| Sesame Street | |
| Premiere | November 13, 1972 (0406) |
| Finale | May 11, 1973 (0535) |
| Episodes | 130 |
The Season 4 Cast
Class of '73
Herry Monster counts with John-John.
"I Can Remember": "A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of buttah!"
A strange man with a yo-yo helps a lost boy remember his way home
Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School opens its doors.
"A, B, C, D, E, F, Cookie Monster!"
Stevie Wonder visits in episode 0514.
Kids enact a game of "Three of These Things."
Sam the Robot, a "perfect" machine.
Bob, Ernie, Bert and the kids play a game of "Everybody Does."
A gymnast demonstrates slow.
Sesame Street Season 4 aired from November 13, 1972, to May 11, 1973.
Overview
Season 4's curriculum continues its introduction to Spanish language and culture from last season[1] and "attempt to teach youngsters positive social attitudes like kindness and generosity."[2]. The topic of measurement is also emphasized in both inserts and street scenes this season. The show's ever-frequent sorting games expand to include groups that are sorted by activity, where a cast member would ask, "Which of these kids is doing their own thing?" Spanish sight words are covered, usually in the form of brief, animated segments; words include CASA (house), AGUA (water), and BESO (kiss).[3]
Characters
While many of the cast from the previous seasons return, Rafael, Tom, Antonio, and Molly are now gone. Hal Miller takes over the role of Gordon, previously played by Matt Robinson for the first three seasons. (Robinson would continue to work on the show as the voice of Roosevelt Franklin.) A new cast member, Kate, is added to the group becoming the street's first folk singer.
This season introduces several new Muppet characters, all performed by Jerry Nelson: The Count, a slightly sinister figure who loves to count everything in sight; Sam the Robot, a large, rolling character who believes that he is a "perfect" machine; Frazzle, a shaggy orange monster who speaks in growls; and Biff, a gruff but loveable construction worker who isn't as smart as he seems to be. Mr. Snuffleupagus, introduced last season, is redesigned to his modern appearance. Starting where Episode 0401 left off, Big Bird is no longer the only one who believes that Snuffy isn't imaginary, as the kids sometimes join Big Bird and Snuffy in their games.
Puppeteer Richard Hunt joins the Muppets full-time; among his early jobs is as the hind legs of Mr. Snuffleupagus. He would also perform miscellaneous minor characters, among them a cow who would eventually be developed into Gladys.
Segments
Several recurring segments are introduced this season: Sesame Street News Flash, featuring Kermit the Frog as a roving reporter interviewing characters from fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and other popular stories; Here is Your Life, in which host Guy Smiley reunites inanimate objects to the items and people that helped create them; Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School, in which Roosevelt plays teacher to a group of rowdy but eager-to-learn students in his classroom; a film series starring a child marching band that demonstrates numbers and shapes; and the Gymnast series, a live-action series featuring a young female gymnast demonstrating relational concepts. With the introduction of the Sesame Street comic strip last season, artist Cliff Roberts contributes brief cartoons featuring the antics of Jasper and Julius, as well as Christopher Clumsy.
Episodes
Episodes 0406 - 0535 (130 episodes)
- Episode 0406 -- 4th season premiere; Gordon and Susan meet Sam the Robot.
- Episode 0407 -- Officer Bird on patrol
- Episode 0408 -- Luis makes a phone call with Sam the Machine.
- Episode 0409 -- Big Bird washes his face.
- Episode 0410 -- Oscar adopts a pet skunk.
- Episode 0411 -- Oscar and his tin cans; Big Bird learns the importance of admitting an honest mistake.
- Episode 0412 --
- Episode 0413 -- Big Bird learns about magnets.
- Episode 0414 -- Bob gets a lesson in ecology
- Episode 0415 -- Snuffy-sized trash can.
- Episode 0416 --
- Episode 0417 -- Oscar babysits; Big Bird's taxi service.
- Episode 0418 -- Snuffleupagus drinks soapy water from a bucket.
