Muppet Show Sketches Missing From Disney+

[@samp.8099]

I would like to remind viewers that despite what you might have heard around the internet, none of the sketches featured on this video were removed for being "too offensive", rather they're missing due to problems regarding music licensing. Skits deemed "politically incorrect" by the heads at Disney are all left intact on the streaming service (warranting only a brief content warning disclaimer) and can be viewed here in another compilation I've made: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmatY4ugjp2JZ5I

[@josepharmstrong1788]

THAT makes sense.

[@sweetjoey2]

@Connor Reynolds disney doesn't have the rights to big bird and so on nor FRAGGLE rock, labyrith and dark crystal. brian henson still has those rights.

[@sweetjoey2]

the brooke shields also had a "music problem" so THE WHOLE episode was removed :(

[@DeadUnicornClub]

@@dgm2485 I would assume that Jim Henson was a stand up guy, and if you created for him you got at least partial ownership of your creation. This could be for both original characters and song/scripts. We are so use to any creation being property of a corporation, we sometimes forget that there are real people who not only deserve credit, but compensation for their efforts and most importantly, ownership of their creation, at least until copyright expires (which is a whole other issue you can blame Disney for). It can be frustrating for us who just want to enjoy the work and don't care about this stuff that goes on in the background, but it is worthwhile.

[@danopticon]

@@dgm2485 - Old standards are often under copyright… ever notice how infrequently you hear “Happy Birthday to You” sung in a movie? Well, that’s because you gotta pay the owners of that song a mint if you use it! But also, even if an artist appearing on a show performs a song original to that show, if that artist at that time was under contract to a different movie or TV studio, music publisher, or what-have-you than the studio producing the show, the rights to _that performance_ of that original song might revert to the performer’s label over time, rather than to the show’s producers. So the show may own the song, but the performer’s label may own that performance a year or two after the show’s first airing. The show producers could probably re-air it, but not before paying again, and many studios are just penny-pinching misers. And sometimes it’s not even in the artist’s own hands, depending on what kind of contract they signed. This stuff is headache-inducing: negotiating a guest appearance from someone under contract to ten different studios and labels and publishers is complicated today as it is, but negotiating the rebroadcast rights is even worse… and in the 1970s, the most sophisticated home media most people would’ve heard of was super-8 film. VCRs and such were in the near-future, but boxed DVD sets or streaming platforms weren’t even a rumor yet: the idea of someone owning a copy of every episode of a show simply wasn’t on anyone’s mind… so no one would’ve imagined asking an artist appearing on _The Muppet Show_ to grant the show perpetual use of a performance. Even airing reruns in syndication was pretty new, so most likely a show would’ve negotiated a one-and-done to secure a performance from an artist. Today this stuff still remains a headache. In the UK, for instance, there are very generous laws about using pop songs for really cheap in tv shows during those shows’ initial airings, so quite often a show like _Skins_ will have a really spectacular soundtrack when it first airs on… uh, was it C4…? but anyway, if you watch the show on Netflix today, the producers couldn’t afford those songs for international broadcast or even for repeat broadcast, so much of the soundtrack is replaced with some really anodyne-sounding EDM-ish bleeps and bloops… and it’s just not the same. That said, without copyright artists wouldn’t get paid! Or, in theory, copyright protects artists: lots of old blues singers mistakenly signed away the rights to their work, often by being swindled, so the blues standard you hear on CD may’ve made an old dentist in Florida really rich and put all his kids AND grandkids through college, but the artist who wrote it likely died homeless and penniless. But the problem there is swindlers, not copyright. Or for instance, the moment David Bowie died, the label who handle his catalog decided they would no longer pay Robert Fripp for Fripp’s work on the track “Heroes,” simply because the current category under which Bowie had insisted Fripp be paid - featured performer - didn’t technically exist at the time the track was recorded. So the day after Bowie died, his label went all cheapskate, and now Fripp has to sue to be paid properly. Speaking as an artist, copyright is good… but artists often need better legal representation, and redress for past injustices. But it’s better for there at least to be a chance you’ll be paid for your work, rather than its being used forever without your permission. But yes, it sucks when a company like Disney can’t sit down with other copyright holders and figure something out. Disney are notoriously cheap when it comes to paying artists, though. They could probably afford to buy the rights to all these performances, if they felt like it. They just don’t. Sorry for the lengthy explanation, I hope at least some of it cleared things up for you.

[@Cybertoy00]

I'm glad that there are dedicated fans who ensure that whatever Disney can't legally put up until the lawyers are appeased, we can still get our fill of Muppet madness. And you know, Disney Plus is still more Muppet Show episodes we've had in several years. I'm glad they included the stuff they left out of the first Season DVD collection.

