Shirley Bassey guest stars, and Kermit has Scooter fetch some gold paint to prepare her final number. Instead, Scooter brings back $50 million in gold bullion, and one very paranoid security guard!
Songs and Sketches
- "Barnyard Boogie", performed by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
- "Fire Down Below", sung by Shirley Bassey.
- Muppet Labs: Turning gold into cottage cheese.
- "Isn't This a Lovely Day", performed by two Fazoobs.
- UK Spot: "After You're Gone", performed by the Muppet Orchestra.
- "Pennies From Heaven", sung by Shirley.
- Muppet Newsflash: Dire things will happen to whoever touches the gold.
- Gonzo's Act: Gonzo conducts Rowlf on piano and a Whatnot violinist playing "Liebesträume" while dueling a crab named Buster.
- "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley.
This episode has examples of
- Continuity Nod: Fozzie tells Shirley that his jokes are written for him by Gags Beasley, who was first mentioned way back in the Sandy Duncan episode in the first season.
- Equivalent Exchange: Dr. Honeydew's machine turns gold into cottage cheese, but it will turn any nearby cottage cheese into gold at the same time, as Scooter and Shirley learn.
- Failed a Spot Check:
- As Bruno is ranting about his gold, Beaker sneaks in behind him and manages to make off with a gold bar.
- Through the entirety of "Goldfinger", Shirley fails to notice Link Goldfinger and his gang making off with all the gold bars.
- Fantastic Racism: Bruno really doesn't trust frogs, figuring that Kermit is out to steal his gold bars simply on the basis that he's a frog.
- Hollywood Density: Comes and goes as the funny demands. Beaker has exactly as much difficulty as you'd expect trying to lift a single gold bar, while Link and his gang manage to pilfer the lot with none whatsoever.
- Major Injury Underreaction: During Gonzo's act, his swordfighting with Buster the crab and then also the violinist leads to him getting impaled through the shoulder. When Rowlf expresses concern that this is too violent for a family show, Gonzo assures him that it's just a flesh wound and walks offstage, the sword still stuck in him. Once Gonzo gets backstage, Kermit doesn't seem particularly concerned either, just calling the incident "tough luck".
- Not Hyperbole: When Bruno the guard says that no one is to touch the gold except himself, he means it, as the poor Muppet Newsman finds out the hard way.
- Rain of Something Unusual: Near the end of "Pennies From Heaven", it starts to rain, well, pennies.
- Shout-Out: The "Goldfinger" number has Link and the pigs making off with all the gold bars. In the original novel, Auric Goldfinger's plan was to steal all the bars in Fort Knox, which was changed in the movie for being utterly impractical. Obviously, this isn't a problem for Muppets.
- Toilet Humor: After Shirley sings "Fire Down Below"...Waldorf: "Fire Down Below", great number.
Statler: Thanks.
Waldorf: Thanks? You didn't write "Fire Down Below".
Statler: No, but the guy who did had just had a bowl of my chili.
- Statler: I bought gold back when it was cheap.
Waldorf: Really? Where is it now?
Statler: [opens his mouth as if in the dentist's chair] Ahhhh!
[Waldorf looks in his boxmate's mouth and chuckles.]
