The Earth Day Special

*The Earth Day Special*
The Earth Day Special
Written by	Armyan Bernstein; Richard Baskin; Various Writers
Directed by	Dwight Hemion; James Burrows; Gerry Cohen; Ted Haimes; Jim Henson; Terry Hughes; Terry Lennon; Jay Sandrich; Dick Schneider; Dave Wilson
Starring	Bette Midler; Danny DeVito; Rhea Perlman
Voices of	Jeff Bergman
Opening theme	"Somewhere," performed by Barbra Streisand
Composer	Patrick Williams
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Armyan Bernstein; Richard Baskin; Paul Junger Witt; Lorne Michaels
Production locations	Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California, U.S.
Running time	120 minutes
Production company	Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	April 22, 1990

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.

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.

Plot

The episodic narrative, consisting of several individual skits threaded together, focused on an ailing Mother Earth, who falls from the sky and faints, and is rushed to the hospital where she is attended to by Doogie Howser and two other doctors. This special is watched by a married couple named Vic and Paula, and features a host of contemporary celebrities and characters, including Bugs Bunny, The Muppets, Emmett "Doc" Brown, and E.T.

Cast

Bette Midler as Mother Earth
Danny DeVito as Vic
Rhea Perlman as Paula
Dan Aykroyd as Vic's Buddy
Mary Kay Bergman as Allison
Mayim Bialik as Kid
Jonathan Brandis as Doug
Dante Basco (uncredited)
James Brolin as Doctor
Chevy Chase as Vic's Buddy
Kevin Costner as Bartender
Rodney Dangerfield as Bachelor #3 (Dr. Vinny Boombatz)
Geena Davis as Kim
Dana Delany as Doctor
Rick Ducommun as Hospital Security Guard
Jane Fonda as Helen
Nika Futterman as Giulia
Morgan Freeman as Walter Samson
Dan Gauthier as Bachelor #2
Edan Gross as Kid
Dustin Hoffman as Everylawyer
Dom Irrera as Fan
Michael Keaton as Charles McIntyre
Jack Lemmon as Coach Stewart
Rick Moranis as Vic's Buddy
Edward James Olmos as Hospital Director
Pat Riley as Bachelor #1
Meryl Streep as Concerned Citizen
Robin Williams as Everyman
Robert Wuhl as Fan

TV and Movie characters

Back to the Future

Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown^[1]

Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Doogie Howser

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

E.T.

Ghostbusters

Harold Ramis as Elon Spengler (brother of Egon Spengler)^[2]

The Golden Girls

Appearing as themselves

Muppet performers

Voices

Jeff Bergman as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety
Don Pardo as Weekend Update Announcer (uncredited)

References

^ A Matter of Time: The Unauthorized Back to the Future Lexicon Page 300
^ YouTube clip of Wastebusters

External links

The Earth Day Special at IMDb

[1] A Matter of Time: The Unauthorized Back to the Future Lexicon Page 300

[2] YouTube clip of Wastebusters

[1]

[2]

The Earth Day Special

Contents

Plot

Cast

TV and Movie characters

Back to the Future

Cheers

The Cosby Show

Doogie Howser, M.D.