Classic Sesame Street - Alphabet Chat Letter R

[foxxyloxx]

I didn't think I remembered these, but as soon as I heard the theme song, it all came back.

"Holy baloney, hand me that hammer." Biff, is that you?

I lol whenever Frank Oz uses that nasally voice like the caterer here!

"I heard that you were using the letter A, R (frazzled, corrects quickly) R today." Good going, Richard! But that's the thing about SS back in the day, it was so relaxed. No second takes, lots of improv.

The Guy Smiley cameo at the end. And Gladys pretending to be a dog.<3 it

[cstoczyn]

Where's Roosevelt Franklin When You Need Him?

[Brettmania]

"I'm going to become rabid!"

LOL!

[cstoczyn]

Rice Pudding..........MMMMMM!!!!!!!­!

[jpeavler1975]

Holy bologna?

[cstoczyn]

@jpeavler1975 LOL

[cstoczyn]

Long Live Sam Pottle!!!!

[cstoczyn]

RIP Sam Pottle

[cstoczyn]

Guy Smiley's Takin' A Break From Game Showbiz, Huh?

[cstoczyn]

The Caterer Should've Brought Rice Pudding, Which Begins With 'R'!

[cstoczyn]

Ragu Is A Brand Name For Spaghetti Sauce

[cstoczyn]

Prune Danish.........MMMMMMM!!!!!!!

[Smartboy8877]

@cstoczyn

I remember an ad for Cross-Your-Heart bras in which a prude danish was mentioned! It was from the early eighties.  Does anyone else remember it? Those were the good old days!

[cstoczyn]

@Smartboy8877 I Don't

[cstoczyn]

Apple Tart......MMMMMMM!!!!

[cstoczyn]

Gladys: BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK!

[cstoczyn]

Gladys: HOP! HOP! HOP! HOP!

[cstoczyn]

Gladys: COCK A DOODLE MOO!!!!

COCK A DOODLE MOO!!!!!

[cstoczyn]

Lord Chatterly: Oh, I Should've Stayed In Radio!!!!

[ISNorden]

@cstoczyn: Possible in-joke as well as an R-word example; the Alphabet Chat may be a partial spoof of President Roosevelt's "fireside chats" broadcast on radio during World War II.

[cstoczyn]

@ISNorden RIP Franklin Roosevelt

[cstoczyn]

Caterer: COFFEE!!! DONUTS!!! COFFEE!!! DONUTS!!!

[cavalierfan1995]

R FOR RAMONES

[cstoczyn]

@cavalierfan1995 What Are Ramones?

[zangazoo2007]

Looks like Mr Chatterly is the only one who disliked this one.

[AlbieGray]

Poor Mr. Chatterly! Once again, his show was ruined, and he flew into a rage and would have went completely batshit and nobody would have blamed him one bit!

[rayandreina]

Actually, there was a third one which came out in later years -- for the letter "L" -- but I much prefer these two for the letters "O" and "R" for one simple reason: the interruptions for the letter "L" chat are all L-words, such as the little girl's lamb, Lulu; or Cookie Monster blurting out "Listen!" But the interruptions for the "O" and "R" chats have absolutely nothing to do with the letters being discussed!

o x-D

[CGAWLEY]

@rayandreina I vaguely seem to remember an Alphabet Chat sketch similar to the "L" sketch (I forget which letter was premiered), where Cookie Monster Appears in the window asking about a cookie, & gets his head momentarily stuck as he tries to close the window. Does anyone else remember that one?

[cstoczyn]

@CGAWLEY Poor Cookie Monster

[disgustika]

Many of our favourite words like... RAPE

[Smartboy8877]

Before watching this, I watched the one about the letter B. I believe that two people mentioned the absense of the man's pipe in that one. I guess that the show had to become more politically correct by that stage in the game!

[TheMKEWERBY]

Man, What is that Cow's Problem?

