"Halfway Down" is a poem by A.A. Milne, included in the 1924 collection When We Were Very Young . A "juvenile meditation", Zena Sutherland comments in Children & Books that both the poem and Ernest Shepard's illustration "has caught the mood of suspended action that is always overtaking small children on stairs." [1] Christopher Robin, the child in Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories, is the presumed narrator of the poem. [2]
A song was created from the poem by Harold Fraser-Simson, who put many of Milne's poems to music.
"Halfway Down the Stairs" was used in the first season of The Muppet Show . The performance was staged in the middle of a flight of stairs, and became the most significant performance of the season for Kermit the Frog's nephew Robin the Frog. The sequence was reshot for a few different countries' broadcast of the tenth episode, with guest Harvey Korman.
The song was included on the LP The Muppet Show , later released separately reaching #7 on the UK Singles Chart in 1977. [3] The sequence was refilmed for inclusion in Top of the Pops . The track was also included on the CD The Best of The Muppets and the VHS Playhouse Video: Children's Songs and Stories .
Jerry Nelson, who served as Robin the Frog's performer, sang the song at Jim Henson's memorial service during a segment where various Muppet performers sang Henson's favorite songs as their characters.
Rowlf the Dog sang a cover of this song in his album, Ol' Brown Ears is Back . American singer Amy Lee of the band Evanescence sang a cover of the song which was included on the 2011 album Muppets: The Green Album . [4]
A cover of this song was sung in the Family Guy episode You Can't Handle the Booth!. In the episode, Peter gets stuck in the bannister slats of his staircase and dejectedly sings the song to pass the time. [5]
Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like
It.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.
Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in the town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head:
"It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!" [6]
James Maury Henson was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986). He was born in Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in Leland, Mississippi, and University Park, Maryland.
The Muppet Show is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a series and other networks in the United States rejected Henson's proposals, British producer Lew Grade expressed enthusiasm for the project and agreed to co-produce The Muppet Show for the British channel ATV. Five seasons, totalling 120 episodes, were broadcast on ATV and other ITV franchises in the United Kingdom and in later first-run syndication in the US from 1976 to 1981. The programme was produced and recorded at ATV Elstree Studios, England.
Miss Piggy is one of the Muppet characters known for her breakout role in Jim Henson's The Muppet Show. Since her debut in 1976, Miss Piggy has been notable for her temperamental diva superstar personality, tendency to use French phrases in her speech, and practice of karate. She was also known for her on-again/off-again relationship with Kermit the Frog which never ends permanently. Frank Oz performed the character from 1976 to 2000, 2002 and was succeeded by Eric Jacobson in 2001. Miss Piggy was inspired by jazz singer Peggy Lee.
Jerry Nelson was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and various Muppet movies and specials.
Jim Henson's Muppet Babies, commonly known by the shortened title Muppet Babies, is an American animated television series that aired from September 15, 1984, to November 2, 1991, on CBS. The show portrays childhood versions of the Muppets living together in a nursery under the care of a woman known as Nanny. The idea of presenting the Muppets as children first appeared in a dream sequence in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), released two months before Muppet Babies debuted, in which Miss Piggy imagined what it would be like if she and Kermit the Frog had grown up together.
The Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 American comedy musical Christmas film directed by Brian Henson from a screenplay by Jerry Juhl. Adapted from the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, it stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, alongside Muppet performers Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, and Frank Oz. Although artistic license is taken to suit the aesthetic of the Muppets, The Muppet Christmas Carol otherwise follows Dickens's original story closely. It is the fourth theatrical film in The Muppets franchise, and the first to be produced following the deaths of the Muppets creator Jim Henson and the performer Richard Hunt; the film is dedicated to both.
Muppets from Space is a 1999 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Tim Hill and written by Jerry Juhl, Joseph Mazzarino, and Ken Kaufman. The sixth theatrical film in The Muppets franchise, it is the first Muppets film to not be a musical and the first film since the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson to have an original Muppets-focused plot. In addition to the Muppet performers, the film stars Jeffrey Tambor, F. Murray Abraham, David Arquette, Josh Charles, Hollywood Hogan, Ray Liotta, and Andie MacDowell. In the film, Gonzo attempts to discover his origins after having nightmares. After he and Rizzo the Rat are captured by government officials during his search, Kermit the Frog and the rest of the Muppet gang must save them.
"Rainbow Connection" is a song from the 1979 film The Muppet Movie, with music and lyrics written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. The song was performed by Jim Henson – as Kermit the Frog – in the film. "Rainbow Connection" reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1979, with the song remaining in the Top 40 for seven weeks total. Williams and Ascher received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 52nd Academy Awards.
"Bein' Green" is a popular song written by Joe Raposo, originally performed by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog on both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. It later was covered by Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and other performers. Bein' Green is considered the signature song of Kermit the Frog.
Kermit Unpigged is a comedy album released by The Jim Henson Company through BMG Kidz in 1994, and the last album released by Jim Henson Records. The record's title is a parody of the MTV series MTV Unplugged, and the cover is a parody of Eric Clapton's Unplugged album cover as well. The album consists of Kermit the Frog and the other Muppets getting lost at a recording studio and encountering celebrities including Linda Ronstadt, with whom Kermit sings "All I Have to Do Is Dream", Vince Gill who sings "Daydream" with Kermit, Jimmy Buffett who sings "Mr. Spaceman" with Gonzo, and Ozzy Osbourne with whom Miss Piggy sings "Born to Be Wild". The album ends with the Muppets meeting back up and singing the Beatles song "All Together Now".
"When the River Meets the Sea" is a song written by composer and lyricist Paul Williams for Jim Henson's 1977 TV special Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. Emmet Otter, the title character, and his mother, Alice Otter sang this song together. The song was later sung by John Denver and Robin the Frog on the 1979 album John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together.
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is a 1977 TV special based on the children's book of the same name by Russell Hoban. Directed by Jim Henson, it features a cast of Muppet characters. It was produced by The Jim Henson Company and premiered on CBC Television.
Rocky Mountain Holiday is a television special and a soundtrack album of songs from the special, performed by American singer-songwriter John Denver and The Muppets. The show has Denver playing host to the extended Muppet family; he takes them up into the scenic Rockies for an excursion that includes fishing, hiking, and camping. The soundtrack album was released in November 1982, and the special itself aired May 12, 1983, on ABC. In 1984, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children, but lost to Michael Jackson's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook.
The Muppet Show is the first soundtrack album released from the TV show of the same name. It reached number one in the UK Albums Chart in the week ending 25 June 1977. In 1979, The album won The Grammy Award for Best Album for Children.
"The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil" is a song by the American psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane. Written by Paul Kantner, the song initially appeared as an RCA Victor single, and then subsequently as the first track of their third album, After Bathing at Baxter's, in a substantially remixed version.
Muppet Beach Party is a music and comedy record released by The Jim Henson Company through BMG Kidz in 1993. The album consisted of the Muppets having an all-day beach party and performing popular songs, mostly from the 1960s. Similar to The Muppet Show albums from the late 1970s, the album divides song tracks with Muppet dialogue. It was released in CD and cassette form, with the latter including a poster with lyrics on the opposite side.
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson is a one-hour special that aired on CBS on November 21, 1990. The program was a tribute to Muppet creator Jim Henson, who had died earlier in 1990 due to toxic shock syndrome caused by a streptococcus infection, and featured characters from The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and Sesame Street.
Sesame Street, Special is a pledge-drive special that is based on the children's series, Sesame Street. It aired on PBS stations in March 1988 as part of PBS' March fundraiser.