Your Thoughts: Sesame Street Old School Volume 3 1979-1984 DVD

[Oscarfan]

Is "Cooperation Song" the one with the Anything Muppets making the garden?

 

[Phillip]

Does the booklet contain a listing of credits like the first two, or are all the credits only in that pdf file? And does this booklet include an interview with any Muppets?

Only a general copyright disclaimer is on the next to last page in the booklet. It also contains an interview with Telly Monster and a biography on Muppeteer Marty Robinson.

 

[Phillip]

Is "Cooperation Song" the one with the Anything Muppets making the garden?

That's right! "Cooperation makes it happen... Cooperation working together..."

 

[minor muppetz]

More Jerry Nelson is always a good thing. However, keep in mind that these clips were already selected before Jerry's passing. Some special things in honor of Jerry are being planned for 2013. I'm hoping for a tribute album.

I would have thought maybe they could have added in a few last-minute (I wonder if incorrectly including "Henson Ball #3" was a last-minute addition). Regardless of when it was planned it's a little odd this set didn't include a little more to showcase Jerry's talents. Though I just remembered that one of the bonus segments features Mr. Johnson.

As for special things in honor of Jerry, I'm hoping Sesame Workshop puts out a DVD spotlighting all of his characters and best one-shot performances.

 

[liss1979]

Well, Walmart has this DVD backordered till the end of November, so I had to cancel it. Bummer!

 

[minor muppetz]

Well, so far so good. I've watched episodes 1576 and 1836, and many of the bonus clips (including everything that I previously hadn't heard of).

I've noticed some mistakes and contradictory information in the booklet. It says that Polly Darton debuted in season 13, while one segment with her is included under season 12, and that song (according to Muppet Wiki) is copyrighted 1980 so the sketch placement isn't a mistake (maybe she started out as a one-shot character and became a regular in season 13). It also incorrectly lists Forgetful Jones as having debuted in season 11, when a season 12 press release said that he debuted that season, though the time says that he debuted in 1980.

After reading the content listing, I started remembering the "in the rain" segment with Maria as Charlie Chaplin. That was great to see again. Interestingly, the booklet for volume 2 includes a trademark credit for Charlie Chaplin's appearance but no such credit is in this volmes booklet (it wasn't noted in the credits of the previous volume).

I assumed "weather around the world" was a film insert, so I was surprised to see that it is actually the sketch with Simon Soundman listening to a colonel talk about his trip around the world. That's actually a pleaseant surprise.

Although there are no Deena and Pearl sketches included, the "Big Hello 1-20" clip does feature Deena. It's a shame we don't hear her talk (ditto with Poco Loco, I'd have liked to have heard the voice Michael Earl used for the character). It's also interesting how the disc 2 main menu has that clip, when the full clip is on disc 1.

 

[minor muppetz]

Some more thoughts and observations:

