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Jerry Nelson (born July 10, 1934) is an American Muppet puppeteer, known for his wide range of characters, singing abilities, and his frequent partnership with Richard Hunt.

Early years[link]

Nelson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (he was once rumored to be born in Muskogee, Oklahoma.^{[citation needed]}) and raised in Washington, D.C. He began puppeteering for Bil Baird. His first job with the Muppets was The Jimmy Dean Show in 1965. Frank Oz was going to take some time off from puppeteering, so Nelson was hired to perform Rowlf the Dog's right hand in his stead.

After The Jimmy Dean Show closed, Nelson continued to perform Rowlf's right hand with the Dean show on its live tour. At the conclusion of the tour, Frank Oz rejoined the company. Jerry continued working with The Muppets, performing in variety shows and commercials until in 1966. The amount of work was somewhat reduced, so Jim Henson had to release Nelson. Following this, Nelson puppeteered in a number of projects in the late 1960s, but none of these would make him as famous as his years to come.

Career[link]

[edit] The Muppets

After learning that the Muppets were used on Sesame Street, he rejoined Henson and Oz as a puppeteer, beginning in the second season. He received a number of his major characters early in the show's run, including the Sherlock Holmes parody Sherlock Hemlock (1970–1995, 2010), a hapless magician named The Amazing Mumford (1971–present), and the overly-strong but sensitive Herry Monster (1970–present). His most famous character is the arithmomaniac vampire Count von Count (1972–present).

He was also the first puppeteer to perform Mr. Snuffleupagus, keeping the role from 1971 to 1978. Most sources (including Sesame Street Unpaved and Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street) state that back problems caused by the physical stress of the performance forced him to bow out, but in a 2009 interview Jerry Nelson gave a different explanation for giving up the role: "I was not loathed to give that character up. But the reasons for giving it up were because at that time we were doing The Muppet Show and he was a real part of the show, and they needed his presence. So they asked if I’d mind giving it up."^[1]. Minor recurring characters include educator Herbert Birdsfoot (1970–1973), the sound-mimicking Simon Soundman (1971–1992), the more frightening-looking monster Frazzle (1971–present), Grover's customer Mr. Johnson (1971–present), Little Jerry of the band "Little Jerry and the Monotones" (1970–2000) and most of the announcers that appear in Sesame Street sketches (1970–present). Jerry Nelson also made a cameo appearance as the giant in the "Sesame Street News" story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

When Richard Hunt joined the Muppets, he was only 18, so Nelson acted as a mentor to him. The two quickly became a powerful puppeteer team, performing such characters together as Sully and Biff (1972-ca. 1999) and The Two Headed Monster (1978–2002). David Rudman took over Hunt's halves of these duos following his death.

Nelson also performed many characters on The Muppet Show, including Sgt. Floyd Pepper (the bassist of the Electric Mayhem band), Pigs in Space star Dr. Julius Strangepork, the boomerang fish-throwing Lew Zealand, Kermit the Frog's nephew Robin, and Gonzo's girlfriend Camilla the Chicken. Nelson's Muppets on The Muppet Show were all only supporting roles, but they did occasionally play a central role in an episode's plot.

Less prominent characters on the show include sportscaster Lewis Kazagger, Pops the doorman, gossip columnist Fleet Scribbler, and Scooter's uncle J.P. Grosse who owned the theatre. He performed Statler in the pilot episodes, but dropped the role when he could not perform full time on the first season. He was, however, a full-time performer for the rest of the show's run. Nelson was selected to play Statler after Richard Hunt's passing. He originated the role of Fozzie Bear's mother in the special A Muppet Family Christmas, and reprised it years later for The Muppets at Walt Disney World.

Nelson performed the puppet and voice of Emmet in Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas, and one-hour special that originally aired on HBO. He later performed the signature song from that show, "When the River Meets the Sea," as Robin in a duet with John Denver for a Muppet Christmas special. That version of the song gets frequent radio airplay during the Christmas season (although the song is not seasonal).

On Fraggle Rock he performed Gobo Fraggle, Pa Gorg and Marjory the Trash Heap. Frank Oz did not perform on Fraggle Rock, and Jim Henson and Richard Hunt limited their time on the show, so they performed supporting characters. For this reason, Nelson was asked to perform Gobo, the central role on the show.

Nelson's characters were often singers or musicians. He performed the lead vocalist for many songs as Floyd of the Electric Mayhem, Little Jerry of Little Jerry and the Monotones, Slim Wilson of Lubbock Lou and his Jughuggers, and a number of Anything Muppet bands. Most of his main characters in all three shows sang songs at one time or another.