[@lucyfernandez8304]

talk to the Animals

[@danopticon]

If anyone’s curious, the wonderful song beginning at 12:36 is “The Ying Tong Song” written by Spike Milligan for the BBC’s _The Goon Show_ radio programme in the 1950s, and was originally performed by Milligan along with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe!! GOON SHOW 4EVA!!!

[@fivebearrugs]

Ironic that it wasn’t used for Spike’s episode...

[@PeanutsAssorted]

There's a weird irony that some of these songs have to be cut on Disney+ due to licencing... considering Disney is the one pushing to lengthen copyright which creates this problem

[@mr.x2567]

It’s like they don’t see the problems their making

[@KairuHakubi]

all they have to do is just keep buying the rights to everything and that stops being a problem

[@Paulafan5]

Just imagine if Mickey Mouse, Superman, and Batman were public domain as they should have become. But the US government changed the laws for big companies. Copyright is to protect the artist, not companies a century later.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@Paulafan5 I mean you're right but you're also wrong.

[@spidermaster0543]

@@KairuHakubi how, exactly? I quite agree with the previous commenter's opinion.

[@dadahyena]

Oddly enough not the first time a cut occurred with the "Lullaby of Birdland" number; The Muppet Show Book (1978) had a lot of illustrated bits from the show but swapped out Don Knotts for Sam the Eagle when recreating that scene (probably due to the costs of using Knotts' likeness).

[@petermerchant4439]

This made me chuckle right off the bat. So the first song, Ti-pi-tin, is performed by Tony Randall in a raccoon-skin coat, recalling the 1920s. But the song was written in 1938, when the coat was definitely out of fashion.

[@KevyNova]

You are a LEGEND for putting this together!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!

[@FurlowT]

Man, licensing issues are so stupid, especially with shows that are as old as these are.

[@saturncrush]

If Disney is serious, there should pay up. Nobody once half stepped material. I had no idea this was done.

[@FurlowT]

@@saturncrush Sometimes it's far more complicated then that. Not all parts are willing too give licensing too someone like Disney. Some celebrities get very fickle about whom they let have rights to their work, name or even images of themselves.

[@saturncrush]

@@FurlowT You have a point. Integrity matters. But so does a boat load of money. With where music publishing is going in the future every little bit helps. But I get it.

[@PotterPossum1989]

nobody cares about music licensing rights. We only have one life to live, we should be allowed to see everything as it was. This is why I have no qualms about buying bootlegs. gladly pay for legal releases of everything, people don't want to release them.

[@FurlowT]

@@PotterPossum1989 Nobody cares about your personal likes or dislikes or beliefs. The entertainment industry has it's way of doing things, good luck changing it if think you could ever :P

[@gabe_s_videos]

Awww man, "Jogging" is one of my favorites!

[@Ataru320]

Nice usage of the "your pants are on fire" Statler and Waldorf ending; one of my favorites in how random it was.

[@umjammysammys]

Thanks for posting these! Theyre wonderful

[@srmcd1]

So the Sesame Street appearance IS in the Marty Feldman episode -- just saw it yesterday

[@teddyfurstman1997]

YES!

[@writerpatrick]

That could have been cut because Disney doesn't have rights for the Sesame Street characters. They are owned by CTW and are a separate group.

[@anthonyryan7348]

@@writerpatrick But Disney owns the rights to the Muppets, so doesn't that mean Disney should have the right to own Sesame Street too. Both since the. S.S characters are muppets and both them and Everyone on the Muppet show are Jim Henson Property.

[@carlberry191]

Not quite. A chorus of the song when the Sesame Street characters come on stage was cut from the original. But, the Sesame Street characters still appear in the number's next chorus.

[@ChristianaLinebrink]

@@anthonyryan7348 disney owns most of the muppet properties, but all of the muppet characters on sesame street are owned by sesame workshop

[@drawwing]

I know it's not going to be easy, but someone needs to be actively working on getting the Marty Fieldman episode on the service uncut. that Sesame Street bit is to good to cut

[@mrcritical6751]

Dammit why can’t Sesame Workshop just work with Disney to allow certain stuff to be used

[@zekecasperanddeadpoolzgroovyst]

@@mrcritical6751 (Ezekiel) Zeke Hamish Beckley: Yeah I mean seriously what kind of shmucks are they? Are they high?

[@drawwing]

@@mrcritical6751 don't you mean why can't HBOMAX work with Disney plus? Lol

[@mikebode7560]

HBO Max doesn't own Sesame Street, they just feature it under license from Sesame Workshop.

[@PipeGuy64Bit]

@@zekecasperanddeadpoolzgroovyst To be fair I'd probably refuse to cooperate with Disney out of spite for numerous reasons including how they tossed away Kermit's previous actor.

