A Special Sesame Street Christmas

A Special Sesame Street Christmas was a 1978 CBS Christmas special, made the same year as Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.

The special featured only three of the Sesame Street Muppets - Oscar, Big Bird, and Barkley. In addition to the Muppets, Mr. Hooper, David, Bob, and Maria made appearances. The special also featured an impressive list of celebrity cameos and guest stars; including Leslie Uggams, Imogene Coca, Henry Fonda, Michael Jackson, Ethel Merman, Anne Murray and Dick Smothers. Interestingly, Barkley was not played by his regular puppeteer of the time, Brian Muehl, but rather by gymnast Toby Towson. A different puppet was also used, making Barkley a gigantic and rather large five foot tall dog.

In 1979 the special was nominated in the 31st Annual Emmy Awards in the category of "Outstanding Children's Program". However, the program lost to Sesame Street's other Christmas production that year, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.

The Special incorporated many elements of the classic story "A Christmas Carol". To win round the typically grouchy Oscar into the Christmas spirit, the Sesame Street gang portrays the ghostly visitors. Anne Murray appears as the Ghost of Christmas Past, who shows Oscar his childhood; Imogene Coca plays the Ghost of Christmas Present; and Dick Smothers is the Ghost of Christmas Future. The special also including a crippled kitten named Tiny Tim, to which Oscar grows sympathetic. The theme of Oscar in the role of Scrooge would be revisited almost 28 years later in the 2006 production A Sesame Street Christmas Carol.

A Special Sesame Street Christmas has not been released on video nor has it been re-aired since its original CBS debut.

Summary
The show opens with a shot of Mr. Hooper and a little girl trimming a Christmas tree, as the audience is greated by Leslie Uggams saying, "merry Christmas, everybody! This is Leslie Uggams. You're lookin' at Sesame Street -- and yes, it's the Christmas season." Then Oscar pops in saying, "hello, this is Oscar the Grouch speaking. I can't stand Christmas! Anyway, I do have orders to say: Welcome to A Special Sesame Street Christmas!"

Bob, David, Mr. Hooper and Maria are happily trimming a Christmas tree that they've set up out on the street next to the stoop of 123 Sesame Street. They invite Oscar to participate in the festivities, so he gives them a dirty old sneaker to hang on the tree. "Bah humbug!" he snarls. Mr. Hooper makes the best of it saying "We mustn't let Oscar get our spirits down!" Big Bird shows up with the present he got for Leslie Uggams. The others want to see the present -- they chipped in for it too -- but Big Bird wants it to be a surprise.

Leslie Uggams as she enters with a star for the top of the tree. Oscar joins in as they greet her. Oscar says "I just want to tell you, Miss Uggams, that I've never missed any of your shows!" Leslie is pleased and thanks Oscar but he says, "I never see any of your shows, so I never miss them!"

Leslie opens Big Bird's present, and finds an ugly hat with earflaps. Big Bird is disappointed -- everyone trusted him to pick out a present for Leslie, and he failed. This provides the oppertunity for Leslie to sing about how it's the thought that counts at Christmas. Everyone joins in and dances around.

It starts to snow, and the snowplow (not shown on camera, but represented by the off screen flashing of yellow lights) dumps all the snow in front of the stoop. Leslie takes charge and enlists Bob, David and Barkley the Dog to sweep the snow away. As they shovel the snow, Leslie tells them to think of warm things. Oscar brings them cups, which they naively assume are full of hot cocoa. They don't realize it's really ice cold lemonade until they've all brought it to their lips to take a big sip. David and Bob are so offended by Oscar's devious scheme that they leave, but Leslie stays behind for a little Star-to-Grouch talk.

Oscar pops up from his can. "Look, Leslie, I'm glad that somebody agrees with me about all this Christmas nonsense," he states. Leslie shakes her head replying, "I don't agree with you, Oscar." Oscar is startled and puzzled exclaiming, "You don't? You mean, you're with... them?" "Yes. And you should be with them!" Leslie responds and she informs Oscar through song about how much fun Christmas is. However the song has no effect on the grouch and she becomes completely frustrated.

Maria emerges from the brownstone, and finds Leslie fuming: "It's just Oscar, with his whole dog-gone Christmas attitude!" Maria tries to take her mind off it by showing her the injured kitten she found. She's dressed it up with a red ribbon, and put a cast on its broken leg. Leslie determines that the kitten needs a name. Then Leslie and Maria shout one in unison - "Tiny Tim!" Maria laughs and says "I can't believe we came up with the same name!" Leslie complains some more, saying, "Oscar certainly does remind you of another Christmas grouch, doesn't he." Maria answers, "You mean Scrooge." The word "Scrooge" gives Leslie an idea to teach Oscar a lesson. Maria trails after her asking "What are we going to do, Leslie? What's the plan?"