Cartoon actor[link]

Nelson has also performed character voices in Sesame Street cartoons, General Specific from Sheep in the Big City, the Nickelodeon show KaBlam!, Sniz & Fondue in the episode "Crustacean Sensations," and Dewey, one of Donald Duck's nephews.^[vague]

He was also a voice in an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy as Grim's grandpa King Grimmy.

He can be heard in the 2011 film The Muppets as the announcer who introduces Kermit in the Muppet Telethon.

Personal life[link]

Nelson had a daughter named Christine. She had cystic fibrosis and died from the disease in 1982 after attending Rye Country Day School. Her health problems were the reason Nelson took so much time off The Muppet Show's first season. She had a cameo in The Great Muppet Caper. Jim Henson gave her a speaking part so she would become a member of the actors' union.

In 2004, Nelson announced that he would no longer be puppeteering his Muppet characters, citing health reasons. However, he continues to voice his characters on Sesame Street. Matt Vogel currently performs his Muppets characters, as well as the puppetry of Count von Count; however, Nelson is still performing the voice.

In December 2009, Nelson independently released his first album of original songs, entitled Truro Daydreams.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jerry Nelson at the Internet Movie Database
• Muppet Wiki: Jerry Nelson

v t e The Muppets Characters Andy and Randy Pig Animal Annie Sue Beaker Bean Bunny Beauregard Beautiful Day Monster Bobo the Bear Bubba the Rat Camilla the Chicken Clifford Crazy Harry Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem The Elvises Foo-Foo Fozzie Bear The Frackles George the Janitor Gonzo the Great Dr. Bunsen Honeydew Johnny Fiama Kermit the Frog Lew Zealand Link Hogthrob Mildred Huxtetter Miss Piggy Mr. Poodlepants The Muppet Newsman Pepe the King Prawn Pops Rizzo the Rat Robin the Frog Rowlf the Dog Sam the Eagle Scooter Statler and Waldorf Steel Rabbit Dr. Julius Strangepork Marvin Suggs The Swedish Chef Sweetums Uncle Deadly Waldo C. Graphic Yolanda the Rat Muppet performers Terry Angus Pam Arciero Don Austen Jennifer Barnhart Bill Barretta Cheryl Blaylock Fran Brill Julianne Buescher Tyler Bunch Leslie Carrara-Rudolph Kevin Clash Stephanie D'Abruzzo Alice Dinnean Michael Earl John Eccleston Peter Friedman Dave Goelz Louise Gold Tim Gosley Brian Henson Jim Henson John Henson Richard Hunt Eric Jacobson Jerry Juhl John Kennedy Tim Lagasse Bruce Lanoil Peter Linz John Lovelady Noel MacNeal Jim Martin Drew Massey Frank Meschkuleit Ron Mueck Brian Muehl Kathryn Mullen Jerry Nelson Carmen Osbahr Frank Oz Eren Ozker Bob Payne Karen Prell Mike Quinn Martin P. Robinson David Rudman Sandra Shamas Michelan Sisti Judy Sladky Caroll Spinney Bob Stutt John Tartaglia Nikki Tilroe Matt Vogel Cheryl Wagner Steve Whitmire Mak Wilson Victor Yerrid Television series Sam and Friends (1955–61) The Mike Douglas Show (Muppet segments, 1966–79) The Ed Sullivan Show (Muppet segments, 1966–70) Our Place (1967) Sesame Street (1969–present) Saturday Night Live (The Land of Gorch segments, 1975) The Muppet Show (1976–81) Fraggle Rock (1983–87) Muppet Babies (1984–91) Little Muppet Monsters (1985) The Jim Henson Hour (1989) Muppets Tonight (1996–98) Bear in the Big Blue House (1997–2006) Web series Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony (2005–06) The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora (2010) Feature films The Muppet Movie (1979) The Great Muppet Caper (1981) The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) Sesame Street presents – Follow That Bird (1985) The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Muppet Treasure Island (1996) Muppets from Space (1999) The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) The Muppets (2011) Television specials Hey, Cinderella! (1969) The Muppets on Puppets (1970) The Great Santa Claus Switch (1970) The Frog Prince (1972) The Muppet Musicians of Bremen (1972) Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977) John Denver & the Muppets (1979) The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979) The Muppets Go to the Movies (1981) The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (1982) Rocky Mountain Holiday (1983) The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1985) The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986) The Christmas Toy (1986) A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990) The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990) The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990) Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (1995) It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) Studio DC: Almost Live (2008) A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) Direct-to-video Wow, You're a Cartoonist! (1988) Muppet Classic Theater (1994) Kermit's Swamp Years (2002) Video games Muppet Adventure: Chaos at the Carnival (1989) Muppet RaceMania (2000) Muppet Monster Adventure (2000) Muppets Party Cruise (2003) Disney Universe (2011) Discography Albums The Muppet Show (1977) Muppet Beach Party (1993) Kermit Unpigged (1994) The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More (2002) The Muppets: A Green and Red Christmas (2006) Muppets: The Green Album (2011) The Muppets: Original Soundtrack (2011) Songs "The Muppet Show Theme" "Rainbow Connection" "Bein' Green" "Mahna Mahna" "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along" "I'm Going To Go Back There Someday" "Bohemian Rhapsody" "Man or Muppet" Other media Muppet Meeting Films (1975–93) Muppet*Vision 3D (1991–present) Muppet Mobile Lab (2007–present) The Muppet Show Comics Before You Leap Related The Muppets Studio The Walt Disney Company The Jim Henson Company Jim Henson's Creature Shop Sesame Workshop Sesame Street Muppets Portal:Muppets

