Tony Geiss

Tony Geiss (November 16, 1924 - January 21, 2011) was a staff writer and songwriter for Sesame Street and related productions, often teamed with Judy Freudberg. Geiss conceptualized the Honkers (based on his own childhood habit of honking his nose)Children's Television Workshop. Biographical Sketches. 1983 and Abby Cadabby.Susan Dominus, "A Girly-Girl Joins the 'Sesame' Boys", The New York Times, 6 August 2006.
Geiss' early TV career was spent in London scripting The David Frost Show and worked on one entry in the Experiment in Television series for NBC. He first joined Children's Television Workshop as a writer on the health series Feelin' Good. He also scripted television specials and revues for the likes of Dick Cavett and Bill Cosby. In the 1980s, after scripting Follow That Bird as his cinematic debut, Geiss and Freudberg co-wrote the Don Bluth animated features An American Tail and The Land Before Time. He was also credited as head writer for several Sesame Street home videos. He also scripted several sketches involving Mount Rushmore for the unrealized "Muppet Minute" segment for 60 Minutes in 1983.
Geiss' father Alexander Geiss was a painter and an animator/story man (working stints for Max Fleischer, at Terrytoons, and for Walt Disney, notably Ferdinand the Bull).Television Academy interview, part 1. 01:45. His mother Marjorie Thirer was a press agent.ibid. 03:25. Geiss grew up in Greenwich Village, spending two years as a radar technician for the US Navy during World War II. Geiss attended Cornell University and graduated in 1946. He began acting in theatre productions in his freshman year, and met his wife Phyllis Eisen on campus.
==Composer Credits==
AFFS.jpg|"Abby's Flying Fairy School Theme Song"
File:Song.alliwant.jpg|"All I Want for Christmas Is You"
File:Album.cinderelmo.jpg|"All You Need Is You"
File:Aloneinaswamp.jpg|"Alone in a Swamp"
File:2486-08b.jpg|"Alone Together"
File:AtTheBusStopSign.jpg|"At the Bus Stop Sign"
File:Song.HeyBaby.jpg|"Baby, You're So Smart"
File:2828-01.jpg|"Be Proud of Your Hair"
File:Song.friends.jpg|"Because We're Friends"
File:4193e.png|"Being a Bear"
1021g.jpg|"Big Bird's Lullaby"
File:1056a.jpg|"Big Brass Band"
Image:BigSmallPeople.jpg|"Big People, Small People"
File:Song.boogiepiggies.jpg|"The Boogie-Woogie Piggies"
File:3578c.jpg|"Bountiful Tree"
File:Briefhistory05.jpg|"A Brief History of Motion Pictures"
File:Brokenandbeautiful.jpg|"Broken and Beautiful"
File:Song.brothersandsisters.jpg|"Brothers and Sisters"
File:1576j.jpg|"Brown Bird in the Cherry Tree"
File:1459c.jpg|"Butterfly"
File:WindyMuppets.jpg|"Caribbean Air"
1661e.jpeg|"Camp Killjoy Song"
File:Camp01.jpg|"Camp Wannagohoma Theme"
File:3586d.jpg|"Can't Help Lovin' That Moo of Mine"
File:3122b.jpg|"Chirrup"
Image:1077c.jpg|"Coconut Tree"
File:BayouCountin.jpg|"Counting Bayou Fives"
