The Muppet Movie (with Jackson McDonald)

Waka waka! Steve Martin Month continues as this week we welcome Jackson McDonald (Roxy Fever, History Lesson: Part II) back to the program to discuss a pair of movies that are actually good, as we get movin' right along into 1979's The Muppet Movie, directed by James Frawley, and starring Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton, and a long list of cameo appearances including Edgar Bergen, Mel Brooks and of course, Steve Martin. While it's not officially the movie of the week, we also spend a great deal of time talking about 1981's The Great Muppet Caper, which sees last week's standout star Charles Grodin give an all-timer performance opposite Ms. Piggy. Two delightful films that make for a lively discussion on the unsolvable puzzles of Henson's puppetry. We've also got Theatre Reports on Oppenheimer and Last Voyage of the Demeter, and continue to shake our heads in disbelief that Prey never got a run in theaters, while J Mo, Hayley and Jackson are all fixated on music in the dog days of summer. If you'd like to watch The Muppet Movie or The Great Muppet Caper before listening along, they are both available for streaming on Disney+ and come strongly recommended. We'll be back next week to wrap up Steve Martin Month with 1999's Bowfinger, directed by Muppet maven Frank Oz, and ponder whether it is worthy to be inducted into the ADHD-DVD podcast canon. See you then!