Statler & Waldorf: From the Balcony

Statler & Waldorf: From the Balcony was an online series starring Statler and Waldorf which ran biweekly on Movies.com from June 2005, until September 2006. The series consisted of 35 episodes and featured many Muppet characters, old and new. The two elderly curmudgeons would discuss upcoming films, watch the latest movie trailers, and share the week's "balconism" from their theater box. For a time, the series was also available on iTunes as a subscribed podcast.

Many of the "webisodes" featured segments spotlighting other Muppet characters - for example Pepe the King Prawn often reviewed the recent DVD releases or gave remote reports, and fictional movie trailers or commercials featuring other Muppets were common. Other established Muppets who appeared included Pepe, Rowlf the Dog, Johnny Fiama, the Swedish Chef, Bobo the Bear, Dr. Teeth, Animal, Sam the Eagle, and Sweetums. In addition to one-shot supporting Whatnots, a few new recurring characters were also introduced, such as Larry and Oliver, Lester Possum, Ted Thomas, Stan and Louie, the Hollywood Pitchmen, The Blimp, Loni Dunne, and a pair of musical performers.

Production[]

Statlerandwaldorf — Statler and Waldorf in the balcony.

From the Balcony was produced by Movies.com in association with The Muppet Studios and Hirsch Productions. A test pilot was briefly available online in February 2005. The pilot featured Statler and Waldorf in a movie theater watching, rating and commenting on the latest trailers for The Pacifier and Constantine; additionally, Pepe the Prawn appeared to give a rundown on the latest DVD releases. The pilot did not feature the classic balcony set seen in later episodes, a "Balconism" and other regular features the series would later include. The puppeteers on the pilot were Victor Yerrid (Waldorf) and Drew Massey (Statler and Pepe). The pilot was removed from Movies.com in the spring of 2005 and has not been officially released or reposted since.

In early June 2005, Movies.com announced that From the Balcony would soon become a regular feature of the site. Biweekly episodes started appearing on Movies.com beginning on June 26. The first eight episodes featured regular Muppet performers Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and Bill Barretta performing the cast of Muppets in each episode. However starting with episode 9, and continuing until the end of the series, Victor Yerrid and Drew Massey returned to take over the main puppeteering duties on the project.

Victor Yerrid commented on his and Drew Massey's role in the series in a 2007 interview:

“We did about ninety-five percent of the puppeteering so we worked on just about every scene together. We were also involved in the creative meetings and got to pitch characters and segment ideas.”

―Victor Yerrid

FTB-BTS — Massey and Yerrid perform characters in "Poseidon: The Musical".

The opening of each episode started with a quick first-person perspective traveling through the El Capitan Theatre. The song "Hey a Movie!" from The Great Muppet Caper was used as the theme song in early run of the series before being replaced (starting with episode 5). The show originally was produced in the traditional 4:3 (1.33:1) aspect ratio, but starting with episode 15, and continuing for the rest of the series' run, the picture switched to a 16:9 (1.78:1) widescreen format.

Aside from the biweekly episodes, the series produced sets of promotional Halloween and Oscar clips that were released to television news syndicates to promote the web series. Statler and Waldorf also appeared from the set of From the Balcony in a promotional tie-in to introduce the films for ESPN Classic's Reel Classics Extra and promote the webshow. The characters and set were also used in a public service announcement for the Will Rogers Institute in late 2005.

In October 2006, after the 34th episode of the webshow debuted online, Movies.com sent the following message via the "Balcony Bulletin" mailing list (an e-mail mailing list that would alert subscribers when a new episode was posted):

“Dear Statler & Waldorf Fans:
As you know, your favorite cranky critics, Statler and Waldorf, are getting up there in years. While they're not ready for retirement, they've decided to take some time away from the balcony for some well-earned rest and relaxation (read: finding new things to complain about).
Don't despair, though -- during the hiatus you can still enjoy classic From the Balcony. Every show is available for viewing in the archives! There's also a rumor going around that everyone's favorite curmudgeons may be popping in for special appearances on new parts of Movies.com. Stick around to find out where!
”

―Movies.com

Awards and Recognition[]

In August 2006, TIME Magazine named the series among "the 25 Sites We Can't Live Without" (sharing the ranks with eBay and Amazon.com, Google and Wikipedia).

