Changes: Season 1 (1969-1970)

Revision as of 03:38, 12 October 2014

Sesame Street
Premiere	November 10, 1969 (001)
Finale	May 8, 1970 (130)
Episodes	130

Sesame_Street_Show_Open_Season_1 — Sesame Street Show Open Season 1

Season 1 opening.

SS1969SScastB&W — The original cast of *Sesame Street*.

SesameStreet — Ernie, Bert, Betty Lou, Roosevelt Franklin, Gordon and Susan.

Broken Ukulele — Ernie and Beautiful Day Monster.

Jejalphabet — James Earl Jones on *Sesame Street*.

Baker — The baker in the Number Song Series.

Kermit-earlyGrover-in — Kermit the Frog and early Grover.

Ernie8Salesman — Ernie and the Salesman.

Kermitlecturerectangle — Kermit the Frog and Cookie Monster.

5peopleinmyfamily — The Anything Muppets of *Sesame Street*.

Ethsesstreet — Ethel Kennedy on *Sesame Street*.

After five test shows and years of preparation, Sesame Street premiered on NET (National Educational Television, a precursor of PBS) on November 10, 1969.

Characters

During this first season, Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird were the only Muppets to appear regularly in Street scenes, while most of the other Muppets debuted in separate segments. Many of the Muppet characters had designs and/or character traits that would be changed or dropped later on. Big Bird had a much more naïve voice and a smaller head with fewer feathers, and was written as a sort of dopey adult character. Oscar, who would still retain much of his grouchy demeanor almost 40 years later, had orange fur. Monsters, who would become core characters by the second season, had fierce teeth, often destroyed anything in their path, and didn't have consistent names.

Bob, Mr. Hooper, Gordon, and Susan were the original human cast members. With the exception of Mr. Hooper, who died in 1982, the other original characters are still with the series as of the 2010s, making them some of the longest continually-running non-soap opera characters in American entertainment. Like the Muppets, the human characters would change over time. Bob, originally a shop teacher, would later teach music, and by the end of the first season Susan would become a nurse. The season also featured live-action segments starring Buddy and Jim, a human comedy duo that failed at such tasks as hanging a picture and making a sandwich. Jennie also made occasional appearances.

Format

Sesame Street's format as established in 1969 would remain virtually unchanged for decades; live-action street scenes would alternate with Muppet comedy skits, musical numbers and short film segments, all known collectively as "inserts". Many of the Muppet scenes and films were created so that they could be replayed over and over (at least one segment would be repeated within any given episode); some of the segments made in 1969 would continue to be rebroadcast into the 1990s. (Many of these pieces are available for viewing at sesamestreet.org, and continue to be shown in various international co-productions.)

The original episodes had a much more literal, almost lecture-like tone to the Street scenes, closer in style to its original contemporaries like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood or Captain Kangaroo. With time, the Street-scenes became more natural with a definite plot thrust, with less breaking of the fourth wall. For example, in the first episode, Ernie once addresses the audience as those in "TV land".

While the Muppets would eventually become the biggest stars of the show, they did not appear as frequently as the cast. Cartoon segments aired more frequently than Muppet segments, and as such, some of the original illustrated promotional material featured the cast and Muppets interacting with animated characters, who also appeared in advertisements of the show. Animated segments and live-action inserts featured in the season included Alice Braithwaite Goodyshoes, Jazz Numbers, Speech Balloons, Alphabet Bates and Number Song Series, most of which continued to air many years later.

The season introduced many original songs that have gone on to become beloved Sesame Street classics, including "Rubber Duckie", "I Love Trash", "Bein' Green", "The People in Your Neighborhood" and "One of These Things". While all of those songs would have multiple performances on the show over the years, the last two would have many different versions during this season.

During the first season, many segments had some sort of connection with each other. It would be common for characters in the street scenes to introduce the next segments, various Muppet inserts would directly lead into the next film or cartoon, celebrities would appear in sort tag sequences commenting on the previous segments, and some Muppet inserts would have them commenting on the previous segments. Some episodes during this season would end with live animals appearing on the street set.

