Your Thoughts: Sesame Street Old School DVD

[jeffkjoe]

Hey Greg?

How did you get an advance copy?

 

[minor muppetz]

It's weird that Best Buy won't be releasing it. It seems like Best Buy carries every other DVD release, even ones that I can't find in other stores (when they come out). It's the only place so far where I've found copies of The Best of The Electric Company, The Weird Al Show: The Complete Series, and SCTV Vol. 4 (ironically, all of those are released by Shout!). And Best Buy seems to have a lot of Sesame Street DVDs to buy.

Yes, fans want to see everything. I don't think every last episode and sketch will be available on DVD for at least a thousand years (by then most of the song covers will probably be in the public domain, unless Disney manages to extend copyright ownership again).

Untill the last time I looked at the review, I thought that all three bonus celebrity clips from the first season involved them counting to 10. I was thinking, "why couldn't they have more first season variety besides having celebrities count to 10? Why not, for example, have James Earl Jones recite the alphabet instead of count to 10? Whenever I think of James Earl Jones appearing on the show I usually think of him reciting the alphabet instead of countign anyway." Then I reread the review and noticed that James Earl Jones is the only first season celebrity to count to ten, and the others recite the alphabet. I also wonder why Lou Rawls wasn't mentioned in the press release. All other celebrities who appeared in bonus clips were mentioned.

One thing that I wonder. All of the episodes included originally did not include closing credits, and the closing credits for each season are included alogn with the bonus clips from each season. If a future set includes an episode with credits and a selection of bonus clips from that season, I wodner if the credits from that respective season will still be included.

 

[MrsPepper]

I'm going to try looking for the set at Costco. That's where I got Fraggle Rock Season 2, so let's hope that this set is there! I can't wait! Great review.

 

[gbrobeck]

I got it because I am a freelance DVD reviewer (having previously worked for several websites including The Digital Bits)


Greg

 

[Bein Green]

Nice cover! Unlike...

It is so awesome that the cover for the SS Old Skool box set shows the muppets looking the way they did during that time... wish I coudl say the same for the Muppet DVD(s)!

 

[minor muppetz]

It is so awesome that the cover for the SS Old Skool box set shows the muppets looking the way they did during that time... wish I coudl say the same for the Muppet DVD(s)!

The Muppets Magic DVD did a good job at having the Muppets look the way they did during the 1960s...

 

[minor muppetz]

Reading the review again, I noticed that it says that they are introduced by a cartoon character who explains that the episodes may not meet todays educational needs. I wonder why this needed to be mentioned. Do all educational shows need to have the same curriculum (I thought Sesame Workshop chose it's own curriculums for each year)? This makes me wonder if all previously-released Sesame Street videos somehow focused on their current educational needs. I mean, did Sesame Workshop teach kids about babysitting when The Best of Ernie and Bert was made? What main educational needs were followed for the other "best of" character videos (especially Kermit and Grover) and the two anniversary videos?

Also, are the animated introductions annoying in any way? I would much rather just see the old episodes begin as soon as I hit the play button, or I'd rather see an introduction by a muppet (maybe Big Bird or Grover, or even the return of a classic character who isn't used much anymore, like Guy Smiley or The Amazing Mumford). Or better yet, maybe there should have been introductions by performers, cast members, or crew members. It would have been great if Caroll Spinney or Jerry Nelson introduced the episodes.

While the review points out that the bonus skits are mostly stuff we've seen hundreds of times, there are a lot of skits listed that I can't identify any skit with those titles (like Swinging Gibbon, Alphabet Soup, and many others). There are also a lot of skits included that as far as I know weren't shown on Noggin, never released on video (in the U.S., at least), or shown in any new episodes in at least the last five to ten years (again, this is concerning the american version). Has the original version of I love Trash been seen since the first season? Ditto with I've Got Two (I have a feeling that theys topped showing orange Oscar skits after the first season). Out of the season bonus skits, the third season classic cuts feature has the most skits that I know and remember well.

Looking at the still for one of the scene selection menus, it seems interesting that the Baker film for three is listed as Henson #3, instead of baker #3 or Let's Sing a Song of Three. I assume that the chapter stops also list the 2 skit as Henson #2. And I was hoping that chapter stops would refer to the skits by their official titles (if there are official titles), but it seems like most of the titles are pretty much made up. Yes, I am aware that older Sesame Street DVD chapter stops used titles that seem made up as well (Dance Along lists one skit as ABC Disco, but A Celebration of Me, Grover! features that same skit, but lists it as Alphabet Fever).

Finally, is the Big Bird and Grover skit that replaced the store scene the same Big Bird and Grover skit shown on TV in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial?

 

[gbrobeck]

Another couple notes. "Going to the Zoo" on the set is possibly the first Twiddlebugs sketch. The animated introductions might get annoying if you watch all 5 episodes in one setting, but they aren't too bad. They are very brief and humorous. Alphabet Soup is the animation where the little boy is fishing but all he catches are letters so he makes alphabet soup.


Greg

 

[Marky]

What's this 'Noggin' everyon'es talkin' about?

 

[BEAR]

What's this 'Noggin' everyon'es talkin' about?

It's a cable television network. They used to play classic Sesame Street episodes until they were taken off a couple years ago.