Rare Higher Quality Version of The Tonight Show hosted by Kermit the Frog (1979) (Lost Media)

Here are some clips of a rare higher quality version of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson episode of Kermit the Frog hosting the Tonight Show from 1979, which is considered by many to be one of the most well remembered live appearances from the golden age of the Muppets. Which the episode is about Johnny Carson takes the evening off from hosting The Tonight Show, leaving it in the hands (or flippers) of Kermit and the Muppet gang. The 90-minute episode featured a number of acts by the Muppets, along with performances and interviews with guests Bernadette Peters, Leo Sayer, Vincent Price and veterinarian Dr. Michael Fox (all but the latter having been guests on The Muppet Show).

This also marked an important part of Muppets history as this show would led Kermit to guest host other programs such as filling in for Larry King on Larry King Live, Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Liveand Ty Pennington on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

This episode was also a promotion for the upcoming Muppet Movie at the time as they even showcased a clip before the release of the film. Despite how successful the episode was, it would later be forgotten to time due to it probably only aired on television once which the episode wouldn’t be well known until 2014, when a vhs recording of the episode surfaced online by YouTuber Connor Ratliff. However the existing upload of the episode online despite being a vhs recording is only in 240p which while it doesn’t look choppy it is only available to watch in that quality only.

However in May 2024 user kenplume uploaded clips from the episode in much higher quality compared to the one from 2014 on TikTok. Which this could mean that episode was released on some kind of Johnny Carson DVD or the user has a full higher quality copy of it, but hasn’t released it fully online yet. Otherwise the episode has never been released on The Muppet Movie DVD or Blu Ray release likely because of licensing issues although assorted clips from the episode have been used in several compilation screenings by the Jim Henson Legacy. The full episode can also be viewed at the Paley Center for Media. So until this higher quality version of the episode surfaces online fully, the only full copy of the special is the 240p upload from 2014, so as of now this higher quality version of this episode is completely lost, as it hasn’t been documented online whether it was released on DVD or not.

Here’s the original 240p upload if you want to watch the episode in full or compare it to this upload if you’re interested:    • Kermit The Frog guest hosts The Tonight Sh...  

Sources: https://urlebird.com/video/kens-muppe...

https://urlebird.com/video/kens-muppe...

https://urlebird.com/video/kens-muppe...

https://urlebird.com/video/kens-muppe...

https://urlebird.com/video/kens-muppe...

https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/The_To...

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#lostmedia #themuppets #jimhenson