My Opinion On:Sesame Street Celebrates 20

[zns]

Sorry about that. My computers acting a little slow, so I tried clicking on "submit reply" a few times. I didn't realize that this would happen.

 

[minor muppetz]

NEXT TIME: A special review of "The Frog Prince."

Have you written this review yet?

 

[Barry Lee]

Have you written this review yet?

This is an old thread but I will... plus look for reviews on the new "On the Stoop" website!

 

[Pug Lover]

I remember watching this special when it first aired back in 1989.You've brought back some memories for me Barry.Every detail you gave I remember very well.Right down to Cookie Monster eating Ernie and Bert's video camera and video tape.I also recall during the closing credit singalong of Sing,seeing Kermit standing in between Ernie and Bert.Which was a bit surprising going by how you hardly ever saw any interaction between Kermit and the other two.(But that's likely due to how Ernie and Kermit were both originally performed by Jim Henson himself.)I have to agree with you too,this was indeed one of the best SS specials.Too bad it's not available on DVD.But I like the 35th Anniversary Special too.Even though Kermit does not appaer at all in that one.It does include a classic flashing number segment with the falling baker.

 

[jeffkjoe]

I think if I had to say one bad thing about this special is that it doesn't have enough early clips from the first 4 years or so.

It's as if they were trying to pretend that the Matt Robinson/Hal Miller years never happened.

I think "Sesame Street Unpaved," the Noggin special from 1998, does a much better job handling a broader SCOPE of all years of Sesame, 1969-1998.

 

[zns]

I think "Sesame Street Unpaved," the Noggin special from 1998, does a much better job handling a broader SCOPE of all years of Sesame, 1969-1998.

I would really love to see that special. What exactly is it about?

 

[minor muppetz]

Sesame Street Unpaved plot

I would really love to see that special. What exactly is it about?

It has Sonia Manzano (Maria), Lorretta Long (Susan), Bob McGraph (Bob), caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar), and Martin P. Robinson (Mr. Snuffleupagus and Telly) at the arbor area, talking about the show, with a lot of focus on the early days. This special includes a clip from the opening scene from the first episode, a clip with Rosevelt Franklin and his mother, one of the jazzy Spies films, one of the Pinball Number Count films, one of the Number Painter films, Rubber Duckie, the original Being Green, and many more. It includs a lot of complete sketches as well as short clips.

It also includes a few parts where the cast discuss certain topics, such as Jim Henson (which includes two non-muppet segments that Jim Henson was responsible for, Let's Sing a Song of Three and The King of 8), Mr. Hooper (including an entire clip of the adults explaining his death to Big Bird and some other Mr. Hooper clip), Mr. Snuffleupagus being revealed as being real (with a clip of the scene where the adults meet him), and a few other topics. Oscar made a cameo at the end.

When this special was broadcast, the commercial breaks were filled with promos for Noggin and it's various shows, including a lot of sesame Street promos. The commercial that advertized this included some clips that I don't recall being in this (like Grover The Waiter: Alphabet Soup).

The Noggin website had a page where viewers could vote for their favorite clip, with four coices: Rubber Duckie, Being Green, The ladybug Picnic, and C Is For Cookie (I have a feeling that I am wrong about one of these clips). The winning clip was Rubber Duckie, which was shown after the special ended (even though it was included in the special). All of these songs were in the special, but the version of Being Green that was promoted (and would have probably been the one shown if it won) was a different version from the one shown in the special (the special had the original version while the clip that viewers could vote for was the remake without Leena Horne).

Another interesting thing is that along with the clips shown, there were captions for most of the clips, showing the titles and the original airdates. Some (I can't rememebr if all) of them listed who was in certain clips (for example, The Pinball Number Count listed The Pointer Sisters). When Let's Sing a Song of Three was shown, there were captions pointing out when Jim Henson and Brian Henson appeared.

 

[MuppetDude]

There was also some very, very brief shots of "behind the scenes" work (including the "'C' is for Cookie" set minus the monsters; the green screen wasn't displaying them yet).

I recommend this special to everybody. Definitely one of the best.

 

[zns]

Well, if anyone has this special, I would be interested in doing a trade.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

My uncle made a tape of that one for our family. I still have the tape, but I don't know how to make copies or anything. The best I could probably do is write a transcript.