Deep Dive Disney: Wes Looks at Harry Belafonte on The Muppet Show

Welcome friends to this very special spur of the moment article. As much as I hate to do so, we must start today’s article on a somber note. Sadly, this world has lost another legend as just yesterday at the time I’m writing this, we all woke up to the sad news that world famous singer, actor and human rights activist, Harry Belafonte had passed away. While at 96 years old we can hardly say he was taken from us too soon, his loss is still keenly felt by his many fans and admirers, myself included. I for one have a very special place in my heart for the man as me and my girlfriend had our first kiss as a couple while listening to Jump in the Line (It was Halloween and we had just finished watching Beetlejuice you see). Many have been sharing their memories of Harry Belafonte on social media over the past twenty-four hours and unsurprisingly, many of those memories have involved Belafonte’s iconic 1979 appearance on The Muppet Show, an episode that pops up in a lot of Top Ten Best Episodes of the Muppet Show countdowns. Well, we love The Muppets here on Deep Dive Disney, so what the hell, in tribute to Harry Belafonte, why don’t we take a look at this classic episode.

The episode opens, as any good episode of The Muppet Show always does, with Scooter giving the guest star the five minute warning. Harry is ready to go, but Scooter notices that Harry seems a bit blue. Harry says he hasn’t even done the show yet and he’s already heard people trying to put him down, saying stuff like “don’t go in that dressing room, Crazy Harry’s in there.” Scooter realizes that they’re not talking about Harry Belafonte, but the Muppets’ demolitions expert, Crazy Harry who promptly blows up Scooter as Harry Belafonte laughs.

After the theme song, Kermit gives his introduction but his script seems wrought with typos and bad grammar. This is because tonight, Fozzie has decided to try his hand at scriptwriting, something that Kermit must have been drunk or half asleep in order to agree to. Kermit tries his best to stumble through Fozzie’s script, but after welcoming the audience to the “Muppet Shocks” and introducing himself as “Kermit the Forg” the frog has had enough and angrily chases Fozzie offstage, leading to our opening number.

Said opening number is Harry Belafonte performing his iconic Banana Boat song alongside several Muppet pigs. Fozzie is also there doing his hands on script writing duties to make sure the number goes smoothly. Fozzie is intrigued by the concept of the Tally Man mentioned in the song and opts to take on the role of the “Tally Bear.” Fozzie has everything in place, except the bananas, kind of important for a song called “Banana Boat.” He tries to get Beauregard to fetch him some but since Beauregard is an idiot, he keeps bringing him onions and eggplants and the like. The song is of course a classic and Harry performs it beautifully, despite all the Muppet chaos going on around him. I honestly have to give the man some props for keeping a straight face throughout the entire number. A lesser man would have busted out laughing when the deadly tarantula appeared on his shoulder. Things almost break down, but Harry carries Fozzie and the other Muppets through for a strong finish. And it even ends with Sweetums rolling in a gigantic banana bunch.

Backstage, Fozzie is still working on the script. Kermit is still skeptical, but Fozzie insists that he’s left nothing to chance, presenting Rowlf and Lew Zealand with their script for the next sketch. A script that reads “Curtains Open. Lew Zealand and Rowlf do something funny. Curtains Close.” Nothing to chance indeed. Seems pretty vague, but since in our next sketch the curtains open, Rowlf and Lew sing Tea for Two backwards and the curtains close, no one can say that they went off script, so good on Fozzie I guess.

And now it’s time for… PIGS IN SPACE… where Dr. Julius Strangepork is testing his new experimental teleportation gun. He’s successfully able to transport Piggy’s drink from one side of the room to the other, but when he tries it out on Link and Piggy, they end up switching bodies. Piggy doesn’t want to live as Link and is ready to break Link’s legs if he touches Piggy’s body, even if those legs are hers. Piggy pleads with Strangepork to restore them to normal, but it seems the device has gone haywire because Strangepork has switched bodies with Janice. Piggy calls Kermit to help her, but he’s apparently switched with The Swedish Chef. Kermit, the real Kermit, arrives and puts a stop to the sketch because it’s gotten too ridiculous, even by Muppet standards.

