Hal Miller, the middle Gordon

[Drtooth]

This must really prove Roscoe Orman's versatility, because prior to SST, I've seen him in a few TV shows and movies, and he was always the bad guy - being a pimp daddy in Willy Dynamite, and on an episode of Sanford and Son he was a bank robber who always yelled at the top of his lungs... so for a man who is able to make for a believable pimp and bank robber still be able to appeal to the kiddies... that is some wicked versatility I must say.

A) I GOTTA see that movie...

and B), I Always felt Roscoe had some sort of wacky exuberance and warm down to Earthness mushed up into the sort of character it takes to work with Muppets. Sure, Matt seemed more like the grown up host, younger Uncle figure in the show, but Roscoe seemed not only to be the father figure, but the goofy father figure that likes to have fun with his children. I mean, what other person can proudly say in their career they played "Lovely magic Gordon Guy" with a straight face. His work, both as Gordon and the fantasy versions of him (including Trash Gordon) fits in perfectly with other human cast members who can play the adult figure and the wacky character...

I mean, we had Maria dressing up like Charlie Chaplain... Bob as a Spongebob parody, Alan as a King.... The cast memebers I like the best are the ones that can be serious figures AND wacky at the same time... why, they're just as Muppety as their Puppet co-stars!

 

[dwmckim]

This must really prove Roscoe Orman's versatility, because prior to SST, I've seen him in a few TV shows and movies, and he was always the bad guy - being a pimp daddy in Willy Dynamite, and on an episode of Sanford and Son he was a bank robber who always yelled at the top of his lungs... so for a man who is able to make for a believable pimp and bank robber still be able to appeal to the kiddies... that is some wicked versatility I must say.

And played a bad guy on a soap after he was cast as Gordon which confused a lot of kids who happened to walk into the room as their mothers were watching!

That's always awkward seeing a childrens' entertainment figure playing dark - even if it's years afterwards...i'm sure each actor wants to show their versatility and not be typecast but still it can be jarring. A month or so back, the second guy that was on Blue's Clues (Donovan Pattan?) played an unrepetant gay basher on One Life to Live and it was so disturbing to see him in that role.

 

[D'Snowth]

Lol, who DOESN'T love Lovely Magic Gordon Guy?

Even Sesame Street Unpaved mentions how Roscoe plays "Good Guy Gordon", lol.

And yes, thank you, I almost forgot about Maria dressed as Charlie Chaplain, lol.

BTW, does anyone have any idea why Matt Robinson left in the first place?

 

[minor muppetz]

BTW, does anyone have any idea why Matt Robinson left in the first place?

In the 40th anniversary book, it says that he preferred behind-camera roles.

 

[mikebennidict]

Well that's why he joined SS in the first place.

He was a producers and after the one from the test shows was let go, they decided for Matt to be Gordon.

At least that was what the 1971 Publication "All About Sesame Street" says.

 

[Drtooth]

That's always awkward seeing a childrens' entertainment figure playing dark - even if it's years afterwards...i'm sure each actor wants to show their versatility and not be typecast but still it can be jarring. A month or so back, the second guy that was on Blue's Clues (Donovan Pattan?) played an unrepetant gay basher on One Life to Live and it was so disturbing to see him in that role.

I could go deeply into this stuff... but it's like the animator Ralph Bakshi, who had his career start as doing "kid's" Cartoons for Terrytoons, started doing R and X rated animated features for adults in the 70's, and then did more kid's stuff with the 80's Mighty Mouse, and even some "What a Cartoon" stuff.

You CAN make the leap from kid's show to more adult television, and vice versa. Something on your resume should be just that. Something on your resume. If not, you wind up being type cast.

Look at all the SS cast member cameos on Law and Order.

 

[MartyMuppets]

I may have seen a little of Hal Miller's Gordon when I was a kid. I do recall seeing a little of Gordon with hair then I thought to myself, "Aw poor Gordon. He's suddenly gone bald just like the males tend to do on my dad's side of the family".

 

[dwmckim]

As a kid, i didn't even think about it that much - i just took it for granted that "today Gordon has hair", 'today he has a moustache" - just like how people change their hairstyles, go from having long and short hair, etc. It didn't affect my suspension of reality just as how sometimes Herry had a blue nose and every now and then a Muppet might have a different voice; i just thought of it as a "Muppet thing" that these creatures just happened to do.

 

[mr3urious]

I may have seen a little of Hal Miller's Gordon when I was a kid. I do recall seeing a little of Gordon with hair then I thought to myself, "Aw poor Gordon. He's suddenly gone bald just like the males tend to do on my dad's side of the family".

I guess when you grow older, all the hair on your head gradually migrates to other parts of your body.

 

[D'Snowth]

I guess when you grow older, all the hair on your head gradually migrates to other parts of your body.

Oh, tell me about it, lol.

Seeing Colin Mochrie without a shirt is a pretty scary sight.