Curriculum

In 1968, the Children's Television Workshop established the original educational concepts that would prepare children for school. Over time these would be expanded into larger fields (such as women's career awareness, medical issues, and science and space). The original topics that were focused on during the first season included:

recognition of the 26 letters of the alphabet (often in the form of short cartoons like the Speech Balloon series)
numbers from one to ten (both forwards and backwards)
shapes: circles, rectangles, triangles, and squares
putting items in the right order, reasoning, and problem-solving
classification (illustrated by the song "One of These Things")
relational concepts (including "Near and Far", "Big and Little", and "First and Last")
perceptual and auditory discrimination
self: parts of the body, coordinated movement, emotions, differing perspectives, and self-esteem (as illustrated by Kermit the Frog's "Bein' Green song)
roles: members of the family, and jobs
cooperation and fair play
the natural environment (often demonstrated in animal films) and the man-made environment ^[1]

Episodes

Episodes 0001 - 0130 (130 episodes)

Episode 0001 - Premiere episode: Gordon introduces Sally to Sesame Street.
Episode 0002 - Oscar decides to leave Sesame Street.
Episode 0003 - Big Bird makes a sweater for Susan.
Episode 0004 - Gordon, Susan and Bob run Hooper's Store for the day.
Episode 0005 - Oscar gets wet in a rainstorm.
Episode 0006 - Ernie invents a machine that makes A's.
Episode 0007
Episode 0008 - B treasure hunt; Ernie erases Cookie Monster.
Episode 0009
Episode 0010
Episode 0011
Episode 0012
Episode 0013
Episode 0014
Episode 0015
Episode 0016
Episode 0017
Episode 0018
Episode 0019
Episode 0020
Episode 0021
Episode 0022
Episode 0023
Episode 0024
Episode 0025
Episode 0026
Episode 0027
Episode 0028
Episode 0029
Episode 0030
Episode 0031
Episode 0032
Episode 0033
Episode 0034
Episode 0035
Episode 0036
Episode 0037
Episode 0038
Episode 0039
Episode 0040
Episode 0041
Episode 0042
Episode 0043 - The cast introduces L, Q and Y; Kermit explains big and small.
Episode 0044
Episode 0045
Episode 0046
Episode 0047
Episode 0048
Episode 0049
Episode 0050
Episode 0051
Episode 0052
Episode 0053
Episode 0054 - Oscar bakes a cake; Mr. Hooper invents a 10 machine.
Episode 0055
Episode 0056 - Mr. Hooper bakes Oscar a baked bean sundae
Episode 0057
Episode 0058
Episode 0059
Episode 0060
Episode 0061
Episode 0062
Episode 0063
Episode 0064
Episode 0065
Episode 0066
Episode 0067
Episode 0068
Episode 0069
Episode 0070
Episode 0071
Episode 0072
Episode 0073
Episode 0074
Episode 0075
Episode 0076
Episode 0077
Episode 0078
Episode 0079
Episode 0080
Episode 0081
Episode 0082
Episode 0083 - Big Bird moves birdseed to his nest.
Episode 0084
Episode 0085
Episode 0086
Episode 0087
Episode 0088
Episode 0089
Episode 0090
Episode 0091
Episode 0092
Episode 0093
Episode 0094
Episode 0095
Episode 0096
Episode 0097
Episode 0098
Episode 0099
Episode 0100
Episode 0101
Episode 0102
Episode 0103
Episode 0104
Episode 0105
Episode 0106
Episode 0107
Episode 0108
Episode 0109
Episode 0110
Episode 0111
Episode 0112
Episode 0113
Episode 0114
Episode 0115 - Gordon, Susan, and the kids go on an imaginary car ride
Episode 0116
Episode 0117
Episode 0118
Episode 0119
Episode 0120
Episode 0121
Episode 0122
Episode 0123 - Big Bird draws lowercase and uppercase R's
Episode 0124
Episode 0125
Episode 0126
Episode 0127
Episode 0128
Episode 0129
Episode 0130

Cast

Muppet Characters:

Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, proto-Cookie Monster, proto-Grover, Kermit the Frog, Lefty the Salesman, Mahna Mahna, Snerfs, Beautiful Day Monster, Anything Muppets, proto-Betty Lou, Oscar the Grouch, Professor Hastings, Roosevelt Franklin, Roosevelt Franklin's Mother, Sonny Friendly, Hippie, Baby Monster, Scudge, Snerk, Splurge, Thudge, Flute-Snatcher, Fred, Big V, Snork, Tony

Other Characters:

Bob, Gordon, Susan, Mr. Hooper, Jennie, Buddy and Jim

Muppets of Sesame Street

Caroll Spinney, Frank Oz, Jim Henson, with Danny Seagren, Caroly Wilcox

Actors

Matt Robinson, Loretta Long, Will Lee, Bob McGrath, Jada Rowland, Brandon Maggart, James Catusi

Guest Stars

Batman and Robin, Carol Burnett, Michael Cooney, Ruby Dee, Mahalia Jackson, James Earl Jones, Ethel Kennedy, B.B. King, Burt Lancaster, Don McLean, Listen My Brother, Odetta, Pat Paulsen, Lou Rawls, Jackie Robinson, Rowlf the Dog, Pete Seeger, Superman

Crew

Executive Producers: Joan Ganz Cooney, David D. Connell
Producers: Jon Stone, Samuel Y. Gibbon, Jr., Matt Robinson
Directed by: Neil Smith
Writers: Jon Stone, Jeffrey Moss, Bruce Hart, Carole Hart, Jerry Juhl, Ray Sipherd, Daniel Wilcox
Art Director: Charles Rosen
Costume Designer: Doreen Ackerman
Music Director: Joe Raposo
Music Coordinator: Danny Epstein
Associate Producer: Lutrelle Horne
Property Coordinator: Nat Mongioi
Director of Operations: Ronald L. Weaver
Stage Manager: Chet O'Brien
Film Supervisor: Dorothy Tod
Graphic Artist: Elaine Selig
Special Assistants: Barbara Demaray, Jane O'Connor
Assistant to the Producer: Dulcy Singer
Production Assistants: Emily Squires, Mary Jane Behrens, Lisa Simon, Mary Bauer
Unit Managers: Bernie Jones, Tony Marshall
Associate Director: Jan S. Rifkinson
Technical Consultant: Walt Rauffer
Technical Director: Bob Alexander
Lighting Director: Mike Mannes
Audio: Mike Shoskes, Arnie Rosenzweig
Video: Bob Squittierri, Gridley Quihuis
Sound Effects: Ralph Curtiss, Dick Maitland
Camera: Frank Biondo, Richard King^[2]
Videotape Editors: Joe O' Dowd, John Hutchison, Vincent Sims, Hal McKeon
Make-Up: Phyllis Grens Sternick
Hair Stylist: Mickey Lawrence
Director of Research: Dr. Edward L. Palmer
Chairman, Board of Advisors: Gerald S. Lesser, Ph.D.
Recorded by Tele-Tape at Second Stage

Sources

↑ Truglio and Fisch. G is for Growing. p. 31
↑ Spinney, Caroll The Wisdom of Big Bird, p. 105

