Thirsty Maria Skit

[bigbird]

This skit aggravated me in a way. Maria is supposedly stranded on a desert and is literally dying of thirst. The only word she can say is "Agua". She doesn't speak anything else. Somehow, right in the middle of the sizzling desert is David with a "candy store" type counter and a few soda fountain levers. Maria goes to David and since David don't understand spanish, Maria tries to describe it to him in many ways....turning on a make believe faucet (to which David gives her a towel and soap)! Sticking her bare foot inside an imaginary bathtub or pool (to which David gives her a pair of slippers when she shivers)! How stupid can one person be???? Finally, David said he wanted to take a break and have a cool glass of water to which Maria begs for a glass. David gives only 1 glass to her and when she begs for more, he seems to resist her as much as possible. Who was the dummy that thought up this piece of trash anyway? The skit has intermissions and when each part continues,the 2 seem to age more and more with traces of gray hair on both of them.

 

[Censored]

This skit aggravated me in a way. Maria is supposedly stranded on a desert and is literally dying of thirst. The only word she can say is "Agua". She doesn't speak anything else. Somehow, right in the middle of the sizzling desert is David with a "candy store" type counter and a few soda fountain levers. Maria goes to David and since David don't understand spanish, Maria tries to describe it to him in many ways....turning on a make believe faucet (to which David gives her a towel and soap)! Sticking her bare foot inside an imaginary bathtub or pool (to which David gives her a pair of slippers when she shivers)! How stupid can one person be???? Finally, David said he wanted to take a break and have a cool glass of water to which Maria begs for a glass. David gives only 1 glass to her and when she begs for more, he seems to resist her as much as possible. Who was the dummy that thought up this piece of trash anyway? The skit has intermissions and when each part continues,the 2 seem to age more and more with traces of gray hair on both of them.

There was also a similar skit in the 70's where David and Maria were getting married (this of course was not in continuity with their lives on the street) and Bob, who played the best man, could not figure out what a ring looked like and kept handing David a bunch of other round things with a hole, like a record. This too happens in three skits where they all get old and eventually hobble down the aisle.

These kind of skits bothered me too, but for a different reason. I always found age progression gags to be rather disturbing and shocking. (Of course, I suppose the absurdity of the whole thing was supposed to make it okay).

The Electric Company did a similar skit where a father was trying to put together a Christmas tree and takes so long, he becomes an old man and his son grows up. And there's another where a man takes a whole lifetime to tell a woman that he loves her.

The EC also did an age regression gag where an elderly man drinks some kind of potion to make him young and becomes a man sized baby sitting on the table in front of his confused elderly wife.

For some reason, I always thought these kind of skits were done in very poor taste. But, that's just me. Doesn't mean the skits weren't entertaining to some. They should still be saved for the public to see today.

I don't know how many others may have found age progression and regression skits disturbing, but it is interesting to note that Sesame Street seemed to stop using or making the aging skits early on.

 

[Brinatello]

This wasn't on SS, but on TMS about aging quickly. It was about this scientist trying all these potions and singing Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" throughout it. The potions make him younger and younger until the last one puts him back to his current age. I liked that skit for two reasons. One: "Time in a Bottle" is one of my favorite songs and two: Jim Henson did the singing.

But, getting to that SS skit with Maria, I remember that one, too, and those kind of skits are what I considered painful to watch!

 

[fuzzygobo]

payback can hurt

It could be difficult to watch a cast member suffering from thirst. In Maria's case, it could be justified.

Once upon a time, Gordon was stranded in the desert and parched from thirst himself. Along comes Maria dressed in a Good Humor uniform, peddling an ice cream cart. She pulls out three tall glasses- one of water, one of soda, and one of milk- and a potato. Gordon tries reaching for one, and Maria slaps his hand. We play a round of "One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others" and come to the conclusion that the potato doesn't belong, since you can't drink it.

Gordon's getting more dehydrated with every passing minute, and Maria, who's hardly breaking out in a sweat, polishes off all three glasses in front of him.

When she finally sees how he's dying of thirst, she regretfully tells him she has nothing more to drink, but he can have the potato! Oh, joy!!!

So don't feel too bad of seeing Maria getting thirsty. Sometimes in the world of karma your bad deeds can come back and haunt you.


At least in the skit where Luis is the stranded victim, and he suffers the torture of passing a sink, a drinking fountain and a spiggot, all of which were bone dry, it rains on him and his gets his glass of (very cloudy) water.

 

[ILuVERNIE]

Sesame Street really was stupid a LOONG time back, like in the 70s... but that's why I love it!

 

[mikebennidict]

Think we could do without your insulting the show.

 

[idlelyla]

Sesame Street really was stupid a LOONG time back, like in the 70s... but that's why I love it!

It wasn't *stupid*. Back in the early 70's the show was just starting, so there were some bumps along the way with ironing out what worked and what didn't. Then, as time as gone by, the show has fallen victim to societal and comedic 'trends'...along with different staff members putting their personal "touch" on the show. Sometimes things worked out okay, sometimes things didn't. This happens with *any* television show, which illustrates just how enduring and memorable the Sesame Street muppets are that they have managed to still captivate audiences as well today. Personally, I think the current incarnation of Sesame Street leaves the most to be desired as the first half hour is Sesame Street and the second is Elmo's World - to me, they should be two separate shows now.

 

[idlelyla]

So don't feel too bad of seeing Maria getting thirsty. Sometimes in the world of karma your bad deeds can come back and haunt you.

I so remember that skit - it really colored my opinion of Maria for some reason. LOL