[@jamie1602]

Please keep in mind, there were other cut scenes that had licensing issues that were already resolved. As they're resolved, they're being added back without any notification or fanfare. So please be diligent. This isn't a matter of money. This is a matter of lawyers talking, crossing ts, and dotting is. It's annoying. It takes time. But that's life. For the last time this doesn't have to do with "Disney thinks the Muppets are racist." Stop that. You're not helping nor are you understanding the context of the jokes used in each episode, especially the satirical ones commenting on the current climate when the episode was debuted. You're really undermining Jim's work and it's not a good look on you as a Muppet fan.

[@philipkippel3615]

In that case, please keep us posted as these cut scenes get restored to the episodes on DisneyPlus. They’d better also add the Brooke Shields and Chris Langham episodes soon as well!

[@TF2Fan101]

Honestly, it's just a relief to hear that the reason those episodes are unavailable is due to licensing issues.

[@philipkippel3615]

Any updates on the missing songs getting restored?

[@samp.8099]

@TF2Fan101 That's not the case with the Chris Langham episode, which is missing due to his past conviction. The chances of that episode being released anytime soon are slim to none.

[@philipkippel3615]

@@samp.8099 Stop being wrong! 😡

[@victorfernandes4395]

Season 4 and 5 on DVD NOW!

[@thegneech]

Ti-Pi-Tin! You can't have the Muppet Show without that one. O.o

[@freakshowfilmfestival3591]

I miss the muppets being all under one banner. 😔

[@jeffwolcott7815]

Thank you so much!

[@GordonKindlmann]

Well done figuring out the licensing that Disney couldn't manage :)

[@tzvimccloud9196]

I was rather upset that they only released the first 3 seasons on DVD, and that was it.

[@TheonlyWelc0mematt]

Saw a “coming soon” sign for seasons 4 and 5 at Costco when I was 10-ish but never saw them appear.

[@Quiltfish]

Easier to milk people for far more on a streaming service. And consumers are masochistic enough to allow it.

[@JoshTheNostalgic1405]

And some Season 4 and 5 episodes but on The Very Best of The Muppet Show DVD releases.

[@marioacosta-warren921]

The Early season scenes are available only in the US. Some scenes added for the British version(due to less commercials in the UK) are cut. And at least episode was removed due to criminal charges attributed to the Guest Star after the episode's airing.

[@DelGuy03]

Plus, last I checked, the whole Brooke Shields episode is missing too. (Apparently because they sing "Off to See the Wizard" at the end, dressed up like the movie.) That was an episode I was specially looking forward to: the Alice in Wonderland theme worked out surprisingly well.

[@tulinfirenze1990]

Which episode is that?

[@DelGuy03]

@@tulinfirenze1990 Season 5, Episode 6. After James Coburn, before Glenda Jackson.

[@tulinfirenze1990]

@@DelGuy03 I meant, which episode was removed due to a guest star receiving criminal charges.

[@DelGuy03]

@@tulinfirenze1990 Oh. I wasn't the one who mentioned that, but it was Season 5 Episode 19: Chris Langham. He was a staff writer with a performing background, who was a last-minute substitute "guest star" when Richard Pryor backed out.

[@LittleBlueReviews400]

Let’s Hope That These Missing Sketches Will Return In The Episodes

[@conceptcheeseentertainment]

Yea! Probably some with copyright issues but hopefully Disney works it out soon

[@LittleBlueReviews400]

@@conceptcheeseentertainment Indeed

[@LittleBlueReviews400]

@Connor Reynolds I know right

[@mrcritical6751]

@Connor Reynolds it probably took a lot of cutting through legal red tape to get what is currently on Disney+ so it makes sense some of the stuff couldn’t be cut through

[@pyenapple]

@Connor Reynolds streaming rights and physical media rights are completely different things.

[@Hinatachan360]

Not gonna lie. That Bird Walk dance was 🔥!

[@JL-sm6cg]

"Bird Walk" was actually used as the theme song for a TV show on WXYZ-TV in Detroit called "Kelly and Company". I recall the music whenever the show started.

[@priscillabrown210]

There’s got to be a way to make sure legacy content isn’t damaged by licensing and censorship. People should be able to watch content the way it was meant to.

[@djm5687]

We used to call that *public domain.* Sadly, copyright keeps getting extended, making public domain a virtually extinct concept.

[@kellynine7438]

WKRP in Cincinatti especially suffered from this.

[@djm5687]

@@kellynine7438 Can you share examples of WKRP censorship.

