Has anyone actually ever seen 'A Special Sesame Street Christmas'?

mikebennidict

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Mickey Moose said:
I think I read somewhere that SW doesn't own this, and that's why it has never been re-broadcast or released on home video or DVD. I think it might be owned by CBS.
Now why would CBS own it considering SS has been broadcast on PBS all these years?
I'm sure the SW workshop would have rights to it.
 

CensoredAlso

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I don't know who owns it for sure. However, the special was produced by and broadcast on CBS. From the TP description, it sounds like the show was never intended for PBS, it was made on the cheap with only a few regular cast members and puppeteers.

So it would make sense that CBS would have gotten the rights. These things often work that way in the business. And it would explain why the SW has never released the special.
 

minor muppetz

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Even if it's no owned by Sesame Workshop, that doesn't mean that CBS owns it. Not all original programming on a channel is owned by that channel. For example, I don't think CBS ever owned the distribution rights to any of the Peanuts specials, though untill 2001 they usually premiered on CBS (and CBS used to have the television broadcast rights to three Peanuts specials). PBS doesn't own the rights to Sesame Street even though it is broadcast on that channel. NBC doens't own the rights to Big Bird in China or Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting.

If anybody here has a copy (and I've seen it listed in some tape-trading websites, so I guess people have it), could that person check the credits to see what company logos are shown after the credits, or if the credits mention a distribution company?
 

Crazy31088

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It sounds absolutely dreadful, I don't know why anyone would want to see it, even just to laugh at it...
 

Son of Enik

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The only thing I remember about it is that Leslie Uggams and Anne Murray were on it...that's about it.
 

Barry Lee

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Crazy31088 said:
It sounds absolutely dreadful, I don't know why anyone would want to see it, even just to laugh at it...
I agree... but I would have it just for historical value and in means of showing some of the bad/ cheesey sides of the Muppets/Sesame Street.
 

Censored

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Man, for an unseen special, it sure is getting a vicious review. Well, to have an opinion from someone who has seen it, the special is really very good, worth watching, and can easily accompany Christmas Eve on Sesame Street as classic Sesame holiday magic. Now, everyone may not agree exactly with me after seeing it, but a bad review carries a lot more weight when it comes after a show in question has actually been seen. If it is on YouTube, why not check it out?
 

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Curiously, the person who released this special on YouTube does not seem to have anything good to say about it and is hoping that it never gets released on DVD, and yet he took the trouble of making it available to the public right there for all to see. :crazy:
 

Barry Lee

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Wow. Um, this special is uh,... yeah. haha. So I just watched the whole thing. This is one weird special, Oscar playing electric guitar singing "Yakety Yak" is just bizzare, Anne Murray in a Christmas Tree costume is just embarrasing to watch, Ethel Merman is way to annoying, it seems like the guests are crammed in there, they seem like they are suffering as well. I don't blame them haha.

There is so much music that has NOTHING to do with Christmas, I mean come on, what the heck is this special. I for one am glad this isn't on dvd, wow, this is just terribly cheesy. :grouchy:
 
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