Topic: The Electric Company

[Mr. Hankey]

"Hey You Guys!!!"


20 OF THE BEST EPISODES FEATURING BILL COSBY, MORGAN FREEMAN, RITA MORENO, SPIDER-MAN and More!

If you were between six and ten years old during the years 1971 through 1985, then there is a good chance you learned to read with help from The Electric Company. Comedy sketches, music, animation and special effects were the tools of this "video" classroom. Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Spider-Man Road Runner and others were the teachers.

The Electric Company was a product of its time — perennially cool and hip, while never wavering from its educational goals; it was full of wit and energy and made learning to read fun. So, take a trip back in time with Spider-Man, Letterman, J. Arthur Crank, the Short Circus, Jennifer of the Jungle, DJ Mel Mounds, Easy Reader, Paul the Gorilla, Lorelei the Chicken and all the rest with THE BEST OF THE ELECTRIC COMPANY.

DISC 1: #1 (10/25/71); #10 (11/5/71); #14 (11/11/71); #21 (11/22/71); #26 (11/29/71) Special Features: Rita Moreno Remembers: The only female performer to have won an Oscar®, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, Rita looks back on her experiences with The Electric Company.

DISC 2: #109 (3/23/72); #131 (10/23/72); #181 (1/1/73); #285 (11/23/73); #321 (1/14/74) Special Features: Joan Ganz Cooney Then And Now: From 1971 to the present, the founder of The Children’s Television Workshop has never wavered in her commitment to early education.

DISC 3: #379 (4/3/74); #386 (4/15/74); #391 (10/21/74); #437 (12/24/74); #453 (1/15/75) Special Features: "Silent E" Karaoke: Sing along with Tom Lehrer’s unforgettable and imaginative song. The Creative Team Remembers: Executive producer Sam Gibbon and head writer Tom Whedon reminisce.

DISC 4: #491 (3/10/75); #72A (1/27/76); #110A (3/19/76); #79B (2/3/77); #130B (4/15/77) Special Feature: June Angela Remembers: "Julie" in The Short Circus; June Angela was with the cast for the entire run of the show.

Release Date: February 7, 2006

SRP: $49.98 ($34.99 Amazon Pre-Order Price)

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Gen Xers rejoice. 

A bit of trivia: the head writer for this show was Tom Whedon, who has a son who can write a little bit, too...

His son's first name is Joss. 

[barrid]

I love this! A must have for my collection.

Hey You Guys!!!!

[sero]

hey look up in the sky!
Its a bird!
No, its a plant!
No, its Letterman!

[Mr. Hankey]

Lumalabas edad niyo... 

Morgan Freeman: You got soup?
Rita Moreno: We got soup.
Morgan Freeman: What kind of soup?
Rita Moreno: All kinds of soup!

We got meat soup,
Got beet soup,
Got sweet soup,
Shredded wheat soup,
Concrete soup,
Torn bed sheet soup,
Parakeet soup,
And most of all -- dirty feet soup.

 

[pjayg]

Oh oh oh punc...tua...tions 2x
They are the little marks that you can see
That gives a sentence a 'lil more sense!

Tama ba? I grew up w/ this show haha

[Mr. Hankey]

Close enough! 

Dumadami umaamin ng edad nila dito, a! 

"Easy Reader, that's my name, I say... uh... uh... uh..."

[Ikiru]

MARCHELLO!!!!

[Depth of Field]

" Your shoes are UNtied !"
"your boots abe UNpolished!"
etc. etc.
by morgan freeman-easy reader

[AshKetchum]

Hey you guys! 
Any reviews/impressions on this set?

[Mr. Hankey]

I've only watched the first episode on the first disc. Nostalgia trip talaga!

Rita Moreno does introductions to the episodes. The one I saw featured a duet version of "Easy Reader" (Morgan with Rita), "Punc-Punc-Punc-Punc-Tuation...", and the classic cartoon with the parrot, " 'Who is it?' 'It's the plumber... I've come to fix the sink!' " Remember those?

Just to show how slow I am, when I was watching it as a kid, I thought it was just another "children's educational program." It's just through the special features of the set that I learned that the show wasn't "general education," but was commissioned with a single purpose: To teach children how to read.

I think my level of activity here at PinoyDVD has proven that it was successful in that goal. 

The show was taped on video... and it shows. Medyo kupas, but not bad. Think of a well-preserved Beta tape from that time without any artifacts/folds.

By the way, if you want just a VERY little taste of the set for your collection, they're actually releasing a 1-disc "The Best of The Best of The Electric Company" DVD with 5 episodes on March 7th:



 

[ghost2192]

Man I love this show I used to watched this when I was in elementary, hell my age is really showing.