Passes the Bechdel test
The Great Muppet Caper
1981. Directed by Jim Henson, written by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses and Jerry Juhl.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
29 women characters. 10 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 3 scenes out of 88. -
Yes
3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.
Second opinion
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3.
The film
Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear are newspaper reporters sent to London to interview Lady Holiday (Dame Diana Rigg), a wealthy fashion designer whose priceless diamond necklace was stolen. Kermit meets and falls in love with her secretary, Miss Piggy. The jewel thieves strike again, and this time, frame Miss Piggy. It's up to Kermit and The Muppets to bring the real culprits to justice.
- Released
- 26 Jun 1981
- Genres
- Adventure, Comedy, Crime
- Rated
- G
- IMDb
- 7.1 / 10
- Metascore
- 70 / 100
- Awards
- Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 win & 2 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Kermit 186 lines, man
- Miss Piggy 125 lines, man
- Gonzo 48 lines, man
- Nicky 42 lines, man
- Lady Holiday 39 lines, woman
- Fozzie 36 lines, man
- Greville 30 lines
- Dorcas 24 lines, woman
- Pozzie 23 lines, man
- Bo 19 lines
Full cast, 131 people
- Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog / Rowlf the Dog / Dr. Teeth / Waldorf / Swedish Chef / The Muppet Newsman / Zeke / Man in Dubonnet Club
- Frank Oz as Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Animal / Sam the Eagle / Gramps / Swedish Chef (voice)
- Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo / Beauregard / Zoot / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew / Lobbuck Lou / Singing Food (voice)
- Jerry Nelson as Sergeant Floyd Pepper / Pops / Lew Zealand / Louis Kazagger / Bellhop Rat / Slim Wilson / "Dirty Bird" / Man in Park
- Richard Hunt as Scooter / Statler / Sweetums / Janice / Beaker / Bellhop Rat / Bubba / Gramps / Monster / Singing Food / Cab Driver
- Charles Grodin as Nicky Holiday
- Diana Rigg as Lady Holiday
- John Cleese as Neville
- Robert Morley as British Gentleman by Pond
- Peter Ustinov as Truck Driver
- Jack Warden as Mike Tarkenian
- Steve Whitmire as Rizzo the Rat / Lips / Bellhop Rat / Monster / Singing Food / Zeke (voice)
- Louise Gold as Annie Sue Pig / Chicken / Lou / Singing Food / Lady Holiday's Secretary / Pigeon Sounds / Dubonnet Club Dancer
- Kathryn Mullen as Chickens / Gaffer the Cat / Monster / Singing Food / Passenger in Cab / Pigeon Sounds
- Bob Payne as Muppet Performer / Bellhop Rat
- Brian Meehl as Muppet Performer
- Mike Quinn as Muppet Performer
- Robbie Barnett as Muppet Performer
- Hugh Spight as Muppet Performer / Street Dancer
- Brian Henson as Muppet Performer / Cyclist
- Caroll Spinney as Oscar the Grouch (voice)
- Erica Creer as Marla
- Kate Howard as Carla
- Della Finch as Darla
- Michael Robbins as Henderson
- Joan Sanderson as Dorcas
- Peter Hughes as Stanley
- Peggy Aitchison as Prison Guard
- Tommy Godfrey as Bus Conductor
- Katia Borg as Model
- Valli Kemp as Model
- Michele Ivan-Zadeh as Model
- Chai Lee as Model
- Christine Nelson as Girl in Park
- Cynthia Ashley as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Susan Backlinie as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Sherrill Cannon as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Christine Cullen as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Susie Guest as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Wendy Holker as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Linda Horn as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Lee Keenan as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Darine Klega as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Lynn Latham as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Cynthia Leake as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Kahren Lohren as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Tricia McFarlin as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Denise McKenna as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Melina Lee Phelps as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Denise Potter as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Ann Rynne as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Roberta Ward as Charkie's Water Ballet Performer
- Bobby Bannerman as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Sean Barrett as Street Dancer (uncredited)