File:Song.CountryintheCity.jpg|"Country in the City"
File:2844f.jpg|"Dancin' Beak to Beak"
2710g.jpg|"Daytime Family"
File:PrairieTyne.jpg|"Different"
File:1037m.jpg|"Different People, Different Ways"
File:3603BobZoe.jpg|"Different Street"
Ewdino-cartoon.jpg|"Dinosaur Stomp"
File:DiscoD.jpg|"Disco D"
File:DoSomething.jpg|"Do Something"
File:3145l.jpg|"Doing the Penguin"
File:AfraidToTry.jpg|"Don't Be Afraid to Try"
File:Cookieangels.jpg|"Don't Eat the Pictures"
File:Sesame-st-film-festival pdp.jpg|"Don't Forget to Watch the Movie"
File:DustingSong.jpg|"The Dusting Song"
File:EarthRainMud.jpg|"Earth, Rain and Mud"
File:3785-song-earthworm.jpg|"Earthworm"
File:8 balls of fur.JPG|"Eight Balls of Fur"
File:Elephant-Stomp.jpg|"Elephant Stomp"
File:Elmo'sSong.jpg|"Elmo's Song"
File:ElmoCanFly.jpg|"Elmo Can Fly"
Every-Day-Cant-B-Xmas.jpg|"Every Day Can't Be Christmas"
EverybodyNeedsHome.jpg|"Everybody Needs a Home"
File:DoingThisDance02.jpg|"Everybody's Doin' This Dance"
File:4109g.jpg|"Everyone Needs a Friend"
File:BB.Snuffy.thinkingofsomeone.jpg|"Exactly Like You"
File:2805a.jpg|"Fabulous Rainbow"
3980g.jpg|"Final Twig"
File:FindAHusband.jpg|"Find-a-Husband Ball"
File:3214g.jpg|"The First Chicken in Space"
File:3150p.jpg|"The First Time"
File:3136w.jpg|"Fixin' My Hair"
File:4119zf.jpg|"Food Song"
3082 02.jpg|"Four Goo-Goo Birds"
File:Frogsoftheglen.jpg|"The Frogs in the Glen"
File:Song.frogyear.jpg|"Frog of the Year"
File:4137zh.jpg|"Get Up! Get Out!"
File:Cookiegingerbreadman.jpg|"Gingerbread Man"
File:GiveYourFriendanEasterEggforChristmas.jpg|"Give Your Friend an Easter Egg for Christmas"
File:GoinToKyoto.jpg|"Going to Kyoto"
1710-GoodbyeSong.jpg|"Goodbye, Country"
File:GoodbyeLittleCookie.jpg|"Goodbye, Little Cookie"
File:1197-04.jpg|"Good Morning, Mister Sun"
GoodMorningWorld.jpg|"Good Morning World"
File:Grandmassong.jpg|"Grandmas"
File:3845k.jpg|"Great Big Beautiful World"
File:0897 04.jpg|"The Grouch's Lullaby"
File:Song.groverworksong.jpg|"Grover Work Song"
File:Happy-Blues.jpg|"Happy Blues"
1649b.jpg|"Happy-Sad Song"
File:4037_Helping_People.jpg|"Helping People"
File:Album.cinderelmo.jpg|"Hey, CinderElmo"
File:1373e.jpg|"Hey Little Worm"
File:3217h.jpg|"Holding Hands"
File:Journaljapan04.jpg|"Homesick"
File:HonkAroundtheClock.jpg|"Honk Around the Clock"
File:Horse-Sense.jpg|"Horse Sense"
1688 03.jpg|"The Hurdy-Gurdy Man"
File:Grovermarchingband.jpg|"I Am Not Afraid"
Image:Song-IBelieve.jpg|"I Believe"
File:4173n.jpg|"I Don't Wanna Be a Prince"
File:EthelMermaid.jpg|"I Get a Kick Out of U"
File:Igottabeclean.jpg|"I Gotta Be Clean"
File:4072t.jpg|"I Laugh When I'm Happy"
File:2951f.jpg|"I Love Words"
File:Sgrover.armor.jpg|"I Want to Be Your Friend"
File:3980zg.jpg|"I Want to Thank You for Being My Friends"
1502g.jpg|"I Wish It Would Rain"
Image:1620e.jpg|"I Wish I Was a Little Snowflake"
File:Cloud02.jpg|"If I Was a Cloud in the Sky"
