Episode 206: Nancy Walker

When Kermit gets sick with the swine flu and leaves Fozzie in charge of the show, everything goes wrong. A Crazy Harry number ends with a hole blown in the theater wall. At the Dance and Veterinarian's Hospital go on simultaneously. Fozzie even forgets the guest star's name. Kermit shows up just in time to give Nancy "one decent introduction," but he sneezes in the middle of it.
==Songs/Sketches==
* "Night Train"
* The Luncheon Counter sketch
* Veterinarian's Hospital: At the Dance
* UK Spot: "My Old Dutch"
* A man listens to the singing of several birds
* Guest Star's Dressing Room: "Pick Yourself Up"
* Sam the Eagle gives an editorial about nudity.
* "They Can't Take That Away from Me"
==Notes==
*Jim Henson had to leave early during the taping of this episode, and ironically, the show's writers and producers had trouble figuring out how to do certain scenes in a way similar to how Fozzie was struggling to run the show. Of Muppets And Men, Book, 1981 
*The Giant Chicken seen in this episode was the same chicken costume that Harvey Korman was outfitted in when he guest starred in episode 110.
*This episode marks the first time that The Swedish Chef appeared outside his own sketches.
*Despite being sick during most of the episode, Kermit was apparently well enough to do his usual duties in the opening theme.
==Episode==
Picture	Description
 	Cold Open: Scooter calls for guest star Nancy Walker to stand by... but she can't even stand up.
 	"The Muppet Show Theme": Gonzo's trumpet fires off two gun shots.
 	At the show's opening, Fozzie Bear comes onstage to announce that Kermit has just phoned to say that he is sick, and has thus left Fozzie in charge. With a little help from Scooter, Fozzie barely (get it?) makes it through the introductions.
 	Crazy Harry and a troop of Whatnot soldiers blow up houses, trees and airplanes to the tune of "Night Train."
 	As Fozzie assures Kermit that everything at the theater is going fine, Gonzo informs the Bear that there is nothing onstage and no one in the audience. Fozzie rushes to call the audience back and introduce their guest star.
 	Fozzie introduces the next sketch featuring the "incredibly talented, unforgettable..." and forgets Nancy Walker's name. When Fozzie realizes that he is also in the sketch, he calls Scooter out to stall while he gets in his costume. Scooter does so by trying to sell magazine subscriptions to the audience.
 	Fozzie tries to serve Nancy at a luncheon counter, but every time he does, Luncheon Counter Monster eats what he brings to her.
 	Backstage, Fozzie overhears Gonzo telling Kermit about everything that has been going wrong on the show, and moves quickly to stop him. When Fozzie leaves to introduce the next sketch, Miss Piggy picks up the phone to tell Kermit that she'll be dedicating the hospital sketch to him. Rowlf the Dog arrives to inform Piggy that they can't do the hospital sketch, because Fozzie has just introduced At the Dance.
 	And so, both sketches go forth. Veterinarian's Hospital: At the Dance. The hospital crew and the dancers make jokes about each other, and Fozzie peeks out of the door, realizing he messed up.
 	With the show falling apart, it appears to Fozzie that things couldn't possibly get worse. Then he finds out that the crew is threatening to walk out... starting with Harvey, the guy in lighting.
 	UK Spot: Berlington Bertie sings "My Old Dutch," assisted by Rowlf on the piano. The song even brings Statler and Waldorf to tears.
 	A man listens to the singing of several birds, including his own pet bird that's in a cage, until a Giant Chicken crashes through his wall and puts him in the cage.
 	In Nancy's dressing room, Fozzie tries to reassure Nancy that the show is on the right track again, but he has trouble convincing himself. Nancy tries to cheer Fozzie up by singing "Pick Yourself Up." It works until Nancy reminds Fozzie that its just a song, and the show is actually in a lot of trouble.
 	Sam the Eagle gives an editorial about nudity, complaining that underneath their clothing the entire population of the world is naked. Sam's editorial comes to an end when he realizes that underneath his feathers, he, too, is naked.
 	Back in Nancy's dressing room, Miss Piggy pops in to borrow a brush. When Nancy allows this, Piggy starts to talk about how motherly Nancy is, mirroring the roles she plays on television. Nancy tries to correct her, but is interrupted by a phone call from Kermit. Nancy offers the sick Frog some motherly advice. Their conversation is cut short, however, when Miss Piggy learns that Kermit claims to have swine flu.
 	Backstage, Fozzie tells Scooter that he feels too ashamed to go back out onstage. Scooter offers Fozzie a letter from Nancy Walker to cheer him up, which reads: "Dear Fozzie, I just want to tell you what a pleasure it was to work with you on your show. You're really terrific. The frog's been holding you back." Now ready for his introduction, Fozzie goes to the stage, leaving the note behind for Scooter to read. Of course, Scooter doesn't have to read it since he wrote it.
 	Gonzo interrupts Fozzie's introduction to remind him not to forget Nancy Walker's name this time, even offering Fozzie a few "helpful" suggestions for remembering it. Fozzie assures Gonzo that he will not forget their guest star's name... and then forgets to introduce her.
 	Sweetums joins Nancy for the closing number, singing and dancing together to "They Can't Take That Away from Me."
 	At the closing, Kermit shows up to give Nancy Walker at least one good introduction... but he messes it up. Additionally, Nancy gets back at Fozzie by forgetting his name.
==Edits==
* CTS: The UK Spot "My Old Dutch" is cut.
* Nickelodeon: Sam's speech on nudity was cut.
==Cast==
Muppets:
:Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Rowlf, Statler and Waldorf, Timmy Monster, Crazy Harry, Luncheon Counter Monster, The Swedish Chef, Janice, Floyd Pepper, Berlington Bertie, Canary, Harold, Clyde, Shirley, Ronald Duck, Mel, Giant Chicken, Sam the Eagle, Sweetums
Background Muppets:
:Pigs, Chickens, Shakey Sanchez, Zelda Rose, Whatnots, Zoot
Photographed Muppets:
:The Snowths 
==Performers==
:Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Swedish Chef, and Waldorf
:Frank Oz as Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and Sam the Eagle
:Jerry Nelson as Whatnot Commander, Floyd Pepper, Floyd's dancing partner, Shirley, and the Announcer
:Richard Hunt as Scooter, Janice, Sweetums, Chicken, and Statler
:Dave Goelz as Gonzo, Luncheon Counter Monster, Whatnot Dancer, and Mel
==Gallery==
File:NancyWalkerTMS-FozzieGonzoPhone.jpg
File:Richard-NurseJanice-BTS.jpg
File:Nancy_Walker04.jpg
File:Nancy_Walker01.jpg
File:Nancy_Walker05.jpg
File:Nancy_Walker03.jpg
==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
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