Little Red is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia consisting of Adrian Beltrame (guitar, vocals), Dominic Byrne (guitar, vocals), Quang Dinh (bass, vocals), and Taka Honda (drums).

Biography[link]

The band was formed in 2005 and were featured on Triple J Unearthed.^[1] The band won the 2008 Australia-wide 'Garage to V' competition held by Virgin Mobile to win a slot at all shows of the Australian V Festival in 2008,^[2] while the band has also performed at the Falls Festival, Meredith Music Festival, the Big Day Out, the Pyramid Rock Festival and the Laneway Festival.

Little Red's songs "Waiting", "Coca-Cola" and "Witch Doctor" have all received regular play on Australian nation-wide radio station Triple J,^[3] while "Coca-Cola" was also included on the official soundtrack of Australian TV series Underbelly, and was voted #47 on the 2008 Triple J Hottest 100.

The band independently released in Australia an album entitled Listen to Little Red on 28 June 2008,^[4] which debuted at number 29 on the ARIA Charts.^[5] The album was licensed for release outside of Australia by the UK independent Lucky Number Music^[6] and was released on 16 November 2009 in the UK and early 2010 internationally.

In September, 2010, the band released a second album, Midnight Remember, featuring their latest single, "Rock It" which gained a gold accreditation^[7] and second place in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2010, with the album's second single "Slow Motion" securing 79th position.^[8]

On 21 April 2011 they released a music video to "All Mine," also from Midnight Remember on youtube, through the Liberation Music record label's account.

Touring[link]

• Headlined their 'All Mine' National Tour featuring Worlds End Press & Passport For Amy 2011
• Toured with Blondie and The Pretenders, Evening On The Green 2010
• Big Day Out 2011
• Pyramid Rock 2010/2011
• Splendour in the Grass July/August 2010
• Toured with Kasabian in July 2010
• Headline tour of Australia supported by Ground Components in April/May 2009
• Headline tour of Australia - University Tour - in October 2008
• Toured with Vampire Weekend on their national Australian tour in August 2008
• Headline tour of Australia - album tour - in August/September 2008 supported by The Holidays and Andy Bull
• Toured with The Panics on their national album tour in May 2008
• Toured with Spoon in January 2008
• Toured with Operator Please on their national Australian tour in April 2008
• Toured with Art of Fighting in September 2007

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Listen to Little Red — Hooch Hound/Shock (28 June 2008) AUS #29^[9] — Lucky Number/Lucky Number Music (2009)
• Midnight Remember — Liberation (September 2010) AUS #5^[9]

EPs[link]

• Get Ready! EP

Singles[link]

• "Coca Cola"/"It's Alright" — Neon Gold/Lucky Number/Lucky Number Music (2009)
• "Waiting"/"Wait Is Over" — Neon Gold/Lucky Number/Lucky Number Music (2009)
• "Rock It" (2010) AUS #19^[9]
• "Slow Motion" (2010)
• "All Mine" (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Little Red on Myspace
• Little Red video interview @ VFestival

Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English singer, actress and puppeteer whose career has spanned almost four decades.

From 1977, Gold was a puppeteer and voice actress for The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, and she has performed voice and puppet work on various other Muppet films and specials. She was a founder and lead puppeteer for the satirical television show Spitting Image from 1984 to 1986. She is also known as an actress in musical theatre, having starred in numerous shows on the West End since 1982, playing such roles as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Tanya in Mamma Mia!, Phyllis in Follies, Baroness Bomburst in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins, and Mrs Sowerberry and Mrs Bedwin in Oliver!.