They go to Mr. Hooper's store, where they make a Ghost of Christmas Past costume out of trash. Nobody wants to volunteer to dress up as the ghost, but then Anne Murray walks in. Anne sings a song to Big Bird -- a love song called "You Needed Me" -- as everyone else looks on. Then Anne agrees to be the Ghost.

Bob, David, Maria and Leslie hide around the corner and make an "Ooooo-oooo" ghost sound to surprise Oscar. Then Anne appears with a green felt Christmas-tree cloak and matching top hat, adorned with trash accessories. She tells Oscar that she's the Ghost of Christmas Past. She gives Oscar a magic eggnog container, and tells him, "You look into it, and you'll see the wonders of a Christmas when you were young!"

As Oscar looks through the tube formed by the eggnog container, the others all act out a little scene in front of him. Leslie is dressed up as Oscar's nurse, and she's pushing a baby carriage holding a little trash can. Leslie sings about Oscar being a happy little baby, but he grew up and became an awful grouch. This doesn't make Oscar feel any nicer. Instead, he grabs an electric guitar and sings "Yakety Yak." The guitar blows up at the end of the song.

The next morning, Oscar gets up early to read the grouch newspaper. Leslie Uggams sits at an upstairs window, staring dreamily at Oscar and singing a love song about his lyrical smile.

Then Imogene Coca comes dressed up in red with alarm clocks strapped all over her body. She's the Ghost of Christmas Present, and she informs Oscar that he's now completely invisible. The street fills with adults and kids wishing each other Merry Christmas and singing about how they don't care whether Oscar celebrates Christmas with them or not. In the middle of the song, Henry Fonda appears on a fire escape holding a bulldozer toy, and announces that "Christmas is still being in my bathrobe at 11:00 in the morning sitting in my easy chair! Attach Part C to Part B, being sure to use the ¾" wingnut... What ¾" wingnut?" Then Henry disappears through a door and is not seen again in the special.

This ghostly visitation doesn't work either, and everyone is evn more depressed. Maria, Bob, Leslie and Imogene are all staring hopelessly into space. When Ethel Merman walks by, and gives them a hearty greeting. The group explains their situation and Ethel instantly understands that they're down because Oscar the Grouch isn't in the Christmas spirit. She says they shouldn't be depressed -- "You gotta do what Ethel does! You gotta out-last him!" Ethel sings "Tomorrow", urging them all to think positively. The group agrees, and follows her in song.

Next, Michael Jackson walks down the street, reading a book about ghosts. Oscar asks him for the book, Michael gives it to him, and then leaves.

Dick Smothers visits next, dressed as the Ghost of Christmas Future. Dick tells Oscar that everybody moved away from Sesame Street -- "You were such a grouch at Christmas, they couldn't take it any longer!" The only one who didn't move away is Tiny Tim, the crippled kitten.

Dick leaves the kitten with Oscar, who turns protective and loving. "How's your leg, there?" asks Oscar. "I'd be happy to autograph your cast. I know just what I'd write on it: Merry Christmas, Tiny. Love, Oscar." Then Oscar exclaims "Did I say that?"

Leslie comes out of the door of 123 Sesame Street and starts to sing "Just One Person" to Oscar, and is soon joined by the rest of the cast. When they're done, Oscar snarls, "Are you people gonna stand around singing while that poor cat freezes? Hand him up here." They all wish him a Merry Christmas, and Oscar ducks down into the trash can with the cat. "Merry Christmas, everybody!" he shouts, and then pops back up: "Did you hear that? This cat talks! He just wished everybody a Merry Christmas!" Everyone gathers in a big crowd for a Christmas medley. The whole cast sings "Jingle Bells". Leslie sings a verse of "Sleigh Ride". Ethel Merman sings a chorus of "Winter Wonderland". The cast sings part of "I Saw Three Ships", and then wishes the viewers a Merry Christmas.

Songs

 * Deck the Halls
 * It's the Thought That Counts
 * Leslie Oscar Duet
 * You Needed Me
 * Look at How Fast We Forget
 * Yakety Yak
 * Look at That Face
 * Christmas Morning
 * Tomorrow
 * Just One Person
 * Jingle Bells
 * Sleigh Ride
 * Winter Wonderland
 * I Saw Three Ships

Cast

 * Caroll Spinney: Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch
 * Toby Towson: Barkley the Dog
 * Will Lee: Mr. Hooper
 * Northern Calloway: David
 * Bob McGrath: Bob
 * Sonia Manzano: Maria
 * Imogene Coca
 * Henry Fonda
 * Michael Jackson
 * Ethel Merman
 * Anne Murray
 * Dick Smothers
 * Leslie Uggams

Crew

 * Producer: Stephen Pouliot
 * Executive Producer: Bob Banner
 * Director: Russ Petranto
 * Writer: Tom Dunsmuir