Episode 203: Milton Berle

Fozzie Bear is so intimidated by the thought of meeting Milton Berle, "the King of Comics," that he spends the whole show hiding from the guest star. His flimsy disguises don't fool Kermit or Scooter, but when Fozzie finally overhears Milton saying that he'd like to do a song-and-dance with him, Fozzie springs out of hiding, and the pair performs "Top Banana" together in baggy pants and big shoes.
==Songs/Sketches==
* "Ugly Song" (Mean Mama, Frackles, a Warthog, a Crocodile, Miss Kitty)
* Milton's comedy act is heckled by Statler and Waldorf.
* Muppet News Flash: Contested Will 
* Pigs in Space: The Headlight on a Motorcycle
* "The Entertainer" (Milton, Rowlf the Dog, and the Muppets)
* UK Spot: "The Entertainer" (Miss Piggy)
* "Who?" (Zelda Rose and her singing owl)
* "Top Banana" (Milton and Fozzie)
==Notes==
* This is the second of three episodes where a female performer auditioned. In this episode, that performer is Abby Hadfield, who performs Zelda Rose.
* This episode features the first "Pigs in Space" sketch, and Link Hogthrob makes his debut.
* This is the first episode to present Gonzo with his new mobile eyelids.
* Berle's scene with Statler and Waldorf is derived from heckling bits Berle had used in the past, primarily his 1966 TV series where a character named Sidney Spritzer would appear in the theater box every week just to heckle him and the two would spar. 
==Episode==
Picture	Description
 	Cold Open: Scooter calls for guest star Milton Berle to "stand by for make-up!" Timmy Monster then hits Milton with a giant powder puff.
 	"The Muppet Show Theme": Gonzo's trumpet sprays water everywhere.
 	The Muppet Monsters sing "Ugly Song." A few Frackles and Mean Mama sing the praises of such ugly creatures as the crocodile and the warthog.
 	Fozzie has been hiding from his comedy idol, Milton Berle. The bear is too embarrassed to speak to him. Kermit suggests he just say hello to the comic, but Fozzie feels "Hello" is not enough, but that he should probably make a speech and grovel a lot. Fozzie runs off when Milton emerges from his dressing room. Gonzo stops by to tell Milton to "knock 'em dead" when he performs. Milton tells him not to "worry about the king," to which Gonzo replies, "I'm not. I'm worried about you!"
 	Milton tries to perform his monologue, but can't make it past the heckling of Statler and Waldorf. Finally, when Milton is fed up with their antics, Gonzo enters and offers to "help him out." When Milton accepts his help, Gonzo asks, "Which way did you come in?"
 	Muppet News Flash: The Newsman reports on the battle over Mary Crandall's will between Her son Charles and her cat Cuteypie. Her son was awarded the full estate of 10,000 rubber mice.
 	Pigs in Space: The crew sees a white light heading straight at them. Miss Piggy suggests that it looks like the headlight on a motorcycle. The intrepid and well-fed Link Hogthrob doesn't believe her, but seventeen seconds later, Gonzo drives right by the Swinetrek on his motorcycle. When the indignant Link leaves the bridge, he gets his nose slammed in the closing doors and sets off the Stuck Pig Alarm.
 	Fozzie is still trying to hide from Milton Berle. As he thinks about how funny Milton is, he gets his nose stuck in a door, a gag which Kermit points out was already used in Pigs in Space.
 	With Rowlf the Dog at the piano, Milton sings "The Entertainer." Curiously, Fozzie, hiding however from Milton, is in the chorus.
 	UK Spot: Piggy sings a reprise of "The Entertainer," a much more upbeat, snappier rendition of the song.
 	Fozzie's latest attempt to hide from Milton Berle doesn't work out so well. Scooter recognizes him instantly. Fozzie is so upset, he wishes he could go lie down. The only reason he doesn't is that Scooter is standing on his beard.
 	Zelda Rose and her Singing Owl perform "Who?"
 	Kermit, trying to cover for Fozzie, informs Milton that he is in Death Valley gathering material for his act. When Milton reveals that he has always wanted to do a song and dance with Fozzie, the bear immediately reveals himself to Milton. Continuing Kermit's earlier charade, Fozzie says that it is "too hot to be funny in Death Valley."
 	Milton and Fozzie sing "Top Banana," performing a lot of Vaudeville schtick with it.
 	At the closing, Fozzie tells Kermit that he and Milton are now best friends. "From now on," he says, "it's the Bear and the Berle!" Milton corrects him, "Wrong. It's the Berle and the Bear."
==Edits==
*On Nickelodeon, the Muppet News Flash sketch and the second backstage scene (following the UK Spot) were cut.
==Cast==
Muppets: 
:Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Rowlf the Dog, Statler and Waldorf, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Timmy Monster, Mean Mama, Snake Frackle, Blue Frackle, Crocodile, Warthog, The Newsman, Zelda Rose, Singing Owl
Background Muppets:
:Green Bird Frackle, Green Frackle, Miss Kitty, Lydia, Whatnots, Beautiful Day Monster
==Performers==
:Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Waldorf, Link Hogthrob, Timmy Monster, The Newsman, Mean Mama, and Blue Frackle
:Frank Oz as Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and Crocodile
:Jerry Nelson as Dr. Strangepork, the Announcer, and the Singing Owl
:Richard Hunt as Statler, Scooter, and Snake Frackle
:Dave Goelz as Gonzo and Warthog
:Abby Hadfield as Zelda Rose and Green Frackle (uncredited)
==Gallery==
TMS203-BerleGroup.jpg
File:Milton_Berle01.jpg
File:Entertainer01.jpg
File:TMS203-ZeldaOwl.jpg
File:Milton_Berle02.jpg|This press photo was later used in Episode 412: Phyllis George
File:BerleandFozzie_small.jpg
__NOWYSIWYG__
203