That's very true. Nobody made a big deal out of Laurel and Hardy, who shared a bed. And even now -from what I know- not many people jump to the conclusion that they're gay.
Same thing with The Three Stooges. In a lot of those shorts, they shared a bed simply because they were poor. It was also for comedic effect with the snoring sound effects between the three of 'em.
I do know a lesbian couple who act like Ernie and Bert. I helped them move to their new apartment one time and here's what happened.
When I knocked on the door that morning, it opened a crack and a pair of eyes peeked out. "Um...hi...um...just...um...remember it looks like this cause we're moving." I said "Ok". I figured there'd be a lot of boxes around. She opened the door and ohhhh,
brother.
My first thought was that she must have been looking for a "very important note" for a
very long time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLgJtxCzDmM
I am
not kidding. This woman packed and cleaned
just like that! Especially the clothes part. All she needed was a stripey shirt and the slide whistle sound effect. Clothes (both clean
and dirty) and books were tossed in the same boxes, the kitchen was half-packed boxes of dishes with cereal boxes in between them and somewhere in the mess they have a cat. (I saw a kitty bowl on the floor). I went into the bedroom and you couldn't see the floor! Clothes were flopped all over the place!
"My pants!"
Meanwhile, the other woman grumbled about where things should go as she tried to avoid flying clothes, books and miscellaneous objects. She frowned as a lone shoe bounced across the linoleum and hit her toe. That Ernie and Bert clip kept running through my head and it was all I could do to keep from running outside and laughing!
But back to Ernie and Bert, here's one thing I don't think has been mentioned yet. Bert and Ernie also have a possible parent/child relationship with a simple comedic twist of the kid being smarter than the adult.
When I was little, I thought vaguely that Bert was Ernie's uncle and took care of him. Yeah, Bert does join in Ernie's games and songs, but while Ernie is the kid, bert's the adult. Ernie makes the messes and plays with toys while Bert pays the bills and fills out the income tax (which he probably loves to do anyway because it's boring and there's a big
W on a W-2).
In those classic comedy pairs, there's the comic and the straight man. Laurel and Hardy. Burns and Allen. Ricky and Lucy. Abbott and Costello.
Ernie and Bert's parents...that's one thing I hadn't thought about before, but with a lot of major SS characters, we don't see the parents (except Grover's mom and a few others).
We could ask a lot of questions about SS while we're at it:
Did Big Bird get adopted by Susan and Gordon after his parents flew the coop? (We see Granny Bird, but no Mommy or Daddy Bird)...
Grover proudly declares his love for his mommy, but as it was stated in an old Tough Pigs article, "where the heck is Grover's Dad?"
Who's the landlord at 123 Sesame Street and how do Ernie and Bert pay the rent? (My guess, Bert works as an accountant and if Ernie works, he gets gigs playing saxophone and drums at Birdland).
One thing that hasn't really been said but is an undeniable fact...Ernie and Bert are Jim and Frank. It's that simple. Think about it. Read up on Jim and Frank and look at their personalities.
Just imagine, somewhere in the 1970s or 80s, Frank reading a newspaper during his break in the Sesame Workshop lounge. As he's reading the weather forecast, a finger repeatedly pokes him in the shoulder. Frank hears Jim saying "poke poke poke poke poke!" Jim chuckles and leaves the lounge to grab a coffee before the next scene is ready to film.
Pretty easy to imagine that, isn't it?
To me, Ernie and Bert will always be Jim and Frank.
Convincing John
Welcome to the Muppet Central Forum!
Jim Henson Idea Man
Back to the Rock Season 2
Bear arrives on Disney+
Sam and Friends Book
and
I wonder about. Especially that scene at the end of LTS.
I admit to being a wild child in my youth, but that was more about youthful rebellion. 