[jasonpp1973]

I love it when he Mr. Chatterly gets pissed! Sesame Street would never be able to get away with skits like this today! I MISS THE GOOD OL' DAYS!

[sumphoneo]

i was looking for this for a while. i always loved the song

[mooky9669]

Classic!! I love the theme song!

[quirpco]

@mooky9669 About 30 years ago I caught my nephew singing along to it when he was little...funniest thing you've ever seen!

[zangazoo2007]

OMG I totally forgot these existed!!!! I loved these as a kid.

[Smartboy8877]

@zangazoo2007

I liked them too!

[shydmples]

let's go over here & see if we can find a cow...lol...the best.

[ShaiMyst]

BUP BUP BUP...the cow vise he is a rooster. and then a rabbit. obviously needs psych evaluation by a vet.

[afriendofbean]

Does anyone have the skit/scene where Lord Chatterly made a street scene on Sesame Street where he came to Oscar The Grouches trash can to interview Oscar's puppy named Preposterous asking whether he could have Preposterous on his Alphabet Chat show? If anyone has this skit/scene, could you please post it onto YouTube?

[jbsmg]

Man, I've been looking for this forever. The beginning song is awesome.

[gomiwomi]

I'm going to become rabid......

[brianklick]

jim and the guys did a great job switching out muppets so fast in these sketches

[JFD62780]

Pity... They forgot the most important R word of all:

RANDOMNESS!

The very thing that made these Alphabet Chats worth watching! 5 out of 5!

BTW: First take! WOO! XD

[MoochyMooch]

I remember this! I loved them. They always cracked me up, especially when the chaos ensued.

[stringanime]

I am sorry, but at 1:00 "Rate" seriously sounded like "rape." I listened to it 4 X. I know he's not saying that, but I can't believe how much it sounded like he was.

[PandaMishima]

I always thought it was "rake".

[stringanime]

You are probably right.

[muppetfan33]

He did say rake. The tool.

[shydmples]

lol..bow wow chow...lol

[CygnusRoc]

I think Miss Piggy morphed, lol

[CygnusRoc]

These skits were so priceless. Just amazing how good Sesame Street was.

[gringging]

In addition to everything else, we may also be able to thank SS/Henson for popularizing the idea of a female director through the use of the Muppet in this clip!! There weren't too many female directors in movies and TV at this time in history, were there??

Hear hear to the calls for Alexander Chatterley doing chats on all 26 letters!! I do seem to recall him on some more generic SS skit, perhaps with some of the kids and other Muppets, and involving Oscar.

Why was Alexander C. retired??

[DRUMMERMAN77]

lord chatterly could have been james lipton in inside the alphabet studios lol

[shydmples]

I was going to ask why would he offer Roast Beef with Gladys standing there...then I thought....she thought she was a rooster & a rabbit...so I guess it didn't matter anyway....lol

[Garrettk41]

Looks like Lord Chatterly has a pipe at the beginning. Now I know why this clip stopped showing once Henson died. The things parents object to these days.

[ISNorden]

The last two Alhpabet Chat clips (for the letters B and H) show Mr. Chatterly without his pipe; I suspect they were produced just before CTW retired that character altogether.

[Garrettk41]

Yes, the letter B clip was on here last year. Unfortunately, not only is there no pipe, but the room is brighter and Jerry Nelson pointlessly changed Chatterly's voice.

[wiley207]

And they didn't do that TV show crew bit at the beginning either!

[afriendofbean]

Was there any other time Lord Chatterly was seen on Sesame Street except here on these skits sitting in his chair next to the fireplace? I'm wondering this because I'm quite sure I saw a picture of Lord Chatterly on the internet (it's gone now) standing in front of Oscar The Grouch's trash can. I wonder what Lord Chatterly was doing on the streets of Sesame Street when he is usually supposed to be seen as the host of Alphabet Chat sitting in his chair next to the fireplace.

[galaxyhigh73]

Riveting... richly rewarding, ridiculously rambunctious!

