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- What Was The Land of Gorch All About?
- An Iconic SNL Partnership Doomed From the Start
- Gorch’s Less Than Ideal Legacy on SNL
As a child of the ’70s, I vividly remember the debut of Saturday Night Live (SNL) and the peculiar segment known as “The Land of Gorch.” Being a fan of both SNL and Jim Henson’s creations, I was initially thrilled to see the Muppets grace the SNL stage. However, my excitement quickly turned sour as the Gorch sketches unfolded on our television screens.
Jim Henson, a cherished figure in children’s entertainment, is renowned for producing timeless classics like Sesame Street, The Muppets, and Fraggle Rock. His innovative puppet characters continue to captivate audiences today. Interestingly, Saturday Night Live, a cornerstone of modern television, shares something with Jim Henson – they both have significantly shaped the landscape of entertainment.
As a fan, I must confess that if you’re younger than 65 years old, there’s a good chance you’ve never encountered the realm of Gorch. This comedic sketch, airing in the inaugural season of SNL, was brought to life by the Muppet characters born from Jim Henson’s workshop. However, due to its late-night broadcast, it wasn’t exactly suitable for children. The repugnant inhabitants of Gorch represented a stark contrast to the educational and preschool-oriented atmosphere of Sesame Street.
What Was The Land of Gorch All About?
In the realm known as Gorch, the story unfolds focusing on its enigmatic inhabitants. Among them are King Ploobis, Queen Peuta, and their son Wiss. Also present are servants Vazh and Scred, along with the divine figure, Favog of immense power. To set it apart from Sesame Street, both the stage and puppets were crafted to be starkly different, featuring ominous and gloomy settings, and grotesque character designs. Regular segments revolved around the characters engaging in discussions about their personal lives, consuming alcohol, using substances, or simply acting reprehensibly.
Initially, the characters were only featured within their designated area on the show. Around mid-season, they started mingling with other cast members and guest hosts, leading to less screen time collectively. In an attempt to regain their original format, the characters broke the fourth wall by pleading for their skit’s restoration, but to no avail. Consequently, their last appearance on the show was during the second season opener. As the Gorch puppets awoke in a filing cabinet, they realized this episode might be their final chance to reappear. Unfortunately, they were criticized for not fitting the family-friendly atmosphere of the newly introduced series, The Muppet Show. Consequently, they disappeared and were never mentioned again. Despite this, more popular Muppets like Kermit, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird made guest appearances in later years.
An Iconic SNL Partnership Doomed From the Start
During the 1970s, Jim Henson was only starting his journey in puppetry on the mainstream scene. At this point, Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock were not yet conceived. Saturday Night Live (SNL) was still in its experimental phase, far from the respected platform it is known for today. It seemed like a sure success to combine these two pioneers during their early stages. Henson managed to secure the SNL opportunity through his agent who also represented SNL’s boss Lorne Michaels and original cast members such as Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner. As he was unable to present his puppets for an adult audience on Sesame Street, Henson sought this opportunity with Michaels, who agreed to introduce Gorch as a regular segment during SNL’s first season.
Instead of depending on Henson’s team for script ideas, the SNL writers independently created each Gorch skit, leaving Henson solely responsible for the puppeteering. However, the SNL team found writing for these childlike puppets challenging and inappropriate for their mature show, often derisively calling them “mucking fuppets.” The process of finding scripts both parties could agree on was difficult due to differing perspectives: the writers from a sketch comedy angle and Henson from a more cartoonish puppetry viewpoint.
In the norm of Henson’s team, performing live wasn’t commonplace. The cast members disliked relinquishing their screen time for the character ‘Gorch‘, and tensions escalated rapidly. Eventually, these accumulating disputes resulted in the cancellation of the segment at the start of Season 2. However, the separation between Michaels and Henson could have been beneficial. Following the first season of SNL, Henson’s puppeteers shifted their focus to a new series called The Muppet Show. From then on, history was made.
Gorch’s Less Than Ideal Legacy on SNL
After parting ways, it’s clear that both SNL and Jim Henson experienced a surge in popularity, with SNL preparing for its 50th season and The Muppets remaining a cultural staple. Both ventures have journeyed far from their initial struggles, the cancellation of Gorch perhaps proving beneficial as it enabled SNL to concentrate solely on its renowned sketch comedy. The team behind Gorch found success in creating The Muppet Show, which might not have taken shape had Gorch persisted. Frank Oz acknowledged that the collaboration with SNL didn’t fit and expressed gratitude for moving onto The Muppet Show.
The Land of Gorch, unlike certain “so-so-bad-it’s-good” concepts that seem to improve over time, doesn’t appear to be one of them, at least from the perspective of those who recall it. It remains remembered as a rough, offensive, unfunny, and low point in both Jim Henson’s and SNL‘s history. However, Gorch hasn’t entirely vanished, making an appearance in the upcoming Saturday Night Live origin movie. And for those with a morbid curiosity, a few remaining Gorch sketches can be found on SNL’s official YouTube channel.
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2024-09-28 03:01