Sesame Street "Episode 847" (found "Wicked Witch of the West" episode of children’s educational TV series; 1976)
Scan of a February 8, 1976 newspaper article on the then-upcoming episode/higher quality scan of the photo included therein.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"'
Status: Lost
On February 10, 1976, what is arguably Sesame Street’s most controversial episode to date aired for the first and last time. The episode (ie. episode 847) starred Margaret Hamilton, reprising her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.[2]
The central plot of the episode involves the witch losing her magic broom whilst flying over Sesame Street, only to have it wind up in the hands of David, who refuses to return it, sceptical towards the witch's intentions; as a result, she threatens to turn both Big Bird and David into inanimate objects (a feather duster and a basketball, respectively), also suggesting that she would make it rain inside Mr Hooper's Store if the broom was not returned. Out of all the Sesame Street residents, the only one to react favourably towards the witch is Oscar, even to the point of developing a crush on her, although Big Bird also eventually warms to the witch and is saddened when she leaves (comically dropping her broom for a second time as the episode ends).
In the days following the episode's airing, a barrage of complaints were received by the Children's Television Workshop, the majority of which were from angered parents whose children had been traumatised by Hamilton's frightening guest appearance. Due to the episode's overwhelmingly poor reception, an additional test screening was held
References
- ↑ Muppet Wiki article on Margaret Hamilton.Last retrieved 28 Sep 2014.
- ↑ Muppet Wiki article on Episode 847.Last retrieved 28 Sep 2014.
On February 10, 1976, Sesame Street Episode 847 aired, featuring Margaret Hamilton reprising her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
The central plot involves the Witch losing her broom while flying over Sesame Street; throughout the episode, she threatens to turn Big Bird into a feather duster and David into a basketball. Oscar the Grouch is the only one who takes to her, even to the point of having a crush on her. Big Bird eventually warms to the Witch, and is saddened when she leaves (only to drop her broom again).
A large number of complaints were made regarding the episode, within a relatively short frame of time. Many parents reported their children screaming and crying for fear of the Witch.
Additional test screenings of the episode were made, with the reactions of the children being a lot more subdued than expected. Some who watched the episode in colour weren't frightened at all, but were instead fascinated by her green face. Regardless, the Children's Television Workshop made the decision never to re-air the episode, and it never has since. Even though the episode did air, there is a very small chance the public will ever see it again, especially considering the episode may have been destroyed in fear of it somehow being re-aired by mistake.