(courtesy Muppet Wiki (c) The Jim Henson Company)
SNAPSHOT
In a 1976 episode of The Muppet Show, the great Rita Moreno performed a sultry cover of the classic song “Fever”, famously recorded by Peggy Lee, with Animal on the drums.At first, everything was going smoothly, but about halfway in, Animal threw in a loud rimshot that caused Moreno to stop what she was doing and scold him in both Spanish and English. When Animal went completely off the rails on drums, Moreno quite definitively put him in his place. (courtesy and (c) Laughing Squid)
A thousand thanks to Laughing Squid for reminding me of one of the most performances ever from the five-year run of The Muppet Show.
What starts out as the great Rita Moreno doing her always amazing thing soon becomes a riotously comic tour de force as Animal characteristically loses himself in his drumming, threatening to overshadow his collaborator (okay he does) until, well, Moreno makes sure in the best way possible that he doesn’t.
Moreno loved the segment and adored working on The Muppet Show, which won her an Emmy in 1977, and told the Television Academy that it was something very special to be involved in the show.
Working with the Muppets was a true joy in my life. I loved the experience so much, I used to drop in to the studio and do voices for their girl puppets just because it was so much fun. I became quite close to Jim Henson. He was an artist and a genius. (Laughing Squid)
Almost four decades later, Rosie Perez recreated the memorable scene at the 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors in 2015 in a movingly fun sequence honouring the great Moreno.