Backstage PassThat '70s Show : Season 3 Episode 24
Backstage PassSeasonEpisode324CreditsAir dateMay 15, 2001WriterPhilip StarkDirectorDavid TrainerProduction Code323EpisodesPreviousNext"Canadian Road Trip""The Promise Ring""Backstage Pass" is the twenty-fourth episode of the third season of That '70s Show, and seventy-fifth episode overall. It aired on May 15, 2001.
Backstage PassThat '70s Show : Season 3 Episode 24
The Muppet Show is a live-action/puppet television series that was created by Jim Henson and produced by ITC Entertainment and Henson Associates. It premiered on 5 September 1976 and ended on 23 May 1981, with a total of 120 episodes over the course of 5 seasons.
The 120 episodes were produced in the UK between 1976 and 1980; two pilot episodes were also produced, one in 1974 and the other in 1975. The UK broadcasts featured extra scenes that were not seen on US TV.[1] There is no set broadcast order for the episodes, as they were shown in varying order in different regions.[1] For the Season One DVD box set that was released in 2005, Buena Vista Home Entertainment placed the episodes in the order in which they were produced, rather than aired, for this reason.[1] Due to the sequence in which the episodes are organized on DVD disc 1, Scooter is part of the backstage staff before his first appearance (Jim Nabors episode).[2] The set also includes the longer UK versions of each of the episodes,[1] though six song sequences were cut from the set because of licensing issues. It is common for television executives to insist on an edit of video release rather than pay money to the owners of the copyright of songs.[citation needed] Examples include the Vincent Price episode, the closing number of which, "You've Got a Friend", is cut on The Muppet Show: Season One DVD; it is available uncut and in English on the German DVD.
The tables below list episodes based on their initial airing dates, for the United Kingdom, except for the two pilots. Thus they may not necessarily be the order in which episodes were shown in all regions.
The first pilot opens with a character called Wally and develops as he types the script on his typewriter. In the second pilot, a new character called Nigel acts as the backstage boss. Statler and Waldorf grumble from a living room while watching the show on television. (This setting for Statler and Waldorf would be revisited in the first series of Muppets Tonight.) In both pilot episodes, Kermit the Frog only plays a supporting role.
Kermit the Frog becomes the host for the show from the start of the first season, while former host Nigel gets a part as the orchestra leader. Statler and Waldorf now watch the show from a balcony. Other characters from the pilots, including Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Sam Eagle, The Swedish Chef, George the Janitor, Mildred Huxtetter, Crazy Harry, Brewster, and Droop continue to make appearances. Characters from previous Jim Henson productions also make appearances, including Rowlf the Dog, Sweetums and Robin the Frog (from The Frog Prince), Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, and Thog (from The Great Santa Claus Switch). New characters include Fozzie Bear, The Muppet Newsman, Scooter, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, wardrobe lady Hilda, Uncle Deadly, Marvin Suggs and his Muppaphones, Trumpet Girl, and the singing duet of Wayne and Wanda. Recurring sketches include "Veterinarian's Hospital", "At the Dance", "Talking Houses", "Panel Discussions", "Fozzie's Monologue", "Talk Spot", "Muppet Labs" and "Gonzo's Act".
Several changes were made for the second season. Each week, Scooter would now greet the guest star in his or her dressing room before the opening theme song by announcing the time until curtain call. The opening theme sequence was replaced with the more familiar one, showing each cast member under an arch. Sketches such as "At the Dance", "Talk Spot", "Panel Discussions", "Talking Houses", and "Fozzie's Monologue" either made fewer appearances or were dropped altogether. Several characters were rebuilt, with noticeable changes in Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, and Janice. Characters like George the Janitor, Hilda, Mildred, and Wayne and Wanda were dropped from the series (although Mildred would still make rare sporadic appearances). Robin is identified as Kermit's nephew. New sketches include "Pigs in Space" and "An Editorial by Sam the Eagle". New characters include Bunsen Honeydew's assistant Beaker, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Doglion, and Annie Sue. Muppet performers Eren Ozker and John Lovelady departed from The Muppet Show after the first season. In early episodes of the second season, female puppeteers were auditioned to replace Ozker. Louise Gold was eventually hired as Ozker's replacement. Richard Hunt replaced Ozker as Janice's performer while Jerry Nelson took over the roles of Crazy Harry and The Announcer from John Lovelady. Jack Burns quit his role as writer after the first season.
