Amy Adams and Jason Segel are starring in a highly-anticipated film that opens this weekend. It's getting great buzz all around the critical circles, and it could help to put some old friends back on the map. Those old friends happen to be small, made of felt, and operated by someone off camera. When "The Muppets" opens this Thanksgiving weekend, Adams and Segel will join a pantheon of Hollywood legends who have shared screen time with the late Jim Henson's creatures and characters.
Since their inception, The Muppets have worked with numerous stars and celebrities. Their television variety show featured a weekly guest host, and everyone from Mark Hamil (Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars") to Carol Burnett took a turn "hosting" the show. When it comes to their feature films, Kermit and company also manage to bring out the stars to either play cameos, or to take meatier roles. Here now are a few of the more notable celebrities to co-star with The Muppets.
Mel Brooks in "The Muppet Movie" - The icon of silver-screen chuckles who directed "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein" took a turn in the very first feature-length Muppets movie as the dastardly Professor Max Krassman. The hilariously off-kilter mad scientist with heavily implied ties to Nazi Germany tries to torture Kermit the Frog into submission, but a few well placed karate chops from Miss Piggy save the day.
Steve Martin in "The Muppet Movie" - Playing a sarcastic and condescending waiter while Piggy and Kermit are on a date, the comedic legend gives a pitch-perfect performance. It's the scene that gives us the wonderful line "Would you like to sniff the bottle cap." With every eye-roll and shoulder shrug, Martin sets an even snottier tone.
Joan Rivers in "The Muppets Take Manhattan" - In a truly great scene with Miss Piggy, the red-carpet commentator plays a fellow cosmetics counter employee in this 1984 Muppets movie. The scene eventually devolves into Piggy and Joan hamming it up (pun alert!) with the powder puff and lipstick. Watching the interaction, it's easy to get a sense that Rivers was truly enjoying her time with the porcine princess, and she laughed her way through the scene.
Michael Caine in "The Muppet Christmas Carol" - Playing the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge opposite Bob Cratchit played by Kermit the Frog was venerable actor and co-star of "The Dark Knight" and "Batman Begins," Michael Caine. Proving that working with puppets in a family movie deserves just as much attention to his craft, Caine gives a great performance that was full of humor and genuine emotion.
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