[LordChatterly]

I would Like to see Alphabet Chat's L, B, or H if anyone has it?

[shydmples]

I didn't know Ragu was a food...I thought it was a brand of spaghetti sauce...lol Man, I used to love this...ESPECIALLY THE SONG!!

[ISNorden]

There's a dish called "ragout", whose name sounds like the spaghetti-sauce brand. Still, that example must have gone over MILLIONS of kids' heads!

[Garrettk41]

A few "R" words come to mind when discussing this show. Old School Sesame Street rocks, and the Sesame Street of today is absolute rubbish.

[rayandreina]

@Garrettk41 I know -- tell me about it! In fact, once I discovered Classic Sesame Street on YouTube back in September 2009 -- I officially swore off all the modern stuff for good! I haven't watched it since.

[Smartboy8877]

@Garrettk41

It seems that everyone who comes to You Tube is unhappy with the "Sesame Street" of today! Amazing! The thing that I find the most fault with is the fact that the "Elmo's World" segment is in every episode and it seems to monopolize the show as a whole. Any thoughts anyone?

[Garrettk41]

@Smartboy8877 Exactly. Elmo's World never should have been created. An absolutely abominable addition to a wonderful show that was once so creative and imaginative.

Incidentally, they've released a few DVDs titled "The Best of Elmo's World". I wonder how they decided which ones to use. As far as I'm concerned, the best and worst of Elmo's World are once and the same.

[Smartboy8877]

@Garrettk41

Very interesting point of view! Very happy to chat with you!

[Garrettk41]

@Smartboy8877 Thanks. Right back at you.

[JeffK1980]

Yo, man... I remember this skit when I was a kid. The part I liked in this skit is when the guys were singing the alphabet, and the chair was turning around. This is the real deal, y'all.

[KW1982]

man I'd die to see the one on the letter Q again.

[ISNorden]

Only five Alphabet Chat sketches exist; unfortunately, none of them covered the letter Q. Maybe you're confusing these clips with another letter-themed Muppet series on Sesame Street?

[PandaMishima]

"would you like a cheese sandwich?" "NO!!!" That's the best part!

[lion371]

I have another R word. rude and that is what all these people were.

[PandaMishima]

Yes, but they were also Really Random, providing Rollicking Results!

[ThrobertMcGee]

For anyone who's curious, the music for "Alphabet Chat" is a melody called "Rondeau" by the early 18th-century French composer Jean-Joseph Mouret. (He's fairly obscure today, except for writing this one piece that's now best known as the theme song for PBS's "Masterpiece Theater.")

[PandaMishima]

I think you've got the right church but wrong pew. "Alphabet Chat"s tune sounds more like one of the Brandenburg Concertos by JS Bach. "Monster/Masterpiece Theater" is the one with the famous Rondeau.

[raakone]

It sounds like a variation of Bach's second fugue from the first book of his "Well tempered Clavichord"

~Ra'akone

[Garrettk41]

Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt sure make a good duet, huh?

[tpirman1982]

Anybody got this one in better quality like the other copy that got pulled last year and does anybody have a logo-free copy of Letters R, B, H, and L?

[bearcattony]

anybody have the letter "B" It ends when Lord Chatterly goes up and away with the balloons.

[mftheory]

A cow with an Identity crisis!lol

[cootmaster]

OH regarding the rabbit it was letter "O"  the rabbit says HOP HOP HOP TURN :P

[cootmaster]

btw doesn't host look like john lennon bit w the glasses a bit or mabee someone else

[cootmaster]

OMG CLASSIC i did a parody w my brother w this

i think in ours we did rabbit i played the guy he played the ppl interrupting me as rabbit he says : HOP HOP HOP (turns to host says chow i a naisly voice) i do a lot comedy and done ton of parodies on SS

from alphabet chat to monsterpiece theater to some none and the lost story w yo yo man i was the boy he was the yo yo guy best part was when he leaves into the wall i say WHOA my bro says YEAHHHH

[Garrettk41]

Yeah, I'm with you on that one. This is the only Alphabet Chat I remember seeing when I was a kid. And out of the ones I've seen so far, it's easily my favorite.

