Am I the only one who has misgivings about PBS’ planned resurrection of The Electric Company? Yes, I’m glad there’s going to be another show helping to teach kids to read (though a TV series promoting literacy seems to me like Col. Sanders building a chicken sanctuary). It’s the entertainment value I wonder about. I naturally assume the new version (pictured) won’t be as clever or brilliantly performed as the 1971-77 original. After all, that show had Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, and Irene Cara among the performers, plus songs by Tom Lehrer and Sesame Street composer Joe Raposo, while the new one… does not. (Though it does have some of the folks behind Blades of Glory, multiple Tony nominee In the Heights, and, um, Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Can’t wait to see Goren in the box, browbeating some misspelling miscreant.) Also, the old show was essentially a sketch comedy series, complete with catchphrases and recurring characters, while the new one will be more plot-driven, centering on a group of kids with superheroic, word-altering powers. Does every piece of kids’ entertainment now have to be about superpowered children?
Okay, maybe I’m just a cranky, Gen-X geezer, jealously hoarding my nostalgia for something I grew up with, instead of letting the kids have their own version. Go ahead, PopWatchers, put me in my place — or share your favorite memories of the original Electric Company.
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HEY YOU GUYYYYYYYS!
Fargo North, Decoder
Fargo North, Decoder was definitely my favorite sketch.
I LOVED the Electric Company. I grew up on it. Every now and then I find myself singing songs from it. I ONLY hope that the new bunch of people put as much time and devotion into it.
(Current song in head – Hurray for hate, it’s really great, when things are not so hot, hate really hits the spot. Okay, so the best message does not go out with this song, but the song is still stuck in my head after all these years)
“But what about Naomi?”
Easy Reader was the man!
The old one also had the amazing adventures of… Letterman!! (which, I did not know until a few days ago, was voiced by Gene Wilder).
Don’t forget those animated Spiderman clips too.
“It’s the plumber. I’ve come to fix the sink.”
OK, so I was VERY young (born in’74),so I don’t remember alot of details, but I distinctly remember being WAY more into the Electric Company than Sesame Street. I’m going to have to research some of the sketches I do remember and see what shows they were featured on…Letter People, Bloodhound Gang, 3-2-1 Contact….I do remember all the theme songs, including the instrumental “Bom Bom Bom Bom…dudda da da!” from Electric Company. Now I have a rotation in my head of all these songs…how funny! “Come and meet the letter people…”
Oh, you guys are awesome! Spiderman, the plumber, letterman…it’s all coming back to me! My brother-in-law and I have an ongoing arguement about which Spiderman theme song is the more legitimate.
HEY! YOU! GUUUUUUUUUUUYS!
I do believe I just dated myself.
Me, I just want to know when they’re gonna bring back Square One (hey, kids need to learn their math, too, right?). And not that I would ever admit it (except for here, I guess), but I would totally still watch Mathnet, even now.
“The story you’re about to see is a fib, but it’s short. The names are made up but the problems are real.”
Well if someone from Law & Order is working on it then the Bloodhound Gang should be resurrected and better than ever!
Ohhhhhh, I had SUCH a crush on Judy Graubart. I even met her once in a record store and desperately tried to stay cool and professional.
Ditto on “It’s the plumber.” I tell that joke to this day.
No way can a new “Electric Company” compete with the original. Some things should be left alone. Like when you hear “classic rock” everyday, it’s no longer classic rock. Just more of the same…
“Who can turn a cap into a cape? Who can turn a tap into some tape…Its el-e-men-tar-y, its SILENT E”!
Puh.
Op.
Pop!
Tuh.
Ag.
Tag!
Wasn’t there some sort of funky beat playing too? I don’t remember, but I distinctly remember the silhouettes.
I loved THE ELECTRIC COMPANY as a kid, so naturally, the thought of some stupid recycled “reboot” of this show is just pointless to me. I think this idea is destined to fail in today’s market because, unlike the ’70s, there is too much damn competition between PBS, Nick Jr. and The Disney Channel for these kinds of programs. Today, parents can also pick and choose videos and DVDs for children to get their educational fun, as well as TV channels. A new ELECTRIC COMPANY will only mean something to today’s parents who will be undoubtedly curious. Ultimately, they will be disappointed.
Nick, not only was Letterman voiced by Gene Wilder, but the narrator of that skit was none other than Joan Rivers!
I loved EC and can only hope the new revision is just as good…if not, you CAN NETFLIX old eps, ya know…go…put them in your queue NOW…talk about the memories coming back…
My best memory is HEYYYY YOUUUU GUYYYYYZZZZ!!!!! We’re gonna turn it on….we’re gonna bring you the power….
my memory of it was, its was on just before ZOOM came on…THAT was the show I was waiting for…how to make play doh outta your mom’s flour, water and food coloring…how to build a kite..how to clean a penny using lemon juice…
It won’t be nearly as good unless there is a remake of “Love of Chair.” (I mean, if they can bring back 90210, certainly we can have more “Love of Chair”!)
Hey You Guuuyyyysss!!!! And of course, Bill Cosby’s Picture Pages… ah, memories.
Now if they’d only bring back The Letter People, I’d be set… of course, I already bought a bootleg complete set off of eBay – my kid will grow up with the originals!!!
Bill Cosby’s Picture Page was from Captain Kangaroo I think.
The Bloodhound Gang was on 3-2-1 Contact. Also awesome, but not the same as the Electric Company!
Out of nostalgia, last year I bought my son (now 8 years old) the Electric Company box set on DVD. He has loved it since day one and still watches it over and over again, even though he is already a strong reader. He enjoys the entertainment aspect as much as the learning aspect. I can only hope the new version of EC will be just as entertaining as the original but honestly I’m not holding my breath. And I plan on letting my 1 year old watch the original EC DVDs in a couple of years. BTW, some of the outtakes on the DVD are hilarious!! One last thing — J. Arthur Crank!!
One of my favorite segments? “One of these things is not like the other…” There’s an Electric Company box set? I am *so* buying that…for my five-year-old. Yeah.
Martha-Was “one of these things is not like the other…” from Electric Company? I still sing that and it’s sister “One of kids is doin’ his own thing…” all the time! Younger people think I’m nuts.
I don’t remember anything specific about The Electric Company. I do remember School House Rock, though. When are they going to bring that back?!! That was educational! I was a little kiddo when those first came out, and I STILL remember all the lyrics. “Conjunction Junction, what’s your function? Hooking up words and phrases and clauses.”
Portia, I did a Google search to confirm and it turns out “One of these things” is from Sesame Street. Apologies for the mixed-up nostalgia! (I’m still getting the EC box set.)
no way this will be better cause their not even tryin to keep the original skits,etc. which were by the way entertaining as well as educational. repetitive, humorous, musical learning is always the best way to learn.the original school house rock and the electric company are out on dvd, yeaaaah!
Nancy, we have the Schoolhouse Rock DVD. It is just as awesome as you remember, and my 5-year-old is into it too – bonus!