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The Best of the Best of Electric Company
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Manufacturer: Shout Factory Theatr
Find all by Shout Factory Theatr
Directed By: Bob Schwarz, Chuck Jones, Henry Behar, John Tracy
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Theatrical Release: October 25, 1971
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $14.99
Online Sale Price: $12.99
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Starring: Jim Boyd, Morgan Freeman, Judy Graubart, Skip Hinnant, Rita Moreno
The Best Of The Best Of The Electric Company™ FEATURING BILL COSBY, MORGAN FREEMAN, RITA MORENO and More! "We’re gonna turn it on.
We’re gonna bring you the power." 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. The show was so terrific that it attracted major talent. In addition to stars Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno, Joan Rivers, Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel were the characters in "The Adventures Of Letterman." Mel Brooks was the voice of the animated Blond-Haired Cartoon Man. The satirist Tom Lehrer wrote ten songs for the shows. 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 Letterman, Easy Reader, J. Arthur Crank, Fargo North, Decoder, the Short Circus, Jennifer of the Jungle, and all the rest with THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE ELECTRIC COMPANY.™ 5 GREAT EPISODES, INCLUDING SERIES PREMIERE SPECIAL FEATURES
Rita Moreno Remembers
Outtakes
New Episode Intros by Rita Moreno
Trivia
User Submitted The Best of the Best of Electric Company Reviews
November 6, 2007
Lots of Laughs from a classic old show
Great reminiscence of an old favorite that taught lots of us to read! Love seeing Morgan Freeman in his first "starring" role.
November 4, 2007
Fond memories
If you grew up watching TV in the 70s, it will touch you to see some of this stuff again.
September 29, 2007
ho hum
Perhaps this is a little too old for me. It has nothing that I remember about The Electric Company from my childhood. It is also a bit much for my 3 year old. I will keep it and try it again later but first viewing was not exciting at all.
September 29, 2007
Morgan Freeman grooves!
The best part of this nostalgic, but dated, DVD is the skit with Morgan Feeman dancing in those groovy 70's clothes. As one actress says in the extras section, "He's a tall drink of water!" I got the DVD for my kids, who liked it enogh to watch it once, but that was enough for all of us.
September 17, 2007
A bit of a let down compared to my memory
It is the Electric Company, alright-- and your favorites are here, "Easy Reader", "I'm the plumber, I've come to fix the sink", the silhouettes that sound out word pairs (like ggggg- oat, gggg- reat, ggggg- one) etc...
It is all kinds of supa fly and SOOOOO 70s. But, as an adult I notice the "economical" sets and low-tech special effects more than the groovy retro vibe. I think there are more effective videos to teach reading out there, and the Muppet shows and School House Rock stand the test of time better for entertainment value.
The most interesting aspect of the show that I certainly never grasped as a little kid: the cheesy innuendos. It made the first watch thru moderately funny, but not enough so for me to watch it again.
I will be most likely to play this on a TV with no sound during a party.
July 8, 2007
J. Arthur Crank and co. rock on!
Seventies children and lovers of TRUE kid tv take note-this is every bit as good as you remember it, and even better since you get more of the jokes.
The genius of the EC was its ability to teach valuable lessons in punctuation (remember that song from the show?) and basic English spelling and grammar with some memorable characters and slap-happy humor that had you rolling in the aisles. None of that cutesy Barney or New Zoo Revue garbage-this show had GUTS!
Joan Rivers does the narration for LETTERMAN, a super hero who foils the evil deeds of the Spellbinder. Then of course these's J Arthur Crank, a hilarious chronic complainer who lives up to his name. To give an example of the kind of humor on this show, some episodes feature a guy who decodes puzzling phrases called FARGO NORTH-DECODER (get it?). Young Bill Cosby provides some really hilarious early moments. Morgan Freeman mixes comedy and dignity in his legendary characters EASY READER, who convinced kids that it was cool to read, and "DJ Mel Mounds with groovy sounds that were righteous, brighteous, and outta-sighteous." Rita Moreno, one of the show's stars, proveds commentary on the disc (although she is somewhat hard to recognize 30 years later). Oh yeah, young Irene Cara rocks with the Short Circus.
However, you may not want the kiddies to see some of the edited scenes. The slap-happy humor of the show gets raw here. But as a whole, this set the standard as a SESAME STREET for older kids and was in the tradition of SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK (and READING RAINBOW for the current generation) in good "edutainment." You will treasue this DVD, adult or child.
Meanwhile, DVDs of it's nauseating 70s counterpart NEW ZOO REVUE and its modern spawn from hell BARNEY, the TELETUBBIES, ad nauseum would best be shown in Iraqi prisons to torture terrorists or by farmers to show to cows to induce them to produce fertilizer.
February 3, 2007
Hey You Guys!!!
After first hand experience with the Electric Company I thought my kids (age 4 and 6) would also enjoy the shows. Sure enough both were transfixed by punctuation ensembles and phonetic banter. What a groovy way to learn (who can resist Easy Reader?).
January 14, 2007
A little let-down
When I was young, I remember this being my favorite show, even a little more than Sesame Street. But now as I watch it again for the first time since the 70's, I'm not sure why. I think maybe these aren't really "The Best of the Best." The last episode was definitely more the way I remembered them all. (Of course, it could be that I'm just not a child anymore!) Anyway, as an adult I think Sesame Street has alot more to offer. But it was fun to see the few skits I did remember!
January 11, 2007
Electric co, Video
I bought it for my 8yr. old son that has a speech problem. I loved it as a child and thought it would help. It brought back some good childhood memories. I recieved it very quickly.
January 10, 2007
Primary Teachers! Buy this set!
I have taught primary grades for thirty years and have always wondered what happened to The Electric Company. Where did it go? I bought this one as soon as it came out, as well as Vol. II. My second graders are mesmerized by it. It has aged gracefully. The snippets of language are just right for English Language Learners. The pace is snappy, the humor is great, and the skits and graphics are simply wonderful. Every teacher and parent of young readers should buy these shows. I hope the company keeps publishing more because we need them in the classroom.
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