Biography[link]

Gold was born in London, England, to parents who were active with Unity Theatre in London. Her father was John Gold (1920–1998),^[1] a journalist,^[2] and her mother was an actress, Una Brandon-Jones (1916–2010).^[3] Her brother, Max, is also an actor.^[4][5] Gold trained at The Arts Educational Schools from age 11.^[6]

Early career, television and puppeteering[link]

Gold made her professional debut in 1973, while still in her last year of school, in the Christmas pantomime Dick Whittington and his Cat, as Fairy Bowbells, at the Malvern Festival Theatre.^[4][7] She played in the musical Hair on tour in Britain in 1974. In 1975–76, she played Rachel in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at York Theatre Royal and then on tour (as Rachel and Potiphar's Wife).^[8]

In 1977, Gold joined The Muppet Show during the show's second season and was quickly trained by Jim Henson as a puppeteer, becoming the only British puppeteer regularly employed on the show. She played several characters during her four seasons with the show, the best-known of which was Annie Sue Pig. She also sang on several of The Muppets' albums^[9] and was often paired vocally with Jerry Nelson. She was a puppeteer in the films The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and The Dark Crystal (1982), and she appeared in various other Muppet series and specials. Muppet chronicler Christopher Finch wrote that Gold was "the most versatile female puppeteer to work on The Muppet Show [and] the only British member of the cast."^[10] During these years, she continued to appear in musicals and plays in between her commitments to The Muppets. Among her non-puppeteering television appearances, Gold was featured as Mrs Tyler, a Goodwife, in the first series episode "Witchsmeller Pursuivant" of Blackadder (1983). The same year, she appeared as Maureen Bedford in episode two of For 4 Tonight, a talk-show spoof. In 1991, she played the domineering Private Elsa Bigstern in two episodes of 'Allo! 'Allo!^[11]

From 1984 to 1986, and occasionally thereafter, Gold was a lead puppeteer and voice on the satirical television show Spitting Image and was the lead singer (as Nancy Reagan) on their first single, "Da Do Run Ron", a pastiche of The Ronettes' "Da Do Run Run", released in 1984.^[12] Gold was the first puppeteer hired for the show and "helped out with the Spitting Image pre-pilot, so she naturally became the 'consultant' for the hiring [and training] of the rest" of the puppeteers.^[4][13] Peter Fluck, a creator of the show, commented, "Louise Gold always did the Queen and the mannerisms and facial expressions she put into it were wonderful. It was very exciting because this lump of clay we modelled with a fairly neutral expression came to life."^[14]

Gold's later puppeteering work includes the title character, Fughetta Faffner (and others), in The Ghost of Faffner Hall (1989), a Muppet music education TV Series.^[15] She played several of the characters on Roland Rat The Series broadcasts in 1986 and 1988. She also played several characters on Sesame Street in the early 1990s, on Mopatop's Shop in the early 2000s, and in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996). In 1992, Gold played Sally Spook in The Spooks of Bottle Bay.^[16] In 1995 and 1997, she played characters on series 2 and series 3 of Jim Henson's Animal Show with Stinky and Jake, including Tizzy Bee, an early example of a computer generated image puppet.^[17][18] She lent her voice to an Australian puppet television programme in 2006, Five Minutes More. Gold is featured as a guest puppeteer, portraying the character of Babs (the female termite), on Transmission: Impossible with Ed and Oucho on BBC 2 television. She appeared in episodes 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 24, broadcast from May to August 2009.^[19]

Stage roles to 1995[link]

Beginning in 1982, Gold began to appear in West End musicals. The first of these was as Isabel in the Joseph Papp production of The Pirates of Penzance (1982–83; playing the slightly larger role of Kate in the 1983 film adaptation of the production).^[20] Her other stage roles in the 1980s included Divine Dixie Diva in Mrs Cole's Music Hall at The Mill at Sonning (1984–85); Katisha, Countess of Grantham, in MetroPolitan Mikado, adapted from The Mikado by Ned Sherrin and Alistair Beaton at Queen Elizabeth Hall (1985); Bev in Angry Housewives at the Lyric Hammersmith Studio (1986); Mrs Johnston in Blood Brothers at Watermill Theatre (1986);^[21] Maggot Scratcher in Sink the Belgrano! at Mermaid Theatre (1986);^[22] Sister Mary Amnesia in Nunsense at Fortune Theatre (1987; and singing on the original London cast album);^[23] Fanny Brice and other comediennes in Ziegfeld (1988) at the London Palladium (which held the record, according to the Guinness Book of Records, for "Greatest Theatrical Losses");^[24][25] and Dick Whittington in Poppy at Half Moon Theatre (1988–89).^[26]