[@priscillabrown210]

Public Domain was destroyed by Disney, got to love the irony there. But honestly if an agreement was made that allowed a piece of material to be put in a show that should not affect the ability to air that show in its entirety 10, 20, 30+ years down the track - unless of course the company that wanted to air the show wanted to short change the copyright holders or the copyright holders got greedy.

[@kellynine7438]

@@djm5687Censorship, no, but the show used popular music so extensively that once the licensing agreements expired, they had to start putting in generic filler music that ripped the soul out of the show. The first attempt at a DVD release had no licensed music, and the show suffered from it. A full set with most of the licenses restored did fiinally come out years later, but even that has a shelf life until those rights expire again.

[@VinnieRattolle]

It's sorta weird that "There's a New Sound" got cut since it was featured on the 2002 "Music, Mayhem, and More" CD.

[@ruthbarron625]

I wish the Brooke Shields episode was on Disney Plus. Because of the Jabberwocky sketch. I love Rowlf the dog”s performance in that sketch.

[@michaelboso9355]

Excellent edits!

[@Powerranger-le4up]

I think some of these are UK Spots that aren’t shown in the United States

[@Popcultureguy3000]

Indeed, it seems they used the CBS reels of the Season 4 and 5 episodes not already restored for those Time Life “Best of The Muppet Show” releases. They might be able to get the UK scenes from ITV later, but we’ll see.

[@noahhenson1669]

But the Disney+ episodes include the UK spots. Some of them might be missing, of course, but the majority are there.

[@redskeletonart238]

Apparently they only removed “I’m Five” because he sings a line from “They Call a Wind Mariah,” so why didn’t they just cut out that bit and leave in the song?

[@haplessasshole9615]

Because that would kill the payoff with the Vaudeville-style hook, I suppose.

[@rockycuro7737]

@@haplessasshole9615 makes sense

[@johnsensebe3153]

They could have dubbed it with something else, maybe. They did that with the episode of Police Squad! in which Frank Drebbin goes undercover as a lounge singer in the VHS version.

[@xAsiyah]

Probably the spanking bit too

[@cessnaace]

The song at 10:55 is a well known novelty song played frequently by DJ Dr. Demento.

[@alextavalesthemuppetmaniac5607]

Yup, that’s “There’s a New Sound.”

[@rev.paull.vasquez4001]

I remember this first one (Tony R.) when it broadcast so glad I watched here! That would have driven me crazy. “Jogging” I have from the Time-Life series, I think. I think the Betsy Bird one was first season so is in the box set.

[@philipkippel3615]

Let’s hope that they’ll get the clearances for all these songs and put them on DisneyPlus soon.

[@dillonohlemiller9027]

Yeah. That Sesame Street bit is too good to be lost forever. That is the only thing I will ever agree with you on since you insist on being an asshole to literally everyone

[@philipkippel3615]

@@dillonohlemiller9027 Stop being wrong about me and undo the edits in your comment.

[@yosefdemby8792]

@@dillonohlemiller9027 Is he? From what I've seen, he's mostly just defending Matt Vogel.

[@prowolf633]

I was so shocked they got rid of I’m Five from the Bernadette Peters episode!

[@shaynabarnhard2274]

Me too! Especially since they kept everything else from the Robin subplot that episode.

[@Asukenick]

​@@shaynabarnhard2274It was because of the song They Called the Wind Mariah.

[@jaketaller8567]

20:30 Sesame Street

[@austinkozlowski3120]

At least they didn’t get rid of Pigs in Space

[@austinkozlowski3120]

@Connor Reynolds I have no idea but I’m glad they didn’t

[@rockycuro7737]

@@austinkozlowski3120 ok?

[@Darkstar1484]

no licensing issues

[@armyofpets5547]

Pigs in Space is A classic.

[@davidwesley2525]

​@@armyofpets5547 Swine Version of Star Trek .😅😅😅

[@sweetums2823]

SWEETUMS

[@Cartoonfan-bf2wd]

At least "I’m Five" is on The Muppet Show album.

[@jonclarke1266]

Funny how many of these cut songs were on the Muppet Show records.

[@RLucas3000]

I wonder if that scene was banned not because of ‘I’m Five’ but because of the few lines from ‘They Call The Wind Mariah’ at the very end of the sketch.

[@Asukenick]

​@@RLucas3000It was definitely because of Mariah.

[@PapiElric]

Thank you very much from France.

[@alextavalesthemuppetmaniac5607]

The Baby Bear puppet used in the Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight number was also used in the Wally Boag episode where he and Afghan Hound carried Pops upon stage, In Let's Eat Funny Food Songs as a customer who got offened by Mr Johnson's hatred in porridge, and as a proto-Ojo in the Test footage for Bear In The Big Blue House.

