Follow That Bird Discussion Thread

[minor muppetz]

If what you say is true, I wonder why Nelson only performed the Count primarily. Obviously it is his biggest and most popular character and I believe he once said it was his fav to perform. Maybe his time was limitted when doing that movie. Maybe he had some personal stuff going on as well. Wasn't his daughter sick around that time.

Sometimes I wonder if the Fraggle Rock schedule had anything to do with it, but then I realize that many background puppeteers from Fraggle Rock who didn't (to my knowledge) perform on Sesame Street or at least not american sesame street, were performers in it. People like Tim Gosley, Terry Angus, Gordon Robertson and Patricia Leeper did mostly background work in both FR and FTB, but I don't think they ever performed on Sesame Street. Also, Kathy Mullen performed in this movie, and I don't think she was performing on Sesame Street anymore at the time that this film was made (does anybody know when Kathy Mullen stopped performing on Sesame Street?).

It's possible that the writers just wanted to focus on A-list Muppets in the film, and have anybody lower than A-list be in the background. the Count was really jerry nelsons only A-list SS muppet (Herry falls between A and B list), and I don't think Richard Hunt ever performed any A-list SS characters (Well, he did perform Elmo around the time of this movies filming, but Elmo was a C-list or lower character at the time). I am not sure whether Telly or Snuffy would have been considered A-list at the time (sometimes I thin they are A-list, other times I feel like they are B-list).

Herry and Prarie Dawn, in my opinion, were the most major characters who didn't have much screen time in this movie (the lack of Prarie Dawn might have been due to Fran Brill not performing in the movie). The filmakers probably wanted to make sure that this movie had plenty of the characters that everybody expected to be in the movie (Big Bird, Oscar, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, The Count, and maybe Kermit, Telly, Snuffy and a Honker) while the characters who not everybody knows (Biff, Sully, Gladys, Forgetful Jones, Simon Soundman) were used really sparringly or not at all.

 

[BEAR]

Funny you mention Prairie, because I was wondering why she wasn't in the movie. She probably wouldn't have gone on the trip, but she could have stayed back and done one of the Hoopers Store scenes with a kid like what Grungetta did. Prairie totally would have done that bit.

Wasn't Kevin Clash working as an extra on this film? I think he did Elmo at this time.

Telly and Snuffy I think were more B list characters if anything at this time. Especially Telly. Telly wasn't even in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street which was not long before this. I think Telly came out not long before Elmo. Telly still had a good part in FTB though. He was more of a supporting player but he had some wonderful moments. It made sense for him to go with Maria and Oscar on the trip along with Honker.

 

[minor muppetz]

Funny you mention Prairie, because I was wondering why she wasn't in the movie. She probably wouldn't have gone on the trip, but she could have stayed back and done one of the Hoopers Store scenes with a kid like what Grungetta did. Prairie totally would have done that bit.

I think Prarie Dawn did appear when Big Bird came back to Sesame Street. Her head can be seen sticking out one of the windows. I think it is in the building that Elmo stuck his head out of. She's close to the side of the screen, which makes it a bit difficult to see her. There was also a boy whose head was shown with her, and that boy kind of looked like Rosevelt Franklin (although it's hard to tell).

Wasn't Kevin Clash working as an extra on this film? I think he did Elmo at this time.

Yes, he was an extra, but that doens't mean he was performing Elmo. I think Richard Hunt performed Elmo when Kevin joined and subsequently asked kevin to take over as Elmo.

Telly and Snuffy I think were more B list characters if anything at this time. Especially Telly. Telly wasn't even in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street which was not long before this. I think Telly came out not long before Elmo. Telly still had a good part in FTB though. He was more of a supporting player but he had some wonderful moments. It made sense for him to go with Maria and Oscar on the trip along with Honker.

Christmas Eve On Sesame Street was made in 1978, and Telly made his first appearance in 1979. However, Telly did appear in the 1983 specials Big Bird In China and Don't Eat The Pictures, which both had a major lack of supporting characters. Herry Monster wasn't even in either special.

 

[doctort13]

I finally saw this film on DVD for the first time! I don't know why I waited 20 years, since I really liked it...best of all my daughter seemed to dig it too.

