DVD Review: Sesame Street - Old School Volume 1: 1969-1974

Sesame Street – Old School Volume 1: 1969-1974 is a three-disc DVD set that was released back in 2006. This set includes one episode from the first five seasons of the show. On this set, it’s stressed that it’s being aimed more at adults for nostalgia than it is to children. It’s not that children can’t watch this set, but Sesame Workshop’s intent was to sell this to adults who want to relive the nostalgia of the Sesame Street of their youth. Personally, I have let my kids watch this set, and my older kids understand that these episodes are from a different time period than what they’re used to.

The first disc has the very first episode of Sesame Street on it, which would have first aired in the fall of 1969. To me, this was something very interesting to see, since I wouldn’t have seen it when it was broadcast due the fact that I wasn’t born until 1975. The first episode focuses on a girl named Sally who has just moved to Sesame Street. She meets Gordon, and he introduces her to some of the cast. The most interesting thing, though, was when Gordon takes Sally into the apartment to meet Susan; as a culture, we must have been a little more trusting back then or something. Let’s be honest for a moment: If this episode of Sesame Street were produced today, they wouldn’t have shown Sally going to the home of someone that she just met, since this would go against the teachings of “stranger danger” that kids are taught today. It’s also interesting to note that in this episode, Oscar the Grouch is orange instead of green.

Disc one also includes “Season 1 Classic Cuts.” Included in this extra are: “Bein’ Green,” “Rubber Duckie,” Counting with James Earl Jones, “ABC-DEF-GHI,” “I Love Trash,” Alphabet with Jackie Robinson, Batman Crosses the Street, Swinging Baboon, Big Bird Meets Little Bird, Alphabet with Lou Rawls, “I’ve Got Two,” “Alphabet Soup,” and the Season 1 Credit Crawl.

And if that wasn’t enough, the first disc also includes the Original Sales Pitch Reel, which was titled, “The Itty-Bitty Nitty-Gritty Kiddie Show.” This feature runs for about 26 minutes, and it appears it was produced in order to convince the PBS stations across the county to include Sesame Street in their schedule for Fall 1969. Both Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog are an integral part of this film, and the process for how one of the shorts that appear in the show is produced. This is a fascinating and informative piece of history for Sesame Street fans. Kids may not enjoy this feature, but most adult Sesame Street fans should be able to appreciate this.

The second disc contains two episodes: Episode 131 (which is from the second season) and Episode 278 (which is from the third season). Bill Cosby and Carol Burnett make appearances, and some classic bits also appear (The Case of the Missing Sandwich, Big Bird Meets Snuffleupagus, Ernie and Bert segments, and Grover’s Restaurant).

The second disc also includes “Season 2 Classic Cuts” and “Season 3 Classic Cuts.” “Season 2 Classic Cuts” includes: “King Of Eight,” “Over, Under, Around & Through,” Superman, Astronaut Drawing, Counting With Listen My Brother, “I Love Being a Pig,” and the Season 2 Credit Crawl.

“Season 3 Classic Cuts” includes: “C Is for Cookie,” “Ladybug Picnic,” Martians Telephone, Amazing Mumford Magic Trick, “Alligator King,” J Friends, A Special Day with Bert & Ernie, “I Am Somebody” with Jesse Jackson, Would You Like to Buy an “O,” Harvey Kneeslapper with Mirror, Breathing Song with Animals, I in the Sky, My Favorite Letter P, “My Martian Beauty,” Mad Painter, and the Season 3 Credit Crawl.

The third disc contains two episodes: Episode 406 (which is from the fourth season) and Episode 536 (which is from the fifth season). Classic bits in these episodes include “Doin’ the Pigeon,” Grover’s Restaurant, and Kermit & Joey Do the Alphabet.

The third disc also includes “Season 4 Classic Cuts” and “Season 5 Classic Cuts.” “Season 4 Classic Cuts” includes: Kermit’s News with Rapunzel, Bread, Milk & Butter, “Lost Paper Clips” with Bert, Jon-Jon, Witches Cooperate, Song of the Count, Bert’s Bust, First and Last with Beetle Bailey, and Season 4 Credit Crawl.

“Season 5 Classic Cuts” includes: At the Movies with Bert & Ernie, “Nasty Dan” with Johnny Cash, Prairie Dawn’s School Pageant, Twiddlebugs Go to the Zoo, Jazz Alphabet, Hamburger Bun Factory, Madrigal Alphabet, 3 Wishes with Bob & Cookie, Telephone Booth with Super Grover, and the Season 5 Credit Crawl.

Sesame Street – Old School Volume 1: 1969-1974, along with the other “old school” box sets, are worth adding to your home video library if you’re a fan of Sesame Street.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of Sesame Street – Old School Volume 1: 1969-1974 that my husband and I purchased.