From the Balcony won a Silver Telly at the 2006 Telly Awards, for best use of comedy. Movies.com was awarded the highest-level Silver Telly Award for Best use of Humor in a Non-Broadcast Video for From the Balcony's creative spoof of the film Dukes of Hazzard.

In April 2007, the series won a Webby Award. Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, the Webby Awards are the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. The series' nomination, in the "Comedy: Long Form or Series" category, was Movies.com's first nomination for a Webby. Public voting ran on the Webby Awards website throughout April 2007 to decide the winners of the award. On May 1, 2007 it was announced that From the Balcony was the winner of the People's Voice 2007 Webby for Best Comedy Long Form or Series due to the show gaining the most votes of the five the nominees in the category.

Episodes[]

Picture	Title	Description
	Test Pilot February 25, 2005	Stater and Waldorf take a look at The Pacifier and Constantine however the pair is unable to get a consistent rating scale to rank the films. Pepe the King Prawn pops in to give a run down on the latest DVD releases - Saw, I Heart Huckabees, Donnie Darko, and Taxi. Balconism="none" Cast=Statler, Waldorf, and Pepe
	Episode 1 June 26, 2005	Stater and Waldorf take a look at the trailers for War of the Worlds and Bewitched. The pair rank each film on their "Snooze-O-Meter" noting how far into the film they will fall asleep. Plus the two toss it over to Pepe the King Prawn to talk about the newest titles on DVD - Miss Congeniality 2, Coach Carter, and Hostage. Balconism=Dej-HAH-vous: When all of the funny parts of a movie have already been shown in the trailer. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and Pepe
	Episode 2 July 6, 2005	Statler and Waldorf preview Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Fantastic Four. The two rank the films on the "old man driving scale" noting how fast they would drive to (or away from) the film. Rowlf the Dog stops by the set of The Wedding Crashers to give tips on how to be a wedding crasher. Balconism=KILL-dren: The uncute kids in horror movies. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and Rowlf the Dog
	Episode 3 July 18, 2005	Statler and Waldorf preview Stealth and The Island. Plus Johnny Fiama interviews Keanu Reeves (through edited footage). Balconism=Expenda-BILL: The nameless character who always goes on secret missions and is always the first to die. Cast: Statler, Waldorf, and Johnny Fiama
	Episode 3: Bonus Clip July 19, 2005	Upset that Johnny Fiama took his place in episode 3, Pepe releases a "top-secret" video giving his take on the week's new DVD releases. Balconism="none" Cast= Pepe the King Prawn
	Episode 4 August 3, 2005	Statler and Waldorf review The Dukes of Hazard and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. Plus the Swedish Chef makes a pair Daisy Duke jeans. Balconism= COUGH-in: When a main character cough in the first few minutes of a movie, and you know they'll be dead by the end. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and the Swedish Chef
	Episode 5 August 18, 2005	Statler and Waldorf review The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Red Eye; plus Pepe is on the street to talk about Sin City, Beauty Shop, and A Lot Like Love on DVD. Balconism= Doggie-DAR: The innate ability of the family dog to sense an evil man in their company even when the humans are completely oblivious. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and Pepe the King Prawn
	Episode 6 September 1, 2005	Statler and Waldorf host "The Balc-y Awards" covering the best (or in their case, worst) in summer movies. Balconism= TRAVOLTED: When one key film role rescues an actor's career from years of struggle and puts them back on the map. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and Pepe the King Prawn
	Episode 7 September 14, 2005	Statler and Waldorf review Just Like Heaven and Corpse Bride. Plus a rare Star Wars audition tape from Bobo the Bear. Balconism= Lucky BLAST-ard: The main character of an action movie who can run, jump, swim or drive just one step faster than the fireball of a huge explosion. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and Bobo the Bear
	Episode 8 September 29, 2005	Statler and Waldorf review Into the Blue and Two for the Money. Plus Pepe is on the red carpet of Flightplan. Balconism= Prev-EULOGY: When movie studios cram the whole movie into the preview and kill any chance of people going to see it. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and Pepe the King Prawn
	Episode 9 October 12, 2005	Statler and Waldorf review Doom and Elizabethtown. Plus Dr. Teeth and Animal talk about Shop Girl's love triangle. Balconism= CON-mercial: When the studio puts out a misleading trailer, that cons viewers into the theater. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Dr. Teeth, and Animal
	Episode 10 October 27, 2005	Statler and Waldorf review Jarhead and The Legend of Zorro. The Weather Guy checks in with the report for the movie The Weather Man. Balconism= Coinci-DANCE: When the music starts playing, everyone breaks out in a perfectly choreographed dance that they all know. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and The Weather Guy