 

[BooberFraggless]

It's funny how somebody mentioned that Frank and Jim might not have been performing Ernie and Bert in the parking lot scene. I really do think that's true, because there's a little blooper that nobody ever notices that you have to look really close to catch. When everyone's in the parking lot and theyr'e all sitting in their cars, and the camera pans its way across. It shows Ernie and Bert sitting in the back of Oscar's sloppy Jalopy. Ernie is exlpaining to Oscar the story about how they saw Big Bird, but lost sight of him. At first you can't really hear him very well because a lot of the other charachters and humans around them are talking to each other, then he says "And that's how Bert lost Big Bird!" then Bert says sort of angirly "I didn't do it!" watch when he yells "I didn't do it" he looks as though he's happy and he's nodding his head, looking as if he's AGREEING with Ernie, while he shouts I didn't do it! It's pretty funny. They must have had other people perform them while Jim and Frank dubbed the voices later.

 

[minor muppetz]

It's funny how somebody mentioned that Frank and Jim might not have been performing Ernie and Bert in the parking lot scene. I really do think that's true, because there's a little blooper that nobody ever notices that you have to look really close to catch. When everyone's in the parking lot and theyr'e all sitting in their cars, and the camera pans its way across. It shows Ernie and Bert sitting in the back of Oscar's sloppy Jalopy. Ernie is exlpaining to Oscar the story about how they saw Big Bird, but lost sight of him. At first you can't really hear him very well because a lot of the other charachters and humans around them are talking to each other, then he says "And that's how Bert lost Big Bird!" then Bert says sort of angirly "I didn't do it!" watch when he yells "I didn't do it" he looks as though he's happy and he's nodding his head, looking as if he's AGREEING with Ernie, while he shouts I didn't do it! It's pretty funny. They must have had other people perform them while Jim and Frank dubbed the voices later.

It's been awhile sine I last watched that scene, but I think Berts lips were out of sync with what he was saying also.

 

[AAO]

I noticed that as well for a while. I looked in the Jim Henson Works book and in 1984 while the film was being shot and not much work was going on that I think would cost Jim and Frank time away from the film. But I really don't know why they would want to take time away from this film thus it being "Sesame Street's" first film! I mean, MTM was already released that year and the following year FTB was released... I dunno really!

 

[BEAR]

I know that the question was brought up of why certain grown ups did not go on the trip and i think I came up with a theory. Susan couldn't go because of her job. She is a nurse and she couldn't just leave. Bob needed to stay back to run the store and also stay at "home base" as they say. Luis also needed to run the fix-it shop. All the others were okay with taking time off and going on the trip. Maria worked for Luis so it was cool and Olivia was a photographer and basically worked for herself. Gordon is a teacher, it's easier to put in for "sick" days.

Other theories...the actors not used so much for the film (Susan, Bob and Luis) were needed to film for the television show. Just a thought.

 

[minor muppetz]

Other theories...the actors not used so much for the film (Susan, Bob and Luis) were needed to film for the television show. Just a thought.

Caroll Spinney would have probably been needed to be on the show, yet he performed for most of the movie. Also, a lot of Sesame Street puppets were used, meaning that they weren't at the set for the series (unless they rebuilt all puppets). Then again, if the schedule did have anything to do with the movie, maybe that's why Fran Brill and Northern Calloway (David) weren't in it.

 

[BooberFraggless]

I noticed that as well for a while. I looked in the Jim Henson Works book and in 1984 while the film was being shot and not much work was going on that I think would cost Jim and Frank time away from the film. But I really don't know why they would want to take time away from this film thus it being "Sesame Street's" first film! I mean, MTM was already released that year and the following year FTB was released... I dunno really!

Frank and Jim always seemed to be a little distant from this show. Even in the early days as Carroll Spinney mentions in his book. Although their charachters were in the main street storylines back then, they weren't seen a whole lot during the seasons. Then in the 80's they started working on the show even less and their characthers were only seen in seprate taped off the street inserts. So it doesn't really surprize me that they didn't spend much time working on this movie.