Bert and Ernie and chronic insomnia

fuzzygobo

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Almost from day one, whenever Ernie or Bert try to go to bed, one of them is going to be deprived of sleep.

One of my favorites was probably the first. Bert (in his pj's) tries to take a nap. Ernie comes in and describes why Bert is probably asleep. He's lying down, his eyes are closed, etc. but we'll check just to make sure. "Pokepokepokepokepokepokepoke!" Ernie can get away with poking Bert in the stomach and not catch any grief. Plus we see how floppy and soggy ol' Bert's arm is (even when he's awake, he's like a limp noodle!)

Bert wakes up and glares at Ernie "NOW, his eyes are OPEN!" Bert glares at us with the angriest ticked-off face he can muster. The look is priceless!

B: "Ernie, WHY did you wake me up?"
E: "Oh I got something very important to tell you."
B: "What's that?"
E" "It's time for your nap!"

Sleep tight Bert!

Later on in the 70's, they put this skit on a 45 record. You can hear all the dialogue, but you have to imagine Bert getting poked.

Another clip from the same time, but disturbed me for a long while, Ernie tries to take a nap with his big soft fluffy cuddly pillow. Cookie Monster
keeps ringing a bell to wake him up, so he can have the pillow for himself.
Ernie demands his pillow back, but ultimately decides to share (how nice!)
He'll get half, and Cookie gets half. But Cookie has other ideas. He's fine with the sharing part. He RIPS the pillow in half, so he can eat his half, and hopefully Ernie would do the same.
But while Cookie is beside himself with joy throwing the feathers around, Ernie is as upset as we've ever seen him. I felt so bad for him, too. It might be hard on any kid, the thought going to sleep with your favorite pillow, or blankie or teddy bear, and having it ripped to shreds on you. This is probably the only muppet clip I've ever been less than happy with, but that's just my opinion.

So how 'bout you folks- what's your favorite Bert and Ernie bedroom clip? I know there's a bunch of them, and I wanna hear from you.

P.S. I still say in spite of popular opinion, Bert and Ernie are NOT gay. :stick_out_tongue: :frown:
 

JaniceFerSure

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Here are some of my fav. Bert and Ernie skits(for those 2 that couldn't sleep):

Imagination(classic song,I sometimes sing it to myself):

Here in the middle of imagination
Right in the middle of my head,
I close my eyes and my home isn't home,
And my bed isn't really my bed.
I look inside and discover things,
That are sometimes strange and new,
And the most remarkable thoughts I think,
Have a way of being true.

Here in the middle of imagination
Right in the middle of my mind,
I close my eyes and the night isn't dark
And the things that I lose, I find.
Time stands still and the night is clear,
And the wind is warm and fair,
And the nicest place is the middle of imagination
When ... I'm ... there ...

I love Ernie counting sheep & then balloons,til the last one explodes,lol.

Dance Myself to Sleep:
Sometimes I have trouble
Falling asleep
But it's not so bad
(Not again)
I don't worry
(Ooooooh)
And I don't weep
In fact I'm glad....
Be-cause I get up off my pillow
And I flip on the li-ight
(Turn the light back off!)
I get down and get hip
In the still of the night
I stretch and I yawn and then I breathe real deep
(Ernie!)
And dance myself to sleep!
(Ooooh, why me?)
I hoof around my beddie
Just a-tappin my toes
Before I know what's happenin'
I'm a-ready to doze
(Oooh...)
Got some partners I can count on called the Boogie Woogie Sheep
(What?!?)
I dance myself to sleep!
(I don't believe this!)
I gently rock-a-bye myself across the floor
(Ernie!)
I turn and then I toss and then I start to snore
(Ernie!)
My trusty little bugle helps me spread the news
That I'm tappin' to "Taps"
And I'm a-rarin' to snooze!
(Oh, not the bugle)
(Smokin' bugle routine by Ernie begins, interspersed with comments by Bert)
(Ernie...
Those sheep are tap dancing! Oooh, why me?)
(Ernie removes the bugle from his lips ... yet the bugle routine continues! Wild!)
Spoken: Oh, that's nothing, Bert, wait 'till you see Rubber Duckie play the bugle!
Watch this Rubber Duckie, he's the Boogie-Woogie Bugle Duck of Sesame Street!
(Ernie holds his duckie up to the bugle, squeezes his tummy and the bugle routine really heats up!)
(bugle solo ends)
(the sheep now begin to carry Bert and his bed out of the room)
(Ernie! Ernie! Your sheep!)
Well, I'm gettin' kinda drowsy
(Your sheep! Call them off, please! Hey!)
So the moment has come
To grab my rubber duckie
(Oooh, not outside! Please!)
While the sheep take my chum
Time to shuffle off to dreamland
(Not outside sheep! Errrrnie!)
Got a date to keep
We'll dance ourselves to sleep, oh yeah
(Errrrnie!)
We'll dance ourselves to sleep
Wearin' our jammies
We'll dance ourselves to sleep
And thank you, lambies
We'll dance ourselves to sleep!
(final bugle riff)
(Ernie's trademark laugh, as Bert looks in from window with long-suffering expression)

I also love Ernie eating crackers in his bed,then in Bert's bed.
 