- Heather Beckers as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Bi Benton as Street Dancer (uncredited)
- Marc Boyle as Painter Dancer (uncredited)
- Derek V. Browne as Man Wheeling Chicken Crate (uncredited)
- David Buck as Fashion Judge (uncredited)
- Derek Chafer as Policeman (uncredited)
- Wilt Chamberlain as Basketballer (uncredited)
- Anne Chapman as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Suzanne Church as Reporter (uncredited)
- John Clifford as Photographer (uncredited)
- Alyson Court as School Girl Dancer (uncredited)
- Sue Crosland as Street Dancer (uncredited)
- Patti Dalton as Prisoner (uncredited)
- Barbara S. Davis as Annoyed Dubonnet Club Patron's Date (uncredited)
- Peter Diamond as Painter Dancer / Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Marcus Dods as Dubonnet Club Conductor (uncredited)
- Peter Falk as Tramp (uncredited)
- Roger Finch as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Graham Fletcher-Cook as Bystander on Bike (uncredited)
- John Gallant as Nicky Holiday's Victim (uncredited)
- Paul Nicholas Grade as Dubonnet Club Waiter (uncredited)
- George Hamer as Dubonnet Club Orchestra Member (uncredited)
- Ian Hanham as Reporter (uncredited)
- Julie Harris as Fashion Analyser (uncredited)
- Calista Hendrickson as Tailor (uncredited)
- Carolyn Heywood as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Nick Hobbs as Barman Dancer (uncredited)
- Miki Iveria as Woman at Produce Vendor (uncredited)
- Peter Jessup as Fashion Designer (uncredited)
- Danny John-Jules as Businessman Dancer / Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Linda Jolliff as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Okon Ubanga Jones as Construction Worker Dancer (uncredited)
- Lesley Judd as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Kay Korda as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Rollie Krewson as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Linda Lawrence as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Christopher Leith as Muppet Performer (uncredited)
- Dick Lieb as Dubonnet Club Orchestra Member (uncredited)
- Jason Lively as Teenager (uncredited)
- Rodney Lovick as Doorman (uncredited)
- David Ludwig as Delivery Man (uncredited)
- Carol Lynne as Dubonnet Club Patron (uncredited)
- Derek Lyons as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Anita Mann as Street Dancer (uncredited)
- Mary Mazstead as Prisoner (uncredited)
- Patrick Monckton as Chef Dancer (uncredited)
- Kathleen Moody as Dubonnet Club Patron (uncredited)
- Cathy Munroe as Cyclist (uncredited)
- Christopher Newman as Postman Dancer (uncredited)
- Grant Olding as Clumsy Man (uncredited)
- Tom Patchett as Air Steward (uncredited)
- Sandy Penson as Waitress Dancer (uncredited)
- Colin Pilditch as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Joe Raposo as Dubonnet Club Orchestra Member (uncredited)
- Terry Robinson as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Brian Rogers as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Tim Rose as Muppet Performer (uncredited)
- Bunny Seaman as Dubonnet Club Patron (uncredited)
- Kelly Silver as Street Dancer (uncredited)
- Tina Simmons as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Colin Skeaping as Interrupted Driver (uncredited)
- Richard Slaughter as Street Dancer (uncredited)
- Douglas Squires as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Guy Standeven as Old Gentleman in the Park (uncredited)
- Dusty Symonds as Paint Covered Street Dancer (uncredited)
- Jay Tarses as Air Steward (uncredited)
- Reg Thomason as Annoyed Patron in Dubonnet Club (uncredited)
- Donald Torr as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Cy Town as Fashion Show Photographer (uncredited)
- James Tyler as Dubonnet Club Orchestra Member (uncredited)
- Amy Van Gilder as Woman Having Picture Taken in Dubonnet Club (uncredited)
- Joe Wadham as Ford Driver (uncredited)
- Kenny Warwick as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Simon J. Williamson as Muppet Performer / Dubonnet Club Waiter (uncredited)
- Mak Wilson as Street Dancer (uncredited)
- Thick Wilson as Produce Vendor Dancer (uncredited)
- Wei Wei Wong as Dubonnet Club Dancer (uncredited)
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 2 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 21% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 88
Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.
