Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is a one-hour Christmas television special based on the 1971 children's storybook of the same name by Russell Hoban. It first aired on HBO in 1977, and would later make its first network broadcast on ABC on December 15, 1980. It has since re-aired on in the 1990s, then on the  in 1999, and most recently aired as part of 's 25 Days of Christmas in 2015.

Synopsis
In this one-hour musical Christmas special, Kermit the Frog narrates the story of Alice Otter and her son, Emmet, who live along the river in the village of Frogtown Hollow. Ma and Emmet struggle to make ends meet through odd jobs and projects for neighbors and villagers, but this Christmas they dream of having enough money to buy each other a special gift. Known for their musical abilities, the Otters are encouraged by their friends to enter a local talent contest. The mother and son reminisce about Pa Otter, who serves as the inspiration for them to enter the show.

Without each other's knowledge, Ma and Emmet prepare for the talent contest in the hope of winning the fifty-dollar prize to buy Christmas gifts for each other. Emmet performs as a member of the Frogtown Jubilee Jug Band, and Ma Otter sings a solo number, but both face tough competition from a hard rock group formed by a gang of woodland creatures who call themselves the Riverbottom Nightmare Band.

Songs
The songs for Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas were written by Paul Williams, who is known for his 1970s pop hits "(Just an) Old-Fashioned Love Song" and "We've Only Just Begun." Williams wrote songs for the Muppets in two later productions, The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992).
 * "The One Bathing Suit": A standard "keeping warm while you're rowing song," affectionately mocking Emmet's grandmother and her oversized swimwear.
 * "Ain't No Hole in the Washtub": Ma and Emmet sing this song to cheer themselves up after thinking about their dear departed Pa Otter.
 * "When the River Meets the Sea": A gospel number sung by Ma and Emmet, about the hope of redemption. Reprised at the end of the special with the Jug Band, to honor Pa Otter about their new permanent jobs.
 * "Barbecue": A rousing song rehearsed by Emmet's Frogtown Hollow Jubilee Jug Band. The band plans to perform this song at Waterville's annual Christmas Eve talent show, but another entrant, Yancey Woodchuck, steals their thunder by singing the song before Emmet's band comes on.
 * "Our World": The song that Ma Otter sings at the talent show. At the end of the special, Ma and Emmet's band sing both songs, blending them into a harmony.
 * "Brothers": The song that the Frogtown Hollow Jubilee Jug Band performs at the talent show. It's a good song, but it's missing something.
 * "Riverbottom Nightmare Band": A menacing song sung by the Riverbottom Nightmare Band, about how bad and disrespectful they are.
 * "Brothers in Our World": A mash-up of the songs "Our World" and "Brothers", by Ma and the Jug Band, which Doc Bullfrog hears and offers permanent jobs for them.

Production
The special utilizes a number of different puppetry methods. The main puppets used are the usual Muppet hand puppets, but the characters are frequently represented by marionettes as well. It also utilizes the Bunraku and Black Theater techniques. This is also one of the first Muppet productions to use radio control puppet effects, designed by Faz Fazakas.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas also featured extensively platformed-up sets, all created with great attention to detail. Jim Henson explained:

"Emmet Otter was the first time we had gotten into those kind of elaborate sets where we had floors in the interiors and we would take a wide-angle shot with characters coming up through holes in the floor. Or we'd cut into the set and remove the floor and have the characters moving through space in waist shots. That was the most elaborate production we had gotten into at that point. Frog Prince had been platformed-up and The Muppet Show was always platformed-up, but in Emmet Otter... we'd go right into a scene. We'd have the whole set in three dimensions... rigged so we could pop parts and come out through the openings, which is really time consuming..."

Reception
John J. O'Connor gave the special a very positive review in The New York Times on December 15, 1980 for its ABC airing:

"Jim Henson and the Muppets are on a dazzling winning streak these days... Mr. Henson has produced and directed one of the most charming Christmas specials of the last several years... Once again, Mr. Henson's creations verge on the marvelous, perfectly capturing the Wind in the Willows aspects of Emmet Otter's story... These really are the nicest folk on the river -- and on prime-time television."

In 1981, the special was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program. However, it lost to Donahue and Kids.

In 2008, the special was adapted into a live musical stage show, featuring a mix of live actors and stage puppets built by the Jim Henson Company. Paul Williams wrote four new songs just for the stage adaptation, as well as finishing up "Born in a Trunk", a song he originally wrote for the television special. The musical premiered at the Goodspeed Opera House on December 7, 2008, and ran until January 4, 2009. The show ran again, this time with the title shortened to Jim Henson's Emmet Otter, from December 5, 2009, to January 3, 2010.

Home video releases
In 1983, four Muppet Home Video titles were released under the heading "Tales from Muppetland," by Silver Eagle Records. They were Hey Cinderella!, The Frog Prince, The Muppet Musicians of Bremen and Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. In addition to VHS, these titles were released on Betamax and RCA SelectaVision CED discs.