- Episode 0419 -- Oscar looks for a new house.
- Episode 0420 -- Maria and Big Bird play a rhyming game
- Episode 0421
- Episode 0422 -- Oscar warns everyone that it's going to rain.
- Episode 0423 -- Big Bird makes his own drum
- Episode 0424 -- Sam the Robot does Bob and Oscar's laundry.
- Episode 0425
- Episode 0426 -- Sam the Machine makes lunch
- Episode 0427 -- Oscar mistakes his reflection in the mirror for another Grouch.
- Episode 0428 -- David gives Oscar a lesson in manners.
- Episode 0429 -- Big Bird offers to be Luis' songbird.
- Episode 0430 -- Somebody keeps squirting Bob and Luis with water
- Episode 0431 -- Luis, Susan and the kids work together to clean the street.
- Episode 0432 -- Loud and soft.
- Episode 0433 -- Big Bird tries to blow a balloon.
- Episode 0434 -- Big Bird accidentally breaks Luis' vase.
- Episode 0435 -- Sam the Machine tries to make a handball.
- Episode 0436 -- Susan tests Big Bird's memory
- Episode 0437 -- Cookie Monster tries to trick David for a box of cookies.
- Episode 0438
- Episode 0439 -- "Smart" Alex beats Big Bird
- Episode 0440 -- Sam the Robot makes orange juice.
- Episode 0441 -- Snuffy is missing
- Episode 0442 -- Oscar gets a job as a dishwasher / Oscar looks for a job
- Episode 0443 -- Snuffy spills Luis' can of tacks
- Episode 0444 -- Big Bird waits for Susan's phone to ring.
- Episode 0445 -- Big Bird helps collect empty bottles; Oscar's phone ringing prank.
- Episode 0446 -- Oscar is tired of people dumping garbage in his can.
- Episode 0447 -- Sam the Robot takes Gordon's photo; Oscar disguises himself as a bush.
- Episode 0448 -- Snuffy runs away from home.
- Episode 0449 -- Big Bird tries to fit a barrel through his door.
- Episode 0450 -- Oscar's noise machine; Big Bird looks after Hooper's Store.
- Episode 0451 -- Big Bird needs to make a phone call to Luis; Oscar plays "Grouch Steps."
- Episode 0452 -- Big Bird is all ready for the cold weather.
- Episode 0453 -- Oscar orders a million snowballs.
- Episode 0454 -- Another snowy day.
- Episode 0455 -- David and Maria figure out how to carry a load of bricks.
- Episode 0456 -- Snow on Sesame Street
- Episode 0457 -- Oscar tries to do something rotten, but ends up helping people.
- Episode 0458 -- Another snowy day: Susan misses seeing Snuffy.
- Episode 0459
- Episode 0460 -- Oscar gives out Grouch winter gear.
- Episode 0461 -- Luis explains "LOVE" to Sam the Robot.
- Episode 0462 -- Another snowy day
- Episode 0463 -- Big Bird wakes up in the morning; Sam the Robot helps Bob scratch his back; Oscar disguises himself as a pile of snow.
- Episode 0464 -- Big Bird helps David put away dolls; Oscar disguises himself with a beard.
- Episode 0465 -- Snuffy helps Big Bird find something that rhymes with "man."
- Episode 0466 -- Another snowy day.
- Episode 0467 -- Oscar and Maria prank each other.
- Episode 0468 -- Big Bird the pirate; Sam the Robot writes a note for David.
- Episode 0469 -- Slimey the Worm performs tricks.
- Episode 0470 -- Snuffy fills Big Bird's pool; Sherlock Hemlock solves the mystery of Big Bird's missing birdseed.
- Episode 0471 -- Cookie Monster learns to whistle
- Episode 0472
- Episode 0473 -- The Little Theatre of the Deaf visits
- Episode 0474 -- Big Bird decides to become a famous inventor.
- Episode 0475
- Episode 0476 -- Oscar wins the Grouch of the Year Award.
