Episode 314: Harry Belafonte

Despite Kermit's insistence that everything on the show is spontaneous, Fozzie Bear decides it needs scripts. He tries his hand at scripting the show while it's actually going on, but his scripts are extremely confusing. He gives up when his tie gets caught in the typewriter.
==Songs/Sketches==
* "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)"
* "Tea for Two"
* Pigs in Space: (Dissolvatron)
* UK Spot: "Honeysuckle Rose"
* A drum battle with Harry Belafonte and Animal.
* Muppet Sports
* "Turn the World Around"
==Background==
This was the first episode to be taped after filming The Muppet Movie.
This episode represented one of the closest collaborations between The Muppet Show creative team and the guest star. This was contrary to the norm, where generally, apart from asking the guests if they wanted to work with a specific character, the scripts were shaped entirely by the writers. Jim Henson recalled the process:
Belafonte himself spoke in detail about the experience: 
Belafonte compiled a tape of songs from around the world, and selected four to discuss with Henson and David Lazer. "Turn the World Around" was selected, and designers at The Muppet Workshop did background research on African masks, to serve as the chorus. While these would be patterned very closely on real African masks, Henson was very particular about selecting the final designs, since as Belafonte recalled, "he didn't want to cause offense by choosing masks that would have some religious or national significance."
In addition to "Turn the World Around," Henson had pointed out to Belafonte that standard material was also required, to help entice the audience. Thus, it was agreed that Belafonte would sing his hit "Banana Boat" and "have a drum duel with Animal, because Animal is a favorite character of mine."
Belafonte felt that the first script read-through was "so dry, so dull, so wrong." When the second read-through was performed with the puppets, everything came together. One scene which was cut from the final episode required Belafonte to argue with one of the Muppets: 
This "Turn the World Around" number has since become a favorite clip, used in documentaries like The World of Jim Henson, to illustrate that The Muppet Show could address wider concerns and seriousness. Belafonte also sang "Turn The World Around" at Jim Henson's memorial.
==Episode==
Picture	Description
 	Guest star Harry Belafonte believes someone in the theater has been putting him down, telling Scooter what they said: “Don’t go inside that dressing room! Crazy Harry’s in there!” Scooter assures Harry that they weren’t talking about him, but by the time he realizes what they were talking about, the real Crazy Harry has blown up the dressing room.
 	”The Muppet Show Theme”: A small spot flies out of Gonzo’s trumpet, buzzing around his head like a bee.
 	Kermit the Frog introduces the show with a script by Fozzie Bear: “Lagies and genglefenz, welcone again ty the Muppel Shox. My name is Kermit the Forg… and our spegial guest stap is the amazing Hapry Belaf-“
 	Fozzie interrupts Harry's first rendition of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” on TV, bringing in a pig chorus, offering to be the tally bear, and trying to get bananas from Beauregard, who brings onions, eggplants, and pineapples instead. Eventually, some giant bananas are brought in by Sweetums.
 	Backstage, Fozzie writes the script for the following musical number so as to leave nothing to chance: “Curtains open. Lew Zealand and Rowlf do something funny. Curtains close.”
 	Rowlf and Lew Zealand sing “Tea for Two” backwards.
 	Pigs in Space: Dr. Julius Strangepork's Dissolvatron malfunctions, switching the minds of Piggy and Link Hogthrob, Strangepork and Janice, and Kermit and the Swedish Chef.
 	UK Spot: Zoot and Floyd play "Honeysuckle Rose", but are bothered by a bee. Zoot eventually sucks the bee in through his saxophone, spitting it out at the end of the song.
 	Harry and Animal perform a drum battle. At the end, they both pass out.
 	As Fozzie is writing the script, his tie gets stuck in the typewriter. When Rowlf hears that Fozzie is “stuck,” he assumes that he must have writer’s block and tries to help him out. He checks on Fozzie’s progress, yanking the paper from the typewriter and pulling Fozzie’s tie through with it.
 	In Muppet Sports, Louis Kazagger presents the blindfold sprint, in which every runner is blindfolded and can't see the finish line.
 	Depressed that he’s getting nowhere with his writing, Fozzie asks Harry for advice. Harry tells him about his inspiration for writing songs, specifically the next number. He tells Fozzie of an African storyteller who spoke of African mythology, how the elements turn the world around. He tells of how there is very little difference in any of us, and we have to take the time out to understand each other. “Together we can turn the world around.”
 	Harry sings "Turn the World Around", a song about the interconnection between fire, water, mountain and spirit, accompanied by Muppets based on African masks.
 	The song continues to play over the show’s closing and credits—and even Statler and Waldorf are singing along!
==Edits==
* Nickelodeon: Muppet Sports was cut.
==Cast==
Muppets:
:Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Rowlf the Dog, Louis Kazagger, Lew Zealand, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Beauregard, African Masks, Floyd Pepper, Zoot, Statler and Waldorf, Janice, The Swedish Chef, Scooter, Crazy Harry, Animal
Background Muppets:
:Sweetums, Pigs, Zelda Rose, Gonzo, Eric the Parrot, Whatnots, Tarantula, Bee
==Performers==
:Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Link Hogthrob, Waldorf and the Swedish Chef
:Frank Oz as Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and Animal
:Jerry Nelson as Lew Zealand, Louis Kazagger, Floyd Pepper, Dr. Strangepork, African Mask, Eric the Parrot, the Tarantula and the Announcer
:Richard Hunt as Scooter, Statler, Sweetums, Janice, African Mask and a Pig
:Dave Goelz as Gonzo and Beauregard
:Louise Gold as African Mask
:Bob Payne as others
==Gallery==
File:Belafonte07.jpg
File:Belafonte04.jpg
File:Belafonte09.jpg
File:Belafonte03.jpg
File:Belafonte06.jpg
File:Belafonte08.jpg
File:Belafonte05.jpg
File:Belafonte01.jpg
File:Harry_Belafonte.jpeg
File:Belafonte02.jpg
File:Harry Belafonte TMS finale.jpg
==Sources==
==External links==
*Falk, Karen. "Jim Henson's Red Book", 9/6/1978 - Meet with Harry Belafonte to work on his piece for Muppet Show.
__NOWYSIWYG__
314