The Electric Company 

A comedy variety show that teaches basic phonetic and grammar concepts using live-action sketches, cartoons, songs, and Spider-Man episodes.

Stars:

Jim Boyd, Morgan Freeman, Judy Graubart

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jim Boyd	...	Andy / ... 780 episodes, 1971-1977
Morgan Freeman	...	Count Dracula / ... 780 episodes, 1971-1977
Judy Graubart	...	Jennifer of the Jungle / ... 780 episodes, 1971-1977
Skip Hinnant	...	Clam / ... 780 episodes, 1971-1977
Rita Moreno	...	Carmela / ... 780 episodes, 1971-1977
June Angela	...	Julie - Member of the Short Circus 780 episodes, 1971-1977
Mel Brooks	...	Blond-Haired Cartoon Man 780 episodes, 1971-1977
Luis Avalos	...	Dr. Doolats / ... 650 episodes, 1972-1977
Zero Mostel	...	Spell Binder 650 episodes, 1972-1977
Hattie Winston	...	Sylvia / ... 520 episodes, 1973-1977
Melanie Henderson	...	Kathy - Member of the Short Circus 520 episodes, 1971-1975
Steve Gustafson	...	Buddy - Member of the Short Circus 520 episodes, 1971-1975
Danny Seagren	...	Spider-Man 390 episodes, 1974-1977

Storyline

"The Electric Company," aimed at children ages 7 to 10, was designed to teach basic reading concepts to its young viewers. Skits featuring the show's regulars, cartoons, vignettes, and regular features revolved around sound clusters (such as -ly, sh-, oo-) and punctuation marks. On occasion, a fun song was played with the audience challenged to supply the lyrics during the second sing-through. Through the years, different features were added including "Love of Chair" (1971-1973, a spoof of "Love of Life"), "The Adventures of Letterman" (added in 1972), cartoon segments featuring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (1973), and Spider-Man (1974).

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Plot Keywords:

reading | scanimate | vaudeville | sketch comedy | part animation | 

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Taglines:

For the graduates of "Sesame Street."

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Genres:

Family | Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

Sesame Workshop

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Reading Program

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Children's Television Workshop (CTW)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

28 min (780 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The release of the Best of the Electric Company DVD boxed set on 7 February 2006 marked the first time in Sesame Workshop's history that unedited episodes of actual shows from its library were made available for purchase by the public.

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Goofs

During the song "Apostrophe S" (sung by Lee Chamberlin), after Lee sings "the hat is Jim's and that's that", a white-sleeved arm appears briefly at the bottom right of the screen.

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Quotes

The Wall: [referring to Spider-Man] He's so dumb he's trying to eat a hot dog with no mouth.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of every episode is a disclaimer read aloud by one of the cast members stating, "The Electric Company gets its power from the Children's Television Workshop".

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Ghost Fever (2016)

User Reviews

I remember!

Reading some of the comments other people have said regarding the "Electric Company" makes me realize that it has been forgotten, and that is a shame! If anyone can tell me more about this "Noggin" cable channel or where to find reruns, it would be much appreciated. I, too, remember the Electric Company, and I watched it fervently from age 7-12. It was a wonderful show that provided the best possible learning environment, by combining education with humor and repetition, and, above all, in small enough doses to aid in memory retention. I think my all-time favorite was "Fargo North, De-Coder." The cast was certainly very talented and very capable, and I have nothing but fond memories of watching this show, while also improving my language skills.