	Halloween Press Clips October 28, 2005	In a series of videos not released on the official website, Statler (dressed as a mummy) and Waldorf (dressed as a vampire) give a "Halloween Film Countdown". These clips were released to news syndicates to air as promotion for the web series. Balconism= RUN-derwear: When a female in a scary movie runs away from the killer and for some reason is always in her underwear. Cast= Statler and Waldorf
	Episode 11 November 11, 2005	Statler and Waldorf review Get Rich or Die Tryin and Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Sam Eagle gives an editorial on the Johnny Cash movie Walk the Line. Balconism= BLONDE-tourage: When the cool girl in a teen movie is surrounded by several dumb sidekicks who will do anything she says. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and Sam the Eagle
	Episode 12 November 26, 2005	Statler and Waldorf review Rent and In the Mix. Plus the theater rats give their take from "Below the Balcony". Balconism= WEAK-quel: A sequel that comes so long after the first movie and nobody really cares. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Stan, and Louie
	Episode 13 December 10, 2005	Statler and Waldorf review The Chronicles of Narnia and King Kong. Plus Ivan the Villager and Sweetums beg for Hollywood's mercy and Clive Focus gets shots of the stars of March of the Penguins. Balconism= HACK-tors: Cut-rate actors who replace big stars in cheap sequels to their hit movies. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Ivan the Villager, Sweetums, Clive Focus, and penguins
	Episode 14 December 24, 2005	Statler and Waldorf give their Christmas film countdown from a decked out balcony. Plus Larry and Oliver act out every Christmas movie ever made. Balconism= YULE LOG-jam: The glut of big movies that comes out right around Christmas. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Larry, and Oliver
	Episode 15 January 7, 2006	Statler and Waldorf showcase some of the international rip-offs of their webshow, while Indiana complains about being a fly-over state (with a disclaimer from Sam the American Eagle). Balconism= Fluctu-WEIGHT: When an actor gains or loses a large amount of weight to suit an upcoming role. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Whatnots, Billy, goat, aliens, penguins, The State of Indiana, and Sam the Eagle
	Episode 16 January 20, 2006	Statler and Waldorf review Big Mama's House 2 and Underworld Evolution. Alvy Mellish weighs in on Match Point and Lester Possum takes to the streets to find out what the average movie goer is thinking. Balconism= WIN-jury: When the star of a sports movie receives an injury that hurts his ability to play, but overcomes it and finds a way to win in the end. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Alvy Mellish, and Lester Possum
	Episode 17 February 4, 2006	Statler and Waldorf review Firewall and The Pink Panther; meanwhile Ted Thomas and Loni dunne discuss the Oscar nomination announcements, and Mr. Movie gives Billy a lecture on how movies are made. Balconism= Romantic KARMA-dy: Where the main character unexpectedly finds love while helping others with their relationships. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Deliveryman, Loni Dunne, Ted Thomas, Mr. Movie, Billy
	Episode 18 February 18, 2006	Statler and Waldorf host there big Oscar prediction episode. A detective interigates an Oscar envelope and Lester Possum goes to the street to hear people's views on who will win at the Oscars. Balconism= It's OVER-ture: The music they play at the awards show when they want the acceptee to shut up and get off the stage. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Oscar Envelope, Detective, Sam the Eagle, and Lester Possum
	Oscar Press Clips March 2, 2006	In a series of videos not released on the official website, Statler and Waldorf are interviewed on their Oscar predictions. These clips were released to news syndicates to air as promotion for the web series. Balconism= "none" Cast= Statler and Waldorf
	Episode 19 March 4, 2006	Statler and Waldorf are off to the beach to review Failure to Launch, Ultraviolet, and 16 Blocks. Ted Thomas interviews Hugo, the star of The Shaggy Dog. Plus a commercial for "Muppets Gone Wildlife". Balconism= PROM-blematic: When most of the problems in a teenage comedy come back to the characters at the prom. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Ted Thomas, Hugo, Assorted Muppet Animals, and Spamela Hamderson
	Episode 20 March 18, 2006	Statler and Waldorf review She's the Man, Inside Man and V for Vendetta. The Muppet penguins stars in a promo for March Madness of the Penguins and Larry and Oliver are back to reinact every sports movie ever made in another installment of "Film Crew Theater". Balconism= ACT-lete: An athlete who attempts to act in movies but really should just stick to their sport. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, penguins, Larry, and Oliver
	Episode 21 April 1, 2006	A pair of anxious Hollywood pitchmen try to sell new ideas of movie sequels and Statler and Waldorf show an old (black & white and silent) episode of From the Balcony. Balconism= Hide and SEQUEL: When actors makes sure they won't be found in the sequels to their previous movies. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, the Hollywood Pitchmen, Young Statler, and Young Waldorf
	Episode 22 April 15, 2006	Statler and Waldorf show their American Idol audition and Stan and Louie are back for another view from "Below the Balcony". Balconism= PET-amorphosis: When a movie character suddenly finds himself turned into the family pet. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Stan, and Louie
