| Sesame Street | |||||||||||
| Big Bird tells the shortest and longest stories ever told | |||||||||||
| Air date | December 21, 1973 | ||||||||||
| Season | Season 5 (1973-1974) | ||||||||||
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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SCENE 1 | Big Bird, hosting a Tonight Show-esque production, gathers everyone around to tell them the "shortest story ever told" -- "Once upon a time there was a little girl, and she lived happily ever after." Everyone encourages him to tell a longer story, so Big Bird decides to take a "short intermission." |
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Cartoon | The great Alphonso and his trained X's (First: Episode 0299) |
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Muppets | Four Anything Muppet cheerleaders give four big cheers for the number 4. (First: Episode 0132) |
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SCENE 1 cont'd | Big Bird comes back out with the "longest story ever told" -- "Once upon a time there was a little girl, and the little girl decided to go out and take a walk. So, she went out and walked and walked and..." Gordon unsuccessfully tries to leave. |
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Cartoon | Elephants have 4 legs. |
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SCENE 1 cont'd | Big Bird's story continues with the girl walking, but comes to an exciting moment when she meets a rhinoceros. The rhino also wants to take a walk, so they walked and walked and... |
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Cartoon | The Story of Cowboy X, with the voices of Jean Shepherd (First: Episode 0325) |
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SCENE 1 cont'd | Big Bird: "And they walked and walked and ..." By now, everyone has fallen asleep. |
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Cartoon | Donnie Budd counts four lions. Artist: Bud Luckey (First: Episode 0300) |
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SCENE 1 cont'd | Big Bird: "... and walked and walked and walked and finally, they came to an end of their long walk." Upon hearing this, the audience (now covered in cobwebs) wakes up and cheers excitedly as Big Bird concludes his story. Susan then suggests a glass of milk. However, a tired Big Bird wants to go for a walk himself... |
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Cartoon | "Poverty X": A peanut-shaped figure lists the words that the letter "X" can be found in. (First: Episode 0006) |
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Muppets | Guy Smiley hosts "The Trading Game" with contestants Oscar the Grouch and Sally Screamer. (First: Episode 0279) |
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Cartoon | V in space (First: Episode 0481) |
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Song | Joe Raposo sings "Everybody Sleeps." (First: Episode 0406) |
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Cartoon | Three birds enter a cuckoo clock to do their job. (First: Episode 0407) |
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Cast | Wally and Ralph: Wally needs to borrow a pencil from Ralph, but he writes with the wrong end of it. (First: Episode 0360) |
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Cartoon | I've Got a Mind: Wind-up toy (First: Episode 0255) |
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Muppets | Ernie & Bert — Ernie has a licorice whip that he offers to share with Bert. He divides the licorice in half with a pair of scissors, but then discovers that Bert's half is longer than his. He cuts off a little bit of Bert's half, and eats it. Then he discovers that his own half is longer than Bert's, and that's not fair, so he cuts a bit off of his own, and eats it. Ernie goes back and forth, shaving off more and more, until the licorice whip is gone. (First: Episode 0461) |
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Celebrity | Stevie Wonder sings "123 Sesame Street." (First: Episode 0514) |
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Cartoon | Brand X (First: Episode 0299) |
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Film | Four Song (Song of Four) (First: Episode 0006) |
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Cartoon | Speech Balloon: X for X-ray (First: Episode 0064) |
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Muppets | Guy Smiley hosts "Beat the Time". In order to win a cookie, Cookie Monster has to bring in three things that rhyme with the word "rain" before the hand goes around the clock. They turn out to be an old man's "cane", a "chain" (to which Frazzle is attached), and finally a "train" which destroys the set. (First: Episode 0446) |
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Cartoon | A concert pianist shows up in a construction worker's lunchbox, singing the alphabet. (First: Episode 0449) |
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Film | Traffic light Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0131) |
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Cartoon | A story of a man who hates frogs (voiced by Daws Butler), until his swamp becomes infested with flies. (First: Episode 0387) |
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SCENE 2 | Oscar hurriedly has David write BUS STOP on a sign for his trash can. To David's surprise, it turns out the bus is running from inside his trash can, which Oscar misses. Oscar responds, “You wouldn’t expect I’m gonna have to walk all the way from my bedroom to my living room, do ya?” Another one then passes, which Oscar misses again... this time, headed to his kitchen. |
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Muppets | Muppet & Kid Moment — Ernie, Bert and Shola talk about the letter X. |
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Film | Women put dolls together and package them at a doll factory. (First: Episode 0538) |
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Muppets | Three Anything Muppets (including Farley) wait for a bus at a bus stop. To their surprise, the bus is very small, and two small Muppets get off of it. (First: Episode 0189) |
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Cartoon | Speech Balloon: V for Violin A musician plays a violin, which instantly breaks. (First: Episode 0052) |
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Muppets | Muppet & Kid Moment — Grover and Loren count to twenty. (First: Episode 0290) |
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Cartoon | Donnie Budd counts four lions. (repeat) Artist: Bud Luckey |
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Muppets | Harvey Kneeslapper: X Marks the Spot! (First: Episode 0456) |
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Transition | Bridge #10 - Bricks Bridge A (First: Episode 0286) |
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Muppets | Sherlock Hemlock sings "X Marks the Spot!" (First: Episode 0351) |
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Transition | Bridge #11 - Bricks Bridge B (First: Episode 0286) |
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Insert | Stevie Wonder teaches Grover how to sing loud and soft. (First: Episode 0514) |
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Video | Counting train cars Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0410) |
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Cartoon | Commander 0 assembles numbers 1-20. (First: Episode 0536) |
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Film | George the Farmer demonstrates short and tall. (First: Episode 0254) |
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Muppets | Kermit's Lectures: Kermit and Grover demonstrate short and long -- Kermit sings and hops for short periods, while Grover does them for long periods. Finally Grover asks if he can do the short thing and Kermit do the long thing. To Grover's detriment, it turns out to be tickling! |
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Cartoon | Dot Bridge #2: Last dot is late and travels through the others (First: Episode 0001) |
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SCENE 3 | As Gordon, Susan, and Maria play ball with the kids, Big Bird arrives to tell them that he had skipped two chapters in the middle of his long story, much to everyone's displeasure. He continues his story ("And they walked and walked and...") as everyone splits. David announces the sponsors, and the credits roll. |
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CLOSING SIGNS | David and Maria hold the Sesame Street sign, while Susan holds the Children's Television Workshop sign. |
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