File:GoToTheBall.jpg|"If Elmo Could Go to the Ball"
File:Song.ilalphabetto.jpg|"Il Alphabetto"
File:2123gk.jpg|"I'll Never Run Out of Love"
File:NotAngryAtYou.jpg|"I'm Not Angry at You"
File:ProudtoBeaCow.jpg|"I'm Proud to Be a Cow"
File:2226k.jpg|"I'm So Proud (You're My Baby)"
File:ImSquare.jpg|"I'm Square"
File:Imaginationandyou.jpg|"Imagination and You"
1477b.jpg|"Imagine with Me"
File:MrStringer.jpg|"Important Piece of String"
File:1397-InMyColoringBook.jpg|"In My Coloring Book"
File:3977e.jpg|"It's All Right to Cry"
XmasAgain.jpg|"It's Christmas Again"
File:Lillian-Sting.jpg|"It's Not How Big You Are"
File:BJMMOscar.jpg|"Just the Way You Are" (spoof lyrics)
File:Song.cleanpigeons.jpg|"Keep the Park Clean for the Pigeons"
File:1184_04.jpg|"A Kid and His Dog"
File:Song.kidswithwings.jpg|"Kids With Wings"
File:Song.lambaba.jpg|"Lambaba"
File:Bob-LazySummer.jpg|"Lazy Summer Day"
3989b.jpg|"Let's Be Trees"
File:LetsGoTubbin.jpg|"Let's Go Tubbin' Today"
File:LetterofDayPageant2.jpg|"Letter of the Day"
File:3531i.jpg|"Like a Rolling Plant"
1125g.jpg|"Little Brother / Little Sister"
File:PhantomOscar.jpg|"A Little Grouch Music"
File:Imabiggirlnow.jpg|"Little Sister is a Big Girl Now"
File:4157j.jpg|"Making Believe"
File:3258a.jpg|"Me Gusta"
File:MeetMeAtTheBusStop.jpg|"Meet Me at the Bus Stop"
File:Motherandchildren.jpg|"Mothers and Children"
JudySnuffy.jpg|"Mozart ABC's"
File:Bestfriend.JPG|"My Best Friend"
File:Song.furryshadow.jpg|"My Furry Little Shadow"
3059g.jpg|"Natasha's Lullaby"
File:Nearandfar2.JPG|"Near Far Monsters"
Image:0961e.jpg|"A New Day"
Countcountessnumberoftheday20.jpg|"Number of the Day Waltz"
File:OneThingLeadstoAnother.jpg|"One Thing Leads to Another"
File:4140-trashtime.jpg|"Oscar's Trashtime Band"
1304c.jpg|"Our Song"
File:Pastasong.jpg|"Pasta"
1564k.jpg|"People, Who Needs 'Em?"
File:PhoneBookAlphabet.jpg|"Phone Book Alphabet"
File:Vlcsnap-2018-02-18-11h02m28s149.png|"Picture a Park"
File:1293d.jpg‎|"Pigeon"
File:PigeonsonParade.jpg|"Pigeons on Parade"
File:2486-02c.jpg|"Plan Ahead"
File:3663.ComingSoon.jpg|"Poconoko"
File:1707g.jpg|"Postcard Song"
File:1736q.jpg|"Practice Song"
Image:1463 02.jpg|"Pussycat, What's on Your Mind?"
File:Questionsquestions.jpg|"Questions, Questions"
File:1684a.jpg|"Reach Your Hand Up High"
File:BBZoe.ReadMe2.jpg|"Read Me a Story"
2130 04.jpg|"S.S. Forgetful"
File:Grover again.JPG|"Sing After Me"
File:SingLittleBluebird.jpg|"Sing, Little Bluebird"
File:Folge2269-9.jpg‎|"Sixteen Samba"
File:Hoots.Sleepytime.jpg|"Sleepytime on Sesame Street"
File:Snowflakes.jpg|"Snowflakes"
Image:1269d.jpg|"Snow, Quiet Snow"
File:EBSongAboutTr.jpg|"Song About Tr"
File:Songfortwo.jpg|"A Song for Two"
File:Song-Of-Forgetful.jpg|"Song of Forgetful Jones"
1426a.jpg|"A Song with a Rhyme"
File:1494e.jpg|"Staying Overnight with a Friend"
Stop Geiss.jpg|"Stop"
File:Sully-LoveSong.jpg|"Sully's Love Song (Yes)"
