Guest
Tony Bennett (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023). Champion of and legendary interpreter of the Great American Songbook. For the uninitiated, Muppets Tonight was a spin-off of The Muppet Show, airing in the mid-90s. It featured a new host, Clifford, and a variety of new and old Muppet characters. Like the original series, each episode had a celebrity guest star who would interact with the Muppets and perform musical numbers. In Season 1, Episode 6, which aired on April 12, 19961, Tony Bennett was the guest star. He sang several songs with the Muppets, including a duet with Kermit called “Firefly“. The song was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh as an audition for the musical Gypsy, but it was rejected and later recorded by Tony in 1958. The segment begins with Kermit introducing Tony Bennett on stage, while Johnny Fiama, a Muppet who idolizes Tony Bennett, watches from backstage. Johnny is so nervous that he can’t even say hello to his hero. Kermit and Tony sing “Firefly” together, while Spamela Hamderson, a pig who resembles Pamela Anderson, joins them in a sparkly dress that causes some explosions. The song is upbeat and catchy, and Kermit and Tony have great chemistry.