Gold next starred as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes at Prince Edward Theatre (1990, replacing Elaine Paige; and on the 1995 studio cast album).^[27][28] In the summer of 1991 at Open Air Regents Park she played Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream^[29] and Adriana in The Boys from Syracuse (then toured as Adriana; "[W]hen the gleefully statuesque, not-so-pure Gold ripped into the splendid trio of "Sing for your Supper", we would have believed anything").^[30] Throughout the 1990s, Gold was a regular performer in the Discovering Lost Musicals concert productions, taking roles in fifteen of them and singing in associated BBC radio broadcasts. One of these was the British première of Kurt Weill's One Touch of Venus at the Barbican Centre in 1992, in which Gold sang the title character, which she reprised in another Lost Musicals production at The Lindbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, in 2000. These productions included four Cole Porter musicals in which Gold starred in roles that had been written for Ethel Merman.^[31]

Gold was Gussie in Merrily We Roll Along at Haymarket Theatre (Leicester) (1992; and on the 1993 cast album).^[32] She next played Sara Jane Moore in Assassins at Donmar Warehouse (1992–93)^[33] and toured in Noël/Cole: Let's Do It, a Cole Porter and Noël Coward revue (1994 and 1995, beginning in Memphis, Tennessee; and on the cast album).^[34] She then played the title role in the stage musical adaptation of Calamity Jane at the Leicester Haymarket (1994–95).^[5] Gold appeared in Our Country's Good in 1995 as Lieutenant Will Dawes and Liz Morden, together with her brother Max Gold as Captain Arthur Phillip and John Wisehammer, at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre. Later that year, with the same cast,at the same theatre, the two performed in The Caucasian Chalk Circle, with Louise as Tractor Driver and Grusche, and Max as Soldier, Executioner, Blockhead, Lavrenti, Trooper, Blackmailer and Groom.^[35]

Stage roles since 1996[link]

In 1996, Gold toured as Mrs Silvia Tebrick, the title character (who transforms into a fox in full view of the audience) in the musical adaptation of Lady into Fox.^[36][37] After this, she starred as Dunyasha the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of The Cherry Orchard at Albery Theatre in London and on tour (1996–97),^[36] followed by another summer in Regents Park as the title character in Kiss Me, Kate (1997). Paul Taylor, writing in The Independent, declared, "Louise Gold is a comically commanding figure – outdoing herself in campy gorge-rising revulsion and contentious, drop-dead postures on each successive verse of 'I Hate Men'. This is... delivered here by performers who really know how to pace the song".^[38] She was back at the Fortune Theatre as Lizzie Curry in 110 in the Shade (1999; one of Ian Marshall-Fisher's "Discovering Lost Musicals" series). The Stage commented, "Louise Gold also shines in the role of Lizzie, revealing her emotional torment in 'Old Maid', and an overwhelming joy in 'Is It Really Me?'"^[39] The last of Gold's Discovering Lost Musicals roles in the series for almost a decade was as May Daly/Mme Du Barry in DuBarry Was a Lady at Her Majesty's Theatre in November 2001 (which she had also played as part of the series in 1993).^[40][31]

She played Tanya in Mamma Mia! for two years at Prince Edward Theatre (2000–02)^[41][42] followed by Phyllis in Follies at the Royal Festival Hall (2002). The Observer wrote, "Louise Gold's Phyllis is versatile and formidable: injured queen one moment, vamp the next."^[43] The Guardian found her "wonderfully acerbic".^[44] During the summer of 2003, she performed at Chichester Festival Theatre, playing the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers^[45] and starring as the fairy characters in The Water Babies.^[46][47][48] She then starred as Dotty Otley in Noises Off at the Piccadilly Theatre (2003). This was followed by Baroness Bomburst in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium (2004–05). Critics noted, "Gold always gives excellent value in musicals: she’s talented, funny and energetic";^[49] and "The highlight of the show for me has to be Christopher Biggins and Louise Gold as Baron and Baroness Bomburst. If they are not the funniest and most outrageous double act in the West End, I would love to see who could outdo them."^[50]

Gold had another long run as the tyrannical Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins at Prince Edward Theatre (2006–08).^[51][52] In February 2008, she was the stoic widow O'Brien in Next Door's Baby.^[53] From December 2008 to January 2011, Gold appeared in Oliver!, as Mrs Sowerberry and Mrs Bedwin, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.^[54] She sings these roles on the cast album.^[55] On Sundays in August and September 2010, while still performing in Oliver!, she returned to the Discovering Lost Musicals series, as Alice Challice in Darling of the Day, earning warm reviews.^[56] In 2011, she appeared as Montana in Mexican Hayride, another installment of Discovering Lost Musicals.^[57]

Other performances; personal life[link]

Gold appeared in the 1985 film Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire, as the reporter, Miss Sullivan,^[58] and the 2000 film Topsy-Turvy, as Rosina Brandram, one of the original Gilbert and Sullivan performers, who plays Katisha in The Mikado during the course of the story.^[59]