- Episode 0477
- Episode 0478 -- Gordon and Susan have Oscar and Kate over for dinner.
- Episode 0479 -- Big Bird redecorates Hooper's Store to give it bird appeal.
- Episode 0480 -- Oscar auditions new Grouches.
- Episode 0481
- Episode 0482 -- Oscar builds a hat rack.
- Episode 0483 -- Hooper's Store blows a fuse.
- Episode 0484 -- Cookie Monster's birthday.
- Episode 0485 -- Mr. Snuffleupagus does animal imitations.
- Episode 0486
- Episode 0487 -- Ella Mitchell visits.
- Episode 0488
- Episode 0489 -- A rainy day on Sesame Street.
- Episode 0490 -- Jimmy Collier and Pete Seeger visit.
- Episode 0491
- Episode 0492
- Episode 0493 -- Nighttime on the street.
- Episode 0494 -- David tries to study for a law school exam.
- Episode 0495
- Episode 0496
- Episode 0497
- Episode 0498 -- Oscar's air pollution factory.
- Episode 0499 -- Sam the Robot tells the story of "Little Red Riding Hood."
- Episode 0500 -- Oscar installs a doorbell on his trash can.
- Episode 0501
- Episode 0502 -- Mr. Hooper loses his glasses.
- Episode 0503 -- Gordon threatens to stop giving Oscar trash until he learns some manners.
- Episode 0504 -- Luis buys a new hat; Big Bird orders bags of birdseed.
- Episode 0505
- Episode 0506
- Episode 0507
- Episode 0508
- Episode 0509 -- Big Bird tries to organize some people in the neighborhood for a photograph.
- Episode 0510 -- The Count counts water drops and leaves
- Episode 0511 -- Susan shows Big Bird that he's important on Sesame Street / Big Bird builds a nest
- Episode 0512 -- Big Bird guesses that Susan is going to the shoemaker.
- Episode 0513 -- Mr. Hooper watches Snuffleupagus' postcard.
- Episode 0514 -- Stevie Wonder and his band visit Sesame Street.
- Episode 0515 -- Grover is afraid of Sam the Machine.
- Episode 0516 -- Sam the Machine becomes a time machine.
- Episode 0517 -- Big Bird finds that life without a telephone can be exhausting.
- Episode 0518 -- Oscar conducts the Grouch Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Episode 0519 -- Big Bird tries to fit a big bag of birdseed in a small bucket.
- Episode 0520 -- The Little Theater of the Deaf performs a story about animals.
- Episode 0521 -- Big Bird's alphabet show.
- Episode 0522 -- Big Bird tries to introduce Mr. Snuffleupagus to David.
- Episode 0523 -- Slimey the Worm has disappeared
- Episode 0524 -- Sam the Robot tries to be like Big Bird.
- Episode 0525
- Episode 0526 -- Bob and Oscar demonstrate how a tape measure works.
- Episode 0527 -- Oscar keeps airplanes away from his trash can.
- Episode 0528
- Episode 0529 -- Sam the Robot has a picture with hidden letter Ns.
- Episode 0530 -- Oscar makes a life-size picture of himself.
- Episode 0531 -- Oscar has a torn doormat.
- Episode 0532 -- Ella Mitchell visits Sesame Street.
- Episode 0533 -- Mr. Snuffleupagus can't find anyone to play with.
- Episode 0534
- Episode 0535 -- 4th season finale; Oscar imagines that there are no people living on Sesame Street.
Notes
- Production on the fourth season began on August 2, 1972.[4]
- A new opening sequence is produced, with most versions featuring appearances by Big Bird. These new openings are shot on videotape instead of film, as in previous seasons.
- Richard Hunt first receives on-screen credit as a Muppet performer.
- Starting this season, a special instrumental version of the "Sesame Street Theme" accompanies the funding credits. The funky arrangement that debuts this season would continue to be used until 1992.
- For unknown reasons, the Jazz Numbers segment series was not shown in this season.
