Little things we've noticed

[minor muppetz]

Sometimes I wonder, when a character is suddenly given a name, if the scripts say what existing character it is. Like when Grover was finally given a name, did the script just call him Grover or did it indicate a specific monster puppet? In fact Grover did a number of skits with Kermit where he was clearly the same character despite being unnamed, I wonder if the scripts made it clear it was the same monster as those other ones. Gladys seemed to start out as a generic cow but tended to always have the same kind of voice and personality. And I wonder about the first time Lefty was named Lefty, did the scripts say that the Salesman puppet was used for Lefty or did they just write in two gangsters and they just happened to use that one?

And there's Elmo's first named appearance, did the script say they were to use the Short Red Monster puppet or did it just call for a monster named Elmo and they happened to use the red one?

Seeing examples of titles in scripts or CTW documents, it seems a lot of early scripts had real basic titles (like "Kermit/Monster B Bit"), but based on Muppet Wiki edits, it seems like some scripts had more thought put into their titles (like "Please Take a Number, Sir!" as opposed to something more simple like "Grover the Baker", or "A Clean Sweep" as opposed to something like "Kermit News: Santa Claus II" or "Kermit News: Waiting for Santa", though it's just the clapboard I've seen that lacks any indication of it being a news sketch - no "Kermit News", "News", "Sesame Street News", or anything like that). Titles weren't meant to be seen by people like us, but I wonder if the writers had trouble figuring out titles for certain sketches to put into the scripts. They probably had some form of title reference (as the scripts feature a sketch listing with length, some have first appearances by the sketch titles, and some have production codes). The CTW Archives files "first season show content" is the only thing I know of for sure they had (and did the writers use it for reference or did they just use it to keep track of every use of a segment?), I wonder if they looked through files to find sketches that might not have aired for a while. Man, this kind of thing might need its own thread.

But it seems like when Sesame Workshop uploads classic clips online, there's a little more thought into the titles. Some clips seem to have been retitled on YouTube, like Kermit News: Rupunzel now being listed as "Kermit News: Rupunzel's Rescue" (I'd say give more thought-out titles to the fairy tales that were revisited on Sesame Street News).

 

[minor muppetz]

Recently I noticed on Ernie & Bert Sing-Along that the album becomes less zany on side two. Side 1 has a lot of zaniness, we also get a lot of characters coming in and establishing they are there (some in absurd ways, like Grover, Herry, and Cookie traveling on a motorcycle). Side 1 ends with the albums most serious song (seriously, "Hand in Hand" sounds like it'd make a good track on a non-gimmicky album for adults), though it is still followed by a zany bit before the side ends (Herry misunderstanding what is supposed to be turned over). We still get a lot of silliness on album two, but it seems less silly.

On side 1, several characters come in and get introduced (in terms of being established as being there), then in side 2, Prairie Dawn is suddenly prominently featured on one song, when they never acknowledged her arrival (maybe she showed up while the record was being flipped over).

It's also absurd how in a couple of scenes where Bert asks for a towel the others only say they can't because there's too many people crowding the door. Couldn't they just ask them to move or leave the bathroom for a few minutes so he can get his towel? It doesn't seem like the bathroom is that small (and when it got adapted into television the bathroom would have had to be big enough for a cast and camera crew). I don't get the feeling like there's more characters there than who is acknowledged/given lines, nobody who arrives has trouble getting around, and there's plenty of room to bring in big instruments and a motorcycle (and when the marching band shows up at the end, it seems like they don't have trouble entering).

 

[hooperfan]

Recently I noticed on Ernie & Bert Sing-Along that the album becomes less zany on side two. Side 1 has a lot of zaniness, we also get a lot of characters coming in and establishing they are there (some in absurd ways, like Grover, Herry, and Cookie traveling on a motorcycle). Side 1 ends with the albums most serious song (seriously, "Hand in Hand" sounds like it'd make a good track on a non-gimmicky album for adults), though it is still followed by a zany bit before the side ends (Herry misunderstanding what is supposed to be turned over). We still get a lot of silliness on album two, but it seems less silly.

On side 1, several characters come in and get introduced (in terms of being established as being there), then in side 2, Prairie Dawn is suddenly prominently featured on one song, when they never acknowledged her arrival (maybe she showed up while the record was being flipped over).

It's also absurd how in a couple of scenes where Bert asks for a towel the others only say they can't because there's too many people crowding the door. Couldn't they just ask them to move or leave the bathroom for a few minutes so he can get his towel? It doesn't seem like the bathroom is that small (and when it got adapted into television the bathroom would have had to be big enough for a cast and camera crew). I don't get the feeling like there's more characters there than who is acknowledged/given lines, nobody who arrives has trouble getting around, and there's plenty of room to bring in big instruments and a motorcycle (and when the marching band shows up at the end, it seems like they don't have trouble entering).

The whole concept of a bunch of people barging in on someone's bath time is borderline creepy. Only on Sesame Street could anybody get away with that

 

[minor muppetz]

The whole concept of a bunch of people barging in on someone's bath time is borderline creepy. Only on Sesame Street could anybody get away with that

It is weird that all of the adults were rather casual/oblivious to Bert's cries to privacy or a towel. At least nobody got into the tub while Bert was in there (while it may fuel a certain rumor, it does seem surprising that Ernie didn't get into the bath tub to sing along).

Bert keeps asking for a towel and sometimes for his pants (at one point he asks for possibly a sweater, though I guess he might have pulled it down far enough to cover certain things. Or maybe he would have wrapped a sweater around his waist). But I wonder how likely their guests would have seen/glimpsed his private parts while he was in the tub (though it's likely there was enough bubbles to cover).

It's odd that Ernie organizes a sing-along in the bath tub but never once has them sing Rubber Duckie.

