| Sesame Street | |||||||
| A blackout on Sesame Street | |||||||
| Air date | April 30, 1974 | ||||||
| Season | Season 5 (1973-1974) | ||||||
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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SCENE 1 | All is fine on Sesame Street in the evening; Luis is drilling something at the Fix-it Shop, and Maria returns home, saying hello to David who's enjoying some music on his radio at Hooper's Store. Suddenly, all the lights and power go out. Biff arrives representing the electric company (though specifying he doesn't work directly for them) and assures Luis and David that it's just a blackout that should be fixed in no time. David goes to make sure Maria is fine; she's already gotten a flashlight and keeps a much calmer head than David, whom she teases about his concern. The power returns moments later and Biff leaves, telling Luis and David about how he's not sure how digging a couple of holes could've helped get the electricity working again. |
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Song | Joe Raposo sings "Frog Struggle Song." (First: Episode 0492) |
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Muppets | A bridge of teeth come to an employment agency, looking for a job. He's offered jobs in the smelling line and in listening, but he's unqualified for those. Teeth demonstrates his talent in biting and chewing by chomping up the desk. (First: Episode 0406) |
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Cartoon | A boy talks about his pet letter Y, named Yetta. (First: Episode 0443) |
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Animation | Sand Y/y (First: Episode 0626) |
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Film | Animals fight. Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0567) |
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Muppets | Sesame Street News Flash: Pied Piper of Hamelin — Kermit takes over for the Pied Piper. (First: Episode 0519) |
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Cartoon | Jazz #8 (First: Episode 0016) |
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Cartoon | A turtle, a bird, and a butterfly demonstrate small, smaller, and smallest. (First: Episode 0356) |
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Cartoon | Only one of the two footprints can belong. (First: Episode 0509) |
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SCENE 2 | The adults discuss the blackout while hanging out on the stoop. Big Bird comes by and tells them he wasn't afraid, as he had Mr. Snuffleupagus for company. He goes to his nest to fetch him and prove he's real, though Snuffy is feeling a bit nervous about it. Just as Snuffy exits through the construction doors, another blackout occurs and the street goes dark. Big Bird heads back to his nest and the adults start to disperse, bumping into Snuffy and speaking to him without even realizing who it is. As Snuffy goes back to his cave, the camera begins to zoom toward Ernie and Bert's apartment... |
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Muppets | Ernie & Bert — Ernie notices that none of the lampposts are on, and the lights won't turn on. Bert says that there is a blackout, but has to repeat himself when Ernie suggests they watch TV, play a record, and listen to the radio. Ernie decides to call someone to see if anybody else knows about it. He calls Oscar the Grouch, who grouchily asks who's calling and threatens to "see to it that you don't sleep for a week." Ernie says "It's Bert" and hangs up. |
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Film | Y, for Yacht (First: Episode 0471) |
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Cartoon | A man demonstrates Spanish words that start with the letter Y. (First: Episode 0470) |
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Film | Kids narrate a film about water in hoses, fountains, puddles, streams, bathtubs, rivers, oceans, and other places. (First: Episode 0135) |
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Muppets | Two Anything Muppet kids argue over a cookie. Cookie Monster arrives and says that the smallest person should get the cookie, and then, as the kids argue over which one is smaller, Cookie Monster shrinks himself. (First: Episode 0253) |
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Song | "I'm Not a Baby Anymore" |
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Cartoon | A man uses drinking glasses on his eyes and pours water over his seeing glasses. (First: Episode 0485) |
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Muppets | Grover, Herry Monster, and Billy rearrange themselves in different ways and count to three, until they get exhausted and faint. (First: Episode 0186) |
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Cartoon | C - Cake (First: Episode 0153) |
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Cartoon | Speech Balloon: C - Cap (First: Episode 0154) |
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Film | What do birds eat? (First: Episode 0495) |
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Muppets | Grover and Oscar the Grouch recite the alphabet. (First: Episode 0229) |
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Cartoon | Cars WALK. (First: Episode 0556) |
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Cartoon | Y is for Yo-Yo (First: Episode 0036) |
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Cartoon | Panels flip to reveal different ways things WALK. (First: Episode 0369) |
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Muppets | Kermit the Frog talks about horns as a film of animals with horns plays behind him. (First: Episode 0112) |
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Cast | Wally and Ralph try to figure out how to use an umbrella to keep dry. (First: Episode 0355) |
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SCENE 3 | To combat the blackouts on the street, Oscar has rigged up his own makeshift generator to power his reading lamp. The generator is activated by a spinning wheel, which gets spun by a string whenever someone turns the knob of the brownstone front door and opens it. He calls Maria down so she can open the door, which keeps his light on for a few seconds. He does this a few times as a test, enraging Maria. Luis comes by and figures out how Oscar's device functions. He starts pulling the rope on the generator over and over, observing how it works as Oscar tells him to keep the noise down as he reads his Dylan Thomas book in the light. |
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Song | "Song of Eight" (First: Episode 0016) |
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Muppets | Ernie and Bert: Ernie and the Man Who Needs Help — Ernie has trouble understanding Simon Soundman, who's having car trouble. (First: Episode 0132) |
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Cartoon | A drummer introduces C.T. Wordsworth who challenges a contestant to guess the secret word: store. (First: Episode 0443) |
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Cartoon | The life of a Yellow Yahoo (First: Episode 0043) |
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Cartoon | A boy talks about his pet letter Y, named Yetta. (repeat) |
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Muppets | Ernie and Bert: TV Chair — Herry Monster tricks Ernie and Bert into vacating their chair. (First: Episode 0207) |
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Cartoon | Simple Simon meets some strange-looking animals, all of whom have their parts switched around. Artist: Jeff Hale (First: Episode 0540) |
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SCENE 4 | Oscar's generator has been tinkered with by Luis, as it is now powered whenever Oscar opens his can lid. Luis knocks on the lid over and over so he will open it, hiding whenever Oscar comes up to find who's knocking. The Count hides nearby with Maria, counting the instances the light comes on. Oscar discovers Luis' trick as Maria announces the sponsors. |
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CLOSING SIGNS | Gordon and Maria hold the Sesame Street sign, and Grover and Cookie Monster hold the Children's Television Workshop sign. |
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