EMMET OTTER'S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS {RESTORED VERSION} (TV)
Summary
A special one-hour Muppet presentation about a poor otter and his mother who decide to enter a talent contest so they can get each other gifts for Christmas.
Kermit the Frog narrates a story taking place in a town called Frogtown Hollow. He is accosted by some hoodlums called the Riverbottom Gang; he notes that they will be seen later. The story begins with Emmet Otter and his mother, Alice. They are a poor family who get by doing odd jobs and laundry (“The Bathing Suit that Grandma Otter Wore”). Emmet’s late father was a snake-oil salesman; Emmet and his Ma miss him dearly and love him in spite of his poor business choices.
Emmet and Ma pass through the town of Waterville while running errands and he notices a guitar in the window of a music store. He wishes he could have it, but they cannot afford it. The Riverbottom Gang loudly plays instruments in the store and generally makes a mess of things before leaving. Emmet is excited about Christmas but Ma tells him that they don’t have the money to do anything special. They recount all the things they’ve had to sell over the years and take joy in what they have left (“There Ain’t No Hole in the Washtub”).
The next day, Frogtown is covered in snow and ice. Emmet’s friend Wendell stops by to ask him for his help in mending a broken fence, while Ma’s friend Ms. Muskrat comes to visit. Wendell and Ms. Muskrat tell Emmet and Ma respectively about a talent contest being held in Waterville on Christmas Eve; first prize is fifty dollars. Emmet’s friends approach him about forming a jug-band for the contest, but he refuses when he discovers he would have to put a hole in his mother’s washtub to play washtub bass for the band. Ma also declines entering on the grounds that she would have nothing to wear.
Emmet and Ma independently reflect on how much they’d like to get each other a nice gift for Christmas. Ma would like to get Emmet the guitar he saw in the store window, while Emmet would like to buy his Ma a piano, since she had sold her old one. Ma contemplates selling Emmet’s tool box, which left to him by his father, so she could get something to wear for the contest. They both go on the slide built by Pa, and talk about how he always took chances in life. They realize that Pa would have made the sacrifices they are contemplating and change their minds about entering the contest. They recount Pa’s favorite song, “When the River Meets the Sea.”
The next morning, Ma has gone to sell Emmet’s tool box while Emmet punctures a hole in Ma’s washtub. Emmet practices with the rest of the band (“Bar-B-Que”). Meanwhile, Ma makes a dress for herself out of the fabric she bought with Emmet’s tool box. Emmet and his friends are briefly jeered at by the Riverbottom Gang before they drive off on snowmobiles.
On the night of the contest, Emmet and his band are dismayed when one of the contestants sings the song they planned on singing. They run out into the alley to quickly practice a new song to perform. Meanwhile, Ma takes the stage, singing a number called “Our World,” which is met with applause from the audience. Emmet and the band go up, performing a song called “Brothers,” which is also met with applause. A last-minute entry takes the stage: the “Riverbottom Nightmare Band,” performing their eponymous number. The “Nightmare” band wins the contest.
Emmet, his band, and Ma sit outside, depressed. Ma and Emmet confess to selling or damaging each other’s property in order to enter the contest. Doc Bullfrog, a restaurant owner and one of the contest judges, stops by to tell them that they both did excellently, but their performances were missing “something extra.” They all head home; Emmet and Ma both admit they wanted the prize money to get the other a gift. Ma realizes that the two songs they sang could work well if combined and they give it a try (“Brothers in Our World”). Their performance attracts a crowd, including Doc Bullfrog. Doc Bullfrog says the “something extra” they needed was each other; he offers them all a job singing at his restaurant, which they accept.
After Kermit gives a brief epilogue, Emmet, Ma, and the band go home after their first nights’ work. They reflect on how they took a chance and it paid off, just as Pa would have wanted. The story ends as they sing a reprise of “Where the River Meets the Sea.” Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: 1977
- RUNNING TIME: 0:52:05
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:87368
- GENRE: Children's programs
- SUBJECT HEADING: Children's programs; Christmas
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Lazer … Executive Producer
- Jim Henson … Producer, Director
- Marilyn Stonehouse … Associate Producer
- Jerry Juhl … Writer
- Russell Hoban … Based on the book "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" by
- Lillian Hoban … Based on the book "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" by
- Paul Williams … Music by, Lyrics
- Jerry Nelson … Muppet Performer
- Frank Oz … Muppet Performer
- Marilyn Sokol … Muppet Performer
- Dave Goelz … Muppet Performer
- Richard Hunt … Muppet Performer
- Eren Ozker … Muppet Performer