Gold has also done a significant amount of radio and recording work and performs in her own cabaret show, which includes some puppeteering.^[60][61][62] She returned to television in 2011, guest-starring as a judge on a June 2011 episode of Coronation Street^[63] and as aunt Annie in an episode of the children's TV show Scoop, titled "Come In Digby, Your Time's Up".^[64]

Gold lives with the actor James Vaughan.^[4] They have one son.^[65]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Chester, Lewis. Tooth & Claw - The Inside Story of Spitting Image, Faber and Faber, 1986 ISBN 0-571-14557-4
• Finch, Christopher. Of Muppets and Men: The Making of the Muppet Show, Michael Joseph: London, 1982 ISBN 0-7181-2112-0
• Finch, Christopher. The Muppet Show: Jim Henson - The Works, Random House, 1993 ISBN 0-679-41203-4
• Finch, Christopher. The Making of The Dark Crystal, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983 ISBN 0-03-063332-X
• Hillard, Christopher. Voices Faces Characters, Cavalier Productions, 2001 ISBN 0-646-40854-2

External links[link]

• Fansite about Louise Gold
• Louise Gold at the Internet Movie Database
• 1999 interview with Gold
• Broadway World list of Gold credits

v t e The Muppets Characters Andy and Randy Pig Animal Annie Sue Beaker Bean Bunny Beauregard Beautiful Day Monster Bobo the Bear Bubba the Rat Camilla the Chicken Clifford Crazy Harry Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem The Elvises Foo-Foo Fozzie Bear The Frackles George the Janitor Gonzo the Great Dr. Bunsen Honeydew Johnny Fiama Kermit the Frog Lew Zealand Link Hogthrob Mildred Huxtetter Miss Piggy Mr. Poodlepants The Muppet Newsman Pepe the King Prawn Pops Rizzo the Rat Robin the Frog Rowlf the Dog Sam the Eagle Scooter Statler and Waldorf Steel Rabbit Dr. Julius Strangepork Marvin Suggs The Swedish Chef Sweetums Uncle Deadly Waldo C. Graphic Yolanda the Rat Muppet performers Terry Angus Pam Arciero Don Austen Jennifer Barnhart Bill Barretta Cheryl Blaylock Fran Brill Julianne Buescher Tyler Bunch Leslie Carrara-Rudolph Kevin Clash Stephanie D'Abruzzo Alice Dinnean Michael Earl John Eccleston Peter Friedman Dave Goelz Louise Gold Tim Gosley Brian Henson Jim Henson John Henson Richard Hunt Eric Jacobson Jerry Juhl John Kennedy Tim Lagasse Bruce Lanoil Peter Linz John Lovelady Noel MacNeal Jim Martin Drew Massey Frank Meschkuleit Ron Mueck Brian Muehl Kathryn Mullen Jerry Nelson Carmen Osbahr Frank Oz Eren Ozker Bob Payne Karen Prell Mike Quinn Martin P. Robinson David Rudman Sandra Shamas Michelan Sisti Judy Sladky Caroll Spinney Bob Stutt John Tartaglia Nikki Tilroe Matt Vogel Cheryl Wagner Steve Whitmire Mak Wilson Victor Yerrid Television series Sam and Friends (1955–61) The Mike Douglas Show (Muppet segments, 1966–79) The Ed Sullivan Show (Muppet segments, 1966–70) Our Place (1967) Sesame Street (1969–present) Saturday Night Live (The Land of Gorch segments, 1975) The Muppet Show (1976–81) Fraggle Rock (1983–87) Muppet Babies (1984–91) Little Muppet Monsters (1985) The Jim Henson Hour (1989) Muppets Tonight (1996–98) Bear in the Big Blue House (1997–2006) Web series Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony (2005–06) The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora (2010) Feature films The Muppet Movie (1979) The Great Muppet Caper (1981) The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) Sesame Street presents – Follow That Bird (1985) The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Muppet Treasure Island (1996) Muppets from Space (1999) The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) The Muppets (2011) Television specials Hey, Cinderella! (1969) The Muppets on Puppets (1970) The Great Santa Claus Switch (1970) The Frog Prince (1972) The Muppet Musicians of Bremen (1972) Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977) John Denver & the Muppets (1979) The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979) The Muppets Go to the Movies (1981) The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (1982) Rocky Mountain Holiday (1983) The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1985) The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986) The Christmas Toy (1986) A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990) The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990) The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990) Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (1995) It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) Studio DC: Almost Live (2008) A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) Direct-to-video Wow, You're a Cartoonist! (1988) Muppet Classic Theater (1994) Kermit's Swamp Years (2002) Video games Muppet Adventure: Chaos at the Carnival (1989) Muppet RaceMania (2000) Muppet Monster Adventure (2000) Muppets Party Cruise (2003) Disney Universe (2011) Discography Albums The Muppet Show (1977) Muppet Beach Party (1993) Kermit Unpigged (1994) The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More (2002) The Muppets: A Green and Red Christmas (2006) Muppets: The Green Album (2011) The Muppets: Original Soundtrack (2011) Songs "The Muppet Show Theme" "Rainbow Connection" "Bein' Green" "Mahna Mahna" "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along" "I'm Going To Go Back There Someday" "Bohemian Rhapsody" "Man or Muppet" Other media Muppet Meeting Films (1975–93) Muppet*Vision 3D (1991–present) Muppet Mobile Lab (2007–present) The Muppet Show Comics Before You Leap Related The Muppets Studio The Walt Disney Company The Jim Henson Company Jim Henson's Creature Shop Sesame Workshop Sesame Street Muppets Portal:Muppets

