
Walter Pidgeon, favorite movie star of both Sam the Eagle and Big Bird
Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984) was an actor who was a Hollywood leading man and MGM contract player from the thirties through the fifties, including classic films such as Mrs. Miniver and How Green Was My Valley. Later films included Forbidden Planet and Funny Girl (as Florenz Ziegfeld opposite Barbra Streisand) and he remained active (including TV guest roles) through the seventies.
Because of his last name, Pidgeon has been the subject of bird related jokes by the Muppets and others.
References[]
- After helping Susan with an errand in Episode 0150 of Sesame Street, Big Bird says he's off to play checkers with a pigeon named Walter.
- In the 1976 special Bob Hope's World of Comedy, Big Bird is asked by Bob Hope to name his favorite movie stars. He mentions Walter Pidgeon, along with cartoon birds such as Donald Duck.
- In The Muppets Go Hollywood, an autograph collecting Sam the Eagle asks if Walter Pidgeon is there, since he's his favorite. This reflects both Sam's species and his old-fashioned tastes.
- In the Elmo's World episode "Birds," The Bird Channel announces The Loon Ranger starring Walter Pigeon.