[@DaddyOfTheSugarVariety]

It's sad that these were cut from Disney+, I'm glad they're can at least be found here!

[@TrentonMatthews]

be sure to back that video up! The next thing we need is for Disney of all people to take this down.😱

[@muppet7680]

Also different countries have different episodes missing. In the UK the John Denver episode is missing but not in America.

[@BluetheFortune2006]

I bet the part with Statler and Waldorf wasn't cut, the US version, Disney+ and some re-runs cuts out Statler's scream by noticing his pants were on fire.

[@Paulafan5]

I think some parts were edited out because they wanted it to be more "family friendly". I think the one song was edited out because there was a line about spanking in it.

[@BluetheFortune2006]

@@Paulafan5 But i'm still glad that the DVD versions still kept some parts that were not "family friendly," and BTW, before these so-called SFX existed, some props includes fire explosion prop of Crazy Harry, gun prop for The Swedish Chef, and smoke, which somewhat can be dangerous, but luckily it didn't injure any puppeteers on-character.

[@BluetheFortune2006]

And the ATV and ITC endcaps from both UK and US versions were both wiped out since the 1980s when Zoot plays his strange final note on a saxophone, especially the one on Disney+, as some random Zoot shots (especially the one used from Sax & Violence and some alternative 1980s shot) plasters it, German DVDs and the Disney+ version of Kaye Ballard's episode surprisingly kept the ATV and ITC endcap, (they only used ATV endcap from Kaye Ballard episode, despite being plastered when it was released on DVD.)

[@philipkippel3615]

@@Paulafan5 Not true!

[@FoxBox72]

More Info on songs: Down at the Old Bull and Bush" recorded by Edith Manley 1903 (Possibly older. Also recorded as "Down by the Anhsuser Bush"). UK only spot of Muppets ep.3.21 The Bull and Bush is still a real pub in North London. "Ti pi tin" written by Maria Grever, released by The Andrews Sisters in 1938. "Jogging" written for Sesame Street A Transport of Delight," by Flanders and Swann, 1956. UK spot of Muppets ep. 5.22 "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, for the musical "Ever Green",1930. Not Lionel Ritchie. "Bird Walk" by Herbie Mann, 1976. UK spot of Muppets ep.5.05 "If I ruled the World" by Cyril Ornadel and Leslie Bricusse, 1965 "Lullaby of Birdland" by George Weiss and George Shearing. 1952 (and once sung by Robin Williams on Sesame Street). (Info from Muppet Wiki, Wikipedia and Secondhand music publishing. Because I had too much time on my hands).

[@Katzi_]

YAAAYYY!!!! \\\\\O/////

[@DRAINPIPE57]

I've got 3 seasons on the original DVD box sets So why are these not being shown on Disney, plus?

[@V-grandraccoon]

Music licensing.

[@jeremyriley1238]

@@V-grandraccoon That, and one episode had a guest star who was arrested and convicted in 2005.

[@HunterTheHero]

I wonder what would happen if Disney purchased Sesame Street. They would probably bring back the closing song in the Marty Feldman episode.

[@matthewhutchinson9353]

Yeah but that’s the one thing Jim Henson didn’t want to sell the character rights to

[@GregNumber]

The "Ying Tong Song", not "Ying Ting". It was a hit back in 50's Britain!

[@JoshFreilich]

And it totally fit the Muppets to a tee! From the nonsense of the verse intro to the "Take me back to Vienna" interjection... it was total madness in a good way!

[@andrewkful]

You are doing God's work.

[@kali3665]

Are they still omitting the "only for Britain" sketches? [There was always one additional sketch for British distribution because we had more commercials]. A pity.

[@SoundClaw09]

No

[@elizabethalvarado8698]

Oh, I love Betsy Bird, in her segment!

[@pirate_cove_man]

Two episodes from Season 5, Brooke Shields and Chris Langham, are completely missing in all regions on Disney+. Brooke Shields is likely missing as the episode is basically nothing but copyright issues, so it was just left out entirely. As for Chris Langham, it's presumed that this episode is missing because the guest star in question was found guilty of possessing child p***ograhpy later in his life, and was deemed a criminal for it.

[@thrashmetaldave]

And the Spike Milligan episode is missing from Disney

[@pirate_cove_man]

@@thrashmetaldave I think that's only the case in the UK

[@JoshTheNostalgic1405]

Brooke Shields is one of The Very Best of The Muppet Show DVD release and I have that release.

[@Asukenick]

Brooke Shields episode is missing because of the song Were Off to see the Wizard.

