Sam the Robot's voice

[mikealan]

Anybody want to know what voice does Sam the Robot sounds like? You thought that he was never shown on MT&R episodes. I'd remembered seeing the beginning of the 1973 episode where it showed him passing by the Fix-It-Shop.

If you think he's not shown on the classic SS episodes shown on the MT&R, but I think I saw him, he would terrify me!!!!!!

 

[Phillip]

The same episode is also shown on Noggin.

 

[Jeffrey Gray]

Many say Jerry Nelson did Sam, and you say Bob McGrath did Sam's voice in #536...you know what I think? On alt.tv.sesame-street, I heard that CARROLL SPINNEY was Sam...hey, he could probably do a voice that sounded like Bob, so do you think Spinney did Sam's voice at one time? Or am I just messed up?

 

[mikealan]

Well, Bill Sherman explains that Sam was played by Spinney, but the SSU book really explains that he is played by Nelson.

I think Nelson makes voices of other puppets that sound like Bob.

I think that Simon the Soundman sounds like Bob's when I listened to Simon's Sound Song on MCR. Do you agree that Nelson can make voices that sound like Bob during the old days?

 

[Phillip]

Jerry Nelson performed Sam the Robot. He wore the costume and used a synthesizer of some kind for Sam's voice.

 

[Splurge]

Wasn't there a story out there that Spinney originally did Sam but then passed it along to Nelson?

 

[roadrat15]

I've only heard of Spinney doing the Grouch, BB and a couple of Anything Muppets.

 

[Jaboom97]

This past weekend-Noggin showed an episode from 1972 and it had SAM the Robot on there. He was going to Mulberry Street and assumed Sesame Street was that--he had a date with Shirley the cement truck. Now this must be or at least near to his introduction because in this street scene Gordon and Susan are awestruck with him, and somewhat rather startled, introductions between Gordon(HAL Miller) and Susan to SAM ensue and he introduces the audience with his main Character flaw--Robots are machines and they are perfect--don't make mistakes, well needless to say, SAM doesn't get anything right, in his robotic somewhat rather scary, synthetic voice he repeats like a broken record until a human beats him on his pot -metal mandible. As to who did his voice it is hard to identify, at the time Jerry Nelson and Spinney were both dawning big burly uncomfortable costumes so it could be a toss up. I am not sure if Bob Magrath did the voice on this skit, but I am not sure as I have no evidence or literature to say he did or did not. Therefore this topic is still up for discussion, just thought I would post my review since this was the first time I ever saw SAM on an episode as he was long gone to the sesame scrap-yard before my time to acknowledge the show after my birth in 1979.

Jeremy

 

[Jeffrey Gray]

I saw that, it sounds like an electronically altered Jerry Nelson voice...