Next up is a UK spot in which Floyd and Zoot treat us to a nice soothing rendition of Honeysuckle Rose and a bee gets sucked up into Zoot’s saxophone. Good stuff.

Next up is another musical segment which sees Harry Belafonte take on animal in a drum battle. Things start off slow at first, but get progressively more intense until by the end, both performers are so exhausted they pass out. This segment is a ton of fun, but personally, I feel it was done much better in the 2015 Muppets Sitcom when Animal took on Dave Grohl, but that’s just me.

Backstage, Fozzie is still struggling with the script and ends up getting his tie caught in the type writer. While Fozzie wonders if this has ever happened to Neil Simon, Rowlf shows up and asks if Fozzie needs any help. When Fozzie says he’s stuck, Rowlf misunderstands and assumes that Fozzie has writer’s block. Rowlf tries to take a closer look at the script and ends up nearly choking Fozzie to death.

And now it’s time for Muppet Sports with your host, Louis Kazagger. Today, it’s the hundred-meter blindfold sprint, which goes about as painfully as that sounds. I have a couple questions. One, the winner of the race was using a walking stick. Isn’t that cheating? Two, why are the paramedics also blindfolded?

Backstage, Fozzie is still trying to get the script right and asks Harry Belafonte for advice. Harry talks about how writing, be it a script or a song, requires inspiration. For example, the song that Harry will be performing next is one he discovered in Africa after meeting with a storyteller in a small village who told him a story of how the elements work together to turn the world around, and how there really isn’t any difference between us if we take time out to understand each other, how if we care for one another, together, we too can turn the world around.

This leads me nicely into the reason this episode is so well remembered, the final number, Turn the World Around. Harry, alongside four African Mask puppets created specifically for this number, sing an absolutely beautiful song about the interconnection between fire, water, mountain and spirit. What can I even say about this number. Aside from some of the big ones like Rainbow Connection, this may be one of the most iconic numbers in Muppet history, often appearing in documentaries as an example of the more serious side of Jim Henson’s work with The Muppets. I personally love this song. How much? I own a T-Shirt with the lyrics on it that I’m wearing as I write this article. Jim Henson also apparently cited it as one of his personal favorite segments as well, no wonder Harry Belafonte performed it at his memorial service. The song is so catchy and so fun that all the Muppets join Harry on stage and sing along through the closing credits. Even Statler and Waldorf refrain from their cynical commentary to join in on the fun. My favorite bit is how Gonzo slyly weaves in The Muppet show theme on his trumpet as the credits roll. It’s truly one of the greatest finales in Muppet Show history.

And in the words of Kermit the Frog, that brings us down to the end of another one and what a great episode it was. This episode was a lot of fun, mostly due to its stellar guest star, who honestly looked like he was having a blast every moment he was on screen, but the regular Muppet zaniness was still on full display. If I have one nitpick, it's that the plot thread of Fozzie writing the script has no real resolution, but if they had to cut that to give more time to Turn the World Around, I'm okay with that. Apparently while making this episode, Harry Belafonte worked very close with the writers, having a great deal of respect for Jim Henson’s artistry and seeing this as an opportunity to do something very worthwhile. That passion for the project is definitely there on the screen, particularly in the Turn the World Around segment. When it comes to the late Harry Belafonte, I’m put in mind of something he himself said about Jim. “There can be no question about his great artistry and the extent to which we have all been touched by it, but greater than his artistry was his humanity.” Harry Belafonte was a fine musician, but he was first and foremost a human being who fought for the rights of those who face oppression, and sadly there is still a lot of work to be done. It takes good people, working together to make a difference. Love yourselves, love one another and keep dancing, and maybe then, we can turn the world around. Rest In Peace Harry Belafonte, you will be missed. When you get to the other side, tell Jim that we miss him as much as we’re going to miss you. Thank you for joining me for this tribute to Harry Belafonte. Next time, hopefully, it will be the kickoff of our month long salute to Power Rangers. Until next time.