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The Best of the Electric Company

Henry Behar (Director), John Tracy (II) (Director) Rated:
Unrated
Format: DVD
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 260 ratings
IMDb8.1/10.0
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Genre Kids & Family/Television
Format Multiple Formats, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Contributor Bob Schwarz, Henry Behar, John Tracy (II)
Language English
Number Of Discs 1
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Product Description

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.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 11.2 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 4Videos
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Henry Behar, John Tracy (II), Bob Schwarz
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 10 hours and 30 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ February 7, 2006
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Shout! Factory
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000AA4F2O
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 260 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
260 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Janet Boyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Educational...and a Hoot to Boot!
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2006
Verified Purchase
I grew up on the Electric Company and I KNOW that it and vintage Sesame Street helped me read by the age of 4. In fact, both the Electric Company and vintage Sesame Street episodes (Sesame Streed Unpaved) used to air on Noggin after midnight. As a new Mom, I was THRILLED...especially since my son and I are both late-nighters. Sadly, Noggin took off both programs and only pre-teen angsty stuff is on late-night Noggin.

My son is now learning to read so I bought this DVD series to help him. Oh...who am I fooling?! I also bought it because I couldn't wait to reminisce with all the cool skits on the Electric Company! Some of the hilarious and memorable things you'll find on this 4-Disc CD set include:

*Greedy Greg Grabbed the Green Grapes

*"I was walkin' down the street when...BOOM!"

*Spidey versus the Spoiler

*Several episodes of Letterman and The Spellcaster

*The Silent E Song ("Who can turn a can...into a cane?")

*Several Easy Reader Episodes ("Easy Reader, that's my name..." Go Morgan!)

*The silhouettes (ch...ip....chip!)

*Fargo North, Decoder

*J. Arthur Crank

*Love of Chair

*Short Circus musical numbers

*Guest stars like Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird

What I had forgotten was just how incredibly educational the Electric Company is. Every single skit teaches reading...EVERY ONE! No skits are wasted by trying to be politically correct, teaching kids how to be nice and share, or demonstrating simplistic rote information over and over and over. No, the Electric Company never insulted our intelligence.

Unlike what's on today.

I can't believe what a wasteland children's TV is. PBS Kids was bad enough with it's drivel (Boohbah, George Shrinks, Teletubbies and other lame shows), and now that it's turned into PBS Kids Sprout as of 9/05, it's even worse! Kipper, Thomas the Tank Engine, James the Cat, Noddy...most of these have NO educational value and teach rudeness to boot! Noggin is a bit better, as is Discovery Kids, Nick Jr., and Playhouse Disney. But even THOSE networks pander to the lowest common denominator of mediocrity (which is a reflection of the adult society we live in). I've never come across a children's show that taught kids how to read just about every moment--let alone just throwing in a few truly educational skits!

Why the Electric Company--all glorious 7 seasons--remains unreleased and unaired is beyond me. No wonder the brains of most children are rotting! They're fed a steady diet of violence, idiocy, and PC BS.

I highly recommed this 4 disc set for both kids and Generation Xers. My 7 year old LOVES this set, and plays it quite often. It's already reinforced what I'm teaching him (blends, vowel teams, silent 'e', etc.). The skits are hilarious, even for adults (the "in" jokes are priceless), and it's great to see Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, Luis Alvalos and the others entertain and educate with flair and enthusiasm.

They just don't make 'em like they used to...
11 people found this helpful
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Tee
5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic!
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2019
Verified Purchase
What can I say about this gem, except it is what it is - a gem! I remember seeing episodes of The Electric Company on the Noggin channel about 20 years ago and since then, I've fallen in love with it. Most people might fear that the show doesn't grab the attention of today's generation of children (readers), but regardless of how old it may be, you can bet that some of the same techniques used back then are used even now! If your child is familiar with exercises that deals with sight words, then The Electric Company basically teaches the same thing! You watch and hear words being sounded out, spelled out, and there are even catchy songs relating to certain words and letters that I'm sure has helped children's phonic skills for many years! For instance, in show 110A of this collection (Disc 4), you'll find in the very beginning a Joe Raposo tune sung by an animated singing fox (Tom Lehrer) about how he loves to do things that begin with "sn", like sneeze, sniffle, and snore. In addition, there's the The Adventures of Letter Man, Easy Reader, the "Punctuation" song, and the classic animation/tune about "Silent E", a lowercase vowel who does magic by turning words like "can" into "cane", or "pan" into "pane". I especially find Rita Moreno's commentaries before each episode pretty informative as she gives insight as to what you will be tuning into. I don't want to be a "spoiler" and tell you everything, but I can tell you that you will definitely get your money's worth with this collection!
3 people found this helpful
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S. Rosenquist
5.0 out of 5 stars Heeeyyyy Yooooooou Guyyyyss!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2006
Verified Purchase
Rita Moreno's signature yell, much like Carol Burnett's Tarzan yodel have remained with me for years. I was reared on the early days of Sesame Street and The Electric Company. When I read in the newspaper that The Best of The Electric Company would soon be available on DVD, it made the top of my "must haves."

