Out to Lunch (TV program)
Out to Lunch is a prime-time television special that was broadcast on December 10, 1974, on ABC, from 9 to 10pm ET. It mixed the Sesame Street Muppets and the cast of The Electric Company along with guest stars Elliott Gould, Barbara Eden and Carol Burnett. This is the first and one of the few Sesame Street-related productions directly produced by The Jim Henson Company (the others being the 1983 television special Big Bird in China, and the 1985 feature film Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, and the 1989 television special Sesame Street… 20 Years & Still Counting, and the 1998 television special Elmopalooza!, and the 1999 feature film The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland).
| Out to Lunch | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Christopher Cerf Tom Dunsmuir Clark Gesner Bryan Joseph Norman Stiles Jim Thurman Tom Whedon |
| Directed by | Bill Davis |
| Starring | Rita Moreno Luis Avalos Hattie Winston Morgan Freeman Skip Hinnant Judy Graubart Jim Boyd Elliott Gould Barbara Eden Carol Burnett Bill Beutel |
| Composer | Joe Raposo |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | David Connell |
| Producer | Norton W. Wright |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Sesame Workshop, The Jim Henson Company, ABC |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | December 10, 1974 |
A member of the Electric Company cast, Rita Moreno, received an Emmy nomination in 1975 for her participation in the show in the category of Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music.
Plot
In the program, ABC News anchor Bill Beutel and his stage manager wrapped up a newscast, and left the studio to take a lunch break. After they leave, the Muppets and the cast of The Electric Company take over the studio, to fill an hour of programming on ABC while the studio staff is on break.
Cast
- Luis Ávalos - Casino owner
- Bill Beutel - Himself
- Jim Boyd - Stage manager and gambler
- Carol Burnett - Herself
- Barbara Eden - Herself
- Morgan Freeman - Croupier
- Elliott Gould - Divorced husband
- Skip Hinnant - Himself and spectator
- Rita Moreno - Herself, divorced wife, and spectator
- Gary Owens - Announcer
- Hattie Winston - Herself
Muppet performers
- Jim Henson - Kermit the Frog, Ernie, and Guy Smiley
- Richard Hunt - Various
- Jerry Nelson - Herry Monster, Count von Count, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Anything Muppet Dog
- Frank Oz - Bert, Cookie Monster, and Grover
- Caroll Spinney - Oscar the Grouch, and Big Bird
External links
- Out To Lunch at Muppet Wiki
- Out to Lunch at IMDb