1983 also saw the release of the four programmes in the UK by RCA/Columbia Pictures Video (forerunner to Columbia Tristar Home Video) again under the Muppet Home Video banner. There were two volumes, each containing two programmes. Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas was featured on the first volume with Hey Cinderella! These programmes appear to be the same versions as released by Silver Eagle Records in the US.

Buena Vista Home Video released Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas on VHS, under the label, in 1996.

In 1998, Columbia Tri-Star Home Video released Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas under its new "Jim Henson Home Entertainment" line, and in 2001 released the same version on DVD.

In 2005, HIT Entertainment released an Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas: Collector's Edition DVD featuring "Never-Before-Seen Footage", an in-depth documentary and other new bonus features. HIT Entertainment would issue the special on DVD again in 2008, but with none of the bonus features from the previous release. It was released on DVD again, this time by Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment, on October 8, 2013.

Edits
Various edits have been made to later broadcasts and releases of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas to accommodate for various time constraints. Additionally, after the Jim Henson Company sold the Muppet characters to the Walt Disney Company in 2004, subsequent releases had to cut out all of Kermit's scenes. The original uncut special is available for viewing at the Paley Center. Aside from the original version, three alternate cuts to the special exist.

The 1980 edit is the version that was made for broadcast on ABC and commercial television, and is also the version that was used for the 1983 Muppet Home Video VHS release. The following edits were made:
 * Fadeout after the opening titles
 * Some extra lines of dialogue before Emmet sees the guitar in the shop window
 * Some additional verses to "There Ain't No Hole in the Washtub"
 * A few lines of dialogue from the scene where Emmet and Ma wonder what to give each other for Christmas
 * Fadeout before the talent show
 * A short talent show scene after Yancy Woodchuck sings "Barbecue":
 * Mayor Fox: Welcome if you will, George and Mellisa Rabbit!
 * [Rabbits dance]
 * Possum: Well, It's gonna be a long night.


 * "When the River Meets the Sea" is shortened

The 1996 edit is the version that was used for the 1996 and 1998 VHS releases and the 2001 DVD release, as well as the special's broadcasts on the Odyssey Network in 1999. The following cuts were made:
 * Kermit's scene in the restaurant at the end of the special
 * Kermit's narration throughout the special
 * Several lines of dialogue between Emmet and Ma after singing "The Bathing Suit That Grandma Otter Wore"
 * Ma: Nice, I should say it did Emmet. Why you can hear the fish appauding.
 * Emmet: I think you're right. Maybe I should pass the hat.
 * Ma: Pa used to say, "If you pass the hat to fish, all you get is a wet hat!"
 * Both laugh
 * Ma: Still, I suppose the fish have just about as much money as any of us this year.
 * Emmet: Couldn't have much less.
 * Emmet starts rowing
 * Emmet: Ma, what are we gonna do about Christmas this year?


 * A couple lines of dialogue after Ma hands Gretchen Fox her laundry:
 * Ma: ...you'd fall off the dock.
 * Emmet: Way to go, Ma!


 * A few lines cut before Emmet and Ma sing "Ain't No Hole in the Washtub":
 * Ma: Oh, "There Ain't No Hole in the Washtub!" That's what you call your basic 'keeping-warm-while-you're-rowing-home' kinda song.
 * Emmet: I'm rowin', where's the singing?

The Collector's Edition DVD released by HIT Entertainment in 2005 contained yet another variation of the special. This version is closer to the original 1977 version, except that all the scenes with Kermit were cut entirely, due to the character now being owned by Disney. However, the alternate scenes from the previous two edits are included in the "Deleted/Altered Scenes" reel bonus feature. This version of the special has been used for all subsequent DVD and digital releases.

When the special was aired on ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas in 2015, it was presented in widescreen and at a 30-frame-rate speed rather than the original 60-frame-rate. It was notably the first broadcast of the special since 2004 to include Kermit's scenes at the beginning and end, though other alterations were also made.

Credits

 * Executive Producer for Henson Associates, Inc.:
 * Producer/Director: Jim Henson
 * Based on the book by: Russell and Lillian Hoban
 * Writer:
 * Music and Lyrics by:
 * Muppet Creative Consultants: and
 * Settings Designed by: William Beeton
 * Lighting Consultant: Tom Wright
 * Puppets by: Don Sahlin, Caroly Wilcox, Dave Goelz, Mari Kaestle, Amy Van Gilder, John Lovelady, Marianne Harms, Rollin Krewson, Leslee Asch, Janet Lerman
 * Special Muppet Effects by: Faz Fazakas and Larry Jameson
 * Muppet Clothes by: Calista Hendrickson and Sherry Ammott
 * Associate Producer: Marilyn Stonehouse
 * Associate Director: Lynn Klugman
 * Set Decoration: Stephen Finnie
 * Special Effects: George Clark
 * Camera: Wayne Summers
 * Sound Effects: Dick Maitland and Barbara Wood
 * Music Recording: Gary Ulmer
 * Re-recording: Emil Neroda
 * Design Services Provided by: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
 * Production Consultant: Charles G. Mortimer, Jr.
 * Produced In Association with: Parents' Magazine Films, Inc. and Westfall Productions
 * Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Published by: Parents' Magazine Press
 * Henson Associates, Inc.