[quirpco]

Gotta love those glasses!

I think the way sing the alphabet on Alphabet Chat is better than the traditional version based on "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

[PandaMishima]

I love these, esp the interruptions that often had no connection to the letter being featured. Of course the payoff was watching the poor host hit meltdown by the end of the show. "Hey, these books are just painted on!" Priceless!

[booboo900]

does anybody have the song "alphabet jungle"?

[satrlanl]

Haha, I already knew what an R was. This piece taught me what a fugue was.

[jalabi99]

"Sesame Street" was such a good way to learn stuff other than what they were teaching. This Alphabet Chat was about the letter R, but from the theme music you would also learn about fugues. Amazing program.

[cosmowanda868]

"ABC-D-E, CDE-F-G, HIJK-LMN-O-P, QRSTU-RSTUV-STUV, W-X-Y-Z and A-B-C..." I remember the Alphabet Chat with Lord Chatterly, R in particular. Man, that radiator had to hurt! I also loved it when Chatterly turned his chair around to the music!

[Jamiepeavler]

My favorite part was when Guy Smiley came on with a dog food commercial!

[Paulywint]

Him talking about the letter "R" was funny, I liked the part when they smashed the radiator on his foot. (OUCH!)

[nirrad0791]

"ooow my foot"...LOL I used to laugh at that part too.

[Jamiepeavler]

That had to be painful! Anyone know what that hissing sound was?

[benatarfan88]

these used to scare me like crazy

[cocobliss30]

I forgot all about Alphabet Chat! I haven't seen this in at least 20 years!! As I type this, I am crying with laughter!! *lmao* I forgot how funny these were and still are! Classic SS at its best!

[tpirman1982]

YEOOOOWWWWWWWCCCCHHH! That's gotta hurt with that radiator. I hope Lord Chatterly didn't need foot surgery after the show. lol

[glowworm2]

THis one is hysterical! Man,Gladys is such a ham I love the whole scene where she claims that she could be a rooster or a rabbit-and the end where she plays a dog!

[tpirman1982]

The female muppet giving the slate announcement orally sounds very much like Miss Piggy to me.

I know that it's because it's Frank Oz.

[jbl1975]

I love how he looks at the cow and remembers, "roast beef", then the cow asks for a glass of milk. BTW Screw the rest of the taping, get me to the hospital! My foot's busted!

[culpit]

I wonder if Gladys got offended when Mr. Chatterly mentioned Roast Beef?

[Ervicito]

LOL! Gladys the Cow still cracks me up.

[LordChattely]

I Hope Someone could post the Letters either B,H, or L. I hopw it's L mostly because I haven't seen that one since I was a child.

[jonnytbird4789]

Can you tell me on what happen with L.

[snuffereet]

Only thing I remember about the L skit is Chatterly has his longest outraged fit. He starts getting upset and then the music plays and after the music is done he keeps ranting and raving for another 15 seconds before starting to cry again.

[PandaMishima]

That might be the one where he wails, "I'm a poet of some small renown!" Love that part, wish it would turn up!

[muppetfan33]

I wonder if that's when he was talking about the letter L.

[PandaMishima]

Maybe, wish it could be posted.

[CanadaFamilyMan]

This was my favourite of the alphabet chats. I like that song, & the whole "classy" atmosphere of these. & poor Chatterly, he should try the decaff.

[ulij20]

That was indeed the Letter L one. "Why do you let this happen to me? I'm a poet of some small renown! I deserve better!" (Starts crying uncontrollably)

[PandaMishima]

@ulij20

I'd love to see that one posted! Anybody got a copy?

[LordChattely]

I hope sometime you could post up Letters B, H, or L. I hope it's Letter L I haven't seen that clip since I was a child.