	Episode 23 April 29, 2006	Statler and Waldorf show a peek at the trailers for Mission: Impossible 4: Ridiculously Impossible and Mission: Impossible 5: Impossibly Impossible ; plus Loni Dunne interviews an excited Tom Cruise. Balconism= THESPIAN-age: When an award winning actor is cast as a villain in a spy thriller. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Tom Cruise, Cruise's assistant, and Loni Dunne
	Episode 24 April 29, 2006	Statler and Waldorf showcase some rejected mutants' auditions for X-Men and a look at the upcoming Poseidon: The Musical. Balconism= LAUGHTER-math: when the aftermath of a disaster movie is so laughable, it practically ruins the whole film. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, The Blimp, The Procrastinator, The Defroster, Beaverine, The Invisible Twins, Scorn, and "Poseidon: The Musical" singers
	Episode 25 May 27, 2006	Inspired by The Break-Up, Statler and Waldorf go their separate ways. While Waldorf is at home alone, Statler brings in a new co-host to review The Omen. Balconism= Opening FREAK-end: When a horror movie's release date coincides with its subject matter. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, and Waldorf's Replacement
	Episode 26 June 10, 2006	Statler and Waldorf, with the help of Manny Folds, talk about all the summer car films. The duo gets the balcony pimped out; and The Swedish Chef makes "Nacho Libres". Balconism= STARING wheel: When someone driving a car in a movie ends up staring at the passenger instead of watching the road. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Manny Folds, and The Swedish Chef
	Episode 27 June 24, 2006	Statler and Waldorf review An Inconvenient Truth. Ted Thomas interview's Superman's cousin Craig. Plus Superman Returns...a video. Balconism= Armed FARCES: When the army is rendered useless in a Sci-Fi or action movie, and the true hero turns out to be an average Joe. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Ted Thomas, Craig Kent, Video Rental Clerk, and Superman
	Episode 28 July 7, 2006	Statler and Waldorf look for buried treasure in the balcony after talking about Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. "Inside the Actor's Stuido" takes gets up close with a staring pirate's parrot. Plus Long Joel Silver advertises the "Movies for the Marooned Box Set". Balconism= Yo HO HUM: How Hollywood felt about pirate movies before The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise became such a big hit. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, James Lipton, Polly Wanna Cracker, and Long Joel Silver
	Episode 29 July 22, 2006	David Hasselhoff and Tom Cruise star as Statler and Waldorf in the big screen adaptation of "From the Balcony". Balconism= MAD-aptation: when a TV show is adapted into a movie, but it stinks so much that it angers the loyal fans. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Tom Cruise, and David Hasselhoff
	Episode 30 August 4, 2006	Statler and Waldorf have some problems with the camera as they showcase many Snakes on a Plane knockoffs - such as Bunnies on a Balloon and Sheep on a Submarine. Balconism= HELL-titude: a horror film that takes place at a high altitude (e.g. mountain, plane,) Cast= Statler, Waldorf, bunnies, sheep, Milton the Blue-Footed Booby, and Molly the Albatross
	Episode 31 August 18, 2006	Statler and Waldorf are on vacation, so the producers treat viewers to From the Balcony's last good episode - an episode from 1977. Ted Thomas Sr. interviews rising director George Lucas, and a look at what Close Encounters of the Third Kind would have been like if Woody Allen directed. Balconism= In-FAD-uation: When Hollywood tries to make money by doing movies about the latest cultural trends. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Ted Thomas Sr., George Lucas, Woody Allen, and Close Encounters Alien
	Episode 32 September 2, 2006	Statler and Waldorf's "Back to School Special". Larry and Oliver are back to reinact every high school movie ever made in another installment of "Film Crew Theater". Plus Flopsy prepares to play in the big football game. Balconism= FLICK-tion: A modern day high school flick that's lossely based on a classical work of fiction. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Coach Gruesome, Flopsy, Larry, and Oliver
	Episode 33 September 16, 2006	Statler and Waldorf showcase a Film Noir parody staring Statler as Dashiell Chandler. The two critics also show off a clip from another upcoming musical about the movie theater. Balconism= POP-coronary: a medical condition that develops when you see how expensive things are at the concession stand. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Dashiell Chander, Whatnot dame, Caspar Von Blimpman, The Maltese Falcon, movie customer, concession stand workers, Popcorn, Candy, and The Licorice Whips
	Episode 34 September 20, 2006	Statler's new intern Jimmy quickly outgrows his coffee fetching job and rises to the high heights of fame. The Hollywood pitchmen return to pitch wild prequles to Jimmy. Soon Jimmy 15-minutes of fame are up. In a twist ending, Jimmy, in hope of a come-back, buys the balcony and takes over the show. Balconism= OS-carred: when a person is unable to get anymore work after winning an Oscar. Cast= Statler, Waldorf, Jimmy Pureisle, and The Hollywood Pitchmen