Garden Cities of To-morrow is a book by the British urban planner Ebenezer Howard. When it was published in 1898, the book was titled To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform. In 1902 it was reprinted as Garden Cities of To-Morrow. The book gave rise to the garden city movement.^[1]

This book offered a vision of towns free of slums and enjoying the benefits of both town (such as opportunity, amusement and high wages) and country (such as beauty, fresh air and low rents). Howard illustrated the idea with his "Three Magnets" diagram.^[2] His ideas were conceived for the context of a capitalist economic system, and sought to balance individual and community needs.^[3]

Two English towns were built as garden cities, Letchworth and Welwyn. Though they did not completely measure up to the ideal, they provided a model for controlling urban sprawl.^[1]

Diagrams from the 1902 edition[link]

Howard's "Three Magnets" diagram which addressed the question "Where will the people go?", the choices being "Town", "Country" or "Town-Country."	Garden City concept.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Larry Anderson. Benton MacKaye: Conservationist, Planner, and creator of the Appalachian Trail. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 2002.
• Ebenezer Howard. Garden Cities of Tomorrow. London: S. Sonnenschein & Co., Ltd. 1902. (at Google Books)
• Sacred-Texts.com. Garden Cities of Tomorrow (HTML edition with introduction).

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Count von Count, often known simply as "the Count", is one of the Muppet characters on Sesame Street, performed by Jerry Nelson. The Count is a vampire modeled after Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula.

Description[link]

The Count's main purpose is educating children on simple mathematical concepts, most notably counting. The Count has a love of counting (arithmomania); he will count anything and everything, regardless of size, amount, or how much annoyance he is causing the other Muppets or human cast. His favorite number is 230, which is referring to an inside joke about the time 2:30. The Count mentions 2:30 at an any chance he can get and often makes jokes about it. During the afternoon, his segments of the show always come on at exactly 2:30 p.m. or during the "fashionably late" segment, which airs at 2:31. For instance, he once prevented Ernie from answering a telephone because he wanted to continue counting the number of rings. Another time, while serving as an elevator operator, he refused to let Kermit the Frog get out at his selected floor so he could count on every floor in the building.

The Count lives in an old, cobweb-infested castle which he shares with many bats. Sometimes he counts them. Some of the pet bats are named, including Grisha, Misha, Sasha, and Tatiana. He has a cat, Fatatita, as well. Sometimes he counts her. He also drives a special car designed in the features of a bat, named the Countmobile.

The Count has been shown with a number of girlfriends. Always a feminized version of the Count Muppet, they have included Countess von Backwards (debuting in Sesame Street's 28th season) who counts backwards; Countess Dahling von Dahling (debuted in the 12th season), and one simply named "The Countess" (first appearing in season 8). The von Count family also includes an unnamed brother and mother as well as an Uncle Uno and grandparents.

[edit] History and evolution of the character on Sesame Street

The Count debuted on Sesame Street in Season 4 (1972–73), and was conceived by Norman Stiles, who wrote the first script. The Count was performed by Jerry Nelson, who brought the character to life. He was originally made out of the Large Lavender Live Hand Anything Muppet pattern.

In the early 1970s, following a counting session, the Count would laugh maniacally, "AH AH AH AH AH!", accompanied by thunder and lightning flashes. He wouldn't let anything interrupt his counting, and used hypnotic powers to temporarily stun people with a wave of his hands.^{[citation needed]} This practice, however, was discontinued in the mid-1970s because of concern that young viewers would become frightened. In the mid-1970s, the Count became friendlier, did not have hypnotic powers, and interacted more with the characters (both live actors and Muppets). His laugh also changed from maniacal laughter to a more triumphant, stereotypical Dracula-style laugh.

Belvedere Castle, in New York's Central Park, was used for exterior establishing shots of the Count's castle on the show.

The Count made an appearance in the film The Muppets Take Manhattan at Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy's wedding, then in the Sesame Street movies Follow That Bird and Elmo in Grouchland. Notably, the Count appeared on-screen during the closing credits of Follow That Bird where he proceeded to read and count the credits.

