. They’re totally alive between takes too, especially when they need 200 of them.
What other Muppets would you love to see deal with this kind of filming snafu? Tell us yours in the comments below.
Featured Image: The Jim Henson Company
More muppets!
- Watch the trailer for Frank Oz’s Muppet Guys.
- Write about the rainbow connection with a Kermit-inspired font.
- The Dark Crystal is coming to Netflix.
