Loretta Long

In her one-and-a-half-hour interview, Loretta Long talks about her role as "Susan" on the classic children's series Sesame Street, which she had played continuously for the entire 35-year run of the show up to the time of the interview. She describes her early years growing up on a farm and having aspirations for a life in show business. She talks about entering the workforce as a substitute teacher while auditioning for acting parts in New York City. She briefly describes her early work in local television, including Soul!, an African American variety series she co-hosted, which indirectly led her to Sesame Street. Regarding Sesame Street, Long vividly describes her audition (during which she sang "I'm a Little Teapot") and talks about the earliest years of the series. She describes the diversity of Sesame Street and the role of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in getting more attention placed on her character. Finally, Long speaks about pursuing her PhD in education, while still appearing on the show. Karen Herman conducted the interview on July 21, 2004 at the Sesame Workshop in New York, NY.