In Season 33, the Count got a daily segment on Sesame Street, simply called The Number of the Day.

Influences and resemblances[link]

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When the Count sings, the background music resembles Romani music, no matter what the song. The original "Song of the Count" was written by Jeff Moss as a traditional Hungarian Csárdás. The "Batty Bat" was another popular song by the Count, in a similar style, but waltzified.

Some traditional vampire myths depict vampires as having a similar fixation with counting small objects, providing a means of distracting them by tossing a handful of seeds or salt on the ground. This is seen as a protection from the vampire, similar to the use of garlic (by which he is not repelled).^[1][2] The Count's own arithmomania may simply be a coincidence, however, inspired by the pun on his title of nobility and his educational purpose. According to his theme song, "The Song of the Count": "When I'm alone, I count myself. One count!"

The Count bears a noticeable resemblance to Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula, including a similar accent and oversized, pointed canine teeth (better known as fangs, although Lugosi himself did not bear fangs in the 1931 film), but it would appear that he is different from other vampires, besides sporting a goatee and monocle. For example, most vampires wither in direct sunlight; the Count does not and, in fact, enjoys being outside. Additionally, the Count does not suck or drink blood (nor has any association with blood), change into a bat (even though he does have bat companions) or sleep in a coffin; instead he uses a normal bed. In many ways, he is more like a regular human than a vampire. However, the Count still has one vampiric trait: he has no reflection in mirrors.

Internationally[link]

• In the Dutch version of the series, Sesamstraat, the Count's name is Graaf Tel (literally, "Count Count").
• In the French series 1, Rue Sésame, his name is Comte von Compte.
• In the German series Sesamstraße, his name is Graf Zahl (literally, "Count Number").
• In the Hebrew series Rechov Sumsum, his name is 'מר סופר', phonetically pronounced 'Mar Sofer', which literally means "Mr. Counter".
• In the Mexican series Plaza Sésamo, his name is Conde Contar (literally, "Count Count").
• In the Polish series Ulica Sezamkowa, his name is Liczyhrabia (literally, "Countcount").
• In the Portugal series Rua Sésamo, his name is Conde de Contar (translated as "Count of Counting").
• In the Russian series Улица Сезам, his name is Znak (Знак) (translated as "figure", "character" or "sign").
• In the Spanish series, Barrio Sésamo, his name is Conde Draco.
• In the Turkish series Susam Sokağı, his name is Sayıların Kontu (literally, "The Count of Numbers")

[edit] Appearances outside of Sesame Street

• The Count appeared on a video package aired on the first episode of The Late Show with David Letterman that was shown after Letterman's emergency quintuple bypass operation. He appeared as a surgeon in an operating theater, counting "One bypass... AH AH AH! Two bypass..."^{[citation needed]}
• In a Dancing with the Stars results show that aired on October 2, 2007, a fake backstage sequence with Jimmy Kimmel claimed that votes for the show are tabulated by The Count, who was depicted as being thrown into a panic by the discovery that "Mel B" and "Scary Spice" are in fact the same person.
• The Count was interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 programme More or Less on December 11, 2009, where he mentioned his favorite number, 34969.
• He appeared on the Halloween edition of SportsCenter to count down the top ten trickplays of the 2010 college football season.
• He appeared in the MAD episode Mouse M.D along with Cookie Monster.
• He was a guest on Countdown with Keith Olbermann for the first anniversary episode.
• He attended the 100th anniversary of the Island Public School and gave a speech to help celebrate the 100th Day of School in 2008.
• An animated version of the Count appeared in the 2010 The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode "Tweenlight", aired Nov. 7, 2010. The Count enumerated the kisses Edward (voiced by Daniel Radcliffe) gave Lisa.
• A parody of the Count appeared in an episode of Frankenhole as a character called "Count Along With Me".

References in popular culture[link]

• The St. Paul Saints, an independent minor-league baseball team in St. Paul, Minnesota known for unique and sometimes over-the-top promotions, announced that it would give away 2,500 bobblehead dolls dressed as the Count at its May 23, 2009 game. However, instead of the Count's regular head, this doll's head featured Al Franken on one side and Norm Coleman on the other, and was called "Count von Re-Count"—referring to the extraordinarily prolonged recount and legal battle surrounding the 2008 U.S. Senate election between the two men. The team made further jabs at the election during the game.^[3]
• Australian rugby league football international Anthony Minichiello has been nicknamed 'The Count' due to his striking resemblance to the character.^[4]
• Dave Chapelle has compared the Count to a pimp in his standup routines.

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Count von Count on Muppet Wiki, an external wiki