Jim Thurman

Jim Thurman next to Kermit the Frog (from the muppets) on Sesame Street.

James George Thurman aka Coach (1935-2007) was an Emmy-winning American writer, actor, photographer, director, cartoonist, and producer. He is best known for the writings of TV gags for the likes of Bob Hope, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, Bill Cosby, and Dean Martin.

 He was best known as well as ad-libbing the voices of all the characters in the animated short, It's So Nice to Have a Wolf Around the House, which was based on a children's book of the same name. He was also well-known for voicing a variety of characters in certain animated segments of Sesame Street, including Christopher Clumsy and the Teeny Little Super Guy.

Born in Dallas, but raised in Vicksburg, Michigan, Thurman began his career as a copywriter at various advertising agencies in New York. With his writing partner Gene Moss, he formed his own ad agency, Creative Advertising Stuff. Moss and Thurman scripted all 125 installments of the 1965 cartoon series Roger Ramjet as well as the puppet comedy series Shrimpenstein, where Thurman voiced the title character.

He was one of the voice actors from Random House's Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Video series.

The Cat in the Hat Comes Back as The Cat in the Hat

Fox in Socks as Mr. Knox

I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! as The Cat in the Hat again.

Hop on Pop as the boy who got bit by a tiger, the dog who saw an animal running fast past him and Pop the father of two little bear like cubs who was hopping on him.

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish as the anthropomorphic dog who tries to reach out on his phone to the other anthropomorphic dog who can't hear him. A creature Guy in a Old Hat "who has a cold foot due to one shoe off, has golden teeth and owns a happy bird he holds", Ned who does not like his bed.

The Foot Book as Narrator

Dr. Seuss's ABC as the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz

Oh Say Can You Say? as Hooey the Parrot, The Greedy Ape sitting on a palm tree eating a plate of green grape cakes, Captain Skipper Zipp, the bird not too far from the Docks at Skipper Zipps' place, Narrator on "What would you rather be when you grow up?"."Fritz Food, Fred Food" "ending on Oh Say you can say when Hooey is in the rain"

The Tooth Book as the man on the Trapeze holding his wife on the trapeze by his teeth. Mr. Donald Driscol Drew, Smiling Sam the Crocodile, Simon Sneeth the sad snail, Jimbo Jones the Jellyfish with a trumbone he couldn't play.

Green Eggs and Ham as Guy-Am-I

Ten Apples Up on Top! as the Lion

He died in Sheffield, Massachusetts on April 14, 2007 due to a stroke. He was 72.

It's unknown how long he and his wife Patricia were married.

About

Jim Thurman (1935-2007), sometimes credited as James Thurman, was a writer and voice actor who served a lengthy stint on Sesame Street, working in both capacities, beginning with the show's debut in 1969.

Born in Dallas, but raised in Vicksburg, Michigan, Thurman began his career as a copywriter at various advertising agencies in New York. With his writing partner Gene Moss, he formed his own ad agency, Creative Advertising Stuff. Moss and Thurman scripted all 125 installments of the 1965 cartoon series Roger Ramjet as well as the puppet comedy seriesShrimpenstein, where Thurman voiced the title character. He also wrote TV gags for the likes of Bob Hope, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, and Dean Martin.

On Sesame Street, Thurman scripted both street/Muppet scenes and many animated sketches; for the latter, he was heard as Teeny Little Superguy, Christopher Clumsy, various Cliff Roberts and Paul Fierlingercharacters, and Jake the Snake. He also worked on several relatedSesame Street specials, scripted two Sesame Street Live shows, and served a brief stint on The Muppet Show during the fourth season.

Thurman subsequently worked on most of CTW's other series, as a staff writer and cartoon voiceover on The Electric Company and 3-2-1 Contact, and as head writer/producer for Square One TV; on the latter series, he provided the voice of Mr. Glitch and scripted the "Mathnet" segments, as well as "Dirk Niblick of the Math Brigade," and the later Math Talk package. Thurman also wrote and voiced several animated sexual education specials for Buzzco Associates, Inc.. Though no longer a staff writer forSesame Street, Thurman was still heard occasionally on the series into the new millennium. In 2006, he wrote wrapararound material and voiced Bobfor the Old School Volume 1 DVD. Joan Ganz Cooney paid tribute to Thurman:

“ Jim was a stalwart spirit within the Workshop. He was important not only for what he produced but for the positive spirit he had as he did it. He was an utter joy to work with, and was truly funny.^[1] ”