The Great Muppet Caper is the second Muppet film and it is considerably more complex than its predecessor, The Muppet Movie, which was essentially just a road movie. As the film begins, Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear are reporters who have failed to bag a story of a London jewel heist, which happened under their watch. The real criminals managed to escape and frame Miss Piggy as the thief. Kermit, Fozzie and the Great Gonzo set out on a mission to solve the mystery and track down the criminals who stole the Baseball Diamond. There are fewer star cameos and songs in The Great Muppet Caper than in The Muppet Movie, although appearances from John Cleese and Charles Grodin are particularly memorable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Review
Jim Henson's feature film directorial debut is actually the Muppets' second silver screen effort, but follows the same formula that made their television show and first film a success. The Great Muppet Caper boasts crowd-pleasingly silly musical numbers which combine with clever jokes and sight gags that range from innocently goofy to relatively sophisticated, clearly taking into consideration the audience's wide range of ages. The Great Muppet Caper is, of course, populated by Henson's very cuddly and adorable creations, but is also smart enough to know that while cute can carry you a long way on a short T.V. show, a feature length film requires a little more effort. Thus, the film pokes as much fun at itself as it does at its setting ("Merry Old England"). The script could use a little tightening up, as the story sometimes stumbles in search of ways to hook the tunes and gags to a plausible plotline. Narrative flaws notwithstanding, Henson's cheerful and giddy film, which is packed with mostly quite amusing cameos by B-level movie stars, is in many ways a throwback to the goofy and mostly pointless comedies of the 1960's (Help, et al.). ~ Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide
John Cleese - Neville; Robert Morley - Gentleman; Peter Ustinov - Trucker; Jack Warden - Editor; Susan Backlinie - Charlie's Water Ballet Performer; Robert Barnett - Muppet Performer; Erica Creer - Marla; Peter Falk - Tramp; Della Finch - Darla; Tommy Godfrey - Bus Conductor; Dave Goelz - Zoot; Louise Gold - Muppet Performer; Trevor Howard; Richard Hunt - Sweetums; Valli Kemp - 2nd Model; Lynn Latham - Charlie's Water Ballet Performer; Cynthia Leake - Charlie's Water Ballet Performer; Chai Lee - Model; Kathryn Mullen - Muppet Performer; Christine Nelson - Girl in Park; Jerry Nelson - Pops; Bobby Payne - Muppet Performer; Mike Quinn - Muppet Performer; Michael Robbins - Guard; Joan Sanderson - Dorcas; Carroll Spinney - Oscar the Grouch; Steve Whitmire - Rizzo the Rat; Brian Henson - Muppet Performer; Jim Henson - Waldorf; Denise Mc Kenna - Charlie's Water Ballet Performer; Frank Oz - Sam the Eagle; Kate Howard - Carla; Peggy Aitchison - Prison Guard; Peter Hughes - Maitre d'
Credit
Terry Ackland-Snow - Art Director, Charles Bishop - Art Director, Leigh Malone - Art Director, Charles Bishop - Supervising Art Director, Bruce Sharman - Associate Producer, Michael Barnes - Casting, Anita Mann - Choreography, Julie Harris - Costume Designer, Carol Spier - Costume Designer, Calista Hendrickson - Costume Designer, Mary Strieff - Costume Designer, Joanne Green - Costume Designer, Danielle Obinger - Costume Designer, Dusty Symonds - First Assistant Director, Jim Henson - Director, Ralph Kemplen - Editor, Leigh Malone - Editor, Martin Starger - Executive Producer, Joe Raposo - Composer (Music Score), Joe Raposo - Songwriter, Derek V. Browne - Camera Operator, Harry Lange - Production Designer, Oswald Morris - Cinematographer, Frank Oz - Producer, David Lazer - Producer, Peter Sutton - Sound/Sound Designer, Jay Tarses - Screenwriter, Tom Patchett - Screenwriter, Jack Rose - Screenwriter, Jerry Juhl - Screenwriter
Type: Soundtrack, Children, Lyrics are included with the album
Genre: Children
Review
The music in this second Muppet film is less memorable than the songs in The Muppet Movie. But there is some great satire here of the huge production numbers of the movie musicals of the 1940s and '50s. "Miss Piggy" is one such overwrought MGM number, amusingly juxtaposing the hyper-romanticism of that era with the pig-and-frog jokes that inevitably comprise much Muppet humor. The best moments in this film, though, appear in the dialogue and not the songs. Unfortunately, there was no good way to include John Cleese's cameo on the CD, in which he nonchalantly explains to his stiffly English wife that "a pig is climbing the side of the house." These songs are never quite that funny. ~ Darryl Cater, All Music Guide
