 | |||||
| Ernie and Bert Sketches: Nighttime | |||||
| First Appearance | Episode 0941 | ||||
| Broadcast | December 20, 1976 | ||||
| |||||
Ernie and Bert have invited Count von Count to sleep over at their apartment in a two-part sketch.
Just before they all turn in for the night, The Count thanks his hosts for inviting him over, but feels bad for taking Bert's bed. Bert assures him that he doesn't mind and takes his blanket and pillow with him to sleep on the couch for the night.
As he gets tucked in, Ernie expresses that he's going to sleep well tonight because he's so sleepy. The Count bids him goodnight, but worries about himself because he's not tired. Ernie suggests that he count sheep (The Count: "Count Sheep? Who's that?"). Ernie explains that it's what you do when you can't sleep easy. The Count says he's never heard of this concept, but it sounds interesting, so Ernie explains how it works: "All you do is you start imagining sheep jumping over a fence, or something like that, and you start counting them. And before you know it, you get so sleepy from all that counting that you just drop right off to sleep, you see?"
The Count says he'll give it a try, so he lays back and imagines "one cute little fence" that appears in his imagination (on the screen via telestrator). He imagines the sheep jumping, and begins counting them out loud. Ernie leers over and does a take to camera. When he reaches seven sheep, the Count's trademark thunder-and-lighting strike, prompting Ernie to hide under his covers.
In the morning, Bert wakes up on the couch, surprised at how comfortable it is, and wonders if the Count slept well. A bright and chipper Count enters the room, exclaiming that he had the most wonderful night he ever had. When Bert says he's glad that he slept well, the Count responds, "Who slept?"
Ernie then emerges from the bedroom. He's walking slowly with his arms outstretched before him, his eyes show signs of severe miosis and puffy eyelids, and he's chanting numbers... counting them actually, "forty-three thousand, eight hundred and ninety-one," and so on. As he continues in a trance-like state, an eager Count asks Bert if he can sleep over again tonight. Hearing this from off screen, Ernie audibly faints and crashes to the floor with a heavy thud.
Related sketches[]
Releases[]
- Video
- Bedtime Stories and Songs (part 1, edited to remove scenes with Bert and Ernie)