Danny Epstein

In his 75-minute interview, Danny Epstein (1925-2010) talks about his 35-year association with Sesame Street as manager of the show's music services department. Epstein, a founding member of the series creative team, speaks of his service to the show, which began under the guiding force of composer Joe Raposo. Epstein discusses his early years deciding on a musical career, and tells of his pre-Sesame Street association with Joe Raposo and Jim Henson. He details several production aspects of the series' initial five pilots and describes how during the early years of the show he was told to "keep his day job" since the series' future was uncertain. Epstein talks about the research that went into the show, the so-called "Madison Avenue format" of 30 and 60-second pieces, and the relationship between the research and music departments. He explains the stories behind several of the most well-known songs on the show, including the series' theme song, "Bein' Green," "Sing," and "Rubber Duckie." Karen Herman conducted the interview on July 20, 2004 in New York, NY.