I said that they stop having characters come in by side 2, but now I'm remembering that Mr. Hooper did stop by on side 2.

The running gag of The Count singing/adding to "Bats in the Belfry" leads to him being put in the shower. So they have a separate shower and bath tub in the bathroom. But did they lock The Count in? He only comes back a few times, David just says "let's put him in the shower", but when he first shows up after that, Susan asks "how'd he get in?" And when he is put in the shower, we hear a splash - was the shower already running?

While the characters reactions might be too similar, I wish that Bert had talked with Oscar during his short scene. Like maybe agree with him, or Oscar deciding to stay when he realizes how miserable Bert is. Then again, the whole cast seems to be oblivious to Bert's predicament, treating his calls for help like they're jokes, perhaps Oscar would have been just as oblivious.

Given the craziness of the album, maybe they should have had various characters just randomly show up without being announced. The closest would be The Count returning at one point (and Susan asking how he got back), in addition to Prairie Dawn suddenly being part of the party though it's not played for laughs/no big deal is made about her being there. Maybe Guy Smiley or Biff and Sully should have randomly showed up (would it have been bad for a silent character like Sully to "appear" on an album?). Or maybe Kermit suddenly showing up to report on the sing-along.

I've recently noticed that in the album the characters make a lot of small asides, lines that I hadn't really noticed before, some lines that I hadn't really heard or had to replay and listen. One I noticed recently is after Cookie Monster's reaction to Mr. Hooper saying that he brought cookies, I hadn't noticed until recently but it sounds like Ernie says "I told you not to say it", either Ernie or Hooper. Hooper would make more sense since he didn't want to say what it was and Ernie kept insisting that he said it, but then the line should have been "I told you I shouldn't say it". Or, if the intent was for Ernie to be hypocritical, maybe "why did you say it?" When I first listened to this last year, when a marching band comes in at the end, at first I couldn't really hear the music playing when it starts and people ask what's that, but now I do hear it (I guess I've had the volume up louder lately).

We probably shouldn't worry about logistics, but I wonder how long it was between Ernie inviting everybody to the sing along and them showing up. We only hear Bert singing a little bit before Ernie comes in wanting to play the piano and sing, then after the first song their guests start to arrive, asking if it's the right place for the sing along. So did Ernie hear Bert sing, immediately call everybody he could, and tell them it's going on right now? Or maybe he called one person and asked them to invite the others.

 

[LittleJerry92]

So, I was actually surprised to find out “Wet Paint” aired after “Danger’s No Stranger.” I used to think it was the other way around, given that the cows have their rocking flashy hair in the latter and the former had an MTV parody intro that tells their backstory.

Now that I know “Wet Paint” aired after “Danger’s No Stranger”, it makes me wonder if that SMV intro was thought of as a last minute idea from the crew, thinking “You know, we’re only doing two songs for these guys, why not come up with a backstory for them?” It also looks to me like the longer version with that intro was phased out by the early 90’s, based on the guides we now have.

Which also surprises me because I could have sworn I had seen the longer version at least once as a kid. Amazing how the mind can play tricks on you.

On another note - I was also surprised to find out season 27 was the last season that song ever aired. I could have sworn I remember seeing it in seasons 28/29. But then again, I do also remember seeing “Danger’s No Stranger” air often more than “Wet Paint” (I recall seeing the latter at least three times and the former four or five times), so it makes more sense.

 

[minor muppetz]

Lately, I have been watching the Mysterious Theater segment "Case of the Missing Cat" a lot more lately than I ever have (and it's usually my go-to Mysterious Theater segment I include in wishlists), and have noticed some odd logic.

It seems like Sherlock Hemlock and Watson are summoned to find the missing cat, who seems to already be missing, otherwise why would they need their services? There's already a note saying where the cat is but part is torn off, so somebody knows (I'm guessing the butler put it there, but maybe the cat did). At the end, the butler tells them the cat is under the mat, and doesn't want them to look. He doesn't actually say why he doesn't want them to find the cat, but does say that the cat was under the mat to hide from the dog, I assume he meant Watson and not another dog.

So the cat was already missing before Sherlock and Watson arrived and the cat just happens to now be hiding from Watson?

Also, is it just me or did Sherlock Hemlock and The Amazing Mumford eventually become flanderized (or maybe it's just character development)? It seems like in early segments, Sherlock was a better detective (though he was the cause of a few cases), and in early segments Mumford seemed to be better at predicting his magic (he was right with his surprise trick up until the very end, and was just having trouble practicing his rabbit-out-of-a-hat trick, but that doesn't mean he learns new tricks fast). But later on, it seems Sherlock would become more oblivious to his cases (or was it just when he had his dog with him?), and Mumford would regularly be great at magic but wrong at how it would turn out (while the cast also seems to count on him to undo magic gone wrong).

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

Anyone else find it a little weird that so many of the adults on Sesame Street are single?

 

[hooperfan]

Anyone else find it a little weird that so many of the adults on Sesame Street are single?

Well, some of them would have female (or male) friends that leaned on boyfriend/girlfriend: Maria and David in the early days, Bob and Linda, obviously Maria and Luis later on... Gina had a boyfriend for a short period named Jesse, and she seemed close to Savion in the 90s... I don't know, it was probably not something really focused on.

 

[LittleJerry92]

Anyone else find it a little weird that so many of the adults on Sesame Street are single?

To be honest I never even thought about that.

 

[cjd874]

Anyone else find it a little weird that so many of the adults on Sesame Street are single?

That's true of Alan, Chris, and Nina. We could even say this about the cast members from the Around the Corner era like Ruthie, Mr. Handford, and Celina. But like any community, Sesame Street had a great mix of people of all types: single, dating, married, old, young, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, etc. From the beginning, the show's cast was meant to represent a diverse range of people and it still does.