Lefty and the boss

[SesameMike]

Most of us are familiar with the sketches in which Lefty tries to sell Ernie some items of debatable utility, such as letters, numbers, or air. But does anyone remember the sketches that showed Lefty dealing with his superior officer?

The sketches...
* took place in a "dark" environment, apparently down by the docks late at night.
* opened and closed with a minimalist music of a "weeow" sound 3 or 4 times. Perhaps it was done on a Moog Synthesizer?
* the background noise through the whole skit was a combination of water sloshing and an intermittent soft bell sounding. Although they were probably trying to emulate the sounds of ships in the harbor, the repetitive nature of the sound reminded me of some kind of waterwheel.
* Lefty referred to his superior as only "boss" (I think), and was clearly scared of him. Sometimes, the boss would grab him, and Lefty would visibly tremble while waiting for the next instruction.

The only two skits of this theme I remember involved the alphabet, and one where Lefty is forced to fetch carrots
(see http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=10903 for more details) The Golden An sketch may have been similar, but was not quite the same.

In the carrot sketch, it opens where Left has but a few carrots sitting on the wall. When Lefty is sent to get "more" carrots...
L: "I'll be back in an hour"
B: (grabing Lefty's jacket) "You got 13 seconds"

This was a 3-part skit. When they return, the boss says he wants "...the most carrots he can get"
L: "Can I have more than 13 seconds this time."
B: "Sure. (grabs Lefty) You got 15 seconds."

When they return this time, there's a bunch of carrots on the wall that the camera has to pan to get them all in, and the boss is satisfied ("Those are the most carrots anyone could get"). He explains what the carrots were for, and we are shown a live white bunny rabbit. Both say in unison "Isn't he cute!". Lefty explains that he has a pet turtle who also eats carrots.

 

[mikebennidict]

10 days in the can for stealing the golden AN? And unfortunatly in the real world a lot of judges don't give crimminals enogh time behind bars.

 

[fuzzygobo]

I thought the skits with Lefty and his boss were a riot. I think Jim was trying to evoke the mood of an early Marlon Brando movie called On The Waterfront.

One that took place in the same set- by the docks, with the watery sound effects, and under the light of a crescent moon- was Lefty's boss reciting the alphabet to Lefty. (Check out the expressions on Lefty's face!)

The boss gets to Z, then asks Lefty to give it back to him.

L: G-G-G-Give it back to ya?
B: DAT'S WHAT I SAID!!!
L: RIGHT, RIGHT!!!!

Lefty bravely makes it through the whole alphabet in one piece.
His boss is so proud of him, he rewards Lefty with a lollipop. (Looks like one of those Charms Big Pops that sadly don't exist anymore).

Lefty's boss could've easily fit into any of the Godfather movies which came out around that time. He had the pinstripe suit, the pencil-thin moustache. All he needed was a pinky ring and he'd be all set.

 

[JLG]

I like to imagine the reason we don't see Lefty anymore is that he finally got busted and he's been in jail all this time. ​

One way to entertain yourself is to try to invent reasons why selling things like STOP signs and letter O's is something to be desperately hidden from the cops. You can come up with all kinds of crazy back stories about that.​

 

[BipBippadotta]

Does anyone remember a gangster sketch with Lefty's boss and two other gangsters where they teach a very fearful paranoid gangster a secret knock of which he forgets it? By the way that funk music in the beginning of the Golden AN sketch, that's dope.

 

[Basic J]

Yes!! I remember the secret knock "It's more than 2 knocks, but less than 4 knocks." And I remember that haunting, Dragnet-era theme. Classic! In fact, I've been looking for that skit for a long time...