The Earth Day Special is a television special revolving around Earth Day that aired on ABC on April 22, 1990. Sponsored by Time Warner, the two-hour special featured an ensemble cast addressing concerns about pollution, deforestation, and other environmental ills.
Several cutaways are made to famous fictional characters watching events unfold, and discussing what can be done to save the planet.
The episodic narrative, consisting of several individual skits threaded together, focused on an ailing Mother Earth (Bette Midler), who falls from the sky and faints, and is rushed to the hospital where she is attended to by Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris[1]) and two other doctors (James Brolin and Dana Delany). This special is watched by a married couple named Vic (Danny DeVito) and Paula (Rhea Perlman), and features a host of contemporary celebrities and characters, including Bugs Bunny, the Muppets, and E.T. This special was one of Jim Henson’s final performances as Kermit the Frog prior to his death later that year, as well as one of Jeff Bergman’s first as Bugs Bunny following the death of Mel Blanc the year prior.
Cast
- Bette Midler – Mother Earth
- Danny DeVito – Vic
- Rhea Perlman – Paula
- Kirstie Alley – Rebecca Howe
- Christina Applegate – Kelly Bundy
- Bea Arthur – Dorothy Zbornak
- Dan Aykroyd – Vic’s Buddy
- Amanda Bearse – Marcy Rhoades
- Candice Bergen – Murphy Brown
- Mary Kay Bergman – Allison
- Mayim Bialik – Kid
- Tempestt Bledsoe – Vanessa Huxtable
- Lisa Bonet – Denise Huxtable Kendall
- Jonathan Brandis – Kid
- James Brolin – Doctor
- Chevy Chase – Vic’s Buddy
- Bill Cosby – Cliff Huxtable
- Kevin Costner – Bartender
- Rodney Dangerfield – Bachelor #3 (Dr. Vinny Boombatz)
- Ted Danson – Sam Malone
- Geena Davis – Kim
- Dana Delaney – Doctor
- Rick Ducommun – Hospital Security Guard
- David Faustino – Bud Bundy
- Jane Fonda – Helen
- Nika Futterman – Giulia
- Morgan Freeman – Walter Samson
- Dan Gauthier – Bachelor #2
- Estelle Getty – Sophia Petrillo
- Kelsey Grammer – Dr. Frasier Crane
- Edan Gross – Kid
- Woody Harrelson – Woody Boyd
- Neil Patrick Harris – Dr. Doogie Howser
- Dustin Hoffman – Everylawyer
- Dom Irrera – Fan
- Michael Keaton – Charles McIntyre
- Keshia Knight Pulliam – Rudy Huxtable
- Jack Lemmon – Coach Stewart
- Christopher Lloyd – Dr. Emmett Brown[2]
- Tress MacNeille – Sanya Luna
- Rue McClanahan – Blanche Devereaux
- Rick Moranis – Vic’s Buddy
- Ed O’Neill – Al Bundy
- Edward James Olmos – Hospital Director
- Harold Ramis – Elon Spengler (brother of Egon Spengler)[3]
- Phylicia Rashad – Clair Huxtable
- John Ratzenberger – Cliff Clavin
- Raven-Symoné – Olivia Kendall
- Pat Riley – Bachelor #1
- Katey Sagal – Peggy Bundy
- Martin Short – Nathan Thurm
- Meryl Streep – Concerned Citizen
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner – Theo Huxtable
- George Wendt – Norm Peterson
- Betty White – Rose Nylund
- Robin Williams – Everyman
- Robert Wuhl – Fan
Appearing as themselves
- Downtown Julie Brown
- Heavy D
- Michael Douglas
- Isaac Hayes
- Ice-T
- Magic Johnson
- Quincy Jones
- Kid ‘n Play
- Jim Lange
- Queen Latifah
- Tone L?c
- Melanie Mayron
- Dennis Miller
- Fresh Prince
- Dr. Carl Sagan
- Barbra Streisand
- Donna Summer
- Alex Trebek
- Muppet performers
- Jim Henson – Kermit the Frog
- Kevin Clash – Alligator
- Dave Goelz – Elderly Frog
- Jerry Nelson – Robin the Frog
- David Rudman – Iguana
- Voices
- Jeff Bergman – Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety
- Don Pardo – Weekend Update Announcer
Voices
- Jeff Bergman – Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety
- Don Pardo – Weekend Update Announcer
External links
- The Earth Day Special on IMDb
- The Earth Day Special at Muppet Wiki
Source:
Wikipedia contributors. (2020, February 15). The Earth Day Special. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved
16:54, April 22, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Earth_Day_Special&oldid=940873254
