This thread is brought to you by the letter U!

[Soul H]

Did anybody notice that whenever they do a music video about the letter U, it usually requires a big red U (or in Ethel Mermaid's case a small red u)?

 

[Ziffel]

The voice of that cartoon guy who played the letter u like a guitar sounded just like Howard Sprague (played by Jack Dodson) the county clerk on "The Andy Griffith Show". Just a little aside. I'm not sure if it was Howard who they got to do the voice but I always thought it sounded exactly like him. That guy had a great voice! Then again, so did Howard Morris who played Ernest T. Bass on "Andy Griffith" and did the voice of Jughead on "The Archies" and that Sesame Street cartoon on the letter j.

 

[Ziffel]

There was also a u sketch that had a dog and a letter u. The letter u was mentioning a lot of words that began with the letter u like universe. As he mentioned them the words would be displayed. At the end the letter u asks, "Well, what do you think of that?" The dog replies, "Not very much." The u says, "Why not?" The dog replies, "I can't read, I'm a dog." (But if he can't read because he's a dog, then why can he talk? ).
It also brings to mind a letter o and some animal like a cow or horse. I forgot how it started, but I remember the o saying, "Over and over and over and over and over" over and over! At the end he says, "Now what do you think of o?" The animal eats him and says, "O ho! Delicious!"

 

[Alarium]

I love that "U really got a hold on me" song and find myself singing in to random people on the street!
Was it Lionel Ritchi?

 

[mikealan]

There was also a u sketch that had a dog and a letter u. The letter u was mentioning a lot of words that began with the letter u like universe. As he mentioned them the words would be displayed. At the end the letter u asks, "Well, what do you think of that?" The dog replies, "Not very much." The u says, "Why not?" The dog replies, "I can't read, I'm a dog." (But if he can't read because he's a dog, then why can he talk? ).
It also brings to mind a letter o and some animal like a cow or horse. I forgot how it started, but I remember the o saying, "Over and over and over and over and over" over and over! At the end he says, "Now what do you think of o?" The animal eats him and says, "O ho! Delicious!"

Small 'o': Hey, you! Do you know who I am?
Horse: No, who are you?
Small 'o': I'm the letter O, and I'm used in the word 'over'!
Horse: Oh, really?
Small 'o': Yeah! (it starts rolling over the horse) I go over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over...
(Horse begins to eat it)
Horse: Oh ho! Delicious!

 

[Ziffel]

i've been going to my library and others in the Chicago area to look for old article on SS and Mr. Rogers. found a couple of 1968 articles through a referrence book even read 1 of them. it's too bad most newspapers & magazines don't have old archives on the internet. they eother can't do it or it's too expensive to put them on their online database.

I was looking at the Washington Post archives for Sesame Street. They only show a few sentences of an old article. To get the whole article it costs $3.95. But I was just scanning some for fun and reading the few free sentences for each one. Here's one from February 1970 that said President Nixon liked the new SS show:

President Likes 'Sesame Street'
By Lawrence Laurent. The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973). Washington, D.C.: Feb 5, 1970. pg. C9, 1 pgs

Document types: article
Section: STYLE Woman/The Arts/Leisure
Text Word Count 184
Document URL:

Abstract (Document Summary)
President Nixon has joined the nation's television critics in praising the "Sesame Street" television series. "Sesame Street" is an educational series for preschool children and is telecast by the public, noncommercial stations (Channel 26 in Washington).

 

[Soul H]

Wasn't there a sketch where Luis tells a story about the letter U not wanting to be a U no more? I remember the background had drawn out letters, and Maria as a princess, and a scene where the U said that it would rather be an H.

Can anybody help on this?

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

Okay, MC fans, today's letter of the thread is U! I watched 123 SS yesterday and saw some of the U skits. My U memories I saw yesterday are...

1) The NOO-nee-NOO Typewriter Guy U-Umbrella: It starts to rain, so the typewriter guy opens the umbrella to make him dry. Then, the rain stops, so the typewriter closes the umbrella and gets stuck in it! After his very short struggle, he pops out his wheels and rides off going, "Noo-nee-noo-nee-noo..." When I was a little kid, I was so scared of that sketch, because of him being stuck in the umbrella and the wheels popping out was scary. Now, when I watched this, I think the typewriter being stuck in the umbrella is a little freaky, and leaving with himself stuck under the umbrella is a little freaky.

2) Happy Birthday To U-a Bert and Ernie sketch. Ernie is about to sing "Happy Birthday" to the letter U and it begins to move and blows the candle on the cake!

3) An animated segment where kids raise their hands, because they know what begins with U. It's just like school. They know many words like "uncle", "umpire", "underwear", "uniform", etc. until a kid holds the umbrella and says, "Umbrella!"

4) A live-action sketch/song about the letter U where kids hold U's, because they like U's!

5) An animated segment where the P knocks the door and the U enters and his name is U, but the P thinks he has to go away. Then, the U means the letter U which it stood for U.F.O, unicorn, etc. Then, the U meets the P and they flew up in the sky

As I remember the other U memories, mine were...

U-Up (an old cartoon)
The U-N-I-T-E train (an old cartoon)
I Get A Kick Out Of U (sung by Ethal Mermaid)
Like the Way U Do (I don't recall watching it)
When I'm Calling U (sung by the AM's)
A short cartoon man and a tall man explain about the letter U
Thinking Of U (by the SS Beetles; "It's U, lads, or we will get crushed!")
Letters In Sand-U
U Really Got A Hold On Me (sung by Smokey Robinson)
Harvey Kneeslapper's "Take A Picture Of U" trick where he slaps the letter U on Fat Blue's head
Baby Natasha (as Superbaby) carries the U
The Yip-Yip Martians discover a U

Here are the other U memories I never watched.

1) The one where Lefty sends the U in rope to Ernie. I think I only saw parts of it on the Biography special

2) An old Cookie Monster skit where Ernie and Cookie teach the letter U. It's where Cookie plays the ukulele first, then he begins to eat it. I have the pictures of this skit on the SSU book.

3) The U Lecture (recited by Professor Hastings; available on the album, "Sesame Street: Sing the Alphabet")

Anyone remember the other "U" memories?

I remembered those segments:'
U Really Got a Hold on Me (with Smokey Robinson and the Letter U) was a parody of "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles), Thinking of U (Sung by The Beetles) was possibly a of "Here, There, And Everywhere" from The Beatles 7th album, Revolver. And "When I'm Calling U" was actually called "Indian U Call" and that was parody of the Canadian song, "Indian Love Call."

 

[Drtooth]

Know what cartoon gives me unintentional giggles? The U for Uniform skit with the guy who sounds like Herbert the Pervert from Family Guy...

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

My Friend U sung by Ron Marshall. U, U, U, My Friend U.