First Season Performers

[minor muppetz]

I would like to know who all performed in the first season.

We all know that Carroll Spinney, Jim Henson and Frank Oz performed in the first season.

I also know that Daniel Sergent performed Big Bird in a few episodes, but was he a regular performer during the first season, or did he just substitute for carroll Spinney?

I know that Jane Henson has done some performing on Sesame Street. Did she perform in the first season? Did Jerry Juhl ever perform on the show?

Did John Lovelady perform on the show during the first season?

I have seen a few pictures from the first season where there had to have been five or more performers (theres one picture that I think needed five and a half hands for all the muppets that filled the screen).

If anybody has any episodes from the first season, could you check the credits?

 

[mikealan]

I would like to know who all performed in the first season.


I know that Jane Henson has done some performing on Sesame Street. Did she perform in the first season? Did Jerry Juhl ever perform on the show?

Did John Lovelady perform on the show during the first season?

I have seen a few pictures from the first season where there had to have been five or more performers (theres one picture that I think needed five and a half hands for all the muppets that filled the screen).

If anybody has any episodes from the first season, could you check the credits?

Well, John Lovelady, Jane Henson, and Jerry Juhl do NOT perform on the first season of Sesame Street. I know that Matt Robinson, Bob McGrath, Loretta Long, Will Lee, and Joe Raposo were also Muppeteers! Here's the voicework for the live actors (who were also Muppeteers during the first season) and Joe Raposo the songwriter and voiceover singer:

Joe Raposo: Cookie Monster (only on "Everyone Likes Ice Cream!"), tall, brown, and weird-looking AM ("I Am A Fine Musician"), orange background singer AM ("Good Morning Starshine")

Loretta Long: small boy AM ("I Am A Fine Musician"), green girl AM ("Mahna Mahna"), purple mother AM ("Consider Yourself"), tall orange mother AM ("Five People In My Family")

Bob McGrath: green triangle-headed boy AM ("Consider Yourself"), green triangle-headed music boy ("I Am A Fine Musician")

Also, I know Little Bird was used on an early sketch with a very early Big Bird that took place on a grey background, but who performed her?

 

[minor muppetz]

Well, John Lovelady, Jane Henson, and Jerry Juhl do NOT perform on the first season of Sesame Street. I know that Matt Robinson, Bob McGrath, Loretta Long, Will Lee, and Joe Raposo were also Muppeteers!

How do you know that they were muppet performers? do the credits list them as performers? are you sure that they weren't just performing the voices? if they did do actual puppetry, then I wonder why matt Robinson only performed the voice of rosevelt franklin.

Loretta Long: small boy AM ("I Am A Fine Musician"), green girl AM ("Mahna Mahna"), purple mother AM ("Consider Yourself"), tall orange mother AM ("Five People In My Family")

If Lorretta Long was the voice of the mother in Five people In My family, I wonder why she wasn't credited in the album Jim Henson: A Sesame Street celebration (which featured this song)? I was wondering who did the mothers voice, and thought it might have been Carroll Spinney (since I didn't recognize the voice). I also thought that Carroll Spinney might have been one of the girls in mah na mah na.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

Well, John Lovelady, Jane Henson, and Jerry Juhl do NOT perform on the first season of Sesame Street. I know that Matt Robinson, Bob McGrath, Loretta Long, Will Lee, and Joe Raposo were also Muppeteers! Here's the voicework for the live actors (who were also Muppeteers during the first season) and Joe Raposo the songwriter and voiceover singer:

Jane is credited as being Ernie's right arm in the first season (maybe not in the actual show credits, but elsewhere). I'm 99% sure I remember seeing a picture of her and Jim performing Ernie, when Ernie had a different colored shirt than the one we have come to be used to.

As for the on-camera actors, I'm also 99% sure that all they provided were voices. Jim was very picky about who was a puppeteer.

And I'd bet almost anything that Jerry Juhl did SOME performing the first season... if nothing else, on the pilot. There was a very small stable of people he could pull from in the beginning.