I have not been disappointed. Aside from bringing back some great memories of my own childhood, the episodes have really boosted the reading and pre-reading skills of my own small children. My four year-old is now more interested than ever in finding the words in her books. She can also identify most of the words she's learned from watching The Electric Company.

My six year-old, who is also high-functioning autistic, has always had problems with language acquisition and especially with reading. However, in the few short weeks since purchasing the DVD set, his reading skills have improved dramatically. Furthermore, his spelling test scores have improved! He's got the Silent E song memorized. At dinner time, he likes to point out the difference between "dinner" and "diner." And don't knock on our door unless you know "It's the plumber. I've come to fix the sink."

It has proven to be a great purchase. The educational value found in the programs is not equalled by many programs on the air for kids today. (PBS's Between the Lions is one reading/pre-reading show that may come close.)

The shows are definitely from the early to mid-70's. The music, lingo and clothing give it away. However, the messages are timeless. My kids beg to watch the DVD's.

If I had to purchase all over again, I would. I've recommended it to many of my friends. If you've got early readers or pre-readers in your home, the DVD set is definitely worth the purchase.

If you remember The Electric Company from your youth, the 4-disc set is a "must have." If you are looking to boost your kids' reading skills, buy the less expensive 1-disc version. You get fewer episodes, but the kids will enjoy watching them again and again and again.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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KQ
5.0 out of 5 stars The Electric Company is ingenious and entertaining, for all ages.
Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
I generally don't take the time to write reviews, but I'm so impressed with The Best of Electric Company, I just had to! I remember this show fondly from when I was very young. I read the reviews and thought I'd pick it up both for nostalgia and for my 5 year old and 3 year old sons, but I wasn't sure how interested they would be in it, since they enjoy all the current, cartoons. But I'm so happy to say that they LOVE it. They actually ask for it! And this is great since this program is fantastic because of the amazing educational content and that it keeps the kids very entertained. Such talented writing and catchy songs. Many of the approaches are absolutely ingenious! I really enjoy watching it myself, for this reason, too. So, I *highly* recommend this DVD both for entertainment and education. Even though it was developed in the 70's, it has not lost it's relevance. Sadly there's nothing like it on TV now, but fortunately we have these DVDs! What a treasure. I'll be ordering volume 2, and hope that someday there might even be a volume 3.
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Adam Linton
5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing Back Children's Television
Reviewed in Japan on June 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
Where to begin?
This was one of the shows I ran home to watch when I was a kid (by then, sadly, it was already in syndication). But what a show! Educational, informative, funny, memorable, great characters ... and what a cast! Where else could you get movie and TV stars to come together, sit down, and make children's television these days? Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks, Rita Moreno, Jim Boyd - all A-list Hollywood or TV stars in their own right - came together to produce 780 shows in 6 years with a great supporting cast, catchy songs, great animated AND live sketches, and produced some of the best television EVER.
Watch this with your kids - or watch it yourself and relive your childhood!
I am an English teacher living in Japan, and I am seriously considering pushing my fellow teachers to air this for English classes as a treat. ANY product that gets students to read is a bonus ... this may very well be one that gets them to read, and shout out in the halls!

HEY YOU GUUUYSSSS!!!!!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great price, great condition, prompt service. Great stuff.
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（ヒミツ）
5.0 out of 5 stars ７０年代、僕が米国にいたときによく見たアニメがＤＶＤで復活！
Reviewed in Japan on February 26, 2006
Verified Purchase
思えば１９７０年代前半、米国にいたときによく見て、更には１９８０年には日本（「英語であそぼう」として。覚えているかな？）でも放送された「セサミストリート」のＣＴＷ（現Sesame Workshop）制作の英語バラエティ「The Electric Company」がＤＶＤで復活！！！！もちろん、米国で買ってきたＰＳ２（リージョンコードＮＴＳＣ１対応）で見ることにします。アナログ時代の思い出をいつまでも…。
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