| Sesame Street | |||||||||
| Elmo helps Gordon with chess | |||||||||
| Air date | April 14, 2003 | ||||||||
| Season | Season 34 (2003) | ||||||||
| Written by | John Weidman | ||||||||
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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SCENE 1 | Elmo comes across Gordon setting up a chess board in the yard as he plans on playing chess with Alan today. Since he always loses, he's going to practice first with the help of his new book - How to Be a Better Chess Player. Elmo is disappointed that he cannot help, so Gordon asks him to assist in setting up the pieces. Elmo notices the different ways they can be grouped before realizing it's the colors of the pieces that help separate them equally; he then becomes very fascinated with the "horsies" (the knights). Elmo thinks he's won the game by finding and counting them, but Gordon explains there's more to it than that. |
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SCENE 1 cont'd | Gordon shows Elmo how the pieces are supposed to be set up and reads off their names. Elmo thinks it's a story game and comes up with a story about the royal pieces, thinking that's how the game is won. |
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SCENE 1 cont'd | Gordon explains the actual rules of the game and states he'll be practicing his opening moves, which could make or break the game. Elmo demonstrates some of his silly moves (misunderstanding what Gordon meant) and knocks over the table, spilling the pieces. One of the knights goes missing, so Gordon tries substituting it with a salt shaker until it is found again. Elmo begs Gordon to think of the horse's "feelings" and has an idea. |
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SCENE 1 cont'd | Elmo puts up a flyer advocating a search for the missing piece that only Elmo can read, made up of scribbles, simple words, and drawings. A pony, a cowboy horse, a bumpkin farm horse, and a couple of race horses answer the call but none see that they match the missing piece. A Muppet knight in armor also arrives since the piece is likewise called a knight but finds he doesn't match either. When Alan shows up among the confusion, the two race horses (Epitaph and Fortune Cookie) have stopped running and are playing their own game of chess! |
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Muppets | Grover: Monster Workout Video — Grover leads an exercise workout video. (First: Episode 3227) |
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Song | "Jump" (soul) (First: Episode 3136) |
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Muppets | The Number of the Day: 10 A talking number ten appears after The Count reveals that 10 is the number of the day. "Finally the ten-sion is broken!" (First: Episode 4005) |
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Cartoon | Number Guy: "How Many Pigs Will Jump into This Mud?" The answer is 10. (First: Episode 3390) |
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Film | Three girls do a "One Potato" rhyme. (First: Episode 3271) |
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Animation | Martin P. Robinson counts 30 racehorses. |
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Muppets | Monster on the Spot: Play of the Day — Telly watches and comments as Melissa asks three other kids if she can play catch with them. (First: Episode 3580) |
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Film | J.D. competes in a chess tournament, and wins fourth place. (First: Episode 3779) |
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Muppets | Journey to Ernie: Music Land — Big Bird looks for Ernie in a land filled with musical instruments. (First: Episode 4031) |
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Muppets | In song, Ernie tells Bert to "Wake Up!" even though it's far from morning. By the end of the song, Bert is restless. |
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Muppets | Hero Guy Hero Guy hits a fly ball, but will Hero Guy be able to catch it? (First: Episode 3984) |
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Muppets | The Letter of the Day: I Instead of eating the Letter I Cookie, Cookie Monster decides to just lick its icing. Now it's no longer The Letter of the Day cookie. (First: Episode 4007) |
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Cartoon | You've Got a Letter: I (First: Episode 4007) |
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Muppets / Celebrity | At the beach, Sheryl Crow and friends sing "I Soaks Up the Sun." |
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Cartoon | Pencil box I/i (First: Episode 2890) |
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Muppets | The Spanish Word of the Day: hola Everyone tells Grover "hola," (hello) but he doesn't know what it means. Maria tells him, but now there's no one for Grover to say hola to... except the viewer. (First: Episode 3996) |
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Muppets | Elmo's World: Games (First: Episode 3967) |
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SCENE 2 | Gordon and Alan play a round of chess together as Elmo and the knight have a horserace. Big Bird announces the sponsors. |
Notes[]
- Additional performers include David Rudman (cowboy horse), Joey Mazzarino (country horse and race announcer), and Martin P. Robinson (knight), with Matt Vogel (Big Bird and pony).
- An additional street scene was scripted, but unaired. While Gordon and Alan play chess, Elmo initiates a game of "Three of These Things" using the other horses and the knight to find out which group his new horse friend, Ed, belongs in. When the horses are all in a group, they take off as a racetrack announcer starts a race.[1]
Gallery[]
racehorses being prepped in the Muppet Workshop
Sources[]
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