Favorite Bert and Ernie Sketch

[JaniceFerSure]

favorite Bert & Ernie sketches...

• The Blackout(first one)
• Here fishy fishy!
• Bert's bottlecap collection
• Ernie puts away his toys
• Bert plays checkers with Bernice
• Ernie breaks the cookie jar
• The Puppy
• Imagination
• Ernie eats cookies in bed
• Ernie checks to see if Bert is asleep
• Ernie paints a portrait of Bert
• Ernie's sculpture of Bert
• Dance myself to sleep
• But I like you
• La la la la
• Dee dee dee
• 'R' Machine
• Bert & Ernie and the snowman
• Bert and Ernie at the beach
• Bert and Ernie at the movie
• Bert and Ernie and the mummies
• Bert and Ernie stare at the tv

 

[Ziffel]

I remember one other skit in which Bert mentions "bananas" in the context of going crazy.

What happens is Bert is cold, says he feels a draft, so Ernie puts his grandmother's shawl around Bert's shoulders. For Bert that's fine, and he turns to retrieve his books, but no. Ernie continues to put extra layers of clothing on Bert despite the fact that he said the shawl alone was sufficient. It's somewhere in this frenzy Bert shouts out something like "...you've gone bananas, I don't need this!". Ernie eventually gets a muffler and winter hat on Bert.

When Ernie asks Bert how he feels now, "I, feel HOT! I feel broiling hot!"

So Ernie hands Bert an ice pack, opens a window, and turns on an electric fan to cool Bert off (while still wearing the heavy clothing). When E asks B how he feels now, B lets out an exasperated "Leave me alone!"

This classic E&B skit is also kind of like the one where Bert is writing a letter (to Mr. Rogers, which is pretty neat) and Ernie keeps turning the fan on higher speeds until it blows his letter and other papers all around. Instead of broiling hot, Bert here exclaims, "I am very hot and bothered!" An expression meaning intensely angry. But,of course,Ernie takes the hot part as meaning uncomfortable high temperature and blasts the fan on Bert again.
Then there was the time Ernie puts an ice pack on Bert's head and then after Bert says it's cold, Ernie puts a hot water bottle on his chest. Poor ol' Bert! Constantly being exposed to cold by Ernie, then abruptly to the other extreme of high heat, then another 180 again. Just like constantly having his sleep disturbed. Just like constantly getting his food eaten by Ernie. And never getting to actually see the movie they go to in the cinema...

 

[Ziffel]

How about that Ernie and Bert skit where Bert wants Ernie to fix a broken window but Ernie uses the excuse that it's raining and he'll get all wet. But then the rain suddenly stops and the sun comes out. Bert then says, "Hey Ernie, it stopped raining. So now you can fix the window." Ernie replies something like, "Oh no Bert. If it's not raining then no water can come in and there's no reason to fix the window."
I don't think this joke originated on SS, but it was still pretty good. I remember my folks getting a kick out of it one time they saw it with me. SS did a great job of providing educational and funny things to children while at the same time including things that would appeal to the parents and babysitters that they knew would also be watching!

 

[Mokeystar]

Speaking of clips where they blow a fuse, has anyone mentioned the early 70s one with Ernie bringing his umbrella, flashlight, and bowling ball to the tub with him? Bert thinks he's crazy and asks Ernie. "Why on earth would you need all those things just to take a bath?" Well, as I remember, Ernie explains that he needs the flashlight in case they blow a fuse, he needs the umbrella just in case it starts raining, and he needs the bowling ball in case someone who was on their way to bowl forgot theirs. Bert thinks this is absolutely nutty until suddenly you hear the "bloop" of the fuse blowing and all goes dark. Then, of course it starts raining, so Ernie is prepared with his umbrella. (Didn't he have a raincoat and hat on Rubber Duckie?)
Then a man comes in from nowhere and asks Ernie if he could use his bowling ball. Of course, Bert is bewildered as usual!

Another one I thought of today as I was making a peanut butter sandwich was the clip where one had a loaf of white bread and the other had a jar of peanut butter. Long story short (cuz I've got to go to bed): They decide to share their food with each other instead of trying to eat each item seperately and end up making peanut butter sandwiches. I remember Bert saying, "Yeah, this peanut butter really sticks to the roof of your mouth!" Maybe they should have brought out the grape juice to help with that......oh, yeah......that's another entirely different clip!

