Blackouts

Blackouts are short, comic sketches traditional to vaudeville that end with the lights turning off or a quick closing of the curtain. With the advent of television, shows like Laugh-In could follow a punchline with a jump cut to the next sketch (or to a commercial) instead of actually blacking out the lights.
A series of blackouts appeared on the first season of The Muppet Show. They took place in front of a backdrop that had a fountain painted on it. These skits each featured the guest star with a variety of Muppets.
==Sketches==
Picture	Episode 	Description
 	Episode 101:Juliet Prowse 	Zoot has a question for Juliet Prowse: "What has one eye, sharp teeth and is long and fuzzy?" Juliet doesn't know and neither does Zoot, but it's a Muppet Monster that she's wearing as a boa.
 	Episode 103:Joel Grey 	Joel Grey has gotten a new car and offers to take Gonzo for a "spin", but Gonzo takes him literally.
 	Episode 106:Jim Nabors 	Jim Nabors wishes Animal luck by telling him to "break a leg."
 	Episode 107:Florence Henderson	Sweetums literally falls for Florence Henderson.
 	Episode 108:Paul Williams 	Paul Williams explains that one reason he agreed to be a guest star is that it gives him the chance to be the tallest person on the show. Sweetums, Thog, and one of the Mutations prove him wrong.
 	Episode 110:Harvey Korman 	T.R. leads the Muppet chickens, and a chicken-suit-clad Harvey Korman, in a march.
 	Episode 111:Lena Horne 	Lena Horne tries to ask Animal where her key is, until he uses a mallet to smash her foot.
 	Episode 117:Ben Vereen 	Ben Vereen gets sent flying onto the rafters by Crazy Harry's explosion.
 	Episode 118:Phyllis Diller 	Phyllis Diller has her own pocket camera. When Gonzo asks what pictures she took, they were of pockets.
 	Episode 119:Vincent Price 	Vincent Price has to carry a load of wardrobe. Sweetums offers to give him "a hand".
 	Episode 122:Ethel Merman 	Ethel Merman tells Hilda about a mouse in her dressing room, and wonders whether she's on a show or in a zoo... then she meets Animal.
==See also==
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Category: Muppet Show Recurring Sketches