Cast[]

Steve Whitmire (episodes 1-8)

Statler

Dave Goelz (episodes 1-8)

Waldorf

Bill Barretta (episodes 1-8)

Pepe, Rowlf, Johnny Fiama, The Swedish Chef, Bobo the Bear

Drew Massey (episodes 9-34)

Statler, Pepe, Animal, The Weather Guy, Sam Eagle, Stan and Louie, Ivan the Villager, Clive Focus, Larry and Oliver, Mr. Movie, Ted Thomas, Oscar Envelope, Hollywood Pitchmen, Tom Cruise Muppet, "Poseidon: The Musical" singers" singer, Manny Folds, James Lipton Muppet, Long Joel Silver, Ted Thomas Sr., Woody Allen Muppet, Luncheon Counter Monster, and others.

Victor Yerrid (episodes 9-34)

Waldorf, Dr. Teeth, Stan and Louie, Sweetums, Larry and Oliver, The State of Indiana, Lester Possum, Billy (From the Balcony), Loni Dunne, The Blimp, Detective, Hollywood Pitchmen, Hugo, "Poseidon: The Musical" singers, Waldorf's Replacement, Craig Kent, Alfonso D'Bruzzo Polly Wanna Cracker, David Hasselhoff Muppet, George Lucas, Flopsy, Close Encounters Alien, Jimmy Pureisle, and others.