Censored

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fuzzygobo said:
P.S. I still say in spite of popular opinion, Bert and Ernie are NOT gay. :stick_out_tongue: :frown:

That's not popular opinion. It's just a point of view held by some, but to quote Dilbert, "When did ignorance become a point of view?"
 

JaniceFerSure

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Here is a classic,my all-time favorite(well next to the ones I just posted):

B: *yawn* Oh boy...It's time for nap...am I tired *yawn*
(Bert gets all comfortable in bed and begins to snore)
E: Bert! Oh Bert! Ol' buddy Bert? Hey Bert..Where are ya Bert?
(sees Bert in bed)
Oh! Mmmm...You know it is just possible that my old buddy Bert is asleep.
For one thing, he's lying down, which he usually does when he is asleep.
For another thing his eyes are closed..yeah.
And for another thing, he's not answering me when I talk.
So old buddy Bert is probably asleep, but I will check just to make sure.
(pokes Bert)
Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke!
Note how I can poke old buddy Bert is the stomach and he doesn't complain.
Now when old buddy Bert is awake and I poke him in the stomach, he complains.
(sees Bert's arm)
Oh looky here. Note how floppy and soggy-like old buddy Bert's arm is.
When old buddy Bert is awake, he's not floppy and soggy like.
So, I am quite certain that old buddy Bert is very definitely asleep.
And....(Bert rolls over with eyes open) On the other hand...Now his eyes are open!
My old buddy Bert's eyes are usually open only when he is awake,
so he's probably awake, but I will check just to make sure.
Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke Poke!
B: Now cut that out!
E: See, I was right he's awake!
B: Ernie!
E: Yeah?
B: Why did you wake me up?
E: Did I wake you up old buddy?
B: Yes you did!
E: See, I was right, first he was asleep and now he is awake.
B: Ernie, why'd you wake me up?
E: Uh...Oh!..uh...because I have something very important to tell you.
B: What's that?
E: Well, you see I just looked at the clock.
B: So?
E: It's time for your nap.
B: Ahhhhh!
E: Well, sleep tight. Mmmm..Mmmmmm
 

mikebennidict

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you know i've notice in those 2 E & B skits where Bert is awakened by Enie durring his nap time and Ernie is bugged by Cookie for his pillow, since those 2 were obviously made the 1st year SS was on, it looks as if they slept in different rooms. the Bert skit only shows his bed with a wall in the backround. maybe i'm wrong i rememebr seeing a few season 1 E & B skits reused over the years and the only other sleeping skits seemed to have been from the following years. was there any other such skits from season 1 besides those 2 that anyone knows about?
 

Mokeystar

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Well, this one isn't exactly an "Ernie keeping Bert awake" clip, but one of my faves that's related to this topic is the one with Bert trying to sleep and imagining that he's ice skating.

The clip cuts to a full-bodied Bert who is ice skating (probably a clip from Sesame Live) to the most angelic sounding Raposo instrumental being played along with it.

At the end of the clip, as the music fades, they cut back to Bert, now peacefully sound asleep, and then to the full moon shining outside their window as the music softly begins to play again. Ahhhhhhh........ :smile:

Nap time!
 

JaniceFerSure

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Mokeystar said:
Well, this one isn't exactly an "Ernie keeping Bert awake" clip, but one of my faves that's related to this topic is the one with Bert trying to sleep and imagining that he's ice skating.

The clip cuts to a full-bodied Bert who is ice skating (probably a clip from Sesame Live) to the most angelic sounding Raposo instrumental being played along with it.

At the end of the clip, as the music fades, they cut back to Bert, now peacefully sound asleep, and then to the full moon shining outside their window as the music softly begins to play again. Ahhhhhhh........ :smile:

Nap time!
Yup,that is a good clip Mokeystar.I remember that one.But,it always seemed kind of surreal to me to watch(even as a full figure)Bert ice-skate. :cool:
 

Ziffel

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fuzzygobo said:
One of my favorites was probably the first. Bert (in his pj's) tries to take a nap. Ernie comes in and describes why Bert is probably asleep. He's lying down, his eyes are closed, etc. but we'll check just to make sure. "Pokepokepokepokepokepokepoke!" Ernie can get away with poking Bert in the stomach and not catch any grief. Plus we see how floppy and soggy ol' Bert's arm is (even when he's awake, he's like a limp noodle!)

Bert wakes up and glares at Ernie "NOW, his eyes are OPEN!" Bert glares at us with the angriest ticked-off face he can muster. The look is priceless!(
It sure was a priceless expression! I thought about this skit today. After Ernie wakes Bert up and while he is still talking I really love how Bert turns and looks at us. He tilts his head a little and his mouth is closed and the head is moving a little, all in huge frustration. Priceless is the perfect adjective!
 

D'Snowth

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I've always loved Ernie and Bert's bedtime blitzes. My all-time favorites include...

  • "Dance Myself to Sleep"
  • The original "Imagination"
  • That's What Friends Are For
  • Don't Eat Cookies in Bed
  • For Goodness Sake Wake Up
  • and many more, too numerous to mention!
 
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