Post by johnstewart on Sept 6, 2007 19:05:32 GMT
Just bought - after a net search; the new vintage SESAME ST - DVD available. Didn't know it existed till I did a search!
This is predictably and American release; NTSC as far as I can tell.
So, what's it like and what of the history?
I was generally pleased. The only qualm I have about the choice of material is that there isn't more from series 1; 1969 - 70. This is the 'classic' series for me, the one first shown as far as I recall in the overlap between my last year at Primary and the Summer holidays.
Though designed for the Tots; I recall the 'DAILY MIRROR' running an article at the time saying that the series aimed to educate but used an unusual and bizarre presentation style. Whatever it was enough to encourage me to tune in to this new series and forgo my weekend lie in (didn't have a paper round)!
If I recall correctly I used to normally get up at 10 a.m. Saturdays; the time 'BANANA SPLITS' ran on Saturdays. I seem to think 'Sesame St' ran earlier perhaps 9.30? Whatever; after this I tuned in faithfully every week.
If I'm correct the original run was curtailed after a year; and mid 1973 was replaced on LWT by 'TOMFOOLERY'; a cartoon series based on Edward Lears poetry.
This effectively alienated me from any of the later runs. The only format I recognise in this collection is the 69 - 70 episodes which would have run on British T.V. between 72 and 73. Obviously this was not a complete run; and probably in a different transmission order.
On the disc; the only highlights of later seasons included (72 and 73) for me are the repeats of the first season insert films.
Pity I can't have the LWT links. Recall it was the fair side wept haired haired smoothie presenter Alexis - ? He had a light tie (probably pink or orange in colour) and suit jacket.
One week I recall they imitated 'GUS HONEYBUN's format on a lower budget. Rather than have a puppet they had a static stuffed toy, a Humpty Dumpty seated by the presenter. He said to the audience 'He and his friend were going to watch SESAME ST next..'
Format for the early series: they had a Neil Sedaka type man and I noted before reading the sleeve notes; a ground breaking mainly multi racial cast. In series 1 this included a black woman whoi looked like 'Julia' - Dianne Carroll; an American Jew (Mr Hooper) and a 'SHAFT' style black male presenter with a sort of Gerald Nebarro style (offbeat) moustache.
After series 1 they seem to lose a regular feature insert (live action) featuring a Laurel and Hardy style pair of Idiots. I seemed to recall one of them being replaced by Alan Arkin (M.A.S.H.); later on. This incarnation doesn't appear here but I did recall the buried memory of the first team and they're brilliant! The delivery and acting outshines many 'adult aimed' acts. One has a 1920s style upturned hat and is fatter and the other is a reassured business type in bow tie. The business type is more articulate but more stupid than the fat one who usually found the solution to a ridiculous problem.
Here they try to solve why a nail for a picture can't be hammered into a wall (the sharp end is pointing outwards).
other highlights were the 'E' cartoon about a boy riding on an Eagle while eating as peach; with a hippy style sitar tune behind it.
Also the Witch called Wanda animation with a disturbingly avant garde jazz backing.
What remains noteable is the San Francisco influence. Perhaps unwholesome but the series appears to have drawn heavily on drug culture images probably dreamt up by Hippies for a tiny tots programme.
It reminds of the LWT Kenny Everett series and 'ZOKKO' in atmosphere and style. Very visual and offbeat with much of the thinking left up to the observer rather than spelt out in dialogue.
It says the episodes have been restored. However on my player it looks as though the movement should play an extra frame faster. Also noteable is a solarised bleed out to some light areas like faces. This makes a blurred VHS quality edge on features in some scenes which jar against the higher quality of the Muppet VT inserts.
American archives are better in some ways in that there largely were no mass junkings; and early material that does survive is in its VT master form. I wonder how much the visual problems relate to the age of the tapes or perhaps lie in a less than top of the range transfer to digital medium from masters?
This is predictably and American release; NTSC as far as I can tell.
So, what's it like and what of the history?
I was generally pleased. The only qualm I have about the choice of material is that there isn't more from series 1; 1969 - 70. This is the 'classic' series for me, the one first shown as far as I recall in the overlap between my last year at Primary and the Summer holidays.
Though designed for the Tots; I recall the 'DAILY MIRROR' running an article at the time saying that the series aimed to educate but used an unusual and bizarre presentation style. Whatever it was enough to encourage me to tune in to this new series and forgo my weekend lie in (didn't have a paper round)!
If I recall correctly I used to normally get up at 10 a.m. Saturdays; the time 'BANANA SPLITS' ran on Saturdays. I seem to think 'Sesame St' ran earlier perhaps 9.30? Whatever; after this I tuned in faithfully every week.
If I'm correct the original run was curtailed after a year; and mid 1973 was replaced on LWT by 'TOMFOOLERY'; a cartoon series based on Edward Lears poetry.
This effectively alienated me from any of the later runs. The only format I recognise in this collection is the 69 - 70 episodes which would have run on British T.V. between 72 and 73. Obviously this was not a complete run; and probably in a different transmission order.
On the disc; the only highlights of later seasons included (72 and 73) for me are the repeats of the first season insert films.
Pity I can't have the LWT links. Recall it was the fair side wept haired haired smoothie presenter Alexis - ? He had a light tie (probably pink or orange in colour) and suit jacket.
One week I recall they imitated 'GUS HONEYBUN's format on a lower budget. Rather than have a puppet they had a static stuffed toy, a Humpty Dumpty seated by the presenter. He said to the audience 'He and his friend were going to watch SESAME ST next..'
Format for the early series: they had a Neil Sedaka type man and I noted before reading the sleeve notes; a ground breaking mainly multi racial cast. In series 1 this included a black woman whoi looked like 'Julia' - Dianne Carroll; an American Jew (Mr Hooper) and a 'SHAFT' style black male presenter with a sort of Gerald Nebarro style (offbeat) moustache.
After series 1 they seem to lose a regular feature insert (live action) featuring a Laurel and Hardy style pair of Idiots. I seemed to recall one of them being replaced by Alan Arkin (M.A.S.H.); later on. This incarnation doesn't appear here but I did recall the buried memory of the first team and they're brilliant! The delivery and acting outshines many 'adult aimed' acts. One has a 1920s style upturned hat and is fatter and the other is a reassured business type in bow tie. The business type is more articulate but more stupid than the fat one who usually found the solution to a ridiculous problem.
Here they try to solve why a nail for a picture can't be hammered into a wall (the sharp end is pointing outwards).
other highlights were the 'E' cartoon about a boy riding on an Eagle while eating as peach; with a hippy style sitar tune behind it.
Also the Witch called Wanda animation with a disturbingly avant garde jazz backing.
What remains noteable is the San Francisco influence. Perhaps unwholesome but the series appears to have drawn heavily on drug culture images probably dreamt up by Hippies for a tiny tots programme.
It reminds of the LWT Kenny Everett series and 'ZOKKO' in atmosphere and style. Very visual and offbeat with much of the thinking left up to the observer rather than spelt out in dialogue.
It says the episodes have been restored. However on my player it looks as though the movement should play an extra frame faster. Also noteable is a solarised bleed out to some light areas like faces. This makes a blurred VHS quality edge on features in some scenes which jar against the higher quality of the Muppet VT inserts.
American archives are better in some ways in that there largely were no mass junkings; and early material that does survive is in its VT master form. I wonder how much the visual problems relate to the age of the tapes or perhaps lie in a less than top of the range transfer to digital medium from masters?