 

[BEAR]

How do you know that they were muppet performers? do the credits list them as performers? are you sure that they weren't just performing the voices? if they did do actual puppetry, then I wonder why matt Robinson only performed the voice of rosevelt franklin.



If Lorretta Long was the voice of the mother in Five people In My family, I wonder why she wasn't credited in the album Jim Henson: A Sesame Street celebration (which featured this song)? I was wondering who did the mothers voice, and thought it might have been Carroll Spinney (since I didn't recognize the voice). I also thought that Carroll Spinney might have been one of the girls in mah na mah na.

I don't think they did any of the puppetry. They did voices occassionally (Matt Robinson as Roosevelt Franklin and Loretta Long as his Mother), but they only did the voices of them. If they did any puppeteering it may have just been as fillers in the background. Also, in "Five People" it sounds like Carroll Spinney did the voice of the 2 brothers and Frank Oz was the sister.

 

[BEAR]

Hey, Once Was Ernie...
I know this is slightly off topic but instead of starting a new thread about it, i can just ask the question and get a quick answer from you.

Were you ever around when Alaina Reed (who played Olivia) was on the show? Can you tell me a bit about her and how she got on the show and when she left. I think she left the show because she was offered the sitcom 227, but can you tell me anything about her or how she was on the set? Thanks.

 

[minor muppetz]

in "Five People" it sounds like Carroll Spinney did the voice of the 2 brothers and Frank Oz was the sister.

yeah, I figured that Carroll Spinney did both of the brothers, but I didn't know for sure, and I wondered if he voiced the mother as well (In the early years it was more common for performers to perform the voices of multiple characters, even if none of the characters were used anywhere else).

 

[Was Once Ernie]

Hey, Once Was Ernie...

Were you ever around when Alaina Reed (who played Olivia) was on the show? Can you tell me a bit about her and how she got on the show and when she left. I think she left the show because she was offered the sitcom 227, but can you tell me anything about her or how she was on the set? Thanks.

She didn't start on the show until 1976. I moved to California in 1975, so the last time I visited the set was probably 1974.

The only two of the live cast I ever saw were Luis and Maria. Most of the other times I visited, they were only taping Muppet segments.

I was there the day they taped Bert's song "Doin' the Pigeon", except... they taped it in the morning and I didn't get there until lunch time, so I missed it. But they were telling me about it excitedly because it was the first time Bert had legs. There were like four puppeteers and they all had to dress completely in black.

Hmm... now, I'm the one that's drifted off topic!

 

[minor muppetz]

Jane is credited as being Ernie's right arm in the first season (maybe not in the actual show credits, but elsewhere). I'm 99% sure I remember seeing a picture of her and Jim performing Ernie, when Ernie had a different colored shirt than the one we have come to be used to.

Was jane Henson ever credited on the show? I know that she was credited on many sesame street videos (including the best of ernie and bert, the best of kermit on sesame street, and a celebration of me, grover!) but I don't ever recall seeing her name listed. Jim Henson was still listed as a performer for 12 years after he died, and richard hunt was still in the credits for at least six years after his death.

 

[BEAR]

She didn't start on the show until 1976. I moved to California in 1975, so the last time I visited the set was probably 1974.

The only two of the live cast I ever saw were Luis and Maria. Most of the other times I visited, they were only taping Muppet segments.

I was there the day they taped Bert's song "Doin' the Pigeon", except... they taped it in the morning and I didn't get there until lunch time, so I missed it. But they were telling me about it excitedly because it was the first time Bert had legs. There were like four puppeteers and they all had to dress completely in black.

Hmm... now, I'm the one that's drifted off topic!

That's awesome that you got to See Sonia Manzano and Emilio Delgado. Did you actually get to talk with them at all? What were they like from what you observed? Are they as wonderful in person as they are on the screen? I am sure they would have to be. Sorry, too many questions.