Frank from ‘Succession’ Was the Ass End of Mr. Snuffleupagus

Fans of Succession (aka Arrested Development with more F-bombs and less crushing disappointment) may have noticed that Logan Roy’s (R.I.P.) longtime pal Frank Vernon looks a tad familiar. That could be because actor Peter Friedman was in the ’90s thriller Single White Female, or perhaps it’s due to his appearances on TV shows like NYPD Blue and Law & Order. Or it could be because you somehow recognized him for his work as a beloved Muppet’s posterior.

Yup, amazingly enough, early in Friedman’s career as a young stage actor, he worked as a performer in several Muppet-based projects, including Sesame Street. Friedman. For seasons seven and eight, Friedman played the “back end” of Mr. Snuffleupagus – and just imagine how much less magical your childhood would have been if Mr. Snuffleupagus had no ass. 

Keep in mind Friedman just did the puppeteering; he didn’t provide the character’s “Tom Waits on Xanax” voice. And this was back in the ’70s, long before the residents of Sesame Street realized that Snuffy was totally real and Big Bird wasn’t just tripping balls 24/7.

Friedman also got to appear in an episode of Sesame Street in a capacity other than filling out a woolly mammoth’s butt, playing the heartless construction worker who kicks Big Bird out of his home.

FriFriedman did additional work as a performer on The Muppet Show; most notably, he played a giant, mustachioed carrot in a tuxedo who sings Gilbert and Sullivan’s “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” with Gilda Radner – before inadvertently knocking her unconscious while bowing.

He was also part of the “Ragg Mopp” routine, along with Muppet legends Jim Henson and Frank Oz.

So, not to tell the Succession writers how to handle their finale, but were it to randomly introduce anthropomorphic singing mops, well, we wouldn’t complain.

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