Mike Clifford (Assistant), Mike Clifford (Music Editor), Jim Henson (Vocals), Jim Henson (Voices), Jim Henson (Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part), Jim Henson (Executive Producer), The Muppets (Main Performer), Dave Goelz (Vocals), Dave Goelz (Voices), Dave Goelz (Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part), Dave Goelz (?), Louise Gold (Voices), Louise Gold (?), George Hammer (Contractor), Richard Hunt (Vocals), Richard Hunt (Voices), Richard Hunt (Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part), Richard Hunt (?), Dick Lieb (Orchestration), Mullen (Drums), Mullen (Voices), Kathryn Mullen (?), Jerry Floyd Nelson (Voices), Frank Oz (Vocals), Frank Oz (Voices), Frank Oz (Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part), Frank Oz (?), Joe Raposo (Arranger), Joe Raposo (Conductor), Joe Raposo (Producer), Joe Raposo (Orchestration), Joe Raposo (Musical Director), Joe Raposo (Musical Direction), John Richards (Engineer), John Richards (Mixing), Graham Walker (Music Coordinator), Steve Whitmire (Vocals), Steve Whitmire (Voices), Steve Whitmire (Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part), Steve Whitmire (?), Tim Pennington (Assistant Engineer), Tim Pennington (Mixing), Tim Pennington (Mixing Assistant), Marcus Dods (Conductor), Jerry Nelson (Vocals), Jerry Nelson (Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part), Jerry Nelson (?), Tom Coyne (Digital Remastering), Jim Tyler (Orchestration), Theo Panagopoulos (Art Direction), Dina Eaton (Assistant), Dina Eaton (Music Editor), Joan Witbert (Producer), Joan Witbert (Production Assistant)
In the story, Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo the Great play newspaper reporters for the Daily Chronicle. Kermit and Fozzie, specifically, are playing identical twin reporters, which becomes the source of a running gag - supposedly, nobody can tell they are twins unless Fozzie wears his hat. The two are eventually assigned to investigate the theft of valuable jewels from fashion designer Lady Holliday (Diana Rigg), which they have to beg for after their boss fires them following the Daily Chronicle's headline about the two of them joining the staff (while the other papers report on the jewel heist). They travel to London to interview her, but with only $12 for the trip, they're forced to fly in the airplane's baggage hold and are thrown out of the plane as they arrive over Britain. They stay at the dilapidated (but free) Happiness Hotel, run and populated by Pops, Scooter, Rowlf, and Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. When Kermit seeks out Lady Holliday in her office, however, he instead finds his love life Miss Piggy and fails to recognise her, mistaking her for the fashion designer. Piggy masquerades as Lady Holliday, even going so far as to sneak into a ritzy townhouse (located at 17 Highbrow Street) in order to impress Kermit with her dwellings, much to the surprise of the true British residents (one of whom is John Cleese).
At a night clubrestaurant, Lady Holiday's necklace is stolen by her jealous brother Nicky (Charles Grodin), assisted by Carla, Marla and Darla, three of her put-upon fashion models. Despite Nicky's instant attraction to Miss Piggy, they successfully frame her for the theft and proceed to steal an even more valuable prize--the coveted Baseball Diamond, which is on display at a local gallery, the Mallory Gallery. Kermit's crew, along with their friends from the Happiness Hotel, have no choice but to intercept and catch the thieves themselves in order to clear Miss Piggy's good name. Piggy, meanwhile, has escaped from prison and, in a bout of serendipity, finds a motorcycle which she uses to literally crash into the film's climax, knocking Nicky, who is holding Kermit hostage, out in the process. Carla, Marla and Darla confront Piggy, only to be quickly dispatched by a flurry of furious karate chops. The Muppets then return to America the same way they departed, being thrown out of the cargo hold and parachuting back to Earth, over the end credits.
Muppet pupeteers Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson also had small cameo roles themselves.
Supporting
Erica Creer as Marla
Kate Howard as Carla
Della Finch as Darla
Songs
"Main Title Theme" (2:49)
"Hey, a Movie!" (2:42)
"The Big Red Bus" (1:26) (Score)
"Happiness Hotel" (3:05)
"Lady Holiday" (1:12) (Score)
"The First Time It Happens" (4:12)
"The Apartment" (0:53) (Score)
"Night Life" (2:57)
"Steppin' Out with a Star" (2:31)
"Couldn't We Ride" (3:07)
"Miss Piggy's Fantasy" (3:58)
"The Great Muppet Caper" (3:48)
"Homeward Bound" (0:52)(Score)
"Finale: Hey, a Movie! (reprise)" (1:30)
"The First Time It Happens (reprise)" (1:30)
Score cues left off the soundtrack
Stop the Presses!
Splash Landing
Lobby
"Happiness Hotel" (Full version)
Applying for a Job
Kermit Meets Piggy
Taxi
Getting Ready
You Can Come/17 Highbrow Street
A Pig and a Lizard
Dubonnet Club (Instrumental of "Steppin' Out with a Star")
I Think I’ve Got a Picture of the Thief
The Cookie Jar Just Busted/In the Park
Would You Like to Buy a Watch?
Kermit and Piggy Argument
I’m Sorry I Left You
I Can’t Be Responsible For What Might Happen
Fashion Show
Framed
The Baseball Diamond Will Be Ours
We Don’t Want the Bad Guys to Win
Pig in the Pokey
I Love You, Rosenthal
The Heist (Full version, much longer with many short cues)
Reception
The Great Muppet Caper has received generally positive reivews. As of July 6, 2009, Rotten Tomatoes has reported that 71% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 17 reviews. The film grossed $31,206,251 during its run at the box office behind the grosses of The Muppet Movie and Muppet Treasure Island.
