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Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration is a 2019 musical television special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street. Hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the special aired on November 9, 2019, on HBO, followed by a November 17 airing on PBS. It stars the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, including Kermit the Frog, from the past and present. Many retired cast members and characters reunited on the street for the first time in years since their last appearances. This is the final Sesame Street special to feature long-time Muppet performer Caroll Spinney, who performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for 50 years[1][2][3] as well as the cast members Emilio Delgado and Bob McGrath, who played Luis and Bob, respectively, for 45 years.

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Kermit the Frog rejoins his friends from Sesame Street in the special.
Created byJoan Ganz Cooney
Lloyd Morrisett
Jim Henson (Muppet characters)
Written byChristine Ferraro
Directed byJack Jameson
StarringSee list below
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time48 minutes
Production companySesame Workshop
Original release
NetworkHBO
PBS
ReleaseNovember 9, 2019 (2019-11-09) (HBO) November 17, 2019 (2019-11-17) (PBS)

Plot

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The special opens with Cookie Monster looking for directions to Sesame Street (and picking up cookies along the way). After a montage of various versions of the theme song, he arrives on Sesame Street with Joseph Gordon-Levitt who really wants to take a picture under the famous street sign but the trouble is it has gone missing. It is up to Elmo, Abby, Rosita and Grover to find it in time for the big photo while stopping Joseph from finding out. Meanwhile, Gonger is flying away on a balloon and Cookie Monster needs to get him back down for the party. Human cast members, Gordon, Susan, Bob, Gina, Luis, Maria, Linda, Leela and Miles return as Norah Jones sings "Welcome to the Party". Joseph takes a trip through Sesame Street history, bumping into some classic characters along the way, including Kermit the Frog (who sings "Bein' Green" with Elvis Costello).

Whoopi Goldberg, Patti LaBelle, Sterling K. Brown, Itzhak Perlman, Fran Brill, Caroll Spinney and Debra Spinney all arrive to celebrate while there are musical performances from Nile Rodgers, singing "The People in Your Neighborhood" with Ernie and Grover, Solange Knowles, singing "I Remember" with Elmo, Abby, Grover and Zoe, and Meghan Trainor, singing "Count Me In" with Elmo and Abby. Other highlights include a medley of Sesame Street songs, Sterling learning how to eat cookies like Cookie Monster and Whoopi and Itzhak helping Ernie "Put Down the Duckie". The special ends with a performance of "Sing" by the whole cast, led by Patti as it turns out Big Bird and Snuffy were decorating the street sign for the big party.

Cast

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Host

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Cast

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Special guest stars

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Sesame Street Muppet Performers

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Voices

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Songs

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Critical reception

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Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration has received generally positive reviews from television critics and parents of young children. Nardine Saad of Los Angeles Times wrote, "A party-themed event hosted by Sesame Street fanboy Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It features the beloved colorful muppets and plenty of former cast members for the Count to count and cookies for Cookie Monster to devour. Several celebrities were also — briefly — on hand to talk shop or sing a song. Or seven."[4] Sandra Gonzalez of CNN wrote, "Honors the moments that taught generations of children the building blocks of learning through song, stories and silliness."[2] Mark Kennedy of Associated Press wrote, "Fifty years ago, beloved entertainer Carol Burnett appeared on the very first broadcast of a quirky TV program that featured a bunch of furry puppets."[5] Lauren Messman of The New York Times wrote, "Now Sesame Street will take a trip down memory lane with a special anniversary celebration, hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The show will recreate iconic musical numbers, like "People in Your Neighborhood" and "It's Not Easy Being Green" with Kermit the Frog. Over the years, musicians like Johnny Cash and Destiny's Child have stopped by to sing on Sesame Street, and the anniversary will be no different, welcoming stars like Meghan Trainor, Patti LaBelle, Elvis Costello and Nile Rodgers to join the beloved characters for special segments and songs."[6]

References

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  1. ^ Sesame Street 50th Anniversary Celebration. PBS.org. Accessed November 22, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Gonzalez, Sandra (November 9, 2019). "Count on feeling nostalgic as 'Sesame Street' turns 50". CNN. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  3. ^ 'Sesame Street' turns 50: How Big Bird, Elmo and friends broke new ground for children's TV. USA Today. Accessed November 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Saad, Nardine (November 10, 2019). "Who is the 'Sesame Street' 50th anniversary special actually for?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Kennedy, Mark (November 6, 2019). "'Goodness and humor' celebrated as 'Sesame Street' turns 50". Associated Press. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  6. ^ Messman, Lauren (November 9, 2019). "What's on TV Saturday: 'Sesame Street' and 'Let It Snow'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
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