Sesame Street: "Farewell, Mr. Hooper"
About This Show
The Sesame Street episode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" aired on Thanksgiving Day in 1983 so that the entire family could watch the show that dealt directly with the death of character Mr. [Harold] Hooper (actor Will Lee had died the previous year). Head writer Norman Stiles and his writing staff fashioned a script following extensive research, and the show is most remembered for the scene in which Bird Bird comes to fully understand what is meant by his friend Mr. Hooper's death. The show was aired once and never rerun and is considered a landmark in children's television programming. For the 1983-84 season of the show, performer Carroll Spinney (Bird Bird) and the writers of Sesame Street were awarded the Peabody Award; the show also won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing as well.
Featured Content
Video: Notable scene from Sesame Street: "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" in which Bird Bird comes to fully realize Mr. Hooper's death.
Resources
Official website: Sesame Street.org
Mr. Hooper/Will Lee entry at Sesame Street.org
Book: Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis
IMDb entry on Will Lee
Wikipedia entry on Mr. Hooper
Highlights
"Big Bird"/"Oscar the Grouch" performer Carroll Spinney on the Sesame Street episode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" which addressed the death of character "Mr. Hooper," following actor Will Lee's death (01m 07s)- "Big Bird"/"Oscar the Grouch" performer Carroll Spinney on Will Lee ("Mr. Hooper") and "Big Bird's" mispronounciation of "Mr. Hooper's" name (00m 55s)
Sonia Manzano on Sesame Street castmate Will Lee ("Mr. Hooper") (01m 16s)
Bob McGrath ("Bob") on getting acting advice from Will Lee ("Mr. Hooper") (02m 35s)- "Big Bird" performer Carroll Spinney on telling Will Lee ("Mr. Hooper") he loved him, during what turned out to be Lee's last day of shooting (00m 32s)
- "Big Bird" performer Carroll Spinney on performing the scene in "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" when Big Bird comes to fully realize that Mr. Hooper has died (02m 09s)
Roscoe Orman on Sesame Street's: "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" (01m 13s)
Joan Ganz Cooney on the Sesame Street episode following actor Will Lee's death, "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" (01m 16s)- Sonia Manzano ("Maria") on Carroll Spinney's performance as "Big Bird" in the episode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" (00m 51s)
- Bob McGrath ("Bob") on the research/script done for the episode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper," which dealt with the death of character Mr. Hooper following actor Will Lee's death (01m 36s)
- Sonia Manzano ("Maria") on execuitve producer Dulcy Singer's fight to make a show which would address the death of Mr. Hooper (following actor Will Lee's death) (01m 03s)
Bob McGrath ("Bob") on filming the emotional scene of epsiode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" when Big Bird comes to understand that Mr. Hooper has died (00m 47s)- Sonia Manzano ("Maria") on the research and script of "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" (01m 20s)
- Sonia Manzano ("Maria") on execuitve producer Dulcy Singer's fight to make a show which would address the death of Mr. Hooper (following actor Will Lee's death) (01m 03s)
- Sonia Manzano ("Maria") on Carroll Spinney's performance as "Big Bird" in the episode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" (00m 51s)
- Sonia Manzano on Sesame Street castmate Will Lee ("Mr. Hooper") (01m 16s)
- Bob McGrath ("Bob") on the reception of epsiode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper." (00m 35s)
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