Bert and Ernie
Bert and Ernie are two Muppets on the long-running PBS children's television show Sesame Street. The two appear together in numerous skits, forming a comic duo that is one of the centerpieces of the program. In the tradition of many movie comic duos, notably Abbott and Costello, the interplay forms between the mischievous innocent (Ernie) and the world-weary partner (Bert).
History of the duo
Ernie and Bert were built by Don Sahlin from a simple design scribbled by Muppets creator Jim Henson. According to Frank Oz, Sahlin also defined their characters on the basis of their physical appearance
Ernie was originally performed by Jim Henson until his death in 1990. Muppeteer Steve Whitmire inherited the character. Bert was originally performed by now-director Frank Oz.
When Henson died, Frank Oz commented that he "couldn't imagine doing Bert and Ernie without Jim." Eventually, however, Oz would perform Bert opposite Steve Whitmire's Ernie. Beginning around 2001, Eric Jacobson began to be phased in as Bert's primary performer, and Jacobson now primarily performs the character, though Oz still performs him a couple of times each year.
Ernie's rendition of the song Rubber Duckie was released as a single in 1970 and reached #16 on the Billboard charts.
Rumors and myths
Throughout the history of the duo, a number of rumors and urban legends have claimed that one (usually Ernie) would die somehow (whether by accident or illness). In parody, a 1997 website, "Bert is Evil", displayed him in a number of doctored photographs (implicating the hapless puppet in crimes ranging from the John F. Kennedy assassination to those of Jack the Ripper). An image in the same style as those from the website (but not actually from the original site), featuring Bert conferring with Osama bin Laden, was mistakenly included by a Dhaka, Bangladesh print shop on a series of protest signs in late 2001 and 2002. [1]
Characters named Bert and Ernie appear in the film It's a Wonderful Life as a cop and a taxi driver, respectively, though the use of the names by Henson is said to be a coincidence. However, in the movie Elmo Saves Christmas, Sesame pokes fun at this. [2]
Ernie and Bert share an apartment in the basement of 123 Sesame Street. Although they sleep in separate beds, this has led to the occasional suggestion that they are representations of gay lovers. This is denied by Sesame Workshop, the corporation that owns the show and the characters, but the idea is sufficiently widespread that it has been used as the basis of jokes by comedians or other TV shows, such as Saturday Night Live and Family Guy. [3]
Trivia
- Bert and Ernie are seen to have a number of relatives on-screen, with similar names:
- Bert's twin brother Bart, who resembles Bert in every physical way (including, as Ernie puts it, "the same pointy head, cucumbery nose and no-shoulders"), but has a diametrically-opposite personality, constantly making weak jokes and imitating a comedy-routine trumpet ("Bart's the name, selling's the game, waah-waah-waah!"). On one occasion Bert's absence from a skit is explained as a visit to his brother.
- Bert's quiet nephew Brad, whose bathtime is interfered with by Ernie and a number of bath toys.
- Ernie's young cousin Ernestine, whom Ernie encourages to speak by teaching her his own name. To his dismay, the first word she says is actually "Bert!".
- Comedian Frank Caliendo refers to broadcasters and legends John Madden and Pat Summerall as "The Bert and Ernie of Football" and how they were broken up by the Broadcasting stations.
- Ernie and Bert were parodied in a German comedy called Bernie und Ert. It is available on YouTube.
- According to A&E's Biography, Bert and Ernie were the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street pilot episode, which was screen tested to a number of families in July 1969. As it turned out, their brief appearance was the only part of the pilot that tested well, and it was decided that not only should Muppet characters be the "stars" of the show but would also interact with the human characters, something that was not done in the pilot.
- Bert and Ernie are parodied as Rod and Nicky in Avenue Q.
Comedy routines
A typical Bert and Ernie skit follows one of two similar patterns, both beginning with Ernie devising a hare-brained idea and Bert calmly attempting to talk him out of it. Usually this ends with Bert losing his temper and Ernie remaining oblivious to his own bad idea. Sometimes Ernie's dumb idea miraculously turns out to be correct, much to Bert's evident frustration.
An example Bert and Ernie skit is the banana in my ear joke:
- Bert: "Hey, you've got a banana in your ear!"
- Ernie: "What?"
- Bert: "I said, YOU'VE GOT A BANANA IN YOUR EAR!"
- Ernie: "What? I can't hear you; I've got a banana in my ear!"
Internationally
- Arab World, Iftah Ya Simsim, Bert is "Badr", and Ernie is "Anis". They're referred to as "Anis w Badr"
- Brazil, Vila Sésamo, Bert is "Beto", and Ernie is "Ênio". They're referred to as "Ênio e Beto".
- France, 1, Rue Sésame, Bert is "Bart" and Ernie is "Ernest". They're referred to as "Ernest et Bart".
- Germany, Sesamstraße, they are referred to as "Ernie und Bert".
- Israel, Rechov Sumsum, Bert is "Bentz", a common short-form for the name "Ben-Tzion", and Ernie is "Arik".
- Mexico, Plaza Sesamo, Bert is "Beto", while Ernie is "Enrique".
- Netherlands, Sesamstraat they are "Bert en Ernie". Paul Haenen provides Bert's voice, and Wim T. Schippers provides Ernie's.
- Norway, Sesam Stasjon, Bert is "Bernt", while Ernie is "Erling". Usually they are referred to as "Erling og Bernt"
- Portugal, Rua Sésamo, Bert is "Becas" and Ernie is "Egas". They're referred to as "Egas e Becas", in the opposite order.
- Russia, Ulitsa Sezam, Bert is Vlas and Ernie is Yenik. They're referred to as Yenik i Vlas
- Spain, Barrio Sésamo, Bert is "Blas", and Ernie is "Epi". Also, they're always referred to as "Epi & Blas", in the opposite order.
- Turkey, Susam Sokağı, Bert is "Büdü", while Ernie is "Edi". They are commonly referred to as "Edi ile Büdü".
See also
External links
- Sesame Street at PBS Kids
- Sesame Street Workshop
- Muppet Wiki: Ernie and Bert sketches
- Tough Pigs Anthology Transcripts of Ernie and Bert sketches
- Bert and Ernie links