Template:Season-nav

[1] Truglio and Fisch. G is for Growing. p. 31

[2] Spinney, Caroll The Wisdom of Big Bird, p. 105

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Video:Sesame Street: Show Open Season 1|thumb|300px|right|First original season 1 opening.]]
 {{Seasonsesame|premiere=November 10, 1969 ([[Episode 0001|001]])|finale=May 8, 1970 ([[Episode 0130|130]])|episodes=[[Season 1 (1969-1970)#Episodes|130]]}}
+[[File:Sesame Street Show Open Season 1|thumb|300px|right|Season 1 opening.]]
 [[Image:SSEp1Animation.jpg|thumb|300px|Season 1 title card.]]
 [[Image:SS1969Cast.jpg|thumb|300px|The season 1 cast.]]
@@ Line 18: / Line 17: @@
 [[Image:Hastig-001.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Professor Hastings]]]]
 [[Image:Ethsesstreet.JPG|thumb|300px|[[Ethel Kennedy]] on ''Sesame Street''.]]
 After [[Sesame Street Pilot Episodes|five test shows]] and years of preparation, ''[[Sesame Street]]'' premiered on NET (National Educational Television, a precursor of [[PBS]]) on November 10, [[1969]].
 ==Characters==
-During this 1st season, [[Big Bird]], [[Oscar the Grouch]], [[Ernie]] and [[Bert]] <[[Episode 0001]]> were the only Muppets to regularly appear in [[Sesame Street (location)|Street scenes]], while [[Kermit the Frog |Kermit]] and other Muppets debuted in separate segments. Many of the Muppet characters had designs and/or character traits that would be changed or dropped later on. Big Bird had a much more naïve voice and a smaller head with fewer feathers, and was written as a sort of dopey adult character. Oscar, who would still retain much of his grouchy demeanor almost 40 years later, had orange fur. Monsters, who would become core characters by the second season, had fierce teeth, often destroyed anything in their path, and didn't have consistent names.
+During this first season, [[Oscar the Grouch]] and [[Big Bird]] were the only Muppets to appear regularly in [[Sesame Street (location)|Street scenes]], while most of the other Muppets debuted in separate segments. Many of the Muppet characters had designs and/or character traits that would be changed or dropped later on. Big Bird had a much more naïve voice and a smaller head with fewer feathers, and was written as a sort of dopey adult character. Oscar, who would still retain much of his grouchy demeanor almost 40 years later, had orange fur. Monsters, who would become core characters by the second season, had fierce teeth, often destroyed anything in their path, and didn't have consistent names.
-[[Bob]], [[Mr. Hooper]], [[Gordon]], and [[Susan]] were the original human cast members. With the exception of Mr. Hooper, who died in 1982, the other original characters are still with the series as of [[Season 39 (2008)|2008]], making them some of the longest continually-running non-[[soap opera]] characters in American entertainment. Like the Muppets, the human characters would change over time. Bob, originally a shop teacher, would later teach music, and by the end of the first season Susan would become a nurse. The season also featured live-action segments starring [[Buddy and Jim]], a human comedy duo that failed at such tasks as hanging a picture and making a sandwich. [[Jennie]] also made occasional appearances.
+[[Bob]], [[Mr. Hooper]], [[Gordon]], and [[Susan]] were the original human cast members. With the exception of Mr. Hooper, who died in [[1982]], the other original characters are still with the series as of the 2010s, making them some of the longest continually-running non-[[soap opera]] characters in American entertainment. Like the Muppets, the human characters would change over time. Bob, originally a shop teacher, would later teach music, and by the end of the first season Susan would become a nurse. The season also featured live-action segments starring [[Buddy and Jim]], a human comedy duo that failed at such tasks as hanging a picture and making a sandwich. [[Jennie]] also made occasional appearances.
 ==Format==
@@ Line 31: / Line 29: @@
