The Truth About Bert And Ernie! Ever wonder how Ernie could use both hands?

The Truth About Bert And Ernie!

Ever wonder how Ernie could use both hands? Now we know! Here’s Jim Henson (center) with Ernie and Richard Hunt who’s working the right hand. Occasionally, Frank Oz (right) and Bert would use both hands which required another puppet. As always, they are watching the monitor in even the rehearsals like this. To the left is their “stage” that the Muppets would appear above while it hid the puppet masters.

Source

16 Comments

  1. Paul Duca October 5, 2013

    And finally, they can get married…

  2. Kristie McKay September 24, 2013

    Lol this feels like my life at the moment 😀

  3. Dennis Degan September 24, 2013

    The Muppet ‘assistant’ on the left is Richard Hunt. Richard was a fine Muppet performer in his own right, handling and voicing many popular Muppet characters including ‘Sweetums’, ‘Scooter’, ‘Statler’, and ‘Janice’. Sadly, Richard died much too soon at age 40 of AIDS in 1992. I worked on SS in the 1980’s and remember all of these gifted performers well.

  4. Jim Weinberg September 24, 2013

    Richard Hunt among many others also does Scooter, Beaker, Janice, Statler, and Sweetums.

  5. Cher Ketchum September 24, 2013

    they made it look so effortless…. but it continues today, and I thank them so much for caring enough…

  6. David Duke September 24, 2013

    Being a Muppeteer must be a back-breaking job.

  7. Lisa Keenan Seeberg September 24, 2013

    Aw, Jim Henson-gone too soon. I always loved Bert and Ernie.

  8. Bob Hoak September 24, 2013

    I wonder if the right hand guy made sure Jim had a constant supply of deodorant.

  9. Amy Berg September 24, 2013

    I think curiosity steals the mind a bit we shouldn’t see that but we all way’s want to know how .

  10. David Hira September 24, 2013

    I feel like you are exposing a magic trick. You’ve spoiled the illusion…

  11. Jarbas Jam Mesquita September 24, 2013

    It destroyed my childhood memories. Here in Brazil they were “Enio & Beto” and the show was a brazilian wonderful adaptation of Sesame Street; “Vila Sésamo” (1973).

  12. Scott M Bryant September 24, 2013

    Ernie is a “live hand” Muppet, while Bert is a hand-rod Muppet.

  13. David Fell September 24, 2013

    Note that Bert’s head is BIGGER than Frank Oz’s. I used to think the Muppets were a bit smaller than they are.

  14. Jean Jones Valentine September 24, 2013

    That’s no assistant, that’s Richard Hunt.

  15. Gary Lewi September 24, 2013

    wait a minute…you mean Bert and Ernie were PUPPETS?!

  16. Peter Enright September 24, 2013

    whose not who’s (who is) sheesh