[@dillonohlemiller9027]

This compilation is as long as an episode lol

[@andrewwertz3335]

It's very weird what songs were cut- I know a lot of obscure old stuff but I don't know most of these songs-- with the exception of the freaking Sesame Street theme song getting cut!!!! The show has tons of other much much more well known music, but these seemed to fall through the cracks- maybe songs still controlled by the writer's families instead of giant estates or corporations?

[@yosefdemby8792]

Disney doesn't own the Sesame Street theme song. In fact, they don't own anything Sesame Street. The only reason we see these characters on Disney+, is because they were pre-existing material. In case you didn't know, when Jim Henson planned on selling his company to Disney in 1989, he promised Joan Ganz Cooney that they would not get any of the Sesame Street characters in the deal (with the semi-exception of Kermit the Frog. They could only use him conditionally.)

[@andrewwertz3335]

@@yosefdemby8792 still, Disney is able to license multiple Beatles songs for the show, but not the Sesame Street theme song?

[@TherealRNOwwfpooh]

@@andrewwertz3335 Sesame Street is owned by Sesame Workshop, who has a working partnership with Warner-Media's HBO Max platform.

[@cleverhilarious20]

Thank God for the DVDs.

[@StarStarbreez]

volumes 1 - 3 wish they released all 5 seasons

[@SithBunny1]

I doubt we'll ever get seasons 4&5

[@lionneko]

Well season 1 is better on streaming because of the cuts on that set. 2 and 3 are complete on the dvds those

[@JoshTheNostalgic1405]

@@lionneko In European countries it has some uncut unlike in us in the states.

[@lionneko]

@@JoshTheNostalgic1405 yeah it's kinda a mixed bag because of the music Mafia here in the states. Sometimes Disney plus is better and sometimes the DVDs has stuff they don't

[@kelleyceccato7025]

Hard to see how the Don Knotts episode would even make sense without "Lullaby of Birdland."

[@muppet7680]

It doesn't, you don't understand why Fozzie gets his shades or why he's de-shaded!!

[@imthisguy3049]

I know right

[@davidz2016]

Thank you .

[@christhejedimaster1885]

The Sesame Apperance was left intact but it just cut the Sesame Theme song so when Fozzie says One More Time it just cuts to the characters going to Marty

[@Banjo_Tails]

Music licensing problems can also just be that Disney does not want to pay the royalties for the songs in general, restrictions or requests put in place by the rights holder/estates or the song is based or inspired by songs already made in way of sounding similar or music structure.

[@cessnaace]

Strange that Disney couldn't license these songs, as there are many songs much better known by artists who never appeared on the show that are still intact, such as An Octopus's Garden by The Beatles, and Take A Chance On Me by ABBA. The stated running time of each episode on Disney+ is 27 minutes, longer than the U.S. running time, so they must have restored some of the U.K. exclusive songs. My wife and I have made a game of trying to guess which segments they are. I usually vote for the segments using old British drinking/ dance hall songs. Two episodes are entirely missing from Disney+, those starring Brooke Shields and Chris Langham. Beginning with Season 4 I began to notice that Ray Charles was credited as Music Advisor (I think that's the title given). He may have done the same job in previous seasons and I simply didn't notice.

[@samp.8099]

The music director for The Muppet Show isn't the Ray Charles you're probably thinking of.

[@The_Count_]

5:30. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@JonathanEzor]

Oddly, two of these are on The Muppet Show album: "I'm Five" and "There's a New Sound."

[@EddieFunkowitz]

Not so odd, considering how long that album has been out-of-print -- and that licensing music for an album or tv broadcast doesn't include home video rights.

[@iHeartsNostalgiaPit]

well I can see why Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight was removed....Sesame Street characters show up (but then again we've had Bert and Ernie and Big Bird have separate appearances)

[@ZombieTwin]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the episode with Chris Langham isn’t available on Disney+ here in the U.K. - this may be due to the fact that he was convicted of having certain material on his computer...

[@abhinavbhargava978]

Neither is the Brooke Shields episode

[@alextavalesthemuppetmaniac5607]

Rowlf is seen playing the piano in the Down At The Old Bull And Bush song.

[@Starinthesky826]

Hahahahahha!!!!!! I forgot about the Worm Song One..🤣🤣🤣 So ridiculous and weird!!!! And sooooooo gooooodd!! Hahaha!! Disney what the freak put the worm one back in it is it's ridiculous it's so funny!!

[@julia9714]

Down at the Old Bull & Bush is from 1905, no way is that still copyrighted- was it the beer? To protect the kids from seeing alcohol use? I'm just kinda laughing if that's the problem- I performed that song aged 9 for a primary school show.

[@rbourne35]

It looks to be licensed by Universal Music Publishing Group. Music copyright is complicated and pre-1972 was often at the state level. Copyrights can be renewed (see Michael Jackson owned the Beatles catalog). I don't pretend to know all teh ins and outs but it does look to be protected. Remember, Happy Birthday was copyrighted until recently.