Cast
- Cast
- Northern Calloway, Loretta Long, Will Lee, Bob McGrath, Emilio Delgado, Sonia Manzano, Hal Miller, Joe Ponazecki, Paul B. Price, Malvina Reynolds, Linda Bove (uncredited guest)
- Jim Henson's Muppets
- Caroll Spinney, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Fran Brill (uncredited)
- Human Characters
- David, Susan, Mr. Hooper, Bob, Luis, Maria, Gordon, Wally and Ralph, Kate, Linda, Willy
- Muppet Characters
- The Amazing Mumford, Anything Muppets, Baby Breeze, Bert, Betty Lou, Big Bird, Billy, Cookie Monster, Count von Count, Cow, Ernie, Farley, Fenwick, Frazzle, Granny Fanny Nesselrode, Grover, Guy Smiley, Hardhead Henry Harris, Harvey Kneeslapper, Herbert Birdsfoot, Herry Monster, Mr. Johnson, Juanita, Kermit the Frog, Lefty the Salesman, Lefty's Boss, Little Bird, Little Jerry and the Monotones, The Martians, The Mudman, Officer Krupky, Oscar the Grouch, Pamela, Prairie Dawn, Prince Charming, Roosevelt Franklin, Sam the Robot, Same Sound Brown, Sherlock Hemlock, Simon Soundman, Slimey, Smart Tina, Suzetta Something, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Tough Eddie
Credits
Season 4 credit crawl
credit crawl
- Executive Producer: Jon Stone
- Producer: Robert Cunniff
- Directors: Jon Stone, Robert Myhrum, Joost Van Rees
- Head Writer: Jeffrey Moss
- Writers: Dan Wilcox, Norman Stiles, Emily Perl Kingsley, Ray Sipherd, Jon Stone
- Music Director: Joe Raposo
- Puppets and Costumes: Donald Sahlin, Kermit Love, Caroly Wilcox, John Lovelady
- Supervising Film Producer: Edith Zornow
- Film Producer: Shyrlee Dallard
- Associate Producers: Dulcy Singer, Joan Lufrano
- Director of Operations: Ronald L. Weaver
- Production Supervisor: Lynn Klugman
- Music Coordinator: Danny Epstein
- Special Songs: Jeffrey Moss, Joe Raposo
- Film Production: M.M. Murphy, Ann Burgund
- Post Production Supervisor: Ozzie Alfonso
- Assistant to the Producer: Lisa Simon
- Production Assistants: Shelley Herman, Amy Hutchings, Laurie Krosney, Edwin Shirley
- Art Director: Alan J. Compton
- Costume Designer: Mostoller
- Graphics: Elaine Selig
- Illustrations: Janice Carden
- Senior Scenic Artist: Victor Di Napoli
- Director of Research: Edward L. Palmer, Ph.D.
- Chairman, Board of Advisors: Gerald S. Lesser, Ph.D.
- Curriculum Coordinator: Robert Emerick
- Production Stage Manager: Chet O'Brien
- Stage Manager: Jimmy Baylor
- Property Coordinator: Nat Mongioi
- Unit Manager: Glenda Jones
- Associate Director: Emily Squires
- Technical Director: Ralph Mensch
- Technical Supervisor: Walt Rauffer
- Lighting Director: George Riesenberger
- Audio: Mike Shoskes
- Video: Bob Squittieri
- Sound Effects: Terry Ross, Barbara Wood
- Make-Up: Phyllis Grens
- Hair Stylist: Mickey Lawrence
- Wardrobe: Ruby Howkins
- Videotape Editors: Joe O'Dowd, John Hutchison, Vincent Sims
- Vice President for Production: David D. Connell
- Recorded at Teletape's 81st. Street Studio
Sources
- ↑ Eugene Register-Guard: 'Sesame Street' to start fourth season
- ↑ Lakeland Ledger: 'Sesame Street' New Season Begins Today
- ↑ Truglio and Fisch. G is for Growing. p. 31
- ↑ Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street, page 94
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