[Lectronimo]

"No, no, no, don't put it there!" Why they didn't do all twenty-six letters of the alphabet is beyond me - these Alphabet Chats are priceless.

[booboo900]

actually i was kidding, i knew that was Guy Smiley, he was my favorite when i was little, in fact the son of a bitch still is

[ISNorden]

To the best of my knowledge, there was no Alphabet Chat for the letter F: only five letters (B, H, L, O, R) ever had Chat clips made about them. This one isn't bad as the series goes; I give it four stars.

[DRUMMERMAN77]

And letter p

[veevs]

Chatterly is so clearly The Count! Even sounds like him when he lowers his voice!

[ISNorden]

Besides the Muppet pattern (and possibly their performer), those characters seem like distant relatives: Both have obsessions (letters vs. numbers), aristocratic backgrounds (lord vs. count), and foreign accents (British vs. East European). Given their differences, though, I'd hesitate to say that one "is" the other.

[veevs]

I meant that the basic muppet is the same.

[ISNorden]

True enough: even as a girl, I noticed that some characters had patterns in common. I apologize for getting too analytical, though: no hard feelings?

[emcgo]

Heh, notice how Richard Hunt messes up his line when playing Gladys the Cow? It's not the letter A! :)

[tpirman1982]

As Lord Chatterly was raging, he yelled a few R words: "Ridiculous", "Rage", "Rabid", etc.

[LordChattely]

There's 3 more Alphabet Chat's that need to be uploaded. Where's B,H,or L?

[ulij20]

I like the one with the letter L. I heard somewhere that there were two versions of that. In one of them, Cookie Monster opened the window and said, "Listen..." and then looked confused and then left. In the other one, he said that he was looking for a cookie that he'd dropped. I only saw the first one I mentioned, though.

[ISNorden]

The L chat would go on my favorites list as soon as it got uploaded: somehow, Lord Chatterly reciting a highbrow poem about the letter seems more believable than his rattling off lists in categories.

[LordChattely]

Mr Chatterly of Alphabet Chat is Cool. I believe He also did the Letters L,B,H. I wish someone could post up the Letter L of Alphabet Chat, I haven't seen that one since I was a little boy.

[Ffeifanc]

Cool! Thanks for uploading this!

[booboo900]

who was that yellow muppet at the end?

[wilee2005]

It could be Guy Smiley! He looks like that type of Anything Muppet pattern, and he's voiced by Jim Henson

[tpirman1982]

Wasn't the female muppet in the red shirt voiced by Frank Oz? Sounds like one of his Miss Piggy-style voices to me.

[Larynxa]

Yes, it's Frank!

[KingSlifer]

Wasn't there also one with the letter H?

[tpirman1982]

Anybody got Letters B, F, and L. That's all there is besides O and R.

[jonnytbird4789]

I don't think they ever did F. You must have been thinking of H. Anyway, I'm going to post the same sketch again on my profile and I'll post up B too.

[LordChattely]

If you can try to post up either L or H if you can because I haven't seen L since I was a child?

[tpirman1982]

YEOOOOWWWWWWWCCCCHHH! That's gotta hurt with that radiator. I hope Lord Chatterly didn't need foot surgery after the show. lol

[benvolio15]

Check out Gladys the cow deciding to be first a rooster, then a rabbit, then a dog!

[StormyCat]

I like the intro song :)

[nantosuichoken]

Guy Smiley interrupting with the dog food commercial was priceless.

[jonnytbird4789]

It's a liitle darker than what I have. When I post this up on my profile I just thought I'd give you a little warning. At the end of the first theme song, I accidentaly taped a second of it from Dragon Tales. But the rest of it is still good.

[tpirman1982]

Well, could you post yours?

[jonnytbird4789]

Yes. I know I waited too long for it but I'm fixing some more technical difficulties with my DVDs and DivX. I'll give you all an update on when I'll post up more videos as promised.