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Street Gangs how we got to Sesame Street review


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Street Gang:  How We Got To Sesame Street

 Screen media films

PG.           107 min

 

When I was growing up children's programming, at least the shows that meant the most to me, were from folks named Barnaby, Captains Penny or Kangaroo or Ghoulardi and most featured cartoons along with Little Rascals and 3 Stooges shorts from the thirties. I have no children and frankly, don't like kids all that well. Haha. But I am, as I have been since the eighties, aware of the massive footprint Sesame Street has on us youngsters. It really is inescapable as are Jim Henson's Muppets who are not only the core of Sesame Street but an independent entity unto themselves.  This documentary is more about the TV show which started out and continues today on public TV, rather than appearances on the silver screen or THE MUPPET SHOW itself.  At this writing it's in very limited release, but I have no doubt that it will soon be in more theatres or at least streaming; check HBOMAX. As for now you can make a night of the Cedar Lee and the Boss Dog brewery right next door.  (Tell Jobu I said hello) This is a documentary that spans just about 40 years of the TV show and tells little stories of some of the ups and downs decisions they had to make personal relationships struggles with conservative TV stations way back in the day but mostly about a bunch of friends who cobbled their good intentions together and created an almost universally beloved world.

 The goals were simple; to create an environment where kids could be entertained at home and still wind-up learning something.  You could have fun with the characters and still learn how to count or what the letter B might possibly stand for. The street itself was a diverse location where people of all kinds lived together in peace of harmony without any of the nastiness, finger pointing and self-described victims of today's fake woke generation.    Besides the 3 r's kids also learned lessons about real life. And death.  When the actor Will Lee who played Mr. Hooper died suddenly they made the decision to teach kids, Through the child like innocent eyes of Big Bird, that death is death and Mr. Hooper wasn't coming back.  Another fun fact is that Caroll Spinney was the guy behind not only Big Bird but the polar opposite Oscar the Grouch.  The film also touches on Hansen's depression and his tragic early death but his joyful genius side is what shines through every time.  But don't worry come up almost everything else here is upbeat.

 Whether you grew up with Sesame Street or not I think everybody will laugh cry and have their hearts touched by this film. I did anyway.

A

WSS

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