 

[Ziffel]

Yep I've seen those skits mentioned here, Mokeystar. They were both great skits. I always loved when the flashlight, umbrella, bowling ball one would come on. And I mentioned the peanut butter sandwiches one a while back as a rare example where Ernie actually let Bert eat his own food!

One classic Ernie and Bert skit I haven't seen mentioned here, however, is one I would estimate debuted in about 1975 or 1976. I just can't quite recall the exact premise. I think Ernie might have been claiming to be able to do some magic tricks. I think this took place at that wall, not in their apartment. What I do remember is at the end where Bert jeeringly tells Ernie to make a balogna sandwich. And then Ernie waves his wand or whatever it was he had and there is a puff of smoke. And when the smoke clears there is a balogna sandwich. And Bert looks at it in utter amazement and disbelief. But that ending part is the only thing that I remember clearly, despite seeing it several times back then. Surely someone here must recall this one. So, to quote Dantecat, what just happens in this skit?

 

[mikebennidict]

he had this magic chain where me was making it look like all these shapes and Bert wasn't impresssed and then Ernie asks what would you like me to do with it. Bert who laughs, not believing this will really happen say turn that magic chain into well you get the picture.

 

[Ziffel]

Yeeeessssss that's it! Thanks mike, I just couldn't think of that magic chain but now it comes back to me. I remember Ernie fashioning it into a triangle, square, and circle. And an unimpressed Bert then requests about the balogna sandwich.
Way to go! That's what I call fast service.

 

[ssetta]

Yep I've seen those skits mentioned here, Mokeystar. They were both great skits. I always loved when the flashlight, umbrella, bowling ball one would come on. And I mentioned the peanut butter sandwiches one a while back as a rare example where Ernie actually let Bert eat his own food!

One classic Ernie and Bert skit I haven't seen mentioned here, however, is one I would estimate debuted in about 1975 or 1976. I just can't quite recall the exact premise. I think Ernie might have been claiming to be able to do some magic tricks. I think this took place at that wall, not in their apartment. What I do remember is at the end where Bert jeeringly tells Ernie to make a balogna sandwich. And then Ernie waves his wand or whatever it was he had and there is a puff of smoke. And when the smoke clears there is a balogna sandwich. And Bert looks at it in utter amazement and disbelief. But that ending part is the only thing that I remember clearly, despite seeing it several times back then. Surely someone here must recall this one. So, to quote Dantecat, what just happens in this skit?

This was actually about Ernie's "magic chain." He was using it to form shapes. And Bert asked him to turn the magic chain into a bologna sandwich. This sketch can currently be seen on "Play With Me Sesame" on Noggin.

 

[Ziffel]

Yeah mikebennidict had mentioned it was the magic chain shortly after I asked about this one and then it came back to me. Thanks ssetta.
And if I remember correctly, I think each time Ernie made the chain into a different shape the camera showed a close-up of Bert getting impatient. And then the camera would show the new shape Ernie made. This was probably because, while making shapes with a chain is not hard, making shapes with a chain by using MUPPET hands is not so easy.

 

[SesameMike]

You are correct, Ziffel. Most of the shape change would take place while the camera did a close-up on Bert's classic sigh. Even as a child I suspected that was so the puppeteer, er, Muppeteer could do some serious reshaping.

Bert was hungry for lunch, so he asked Ernie to make the chain into a sandwich. Bert did his classic machine-gun "ah-ha-ha" laugh a lot. I think it went.

BERT: Turn that chain, ah-ha-ha-ha, into a bologna sandwich, ah-ha-ha-ha
ERNIE: (perfectly casual, as though he saw no irony whatsoever in the request) OK Bert.

Ernie has placed the chain on the wall just bunched up. He aimed his hands at the chain, then we saw a puff of smoke followed by a cold-cut sandwich on a plate.

ERNIE: There you are/go, Bert. Do you want mustard on it?

I think Bert just stared at the camera in disbelief. Did Ernie do his "ke-he-he" laugh at the end? Or was still in this-is-perfectly-normal mode.