File:SS-Surprise6.jpg|"Surprise"
File:PointSis-Alph.jpg|"Swingin' Alphabet"
File:3141y.jpg|"Take Care of That Smile"
File:ThatsTalkinScat.jpeg|"Talkin' Scat"
Ewcats-cartoon.jpg|"That's Bein' a Cat"
File:Song.thatswhatfriendsarefor.jpg|"That's What Friends Are For"
File:Importantmeal.JPG|"The Most Important Meal of the Day"
File:Song.trashrainbow.jpg|"There's a Big Heap of Trash at the End of the Rainbow"
TheThingsILove.jpg|"The Things I Love"
File:TurtleSong.jpg|"The Turtle Song"
File:2710e.jpg|"Thinkin' of You"
File:ThinkingOfU.jpg|"Thinking of U"
3720.ComingSoon.jpg|"This Makes Me Feel Like Dancing"
File:2495e.jpg|"This Old Chair"
File:JCollins-ThreeGrouches.jpg|"Three Grouches Would a Wooing Go"
File:ThreeSidesNow.jpg|"Three Sides Now"
File:TickleMeLand.jpg|"Tickle Me Land"
File:1052d.jpg|"The Transylvania Polka"
Image:0878a.jpg|"Two to Seesaw"
File:2Head.Love.jpg|"Ugga Wugga Lullabye"
File:VegetableLion.jpg|"Vegetable Lion"
File:PDarton.BusStopSign.jpg|"Waitin' at the Bus Stop Sign for You"
4066g.jpg|"Walk in the Woods"
File:2449a.jpg|"Walk This Way"
File:WalkinDownMyStreet.jpg|"Walkin' Down My Street"
File:1780a.jpg|"Walking Proud"
File:Song.WeAreAllMonsters.jpg|"We Are All Monsters"
File:WeCoulda.jpg|"We Coulda"
File:WeFoundErnie.jpg|"We Found Ernie"
File:3010k.jpg|"We Love Your Nose"
File:2123ia.jpg|"We're a Family"
File:Song.whatagift.jpg|"What a Gift"
File:2429-Farm.jpg|"What Do You Do on a Farm?"
File:Bigbird-whatsyourname.jpg|"What's Your Name"
File:2257zb.jpg|"When I Listen"
File:CarrotTime.jpg|"When It's Time for a Snack"
File:ForgetfulJones--I'llNeverForget.jpg|"Who Could Forget the Day That We Met"
Ewfish-cartoon.jpg|"Wiggle"
Image:Song-TheWiggle.jpg|"The Wiggle"
File:WonderfulMe.jpg|"Wonderful Me"
File:1246a.jpg|"Wonderful to Be You"
Title.wandafalbo.jpg|"Word Fairy Theme"
Image:1667d.jpg|"Working Together"
File:3640g.jpg|"Worm Soliloquy"
File:2050f.jpg|"You Can Be Anything You Want To"
File:BePatient.jpg|"You Gotta Be Patient (To Be a Patient)"
File:Goingtobeastar.jpg|"You're Gonna Be a Star"
2570c.jpg|"You're Gonna Like It Out Here"
File:1575-06.jpg|"You're My Friend"
;Unfinished songs
*"Hello-Quack-Quack"
*"How Do You Do?"
*"How Porridge Was Born"
*"I Draw a Line"
*"I Love You, Love You, Love You"
*"If There Was No Water"
*"It's a Mistake to Throw Trash in a Lake"
*"The Pigeons of Paris"
*"Rowing Down the Nile"
*"Rubbadubba"
*"Sleeping Gypsy Lullaby"
*"Stringbeans"
*"Sweet Little Fifteen"
*"That's What's Important To Me"
*"We're Going to the Museum and We're Late"
==Writing Credits==
*Sesame Street
*Don't Eat the Pictures
*Follow That Bird (co-written with Judy Freudberg)
*Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting (co-written with Judy Freudberg)
*Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music (co-written with Jon Stone, also producer)
*Dance Along!
