'Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street' Review
PG: Some thematic elements, language, and smoking
Runtime: 1 Hr and 47 Minutes
Production Companies: Macrocosm Entertainment, Citizen Skull Productions, Screen Media Films, HBO Documentary Films, The Exchange
Distributor: Screen Media Films
Director: Marilyn Agrelo
Cast: Joan Ganz Cooney, Jim Henson, Jon Stone
Release Date: April 23, 2021
“Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?” Based on Michael Davis’s best-selling book of the same name, Marilyn Agrelo's film Street Gang explores how creator Joan Ganz Cooney, original series director Jon Stone, and legendary Muppets creator Jim Henson — among other key talents — joined forces to create a children's television show that would become a groundbreaking cultural phenomenon. Recognizing that kids were utterly captivated by television, these visionaries set out to harness the power of the medium for good — to offer learning rather than products to children. More than 50 years later, the show reaches over 150 countries around the world, continuing to entertain while it educates.
I was raised by Sesame Street. If I showed you pictures of my childhood bedroom, you’d see nothing but Sesame Street paraphernalia, from my Rocking Elmo toy to my Sesame Street sheets. It was my first movie, my first amusement park, my first of many things and the same can be said for countless children across the globe, spanning many generations. So, when I heard there was a Sesame Street doc premiering at Sundance this year, I wore my comfy green Oscar the Grouch pajamas and instantly streamed it.
As Sesame Street approaches its 50th anniversary, Marilyn Agrelo’s doc arrives just in time to lovingly pay tribute to the cast, crew, and puppeteers who created the groundbreaking show that became both a phenomenon and an iconic staple in children's television. The film chronicles the first 20 years of the series, starting with creator Joan Ganz Cooney having the motivation to craft a show to prep inner-city kids for school (and the real world). Director Jon Stone and puppeteer Jim Henson collaborated to make Sesame Street happen, from the difficult path of getting the show funded, the obstacles they faced during the first 20-year run, to Henson’s untimely death in 1990.
The doc goes into great detail discussing the effort that went into getting the show off the ground and the impact of each original crew member’s career, especially in the early days. It gives you a social history lesson on the environment of children’s programming back in the ‘60s, where the concept was almost nonexistent. Doing something like Sesame Street — making the show educational and entertaining — took a lot of research, including child psychology experiments. Archival footage shows the tests that researchers and producers did with young kids, which involved grabbing their attention span, and that’s just a glimpse into amount of passion and work that Joan Ganz Cooney and her team put into making sure this show was important. The film incorporates old archived interviews/footage mixed with never-before-seen new ones with cast and crew members who played an integral role in the series. It even shows the late Caroll Spinney appearing on camera one last time, discussing his roles as Big Bird and Oscar. When his face appeared on screen, I shouted with joy while on the verge of tears. Not to get emotional, but man, for this doc to be the last of the great Caroll Spinney is beautiful. All the cast members I grew up with, like Roscoe Orman, Sonia Manzano, and Emilio Delgado, discuss their time on the show and it felt like seeing old friends for the first time in years. Plus, they still look so good.
As a Jim Henson nerd, I had a personal checklist of topics that I wanted the doc to hit, and for the most part, they nailed the essential information of Henson’s early career before Sesame Street with never-before-seen footage. They show the violent yet hysterical Wilkins Coffee commercials, his work on Sam and Friends, the early start of Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog, the sets where Jim Henson used to work, and more. It checks all the boxes, displaying how he was hustling with muppets before he hit the Street. The film’s focus is a bit janky, but it’s the most inspirational when it centers on Henson’s contribution to the series. Seeing unearthed footage of Henson and longtime collaborator Frank Oz doing their comedy as various iconic muppets from various angles instantly put a smile on my face, proving how they were one of the most iconic comedic duos in history.
A majority of the prolific events in the first two decades of Sesame Street history is present, from how states like Mississippi refused to air the show because it was too diverse for the crowd, o.g (original Gordon) Matt Robinson and the impact of his character Roosevelt Franklin, and of course how the show handled the concept of death with the passing of Mr. Hooper’s actor Will Lee. You will feel a tidal wave of emotions while watching the doc, for they handle all of these subjects and their importance with care and respect to give you a larger picture of all these major events in the show’s timeline.
While Street Gang is a major tribute to the cast and crew who developed Sesame Street, it stays way too restricted for its own good, omitting a plethora of different subjects. The film doesn’t mention the international branching out of the series and how it became localized for kids across the globe. It may be an American show, but Sesame Street went so worldwide that every country had a variation of the show, an important one being Plaza Sesamo. There’s no mention of that whatsoever in the doc. That show was released in 1972, just a few years after Sesame Street debuted, and is not even mentioned at all. The doc omits the production of Follow That Bird, which came out in 1985. Why not talk about the difficulties of making a Sesame Street movie?! There were so many noteworthy moments throughout the first 20 years that the film shockingly left out.
As far as the organization of topics go, there are several moments in the film that feel disjointed. The film would touch on something like Henson and Oz’s chemistry, leave it hanging to discuss something else, and after that, bring it back to go in-depth with the prior subject. It doesn’t have much of a natural flow as far as storytelling and clarity go.
That being said, Street Gang is simply irresistible. It made me sob so many times. It's a riveting doc that tells the origin story of Sesame Street in a loving tribute that will trigger nostalgic memories. It’s an engaging and loving letter to the people who built Sesame Street from the ground up and the people who grew up with it. It could’ve been crafted a bit tighter and added the importance of its international impact to broaden the scope of its appeal, but it’s still a wonderful doc that’s worth checking out, especially to celebrate 50 years of Sesame Street.
