| Sesame Street | |||||||||
| Michael Cooney visits / Big Bird’s backwards day | |||||||||
| Air date | March 5, 1971 | ||||||||
| Season | Season 2 (1970-1971) | ||||||||
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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SCENE 1 | As Michael Cooney sits with some kids in the yard, Susan welcomes the viewer with a hello, but Big Bird says goodbye as he enters walking backwards. Susan tells him he’s doing everything the wrong way, and Big Bird says he won't do anything else like that today. He leaves walking backwards and saying hello again. |
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Cartoon | Jazz #9 (First: Episode 0137) |
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Muppets | Grover the Assistant: Kermit and Grover count nine blocks. (First: Episode 0080) |
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SCENE 2 | Michael sings "I'm Gonna Tell," a song about tattling, with Susan and the kids. Michael explains that the song came from many kids, and were eventually all put together by someone. After the song, Susan asks Troy if that sounds like her and her brother Gregory. |
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Cartoon | A bully won't give the kids' baseball back. The boy imagines a few scenarios before ultimately calling for his dog. Artist: John and Faith Hubley |
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SCENE 3 | Big Bird makes a request for "Boatly, Boatly, Boat Your Row," which Gordon interprets as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" which he, Michael, and the kids sing correctly. Big Bird still can't seem to do it forward, so Gordon suggests a talk with him at the playground. Michael continues the song with the kids as a round. |
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Cartoon | T is for Television (First: Episode 0024) |
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Cartoon | A poem filled with T words, including a teacher, toys, Texas, and "turtles with brains." Voice: Bob Arbogast (First: Episode 0024) |
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Cartoon | Speech Balloon: T for train (First: Episode 0022) |
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Muppets | Grover uses a telephone booth to explain how a telephone is used. When he enters the booth, however, he finds that there is no phone in sight. An Anything Muppet boy arrives to use the telephone, and thinks that Grover is the telephone since he is the only thing he found in the booth. The boy proceeds and talks into Grover's mouth. (First: Episode 0146) |
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SCENE 4 | Mr. Hooper makes a “tienda” sign to expand his store’s clientele to Spanish speakers. Vanessa hangs it up for him as Michael sings a Spanish song, “Cielito Lindo.” |
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Film | Sesame Street Animal Films: Iguanas Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0047) |
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Muppets | Roosevelt Franklin spells his name. (First: Episode 0182) |
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Muppets | A yellow hand tries to match a glass of milk to a picture of an object that produced the milk. A purple hand tries to help it out. (First: Episode 0185) |
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SCENE 5 | Michael finishes a soda at Hooper's, and pays for it with a performance of "Big Rock Candy Mountain." He then sings "Green Corn" for Mr. Macintosh, which earns him an orange. Michael finishes by singing "Soon as We All Cook Sweet Potatoes" for the hot dog man who serves him up a hot dog. |
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Cast | Larry and Phyllis retrieve a lucky penny from under a bag of potatoes. (First: Episode 0133) |
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Cartoon | Jazz #9 (repeat) |
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SCENE 6 | Big Bird continues walking backwards and accidentally bumps into Mr. Hooper, who spills the jellybeans he was carrying in a jar. Big Bird wants to rectify the situation, but Mr. Hooper stops him knowing that he's usually spilling things. Big Bird surmises that he seems to be doing everything backwards today, so Mr. Hooper reluctantly hands him the jar. To his amazement, the situation is solved and all the jellybeans spill up back into the jar! |
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Film | Body Parts vs. Heavy Equipment: Three boys (including Brian Henson) pretend to be steam shovels, playing in the dirt. This segues into footage of real construction vehicles. A parallel is drawn between the machinery and how the boys' arms and mouths work. (First: Episode 0003) |
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Cartoon | "Poverty T” (First: Episode 0020) |
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Cartoon | Speech Balloon: T for train (repeat) |
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SCENE 7 | Oscar requests a song from Michael about his favorite T word. Michael responds by performing "T for Texas." Oscar is disappointed: "Man, when your ship comes in, there'll be a dock strike!" Oscar's favorite T word, of course, is trash. |
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Cartoon | A poem filled with T words (repeat) |
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Cartoon | T is for Television (repeat) |
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Cartoon | A boy tries to count to twenty while playing with a paddleball, but gets interrupted by a bird. (First: Episode 0152) |
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SCENE 8 | Gordon and Farley look at Vanessa's drawing of a sky with nine stars. Michael sings “By and By” as the others count the stars. |
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Cartoon | Jazz #9 (repeat) |
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Cartoon | A boy tries to count to twenty while playing with a paddleball, but gets interrupted by a bird. (repeat) |
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Muppets | Tony sings "Windy" to his girlfriend, Beautiful Day Monster. (First: Episode 0074) |
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Film | A little boy narrates the various activities his family partakes in on a typical Monday. (First: Episode 0127) |
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Muppets | Ernie wonders what it would be like if everyone was exactly the same, and sees four balls who can't discern each other. Ernie decides to help the balls recognize each other by dressing each of them. (First: Episode 0166) |
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SCENE 9 | Susan thanks Michael for visiting again as Big Bird enters, still going backwards (and getting caught on the doorway) and saying hello. Susan suggests the viewer join them some other time and hopefully Big Bird will be straightened out. Gordon announces the sponsors, and the credits follow. |
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SCENE 9 | Big Bird holds the Sesame Street sign, and Bob and Gordon hold the Children's Television Workshop sign. |
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