| Sesame Street | |||||||||
| Oscar and the Groovin' Grouches / Susan's plant | |||||||||
| Air date | February 13, 1970 | ||||||||
| Season | Season 1 (1969-1970) | ||||||||
| Written by | Ray Sipherd | ||||||||
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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SCENE 1 | Gordon meets up with Susan when he gets home from work. They suddenly hear a raucous trumpet coming from Oscar's trash can, and then a whiny saxophone. Oscar tells them that he's in a band, the Groovin' Grouches, who are coming to his can to practice later today, and he's tuning up the instruments (or un-tuning them, as it were). They play such classics as "Grumpy Days are Here Again," "Accentuate the Negative," and "Let a Scowl Be Your Umbrella." Oscar decides to play his Exlaphone, which Gordon and Susan assume means "xylophone," but it's actually a big wooden letter X that Oscar beats with a mallet. |
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Cartoon | Speech Balloon: X for X-ray (First: Episode 0064) |
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Cartoon | "Poverty X": A peanut-shaped figure lists the words that the letter "X" can be found in. (First: Episode 0006) |
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Cartoon | Speech Balloon: X for X-ray (repeat) |
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SCENE 2 | Oscar asks Bob what he thinks of his off-key tuba playing. Bob doesn't like it, which is just what Oscar wanted to hear. Bob comments, "I was gonna tell Oscar that I met some traveling musicians coming down the street, but if they all make music like he does, I hope they keep right on going!" |
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Muppets | Anything Muppets sing "I Am a Fine Musician." (First: Episode 0010) |
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SCENE 3 | Susan holds a paddleball as she sits on the stoop with some kids. She hands it to Guy so the rest can count the bounces, but Susan knows an easier way to count. |
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Cartoon | "Jazz #4" (First: Episode 0006) |
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SCENE 4 | Gordon tries to get a gumball from Mr. Hooper's gumball machine, only he can't remember the special way that usually gets the gum out. Mr. Hooper demonstrates the right way to do it: inserting the penny, kicking the bottom, turning the crank, sliding the lever, twisting the knob, and hitting the top four times. Mr. Hooper leaves, and Gordon attempts the routine, but forgets how many times to hit it. Is it four? |
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Film | Four Song (Song of Four) (First: Episode 0006) |
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SCENE 4 cont'd |
… or is it five? |
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Cartoon | Jazz #5 (First: Episode 0005) |
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SCENE 4 cont'd |
Gordon decides to hit it five times, which breaks the machine and causes gumballs to roll all over the place. |
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Cartoon | Jazz #5 (repeat) |
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Song | "B is for Bubble." (First: Episode 0008) |
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Muppets | Ernie and Bert: Banana Phone — Ernie tells a caller that Bert can't come to the phone right now because he's talking on a banana. (First: Episode 0004) |
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Film | A percussionist on the beach talks about how rhythm is everywhere, such as in breaking waves, walking and horse galloping. (First: Episode 0032) |
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SCENE 5 | Outside Oscar's can, Bob demonstrates what rhythm is to Guy, Reggie, and Robin. He claps and hums out a few nursery rhymes for the kids to guess until Oscar complains about the noise as he's practicing his music. He leaves his can lid open, so Bob and the kids guess what instruments he's playing, each to a broken tune of "Jingle Bells." |
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Cartoon | Jazz #5 (repeat) |
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SCENE 6 | Bob and the kids observe an Amazon parrot. Susan brings out her house plant; it began as a seed, just like the sunflower seeds they're feeding the parrot. Bob says that everything has a beginning of some kind. |
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Film | A voice narrates a film about how things begin -- including roosters, buildings, lakes, cups, birthday cakes, trees, and babies. Portions of this film were later re-edited into "A Little Bit (at the Beginning)." (First: Episode 0003) |
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SCENE 7 | Bob tells the kids that while plants need sunlight and water and food to grow, people need things, too. They need food and water, and the sun to keep them warm. He believes there's something else that people really need, and sings, "What the World Needs Now Is Love" over a couple of illustrations. |
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SCENE 7 cont'd |
Big Bird arrives after a discussion with Susan; since he loves plants, he's offered to watch Susan's. He believes it'll grow up to be big and tall, but Bob assures him it won't quite grow that big. He has Big Bird imagine what it would be like to be a ladybug, and how big the plant would be from that size. |
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Cartoon | "Poverty X" (repeat) |
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SCENE 7 cont'd |
Big Bird briefly leaves to get some more water for the house plant. Susan comes out, reprising "What the World Needs Now Is Love," and Bob comes by; Susan sees that the plant has been watered and takes it back inside, putting in its place a bigger plant which she plans to move outside. Big Bird comes back, and thinks the house plant has rapidly grown! Gordon doubts Big Bird's theory — it's as hard as Ernie trying to draw the letter X. |
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Muppets | Ernie tries to draw an X, but can't figure out how, so he plays a game of tic-tac-toe instead. Bert sees the cross-outs that Ernie has made, and congratulates him on drawing Xs. (First: Episode 0008) |
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SCENE 7 cont'd |
Big Bird finds that the big plant has gone, and fears it's his fault. Susan and Bob reveal to him that they planted it in the big garden in the back. They give Big Bird some full-grown flowers, which he immediately believes will grow up to be much bigger and taller. |
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Muppets | Ernie talks about the letter X, until Bert comes in and says his bacon's been eaten by a monster. Cookie Monster emerges and eats Ernie's X, quipping "I always like to eat bacon and X!" (final line cut short) (First: Episode 0008) |
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Film | Five Song (Song of Five) (First: Episode 0006) |
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Cartoon | Speech Balloon: A for Ape (First: Episode 0006) |
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Cartoon | A man displays the capital and lowercase A, and explains what an alligator is. (First: Episode 0006) |
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Muppets | Kermit's Lectures: Kermit demonstrates between by using a ping-pong ball, a doughnut, and a Beatles record sitting on a table, with the donut between the record and the ball. Beautiful Day Monster comes along and proceeds to eat everything. Kermit fears he will also get eaten, but the monster thanks him with a kiss. |
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SCENE 8 | Gordon hears some more raucous, off-key instruments being tuned (or un-tuned) by Oscar and his Groovin' Grouches. Oscar, the conductor, tries to count them into their first jam but can't remember what comes after 3. |
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Film | Four Song (Song of Four) (repeat) |
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SCENE 9 | Gordon winces as Oscar strikes up the band, making more noisy "music" than ever. They're practicing for a concert, which is a year from next Wednesday. Gordon signs off saying they'll somehow get rid of the grouch band, and the credits roll over the noise from Oscar's band. Bob loudly announces the sponsors. |
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CLOSING SIGNS | Ernie and Bert hold the Sesame Street sign, while Bob and Mr. Hooper hold the CTW sign. |
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