Well, three days on Disney Plus and “The Muppet Show” is already part of a ginned-up controversy.
Some episodes have a standard disclaimer that Disney Plus has been using for some of its…eh…problematic animated features. To wit:
“This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.
“Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.”
Some of the films getting the disclaimer include “Dumbo” (the crows), “Peter Pan” (Native American portrayals), “Lady And The Tramp” (Siamese cats), “Aladdin”..well, where do you start? So honestly, “The Muppet Show” being tagged with this little message is not a huge deal. There’s a LOT of content on Disney Plus with these kinds of advisories, which I get because Disney Plus is marketed as a family service.
So what did the Muppets do in their heyday that now requires a disclaimer? Well, they did what every other variety show and lots of other TV shows did back in those days. They portrayed folks from other cultures in very broad, stereotyped ways.
This is from a 1964 Bob Hope Special. It’s not uncommon.
This is the climax of the Spike Milligan episode of “The Muppet Show.” The French are frogs, the Arabs are oil barons, the Asians are caricatures, etc. (I do like that in the Muppet version of Disney’s classic “It’s A Small World” USA is represented by a rat.)
Caricaturing people based on their nationality was a fundamental element of American humor for decades. Radio shows, movies, and eventually TV shows saw no problem with it. Time goes by and tastes and sensibilities change. It also used to be acceptable (by straight white people anyway) to make fun of people based on the color of their skin, sexual preference, etc. There is none of that, to my recollection, on The Muppet Show. But in the Johnny Cash episode the Confederate flag is seen several times. And things like that.
I wonder, when people get all hot and bothered over something like this, which way the wind blows. Are they enraged because something they see as completely harmless is being labeled as potentially troublesome to certain audiences? Or are they somewhat ashamed at the kind of thing they used to laugh at without even a trace of remorse? I think it’s about 80% the former.
But as someone who loves his old TV shows, I’ve seen a lot of stuff that’s unsettling. “Lucy” episodes set in a Chinese laundry that just wallow in “me so solly” type gags. Bob Hope specials with gay jokes that almost always involve some fruit-based pun. There really is no reason to be upset that a disclaimer has been put on something if they still let you watch the thing. If you can watch “The Muppet Show” and at the same time understand that very few Swedes are gobbledy-gook spouting chefs, well…the disclaimer wasn’t for you.
Someday we’ll find it…