Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
From Christmas Specials Wiki
| |
| Directed by: | Jim Henson |
| Written by: | Jerry Juhl |
| Release date: | 1977 |
| Running time: | 52 minutes (uncut) |
| Characters: | |
| Merchandise: | |
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is a one-hour Christmas special which first aired on HBO in 1977. The special first aired on a broadcast network on ABC on December 15, 1980.
Contents |
Story
In this one-hour musical Christmas special, Kermit the Frog narrates the story of Alice Otter and her son, Emmet, who live along the river in the village of Frogtown Hollow. Ma and Emmet struggle to make ends meet through odd jobs and projects for neighbors and villagers, but this Christmas they dream of having enough money to buy each other a special gift. Known for their musical abilities, the Otters are encouraged by their friends to enter a local talent contest. The mother and son reminisce about Pa Otter, who serves as the inspiration for them to enter the show.
Without each other's knowledge, Ma and Emmet prepare for the contest in the hope of winning the fifty-dollar prize to buy Christmas gifts for each other. Emmet performs as a member of the Frogtown Jubilee Jug Band, and Ma Otter sings a solo number, but both face tough competition from a hard rock group formed by a gang of woodland creatures who call themselves the Riverbottom Nightmare Band.
Songs
The songs for Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas were written by Paul Williams, who is known for his 1970s pop hits "(Just an) Old-Fashioned Love Song" and "We've Only Just Begun." Williams wrote songs for the Muppets in two later productions -- The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992).
- The Bathing Suit That Grandma Otter Wore: A standard "keeping warm while you're rowing song," affectionately mocking Emmet's grandmother and her oversized swimwear.
- There Ain't No Hole in the Washtub: Ma and Emmet sing this song to cheer themselves up after thinking about their dear departed Pa Otter.
- When the River Meets the Sea: A gospel number sung by Ma and Emmet, about the hope of redemption.
- Bar-B-Que: A rousing song rehearsed by Emmet's Frogtown Jubilee Jug Band. The band plans to perform this song at Waterville's annual Christmas Eve talent show, but another entrant, Yancey Woodchuck, steals their thunder by singing the song before Emmet's band comes on.
- Riverbottom Nightmare Band: A menacing song sung by the Riverbottom Nightmare Band, about how bad and disrespectful they are.
- Brothers: The song that the Frogtown Jubilee Jug Band performs at the talent show. It's a good song, but it's missing something.
- Our World: The song that Ma Otter sings at the talent show. At the end of the special, Ma and Emmet's band sing both songs, blending them into a harmony.
Behind-the-Scenes
The special utilizes a number of different puppetry methods. The main puppets used are the usual Muppet hand puppets, but the characters are frequently represented by marionettes as well. It also utilizes the Bunraku and Black Theater techniques. This is also one of the first Muppet productions to use radio control puppet effects, designed by Faz Fazakas.
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas also featured extensively platformed-up sets, all created with great attention to detail. Jim Henson explained:
| Emmet Otter was the first time we had gotten into those kind of elaborate sets where we had floors in the interiors and we would take a wide-angle shot with characters coming up through holes in the floor. Or we'd cut into the set and remove the floor and have the characters moving through space in waist shots. That was the most elaborate production we had gotten into at that point. Frog Prince had been platformed-up and The Muppet Show was always platformed-up, but in Emmet Otter... we'd go right into a scene. We'd have the whole set in three dimensions... rigged so we could pop parts and come out through the openings, which is really time consuming... [1]
| 
|
Reviews
John J. O'Connor gave the special a very positive review in The New York Times on December 15, 1980 for its ABC airing: "Jim Henson and the Muppets are on a dazzling winning streak these days... Mr. Henson has produced and directed one of the most charming Christmas specials of the last several years... Once again, Mr. Henson's creations verge on the marvelous, perfectly capturing the Wind in the Willows aspects of Emmet Otter's story... These really are the nicest folk on the river -- and on prime-time television."
Video Releases
In 2005, HIT Entertainment released Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas: Collector's Edition featuring "Never-Before-Seen Footage," an in-depth documentary and other new bonus features.
Cast
- Jerry Nelson: Emmet Otter, Doc Bullfrog, Weasel, Yancey Woodchuck, Melissa Rabbit
- Marilyn Sokol: Ma Otter
- Jim Henson: Kermit the Frog, Harvey, Snake, Harrison Fox
- Frank Oz: Chuck
- Dave Goelz: Wendell Porcupine, Pop-eyed Catfish, Will Possum
- Richard Hunt: Charlie, Lizard, George Rabbit
- Eren Ozker: Gretchen Fox, Hetty Muskrat, Old Lady Possum
Credits
- Executive Producer: David Lazer
- Producer/Director: Jim Henson
- Based on the Book by: Russell and Lillian Hoban
- Writer: Jerry Juhl
- Music and Lyrics by: Paul Williams
- Muppet Creative Consultants: Michael K. Frith and Frank Oz
- Muppet Performers: Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Marilyn Sokol, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Eren Ozker
Sources
- ↑ Jim Henson: The Works, by Christopher Finch. 1993, Random House. p. 199, 202
External links
| Muppets | |||
|