• The "Dr. Noble Price: Talky Stick" segment does not have the News Flash logo nor any mention of Sesame Street News, though it does have the theme music (somebody on Muppet Wiki mentoned that it's an "urgent" variation of the theme song, but the logo isn't cut from the other segments on the DVD). In fact, it's one of the few news segments to have the News Flash theme at the end as well as the beginning, and is the first Dr. Nobel Price segment to have a closing shot of the island.
• I wonder if Jim Henson really did perform Warren Wolf or if it was an assumption/faulty memory which translated to Muppet Wiki editors, because in this sketch Kevin Clash performs Warren Wolf. The 40th anniversary book does note that Clash performed Warren while also noting the character was "originally a Jim Henson creation", but I know that the writer of that book researched Muppet Wiki for some things. Still, if Henson did perform the character, I wouldn't be surprised if Clash originated Warren (like he did Buster) and Henson took over later (since Clash wasn't officially a Muppet performer at the time). I kinda like the way Warren reacts to Dr. Nobel Price, but something about the performance isn't "Muppety" to me (I don't know how often Kevin Clash performed in season 12). Finally, I must mention that this segment has an announcer who isn't Jerry Nelson. Am I right in assuming the announcer is Michael Earl?
• I find it odd that there's no Super-Grover segments as a bonus or replacement segment (as Super-Grover isn't in any of the episodes). The only Super-Grover segment I know of that's from this period is the computer sketch, which I feel is one of the best-remembered Super-Grover segments. Still, I'm not too unhappy that there's no Super-Grover, not when this set has Dr. Nobel Price, Warren Wolf, Bruno, Teeny Little Super Guy, and Aristotle.
• The 40th anniversary book has a behind-the-scenes photo of what looks like The Count acting as announcer in episode 1836, but he's not in the episode (unless it's cut from both this release and the Noggin broadcasts). I wonder if that was a different episode/sketch placed with images from the marathon episode.
• I don't mind the fact that Honk Around the Clock was added as a replacement for the Cab Calloway segment, but I feel it should have been replaced with a different Count segment. Without it, and with no Count segments as bonus clips, there's only two Count segments on this set, one of which is just a voice-over.
• For years Monsterpiece Theater: Chariots of Fur had been my most-wanted-segment on DVD. Now that it's on DVD, I wonder what'll replace it as what I want most (probably the Kermit and Grover "earmuff salesman" sketch). And I must say this segment looks so much better than it does on sesamestreet.org.
• Although I would have preferred an Aristotle segment that's not on sesamestreet.org, I do prefer the "reading lesson" segment over the "Aristotle makes lunch" clip.
• It's interesting how "Show Open" is a chapter stop on all episodes, considering the opening is cut. Isn't that what the "play" button is for? Previous volumes didn't have a "Show Open" button (and only two episodes had their opening street scenes as chapter stops).
• I know I've said this before, but what is with all the bonus clips involving weather, especially rain? "Rainy Day Song", "In the Rain", and "Trash Outta Heaven" are both about rain, the behind-the-scenes footage of "Dr. Nobel Price: Umbrella" obviously involves rain (and it looks like that clip's not included), "Weather Around the World" and "Snowflake" are obviously about weather, and "How to Be a Grouch" has a section on grouchy weather. It's not a big deal, and most of the segments are among the DVDs highlights, but it's still something to wonder.
• In the birdwatchers episode, when Big Bird finds a bird in the biggest birdhouse at the sancturary, is that bird performed by Richard Hunt or Brian Meehl? Speaking of Meehl, I recall the behind-the-scenes footage showing him in the Barkley suit (without the head) but I don't recall Barkley in the episode. I assume he performed Big Bird's Uncle Slim (Richard was in the same shot so it couldn't have been Richard).
• Was the Uncle Slim costume a reused walk-around Big Bird from Sesame Place or Sesame Street Live? Because I thought I saw him move both arms, and he seems to move differently from Big Bird.
• Until I saw the DVD Talk review refer to a "Cookie Monster & Kermit" segment I had thought that the "beginning, middle, and end" segment was from the late-1980s, but was quick to suspect this was the segment in question.
• The "Snowflake" segment looks like it could have been one of those season 5 winter episodes, though I assume it is from the season the DVD says it is. Then again, the set does incorrectly refer to Henson Ball #3 as being from season 15... (of course I could watch it again and see how the wooden fence looks)

 

[Oscarfan]

Some more thoughts and observations:

• The 40th anniversary book has a behind-the-scenes photo of what looks like The Count acting as announcer in episode 1836, but he's not in the episode (unless it's cut from both this release and the Noggin broadcasts). I wonder if that was a different episode/sketch placed with images from the marathon episode.

Are you talking about this image:

'Cause that's from the show's on-screen adaptation of the album, "The Count Counts."

 

[minor muppetz]

Are you talking about this image:

no. The image in question is on page 105. There's a picture of Big Bird and Snuffy from the joggin episode, and besides that are two behind-the-scenes images of The Count at the bridge, holding a microphone. The text seems to confirm that it's from the same episode (there's also a picture and mention of a segment where Oscar went jogging in Central Park, but the text clearly refers to that as a seperate segment from season 10).

 

[sesamemuppetfan]

no. The image in question is on page 105. There's a picture of Big Bird and Snuffy from the joggin episode, and besides that are two behind-the-scenes images of The Count at the bridge, holding a microphone. The text seems to confirm that it's from the same episode (there's also a picture and mention of a segment where Oscar went jogging in Central Park, but the text clearly refers to that as a seperate segment from season 10).

I believe it comes from the 1993 video "We All Sing Together". But I do agree with you that there should have been a little more footage with The Count involved in this DVD set.