RIP Jerry Nelson

Will will miss you.  Sesame Street voices just won't be the same.  You will be greatly missed.  Thanks for the great memories.

Robin Gibb Of The Bee Gees and Sesame Street Fever Has Died

I am saddened to say that today Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees has died.  In the Sesame Street world he performed on the Sesame Street Fever  LP.  He will surely be missed.  Here he is on Sesame Street Fever.

Alaina Reed Hall: 1946-2009

Some old-school fans may have already learned that Alaina Reed Hall, the actress who played Olivia on Sesame Street, died on the 17th of December this year. A fellow fan on YouTube put together a short, but very watchable, playlist in her memory--enjoy yourselves!

May 16, 2009 - One Fan's Tribute to Jim Henson

On this date in 1990, Jim Henson--who created not only the Muppets, but also several classic films that aired on Sesame Street--died of pneumonia. Here's a fan-made tribute to Jim, including clips from his work over the years.

It's that time of year again...

Not only is Sesame Street officially 39 years old, but tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of Mr. Hooper's death announcement on the show. Although Will Lee--the actor who played Mr. Hooper--died in December of 1982, CTW had two good reasons not to write off the character until a year later. First, each season of Sesame Street used to begin in November; the 1982-83 episodes had already been taped, and included footage of Will Lee while he'd been alive. Second, the producers wanted to schedule the death episode on Thanksgiving Day so that parents would be at home to explain the situation to their preschool-age children. (I personally doubt that CTW had thought the schedule over thoroughly enough. How many TV-watching parents are going to pass up the traditional parades and ball games, just so the kid can see Big Bird grieve on TV?)

Despite that problem, the "death episode" of Sesame Street hit a whole generation hard emotionally. I never saw the show until many years later, but was surprised to hear local news mention both Lee's death and CTW's decision to discuss the situation openly. As far as I know, no other TV program or fictional character has attracted that kind of attention in mainstream newscasts.

Even today, the story of Big Bird mourning for Mr. Hooper attracts curious fans of vintage TV. Adam Koeppe recently posted an essay about his reaction to the scenes; like most latter-day viewers, he reacted more strongly than you'd think. (Not that this is a bad thing, of course...)

Aloha Oe, Nona Beamer! (part 2)

Just posted this to YouTube to say, "I'm gonna miss you, Mrs. Beamer" (if you don't mind my warping a quotation from Big Bird in a serious situation).

Aloha Oe, Nona Beamer!

"Auntie Nona" Beamer, who appeared in the Hawaiian trip episodes from the late 1970s, died yesterday at age 84. Even though I have no personal ties to the family or to Hawaii, I still remember her performance on Sesame Street fondly--and plan to post a few clips to Channel 123 in her memory. God bless you, Nona!