Virginia Heffernan, who writes "The Medium" column and blog for The New York Times Magazine, looks at the reissue of early Sesame Street episodes on dvd -- with a warning label for children!
I lived on W. 81 st. when Sesame Street started taping down the street.
The dirt, trash, rudeness, crime and drug use were actually pretty reflective of the city itself--and the West Side in particular--c. 1969.
Presumably, the writers felt it important not to divorce their work from the realities of the time.
W. 81 was also the fictional address of Jerry in "Seinfeld," a program in which similar themes are referenced.
Dec. 24 2007 11:37 AM
Score: 0/0
craig
According to "Sesame Street Unpaved" by David Borgenicht, page 107 "The character of Oscar was inspired by a nasty waiter from a restaurant called Oscar's Tavern in Manhattan. Jim Henson and former "Sesame Street" director Jon Stone were waited on by a man who was so rude and grouchy that he surpassed annoying and started to amuse both Jim and Jon. They were so entertained that going to Oscar's Tavern became a sort of masochistic form of luncheon entertainment for them, and their waiter forever became immortalized as the world's most famous grouch."
Dec. 24 2007 11:01 AM
Score: 0/0
Jeremy
from Manhattan
I happen to think the early episodes were far superior to anything recent. Didn't the Grimms write their fairy tales with the idea that children learn more from darkness -- melancholy, conflict, etc. -- than blandness and shallow happiness?
Dec. 24 2007 10:50 AM
Score: 0/0
LevineJJ
from nj
Sometimes a google search result says it all (in this case, 119,000 hits and counting...):
http://tinyurl.com/345ape
Dec. 24 2007 10:43 AM
Score: 0/0
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Comments [4]
I lived on W. 81 st. when Sesame Street started taping down the street.
The dirt, trash, rudeness, crime and drug use were actually pretty reflective of the city itself--and the West Side in particular--c. 1969.
Presumably, the writers felt it important not to divorce their work from the realities of the time.
W. 81 was also the fictional address of Jerry in "Seinfeld," a program in which similar themes are referenced.
According to "Sesame Street Unpaved" by David Borgenicht, page 107 "The character of Oscar was inspired by a nasty waiter from a restaurant called Oscar's Tavern in Manhattan. Jim Henson and former "Sesame Street" director Jon Stone were waited on by a man who was so rude and grouchy that he surpassed annoying and started to amuse both Jim and Jon. They were so entertained that going to Oscar's Tavern became a sort of masochistic form of luncheon entertainment for them, and their waiter forever became immortalized as the world's most famous grouch."
I happen to think the early episodes were far superior to anything recent. Didn't the Grimms write their fairy tales with the idea that children learn more from darkness -- melancholy, conflict, etc. -- than blandness and shallow happiness?
Sometimes a google search result says it all (in this case, 119,000 hits and counting...):
http://tinyurl.com/345ape
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.