If you had to think of one creative person most closely associated with Sesame Street, who would it be? For me, I had this vision that it all came from the mind of Jim Henson. I was 5-years-old when he passed away and vividly remember his face on the cover of newspapers and magazines, surrounded by my favorite Sesame Street characters. But in Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, an HBO Documentary Film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, it becomes clear that Jim Henson was a key player in an initiative that had several founders.
Photo Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Based on the New York Times Best-selling book by Michael Davis, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, the documentary tells the origin story of Sesame Street, what the show’s creators set out to do and the impact it had on the world. Poignantly arriving at a time when another civil rights movement has picked up steam around the world, the history of the show really goes back to the late 1960’s and a drive to entertain and educate underprivileged city kids, particularly those of color. The story is so much bigger than puppets singing songs and kids learning the alphabet.
The film certainly spends its time on Jim Henson’s involvement and importance to the show’s success, but covering the first twenty years of the series, it’s also very focused on Joan Ganz Cooney and Jon Stone. Joan Cooney had the initial concept, having spent years documenting the civil rights movement on TV. When studies showed that Black kids started Kindergarten academically behind their white peers and research showed that kids consumed a significant amount of television, she saw an opportunity to solve a major problem.
Jon Stone was the series’ first producer and also directed half of the shows in the early years. No longer present to speak for himself, archival interviews are paired with interviews from cast members and creative partners who knew him best in addition to his two daughters, Kate Stone Lucas and Polly Stone. Involved in the series early on, he not only brought Jim Henson into the project but also saw a PSA about life in the ghetto, which inspired the show’s setting on a city street.
For Jim Henson fans, there’s a lot of rare archival footage from commercials, late night talks shows and his first primetime show, Sam and Friends. Brian and Lisa Henson are among the new interviewees along with lots of behind-the-scenes footage of Jim and Frank Oz at work on the show. One of the film’s biggest highlights is seeing rare bloopers, many of which are not kid-friendly. A picture is painted of adults on set with their own unique sense of humor and vices, including a puppeteer on a smoke break outside of Mr. Hooper’s store.
In addition to the puppeteers, conversations include legacy cast members including Roscoe Orman, Sonia Mansano, Bob McGrath and Emilio Delgado. The show’s original Gordon, played by Matt Robinson, received the most amount of emphasis, sought out by the show for his work in local television aimed at the Black community and the controversial character he created, Roosevelt Franklin. It also covers some of the show’s most defining moments, including the death of Mr. Hooper on the show when actor Will Lee passed away.
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is an emotion-charged eye-opening experience for anyone who grew up with these classic characters. Viewers will not only see how the magic was made, but meet the people that made the show as special as it became. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll want your old plush Big Bird to hug afterwards.
I give Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street 5 out of 5 Big Bird drawings of Mr. Hooper.