*Sing-Along Earth Songs
*Elmo Saves Christmas (co-written with Christine Ferraro)
*The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street
*CinderElmo
*A Celebration of Me, Grover
*Elmo's World segments: Dinosaurs, Doctors, Ears, Fish, Jumping, Penguins, Skin, Weather, Wild Animals
===Episodes===
Sesame Street episodes written by Geiss include:
*Episode 0953
*Episode 1044
*Episode 1051
*Episode 1130
*Episode 1173
*Episode 1197
*Episode 1221
*Episode 1246
*Episode 1250
*Episode 1254
*Episode 1280
*Episode 1297
*Episode 1301
*Episode 1312
*Episode 1323
*Episode 1336
*Episode 1342
*Episode 1364
*Episode 1367
*Episode 1373
*Episode 1397
*Episode 1405
*Episode 1433
*Episode 1446
*Episode 1463
*Episode 1467
*Episode 1494
*Episode 1549
*Episode 1576
*Episode 1585
*Episode 1590
*Episode 1596
*Episode 1607
*Episode 1620
*Episode 1623
*Episode 1667
*Episode 1676
*Episode 1707
*Episode 1715
*Episode 1716
*Episode 1723
*Episode 1730
*Episode 1736
*Episode 1740
*Episode 1847
*Episode 1853
*Episode 1862
*Episode 1879
*Episode 1902
*Episode 1910
*Episode 1959
*Episode 1962
*Episode 1969
*Episode 2021
*Episode 2050
*Episode 2051	
*Episode 2058
*Episode 2076
*Episode 2079
*Episode 2082
*Episode 2087
*Episode 2123
*Episode 2130
*Episode 2140
*Episode 2142
*Episode 2148
*Episode 2150
*Episode 2226
*Episode 2269
*Episode 2301
*Episode 2351
*Episode 2362
*Episode 2389
*Episode 2449
*Episode 2454
*Episode 2474
*Episode 2486
*Episode 2495
*Episode 2525
*Episode 2545
*Episode 2578
*Episode 2592
*Episode 2619
*Episode 2626
*Episode 2638
*Episode 2647
*Episode 2658
*Episode 2682
*Episode 2696
*Episode 2703
*Episode 2710
*Episode 2722
*Episode 2791
*Episode 2805
*Episode 2813
*Episode 2824
*Episode 2825
*Episode 2828
*Episode 2844
*Episode 2851
*Episode 2870
*Episode 2884
*Episode 2889
*Episode 2906
*Episode 2911
*Episode 2929
*Episode 2942
*Episode 2951
*Episode 2971
*Episode 3003
*Episode 3006	
*Episode 3010
*Episode 3059
*Episode 3082
*Episode 3095
*Episode 3096
*Episode 3122
*Episode 3132
*Episode 3145
*Episode 3187
*Episode 3201
*Episode 3204
*Episode 3217
*Episode 3258
*Episode 3262
*Episode 3295
*Episode 3307
*Episode 3322
*Episode 3361
*Episode 3382
*Episode 3405
*Episode 3409
*Episode 3469
*Episode 3474
*Episode 3531
*Episode 3534
*Episode 3564
*Episode 3578
*Episode 3582
*Episode 3586
*Episode 3634
*Episode 3644
*Episode 3664
*Episode 3710
*Episode 3743
*Episode 3773
*Episode 3785
*Episode 3831
*Episode 3839
*Episode 3840
*Episode 3845
*Episode 3860
*Episode 3887
*Episode 3906
*Episode 3980
*Episode 3989
*Episode 4037
*Episode 4066
*Episode 4088
*Episode 4109
*Episode 4157
*Episode 4173
*Episode 4193
==Books==
*The Count Counts a Party
*Elmo Saves Christmas
*The Four Seasons
*Honk If You Like Honkers
*The Sesame Street Bedtime Storybook
*The Sesame Street Treasury Volume 4
*The Songs of Sesame Street in Poems and Pictures
*Susan and Gordon Adopt a Baby
*Vegetable Soup
==Interviews==
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation interviewed Geiss in 2004 for the Archive of American Television. The hour and a half interview was posted on YouTube in 2008.
==See also==
*Tony Geiss papers at Yale University
==Sources==
==External links==
* Joseph Berger, "Tony Geiss, 86, Writer for ‘Sesame Street,’ Dies", The New York Times, January 30, 2011.
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:Lyricists
Category:Composers
Category:Writers
Category:Authors