Show the numbers
| Scenes | Women's lines | Men's lines |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | 1 | 50 |
| 3 to 4 | 0 | 13 |
| 5 to 6 | 0 | 9 |
| 7 to 8 | 0 | 12 |
| 9 to 10 | 0 | 8 |
| 11 to 12 | 0 | 35 |
| 13 to 14 | 21 | 13 |
| 15 to 16 | 7 | 8 |
| 17 to 18 | 2 | 38 |
| 19 to 20 | 0 | 17 |
| 21 to 22 | 0 | 3 |
| 23 to 24 | 0 | 55 |
| 25 to 26 | 5 | 0 |
| 27 to 28 | 14 | 6 |
| 29 to 30 | 5 | 12 |
| 31 to 32 | 0 | 2 |
| 33 to 34 | 5 | 20 |
| 35 to 36 | 3 | 13 |
| 37 to 38 | 0 | 2 |
| 39 to 40 | 0 | 1 |
| 41 to 42 | 5 | 4 |
| 43 to 44 | 0 | 20 |
| 45 to 46 | 4 | 43 |
| 47 to 48 | 6 | 20 |
| 49 to 50 | 10 | 17 |
| 51 to 52 | 7 | 29 |
| 53 to 54 | 2 | 1 |
| 55 to 56 | 0 | 3 |
| 57 to 58 | 7 | 24 |
| 59 to 60 | 4 | 5 |
| 61 to 62 | 2 | 7 |
| 63 to 64 | 2 | 0 |
| 65 to 66 | 0 | 0 |
| 67 to 68 | 0 | 0 |
| 69 to 70 | 0 | 26 |
| 71 to 72 | 3 | 3 |
| 73 to 74 | 0 | 1 |
| 75 to 76 | 0 | 8 |
| 77 to 78 | 0 | 3 |
| 79 to 80 | 0 | 13 |
| 81 to 82 | 0 | 0 |
| 83 to 84 | 0 | 13 |
| 85 to 86 | 5 | 13 |
| 87 to 88 | 0 | 21 |
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: the passing scenes
The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.
LADY HOLIDAY: No,-darling.:: you must call the. -- United States and tell Vogue they can't have the pictures of the spring line until after the show... I'… LADY HOLIDAY: Carla...the neckline on that gown is too high, don't you think? CARLA: - I rather like the effect. LADY HOLIDAY: Be you like looking like a ostrich?
CARLA: Ma neither. I ate lunch last week. MARLA: Well, I'm starved. I'm going to have lunch at the douse of Lettuce. . . OARLA House of Lettuce! That's calorie city. MARLA: Suppose I just order one leaf. CARLA: Bey, it’s your waist line.
LADY HOLIDAY: But you keep your room so clean. LADY HOLIDAY -: What can XY say? I'm very grateful to all of you.
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 17 are women's.
120 lines from women, 591 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
29 women and 53 men in the cast. 10 women and 35 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 47 of 903.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 140 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 16% of the words (1,293), men 84% (6,615). Women have 17% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.
Exhibit E: the test the other way
Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.
Conversations between two named characters
Two women
4
Two men
88
Exhibit F: behind the camera
1 of the 12 people in these jobs is a woman.
Across the whole crew, 6% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Jim Henson (man)
- Written by
- Tom Patchett (man), Jay Tarses (man), Jerry Juhl (man), Jack Rose (man)
- Produced by
- David Lazer (man), Frank Oz (man)
- Shot by
- Oswald Morris (man)
- Edited by
- Ralph Kemplen (man)
- Music by
- Joe Raposo (man)
- Production design by
- Harry Lange (man)
- Costumes by
- Julie Harris (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Writing
0 women, 5 men
-
Production
0 women, 3 men, 1 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
1 women, 1 men, 1 not listed
-
Art
0 women, 2 men
-
Sound
0 women, 2 men
-
Camera
0 women, 1 men
-
Directing
0 women, 1 men
-
Editing
0 women, 1 men
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 42 on average. Men: 46 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Diana Rigg 42
Men
Richard Hunt 29, Dave Goelz 34, Frank Oz 37, John Cleese 41, Jim Henson 44, Jerry Nelson 46, Charles Grodin 46, Peter Ustinov 60, Robert Morley 73
Exhibit H: the money
It made 2.2 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $14 million
- Box office
- $31.2 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 88 scenes and 903 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