[@WesTheHunter]

What I don't understand is why the Waldorf and Statler send-off in Season 1 Episode 17 - Ben Vereen is Cut ? Whats cut is Statler's "WOAAA" and Waldorf's Laugh ?

[@user-kw7mr6xt9n]

Man, the removal of Lullaby of Birdland REALLY butchered the Don Knotts episode.

[@craighaley1658]

Man, there's not a dud among the lot. Sad that all this had to be cut.

[@31darkstar37]

Screw copyrights!

[@johnIZaUWL]

STUPID they had to be cut is more like it 🤬

[@dsheldon57]

Some of Seasons 4 and 5 are out of order

[@armyofpets5547]

And Gene Kelly had to be the last guest!

[@Asukenick]

​@@armyofpets5547 That was the last episode taped but the first to air of the fifth season.

[@bloomcow]

The Sesame Street song was the first thing I noticed that’s missing from Disney+.

[@Jeff-gj7ko]

And the length of a full episode as well.

[@OleAlexanderBrunaes]

07:32 is my favourite.

[@ShadowWingTronix]

The only one I remember was Tip-I-Tin. I wonder if some of these didn't even get to America?

[@EphemeralTao]

Most of them were the "extras" for the longer British runtime. They were also shown when the show aired on the now-defunct Odyssey cable channel.

[@armyofpets5547]

@@EphemeralTao I miss Odyssey!

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

Also the Harry Belefonte ep The sour note played on the sax in shows end was one of the African Puppets NOT Zoot i DO rember THAT Also Disney aquired the muppets in 1990 to get their tendrils into Sesame Street OBVIOUSLY that fell through

[@KairuHakubi]

"What in the pluperfect past tense?" i need to remember that one.

[@whofandb]

Why was the 'Jogging' sketch cut?

[@Asukenick]

I believe because it was from a British show they couldn't get the rights to.

[@ziggy12657]

Nobody even has the lyrics to the song “Jogging “. It’s a shame it’s not included on Disney+.

[@ahmed.jumaah8695]

We need to watch full episodes

[@t.a.f.officialyoutubechann5993]

I’m so glad your doing videos of The Muppet Show again p.s. you didn’t finish Pigs in Space (Part 4) you got a lot more work to do on that one.

[@magnetoonproductions9541]

License issues are the worst! This isn’t copyright violation! This is fair use!

[@xavierdallenmusicuniverse6304]

I didn’t know Fozzie was singing the Sesame Street Theme

[@CliffordtheOrangeCat]

Sam P., you are a good man/woman/eagle.

[@spydersoup8447]

I wonder though, they removed these sketches from The Muppet Show when streaming it on Disney+ because of licensing issues, but for the 2D Star Wars: The Clone Wars mini series directed and produced by Genndy Tarkovsky, they didn't take out the Cartoon Network Studios and Cartoon Network logos at the end of the credits when streaming that on Disney+? I get the mini series was originally made for Cartoon Network by their studio and it was long before Disney bought Lucasfilm and became the owners of the Star Wars brand, but it's still weird to me.

[@sbspfan2004]

Lucasfilm had all distribution rights to the Star Wars Clone Wars 2D micro series.

[@spydersoup8447]

@@sbspfan2004 I can see that, it's just weird that they kept the logos of the company it was originally distributed by, much like how for a lot of the MCU films that were distributed by Paramount before Disney bought out Marvel, the Paramount logo still remains, even though the films are watchable on Disney+.

[@GregoriousGregori9]

Did you know that due to commercial run times being longer in the united states american audiences never got to see the Rowlf musical moments during the show's original broadcast..

[@WaWYGaSNUOTV]

The only season with all uncut episodes is the first season.

[@thabigben1]

Missed your videos.

[@troygaspard6732]

Marty Feldman singing along next to Cookie Monster!

[@kathyevans3251]

There's a home for these scenes somewhere.I love them .

[@draconiclady0610]

I love Hal Linden, he reminds me so much of Alan Alda. Even on Barney Miller it had such a MASH vibe. HOLY SHIT! I LOVE HIS SINGING VOICE!

[@lyricrogersofficial]

Charles Aznavour singing "The Old Fashioned Way" was removed from the Muppet Show DVDs due to licensing problems as well. I wonder if it was also removed on D+.

[@samp.8099]

Season 1 of the Muppet Show is completely intact on Disney+

[@jamesbevan9939]

Wonder if the overlap with "Jogging" and "Dog Walk" was intentional.

[@jasonkingsley9134]

At least there are 118 episodes are definitely coming out on dvd. I’m sure you’re going to add the missing 6 to complete the series.