 The original episodes had a much more literal, almost lecture-like tone to the Street scenes, closer in style to its original contemporaries like [[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]] or [[Captain Kangaroo]]. With time, the Street-scenes became more natural with a definite plot thrust, with less breaking of the fourth wall. For example, in the [[Episode 0001|first episode]], [[Ernie]] once addresses the audience as those in "TV land".
-While the Muppets would eventually become the biggest stars of the show, they did not appear as frequently as the cast. Cartoon segments aired more frequently than Muppet segments, and as such, some of the original illustrated promotional material featured the cast and Muppets interacting with animated characters, who also appeared in advertisements of the show. Animated segments and live-action inserts featured in the season included [[Alice Braithwaite Goodyshoes]], [[Jazz Numbers]], [[Speech Balloon|Speech Balloons]], [[Alphabet Bates]] and [[Number Song Series]], most of which continued to air many years later.
+While the Muppets would eventually become the biggest stars of the show, they did not appear as frequently as the cast. Cartoon segments aired more frequently than Muppet segments, and as such, some of the original illustrated promotional material featured the cast and Muppets interacting with animated characters, who also appeared in advertisements of the show. Animated segments and live-action inserts featured in the season included [[Alice Braithwaite Goodyshoes]], [[Jazz Numbers]], [[Speech Balloon]]s, [[Alphabet Bates]] and [[Number Song Series]], most of which continued to air many years later.
-The season introduced many original songs that have gone on to become beloved Sesame Street classics, including "[[Rubber Duckie]]",, "[[I Love Trash]]", "[[Bein' Green]]", "[[The People in Your Neighborhood (song)|The People in Your Neighborhood]]" and "[[One of These Things]]". While all of those songs would have multiple performances on the show over the years, the last two would have many different versions during this season.
+The season introduced many original songs that have gone on to become beloved Sesame Street classics, including "[[Rubber Duckie (song)|Rubber Duckie]]", "[[I Love Trash]]", "[[Bein' Green]]", "[[The People in Your Neighborhood (song)|The People in Your Neighborhood]]" and "[[One of These Things]]". While all of those songs would have multiple performances on the show over the years, the last two would have many different versions during this season.
 During the first season, many segments had some sort of connection with each other. It would be common for characters in the street scenes to introduce the next segments, various Muppet inserts would directly lead into the next film or cartoon, celebrities would appear in sort tag sequences commenting on the previous segments, and some Muppet inserts would have them commenting on the previous segments. Some episodes during this season would end with live animals appearing on the street set.
@@ Line 51: / Line 49: @@
 * cooperation and fair play
 * the natural environment (often demonstrated in [[Sesame Street Animal Films|animal films]]) and the man-made environment <ref>Truglio and Fisch. ''[[G is for Growing]]''. p. 31</ref>
 ==Episodes==
@@ Line 64: / Line 61: @@
 * [[Episode 0007]]
 * [[Episode 0008]] - B treasure hunt; Ernie erases Cookie Monster.
 * [[Episode 0009]]
 * [[Episode 0010]]
 * [[Episode 0011]]
@@ Line 95: / Line 92: @@
 * [[Episode 0038]]
 * [[Episode 0039]]
 * [[Episode 0040]]
 * [[Episode 0041]]
 * [[Episode 0042]]
 * [[Episode 0043]] - The cast introduces L, Q and Y; Kermit explains big and small.
 * [[Episode 0044]]
@@ Line 111: / Line 108: @@
 * [[Episode 0054]] - Oscar bakes a cake; Mr. Hooper invents a 10 machine.
 * [[Episode 0055]]
-* [[Episode 0056]]
+* [[Episode 0056]] - Mr. Hooper bakes Oscar a baked bean sundae
 * [[Episode 0057]]
 * [[Episode 0058]]
 * [[Episode 0059]]