Most of the characters and sketches from the previous season remained. Canteen worker Gladys however, was replaced by a new character, Winny. Rizzo the Rat also made his earliest appearances, first as "Super Rat" in the episode which featured Christopher Reeve as its guest star.
The cold open featuring Scooter visiting the guest star's dressing room was replaced by a new opening in which Pops, the doorman, would greet each guest as they entered the theatre. New characters included Pops, Lips, and Gaffer the Cat. Two new puppeteers, Brian Muehl and Karen Prell, joined the troupe of Muppeteers during this season, and Betsy Baytos auditioned to perform in eight episodes.
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that aired on NBC in primetime from 1981 to 1987 for a total of 146 episodes. The show chronicled the lives of the staff of a single police station located on the fictional Hill Street, in an unnamed large city, with "blues" being a slang term for police officers for their blue uniforms. The show received critical acclaim, and its production innovations influenced many subsequent dramatic television series produced in the United States and Canada. Its debut season was rewarded with eight Emmy Awards, a debut season record surpassed only by The West Wing. The show received a total of 98 Emmy nominations during its run. The series ran for 146 episodes over seven seasons.
In a packed episode, "Operation Stop and Cop" continues to claim victims as Pilsky is shot and killed by a fleeing suspect; her delay in returning fire was caused by her "officer-involved" shooting the previous day. Bates and Briscoe argue publicly when the Deputy Chief denies that he ordered Pilsky's deployment; her death also affects Hunter, who had planned a date with her. Washington surrenders a video tape to Calletano showing Chief Daniels having sex with a prostitute (see Episode 72 above); Calletano uses the tape as leverage to facilitate Furillo's return to command Hill Street. Washington, Garibaldi and Belker, with Goldblume's approval, follow William Mullins all day cutting off his access to drugs until he slips up: when he refuses to surrender after committing an armed robbery, he is shot dead by the detectives after firing at them. Renko proposes nervously to Daryl Ann. Jesus Martinez marries his pregnant girlfriend (avoiding a conviction for her, as she had threatened him with a gun). Furillo, narrowly avoiding drinking the alcohol he has bought, seeks out his AA sponsor - only to discover that the sponsor has returned to hard drink himself and is in denial about the consequences. The episode title comes from a minor storyline about a legal battle between a man whose genitals became caught in a whirlpool drain and the distraught therapist who didn't release the power switch until he was punched.
Lieutenant Calletano appears on the TV game show Lucky Ducks and does very well until he freezes on the question that would have guaranteed his winnings, losing everything. Peabody, back in charge of the Blood and seeking quick money to finance a gang war, approaches the group of Mafia-connected loan sharks which Belker has infiltrated. Peabody becomes too aggressive with the loan sharks, and they arrange to have him killed, leading to their arrests. Davenport's current client seems in a huge hurry to get through arraignment, which may mean he has an out-of-state record. Renko tries to marshal his wedding attendants - Hill (Best Man), Washington, Coffey, and Davis. At the rehearsal dinner, Darryl Ann's father is belittling of his daughter, the police, and especially Hill, whom he addresses by the epithet "boy". Lieutenant Hunter is increasingly worried about Apollo, his horse, who is seriously ill; the episode ends with Hunter settling down to a night in the stable with Apollo.
Grace Gardner, a character from the early seasons who dated Sergeant Esterhaus, returns as a nun planning outreach work on the Hill and Flaherty is assigned as liaison; Councilman Wade, out for personal glory, repeatedly jeopardizes the precinct's battle against drugs, shoots an unarmed juvenile dealer, claiming self-defense, and is arrested by Washington; Belker and Buntz (separately) are working on drug busts; Buntz is forced to delay his bust due to a lack of supporting officers and has his finger cut off in retaliation by the loan shark who bankrolled his buy; Jablonski is hoping to return to police work, but experiences a flare of his chest pain and is not cleared by the police surgeon; Goldblume has a new lady in his life: the producer of a TV talk show.
PJ: Speaking of Bill Monroe. It's a very interesting story that Earl has about meeting Bill Monroe backstage, and it kind of speaks to the erasure of black people in this music. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to museums or I've been looking at textbooks that show photographs of black musicians were they are labeled black musicians or a black fiddler and you'll never see a picture of Bill Monroe and it says a white mandolin player. And that speaks to this inherent erasure of the culture. And that goes back to how the banjo was taken over by minstrelsy and essentially de-Africanized. Earl experienced some of this when he was talking with Bill Monroe backstage and Bill Monroe, without saying a name, talking about a black fiddler Arnold Shultz who arguably got Bill Monroe his first gig. 041b061a72