Big Bird in China

Infobox Film
name = Big Bird in China


image_size =
caption = "Big Bird in China" video cassette cover
director = Jon Stone
producer = Kuo Bao-Xiang
Xu Ja-Cha
David Liu
writer = Joseph A. Bailey
Jon Stone
narrator =
starring =
music = Dick Lieb
cinematography =
editing = Ken Gutstein
distributor = Children's Television Workshop
released = Start date|1983|5|29
runtime = 75 minutes
country =
language = English
budget = Unknown
gross = $14,093,284
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0371576

"Big Bird in China" was a 1983 special produced by the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) and CCTV. It was originally broadcast on May 29 1983 on NBC.cite web
last = Stengel
first = Richard
authorlink = Richard Stengel
coauthors =
title = Innocent Abroad, with Feathers
work =
publisher = Time Magazine
date = 1983-05-30
url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926018,00.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-06] The special was based on the popular television series "Sesame Street". Big Bird, Barkley and Little Xiao Foo travel through China to find Feng Huang, the Phoenix bird.

The story starts in New Yorks China Town where Big Bird spies an old scroll with a picture of a beautiful phoenix on it. The shop keeper explains that the phoenix is magical and lives in China. It won't be easy to find and Big Bird will have to find the four places pictured on the scroll, and in each place he'll get a clue from a monkey to find the phoenix. There is a sand timer which he must beat in solving the clues given by the monkey. Big Bird thinks "Well, what a good thing it would be if a great big American bird went to meet that beautiful Chinese bird! I mean, she could tell me everything about China, and then I could come home and tell everybody here!" So, he sets out with Barkley on a boat and makes it to China.

Highlights include Chinese landmarks like the Great Wall of China and Beijing, Big Bird learning the "little duckling dance", and a song to teach Chinese words. A character called The Monkey King appears in the special; despite an appearance that has scared many youngsters, he helps Big Bird and Xiao Foo in their quest. Big Bird wears a tie for the entire movie which is a change from his normal appearance. Oscar decides to try and dig his way to China from his trash can and when he gets to China he decides it seems kinda boring and goes straight home.

The production was released onto DVD February 10, 2004. The DVD lacks about a minute of the original production, in which Big Bird is looking for someone who speaks "American" (it can be seen for comical and total political incorrectness on the VHS version).

Origins

In his memoir, Caroll Spinney notes that he was inspired to pitch the special to CTW after visiting China on a tour with Bob Hope. [cite book |last=Spinney |first=Caroll |coauthors=J. Milligan |title=The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch) Lessons Learned from a Life in Feathers |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |date= |publisher=Villard Books |location= |isbn= |pages= |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= ] This first trip was to film the "Bob Hope on the Road to China", a two hour NBC special airing September 16 1979. The special featured Big Bird, along with the likes of Shields & Yarnell and Mikhail Baryshnikov with musical numbers by Peaches & Herb and Crystal Gayle.cite web | authorlink = Cleveland State University Library | title = Cleveland Memory Collection : Item View - Bob Hope and Big Bird | work = | publisher = Cleveland State University | year = 2007 | url = http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/press&CISOPTR=1561&REC=1
format = | accessdate = 2007-03-06 ] It was produced by James Lipton.cite web | last = Getlen | first = Larry | authorlink = Larry Getlen | title = Memory Lane - Every Picture Tells a Story in James Lipton's Home | work = New York Post | publisher = News Corporation | date = 2007-02-22 | url = http://www.nypost.com/seven/02222007/realestate/memory_lane_realestate_larry_getlen.htm?page=2 | accessdate = 2007-03-06 ]

Spinney devised the storyline and suggested locations for "Big Bird in China". However, the program's credits do not acknowledge this, and instead state, "Created by Jon Stone". Spinney also notes that, when filming on location in China, he experienced much tension and difficulty due to animosity from Stone.

Cast

* Carroll Spinney as Big Bird/Oscar the Grouch
* Brian Muehl as Barkley/Telly
* Frank Oz as Bert/Cookie Monster/Grover
* Jerry Nelson as Two-Headed Monster, head one/Oscar the Grouch (assistant)/Cookie Monster (assistant)
* Richard Hunt as Two-Headed Monster, head two/Ernie (assistant)/Telly (assistant)
* Jim Henson as Ernie
* Ouyang Lianzi (Lisa Ouyang) as Xiao Foo
* Katherine Lakoski as The Singing Phoenix

* Ting Bao-Yi as Lion Dog
* Arabella Hong as The Shopkeeper
* Lu Ja-Lin as The Dancing Phoenix
* Wang Kwan-Wei as Lion Dog
* Hua Ziu Ping as The Storyteller
* Monkey King: Chou Yi-Ping, Liu Xio-Shen, Zhang Xin-Tien, Xu Tien-Ed, Quan She-Zhen, Li Jiang, Lu Fu-Hai, Wu Chi-Lian

Crew

* Directed by Jon Stone
* Written by Joseph A. Bailey and Jon Stone
* Executive Producer Jon Stone
* Music by Dick Lieb
* Associate Producer Tish Sommers
* Associate Director Ozzie Alfonso
* Art Director Victor DiNapoli
* Editor Ken Gutstein
* Audio Blake Norton
* Sound Effects Dick Maitland

Awards

* Won the 1983 Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programcite web | title = Past Winners Database - 1982-1983 35th Emmy Awards | work = Los Angeles Times | publisher = Tribune Company | year = 2005 | url = http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1982/1982_1983emmy.htm | accessdate = 2007-03-06 ]

References

External links

*
* [http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/press&CISOPTR=1561&REC=1 Photo of Big Bird with Bob Hope from their 1979 special]
* [http://www.toughpigs.com/journalchinavsjapan1.htm Tough Pigs Journal featuring photos from this special and Big Bird in Japan]
* [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Ouyang_Lianzi Ouyang Lianzi page on Muppet Wiki]
*