Season 10 (November 27, 1978 – May 25, 1979)
Ten seasons! That’s an impressive achievement for any TV series, especially an experimental show for preschool kids that was doing things nobody had ever tried before. But now here’s Sesame Street, marking its 10th season and celebrating with a special hosted by James Earl Jones and a spiffy anniversary logo. And it’s already outlasted its little sister program, The Electric Company, which wrapped up its six-season run in 1977. (So long, Electric Company! Thanks for teaching us phonics and stuff!)
When I watch Sesame Street episodes from season ten, I get the usual feelings of nostalgia from familiar cartoons, Muppet sketches, and live-action film inserts. But I’m also struck repeatedly by how much Sesame Street feels like a neighborhood where I want to spend as much time as possible.
Sesame Street is the kind of place where you’ll find an extremely large, extremely friendly dog who seems to belong to the whole community. Yep, this is the debut season of Barkley, and before he was established as Linda’s pet, he was the neighborhood dog – to the point that, in his first episode, the humans decide by taking a vote whether he should be named Woof-Woof or Barkley. Barkley is bigger than any real dog I’ve ever seen, and his fur kind of looks like feathers, but the combination of design, puppet build, and performance (by Toby Towson at first, then by Brian Muehl and others) guarantees that he always seems like a real dog you could reach out and pet. Wouldn’t you love to live on a street where you could pet Barkley every day?
(For years, I assumed “Woof-Woof” had been around a while before they decided to change his name, but according to Muppet Wiki, this is his first appearance. And I do not question the wiki.)
Sesame Street is also the kind of place where you’ll be greeted by a happy vampire who welcomes you warmly, then counts all the people and (a bird) on the street as they say hello to you too. What a warm, friendly place! In my real-life neighborhood, my neighbors and I rarely say hello to each other so nicely, although we do often hold the door open for each other at Dunkin’ Donuts. But on Sesame Street, everyone is always ready with a smile and a wave. Well, everyone except Oscar maybe.
Sesame Street is the kind of place where a nurse who must have better things to do with her time off spends several minutes sitting on the stoop of her building, teaching a bunch of kids a song called “My Little Game.” This song, seen in the season-opening Episode 1186, is so disarmingly charming. Some of the kids seem to have no idea what’s going on, and none of them are very good at clapping along as instructed, but Loretta Long brings a sweetness and joy to it that turns it into a lovely moment. Sesame Street is the kind of place where there’s always time to sit down and sing a song, both loudly and softly. Doesn’t that sound pleasant? La-la la la la la-la la!
And Sesame Street is the kind of place where your neighbors invite you do some exercises up on the roof, although that might not end well. In this season, we get our first look at the roof of 123 Sesame, and the writers make great use of that set in Episode 1285. After finishing their exercises, the grown-ups find that the rooftop door is locked, so they’re stuck up there. And then it starts raining!
This is one of those episodes where Sesame Street feels as much like a sitcom as an educational show, with various rescue plans going awry in wacky ways. But through it all, the grown-ups have the companionship of their friends to keep them calm. And just like you or I would do in the same situation, they pass the time by counting to ten in Spanish. Okay, maybe I wouldn’t want to be David, Buffy, Gordon or Luis in this particular story. But I’d still love to have them as neighbors.
Notable Character Debut: This is also the first season for Bruno, the trash collector who carries Oscar’s can around so Oscar can be mobile. And as Muppet Wiki tells us: “Also introduced this season are the Polka Dot People, a family of Muppets who teach cultural diversity and a physically disabled Muppet.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard of those Muppets before! I hope someday we get to see the long-lost Polka Dot episodes.
MVM (Most Valuable Muppet): Watching a handful of episodes from this season, it was nice to see how present Herry Monster was, even in street scenes. He participates in pageants, he offers to brush Gordon’s hair, he confides his piano aspirations to Olivia, and of course, he interacts with cute kids. I would have thought Jerry Nelson was busy doing The Muppet Show at this time, but apparently he still found time for everyone’s favorite sweet-tempered, super-strong monster.
MVH (Most Valuable Human): This is the season when Mr. Hooper graduates from night school to earn his GED! Thus proving to fans of all ages that it’s never too late, and that education is a never-ending process, whether you’re a six-year-old bird or a kindly old shopkeeper. (NOTE: It’s been brought to my attention that the graduation story in Episode 1275 is actually a repeat from season 8. But you know what? Mr. Hooper is still valuable to me!)
MVE (Most Valuable Episode): In Episode 1207, Bert meets a woman named Bertha and they totally hit it off. She looks just like him (weird), and she also likes oatmeal, marching bands, and pigeons. And now I know where “Bert’s Love Song” from the Love record comes from! Now if only we could actually see the episode…
Other Notable Episodes: I’m also intrigued by Episode 1262, in which Mr. Hooper allows his store to be used as a filming location for a movie directed by Richard Altman (played by Jerry Nelson, apparently in an onscreen acting role!) and starring Nick Redfield (played by Richard Hunt!). That sounds like fun.
Classic Sketch Debut: The earliest appearances of Billy Joe Jive are in season 9, but I want to mention them here. Before I had ever heard of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or Encyclopedia Brown, I thrilled to the animated adventures of Billy Joe and his sidekick Smart Susie Sunset. They solve every kid-friendly mystery that comes their way, and they have a groovy theme song.
Musical Highlight: I’ll write more about this someday, but Sesame Street is seriously committed to disco now, as evidenced by the debut of the song “Disco D” in the season premiere. There’s also a disco-flavored tune called “Ride a Bike” featuring the humans riding bicycles in Central Park, which I had completely forgotten about. But it’s pretty catchy. I dig it.
WTF Moment: Telly Monster first appears in this season… as a guy with antennae and swirly eyes who is addicted to television. It’s fascinating to see, but I’m glad he eventually became a more well-rounded character, because I can’t imagine much potential for future episodes for a Muppet whose deal is “watches too much TV.”
One More Thing: In Episode 1199, Olivia has to step out for a while, but she has an important phone call coming, so she asks Big Bird to answer the phone and write down the necessary information. Big Bird waits patiently for the phone to ring, and then, just when Olivia returns, it rings, and Big Bird, that silly but well-meaning overgrown kid… successfully answers it and accurately writes down the information?!
What’s going on here? Where’s the comedy? Shouldn’t he have botched it up in an entertaining way? I guess Olivia was pretty smart, asking Big Bird instead of Grover (who definitely would have botched it up in an entertaining way) or Cookie Monster (who would have eaten the phone).
Okay, One More Thing: Although the adults are still just missing meeting Snuffy in infuriating ways, this season they may have reason to doubt their doubt. In Episode 1201, Bob and Susan hear Snuffy’s voice on a tape recording made by Oscar. In another episode, David actually overhears Big Bird having a conversation with Snuffy while standing outside Big Bird’s door, but by the time he gathers the rest of the gang, the bird and the Snuffleupagus have wandered off to a Shirley Temple film festival. DANG IT.
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by Ryan Roe – Ryan@ToughPigs.com