[@ThatChadWithTheAnchorArms]

12:45 17:04 Been looking for this sketch forever

[@ehaaven]

Don't forget about the episodes with brooke Sheilds and Mark Hamil.

[@noahhenson1669]

The Hamill episode is on Disney+. Are you saying that a skit or song is missing from it?

[@ehaaven]

@@noahhenson1669 actually just found that episode, but still can't find the Brooke Shields episode where the entire show was "Alice in Wonderland" themed.

[@noahhenson1669]

@@ehaaven Right, unfortunately Disney has not been able to get the rights to the Wizard of Oz song with which the Brooke Shields episode climaxes. And because that entire episode's plot hinges on that number, due to the running gag about confusion over "Alice" and "Oz", Disney can't stream a truncated version of it since it would just end with no closure. More's the pity! Maybe someday.

[@ehaaven]

@@noahhenson1669 oohhhh. That explains it. Thx :)

[@noahhenson1669]

@@ehaaven I should say: "This is what I've read," rather than asserting it as confirmed fact. Now I can't find an article or any source corroborating the claim. It does seem reasonable, considering MGM and Disney are distinct corporate entities... but I only reported to you what another fan told me on a FB group. So it may or not be factually correct. Sorry to mislead!

[@martinmoore2468]

(20:35) I can't believe that Disney Plus has just totally edited out the Sesame Street theme song.

[@mokana713]

Its a licensing issue if they did.

[@martinmoore2468]

@@mokana713 that maybe so. But sometimes I wish Disney would have owned Sesame Street, instead of Sesame Workshop and HBO.

[@yosefdemby8792]

@@martinmoore2468 Just in case you didn't know: When Jim Henson planned on selling his company to Disney in 1989, he made one thing clear: they could not have the Sesame Street Muppets. He insisted that was a nonstarter. And Joan Ganz Cooney, the creator of Sesame Street was extremely grateful. In January 1990, Henson met with Cooney and Michael Eisner for a lunch just to break the ice. But when Eisner so much as mentioned "Sesame Street", Henson went, "There you go again." Cooney had never seen him angrier! And that was saying something, because Jim Henson almost never became visibly angry! What's the big deal, you may ask? I'll tell you! Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit organization to better the world, to educate kids of all cultures entertainingly. Disney is a global media empire that thinks about money more than anything else. Jim Henson once said, "You can't take advantage of the love the kids have for these characters."

[@martinmoore2468]

@@yosefdemby8792 yeah. That is so true.

[@alexhecht5532]

I’m disappointed that the Sesame Street scene in the Marty Feldman episode was cut.

[@jeremyriley1238]

So true. I mean, Disney allowed Sesame Workshop to use Kermit for one scene of Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration, but Sesame Workshop won't allow the muppets they own to be shown in an episode?

[@alexhecht5532]

@@jeremyriley1238 Very ironic.

[@ScoobyandShaggy5554]

@@jeremyriley1238 greedy and salty hbo

[@Bflorio12]

@@jeremyriley1238 its not the use of the characters, its the use of the Sunny Days theme song. I don't believe HBO owns it.

[@yosefdemby8792]

@@jeremyriley1238 But they _did_ ! We still see Bert dancing with Connie Stevens and Big Bird singing with Leslie Uggams!

[@patrickmanway290]

The problem with a show like the Muppet Show is that they use a lot of copyrighted music and songs. So they have to get a lot of clearances to use the music.

[@0pacbig32]

That is probably the reason why is that it's probably the only major old scripted show before streaming services to not have the entire series out on DVD.

[@patrickmanway290]

@@0pacbig32 Exactly.

[@zachhaumesser2092]

I wish Uncle Deadly’s original line “Guy Lombardo” was used instead of the “Jack Parnell” dub in the House of horrors Sketch in the Vincent Price episode.

[@samp.8099]

Guy Lombardo died shortly after that episode aired.

[@zachhaumesser2092]

@Connor Reynolds it was said they changed it because people in the UK were not familiar with who Guy Lombardo was. It did air in the US with Lombardo but I guess all dubs after that have been with Parnell including DVD releases. It’s mentioned in the Muppet morsels bonus feature of the season one DVD release.

[@zachhaumesser2092]

@@samp.8099 yeah I guess also because people from the United Kingdom were not familiar with who he was. Perhaps the original dub is lost because all DVD releases are of Parnell now.

[@zachhaumesser2092]

@@samp.8099 I don’t think his death is what made the change though, UK fans didn’t know who he was. Still I think the joke is lost either way. The Muppet show book says Guy Lombardo.

[@PotterPossum1989]

Music licensing is equally disgusting. No wonder people buy bootlegs