 * [[Episode 0060]]
 * [[Episode 0061]]
 * [[Episode 0062]]
@@ Line 170: / Line 167: @@
 * [[Episode 0113]]
 * [[Episode 0114]]
-* [[Episode 0115]]
+* [[Episode 0115]] - Gordon, Susan, and the kids go on an imaginary car ride
 * [[Episode 0116]]
 * [[Episode 0117]]
@@ Line 178: / Line 175: @@
 * [[Episode 0121]]
 * [[Episode 0122]]
-* [[Episode 0123]]
+* [[Episode 0123]] - Big Bird draws lowercase and uppercase R's
 * [[Episode 0124]]
 * [[Episode 0125]]
@@ Line 189: / Line 186: @@
 ==Cast==
 '''Muppet Characters:'''
-:[[Big Bird]], [[Bert]], [[Ernie]], [[Cookie Monster|proto-Cookie Monster]], [[Gleep]], [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Lefty the Salesman]], [[Mahna Mahna (character)|Mahna Mahna]], [[Snerfs]], [[Beautiful Day Monster]], [[Anything Muppets]], [[Betty Lou|proto-Betty Lou]], [[Oscar the Grouch]], [[Professor Hastings]], [[Roosevelt Franklin]], [[Roosevelt Franklin's Mother]], [[Guy Smiley|Sonny Friendly]], [[Little Jerry|proto-Little Jerry]], [[Hippie]], [[Baby Monster]], [[Scudge]], [[Snerk]], [[Splurge]], [[Thudge]], [[Flute-Snatcher]], [[Fred (monster)|Fred]], [[Big V]], [[Snork]]
+:[[Big Bird]], [[Bert]], [[Ernie]], [[Cookie Monster|proto-Cookie Monster]], [[Grover|proto-Grover]], [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Lefty the Salesman]], [[Mahna Mahna (character)|Mahna Mahna]], [[Snerfs]], [[Beautiful Day Monster]], [[Anything Muppets]], [[Betty Lou|proto-Betty Lou]], [[Oscar the Grouch]], [[Professor Hastings]], [[Roosevelt Franklin]], [[Roosevelt Franklin's Mother]], [[Guy Smiley|Sonny Friendly]], [[Hippie]], [[Baby Monster]], [[Scudge]], [[Snerk]], [[Splurge]], [[Thudge]], [[Flute-Snatcher]], [[Fred (monster)|Fred]], [[Big V]], [[Snork]], [[Tony (Anything Muppet)|Tony]]
 '''Other Characters:'''
@@ Line 195: / Line 192: @@
 '''[[:Category:Muppet Performers|Muppets of Sesame Street]]'''
-:[[Caroll Spinney]], [[Frank Oz]], [[Jim Henson]], with [[Danny Seagren]], [[Caroly Wilcox]]
+:[[Caroll Spinney]], [[Frank Oz]], [[Jim Henson]], with [[Daniel Seagren|Danny Seagren]], [[Caroly Wilcox]]
 '''[[:category:Sesame Street Cast|Actors]]'''
@@ Line 207: / Line 204: @@
 *Producers: [[Jon Stone]], [[Samuel Y. Gibbon, Jr.]], [[Matt Robinson]]
 *Directed by: Neil Smith
-*Writers: [[Jon Stone]], [[Jeffrey Moss]], [[Bruce Hart]], [[Carole Hart]], [[Jerry Juhl]], [[Ray Sipherd]], [[Daniel Wilcox]]
+*Writers: [[Jon Stone]], [[Jeffrey Moss]], [[Bruce Hart]], Carole Hart, [[Jerry Juhl]], [[Ray Sipherd]], [[Daniel Wilcox]]
 *Art Director: Charles Rosen
 *Costume Designer: Doreen Ackerman
 *Music Director: [[Joe Raposo]]
-*Associate Producer: Lutrelle Horne
 *Music Coordinator: [[Danny Epstein]]
+*Associate Producer: Lutrelle Horne
 *Property Coordinator: [[Nat Mongioi]]
 *Director of Operations: Ronald L. Weaver
 *Stage Manager: [[Chet O'Brien]]
 *Film Supervisor: Dorothy Tod
+*Graphic Artist: Elaine Selig
 *Special Assistants: Barbara Demaray, Jane O'Connor
 *Assistant to the Producer: [[Dulcy Singer]]
-*Production Assistants: [[Emily Squires]], Mary Jan Benfens
+*Production Assistants: [[Emily Squires]], Mary Jane Behrens, [[Lisa Simon]], Mary Bauer
 *Unit Managers: Bernie Jones, Tony Marshall
 *Associate Director: Jan S. Rifkinson
@@ Line 225: / Line 223: @@
 *Technical Director: Bob Alexander
 *Lighting Director: Mike Mannes
-*Audio: [[Mike Shoskes]]
+*Audio: [[Mike Shoskes]], Arnie Rosenzweig
-*Video: Bob Squittierri
+*Video: Bob Squittierri, Gridley Quihuis
+*Sound Effects: Ralph Curtiss, [[Dick Maitland]]
-*Camera: [[Frank Biondo]]
+*Camera: [[Frank Biondo]], Richard King<ref>Spinney, Caroll ''[[The Wisdom of Big Bird]]'', p. 105</ref>
-*Videotape Editor: John Hutchison
+*Videotape Editors: Joe O' Dowd, John Hutchison, Vincent Sims, Hal McKeon
 *Make-Up: Phyllis Grens Sternick
 *Hair Stylist: Mickey Lawrence
 *Director of Research: [[Dr. Edward L. Palmer]]
 *Chairman, Board of Advisors: [[Gerald S. Lesser, Ph.D.]]
+*Recorded by [[Teletape Studios|Tele-Tape]] at Second Stage
 ==Sources==

Muppet Wiki