The Electric Company

[dee2364]

I loved that show as a kid. That and 3 2 1 Contact were my most favorite PBS series. I was so shocked to see Morgan Freeman become a huge, respected star later, as I had grown up knowing him as "the cool black dude on TEC." And I was just as surprised to learn after the fact that Rita Moreno had been a huge musical star before.

[MIKEPR]

What's surprising about those facts?

Other than you didn't know?

[dee2364]

Originally Posted by MIKEPR

What's surprising about those facts?

Other than you didn't know?

I think it's fairly obvious what I meant. I didn't know that Rita Moreno had been a major Hollywood A-lister. I thought she was just like all the other people on TEC, just a small time, TV "bit player" who would have a decent run on a TV show before falling into obscurity. It's not usual for a Hollywood star of that status to do a budget TV series. Did I really need to elaborate this?

[PracTz]

Yep, The original Electric Company was where I first was entertained by Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman and I loved it! They and virtually all their costars were hilarious and they instilled in me a lifelong love of reading AND Borscht Belt comedy (now, sadly a dying art).

Miss Moreno and Mr. Freeman did a large variety of characters and accents for their parts but so did so many of the others including those who did NOT become famous such as Skip Hinnant and the now-deceased Luis Avalos, Jim Boyd and Lee Chamberlin. I always felt bad these four never got many post TEC roles that the others did (Jim Boyd in particular was almost on par with Sid Caesar re the variety of accents and characters flawlessly done).


Alas, I can't discuss this show without having to also acknowledge the torn feelings I have re Bill Cosby's involvement. Yes, the one year he was on (the first year), he did a great job and I enjoyed his skits at the time and for years to come. However, since it's now obvious to me that he used the friendly, helpful and encouraging facade as a mask for getting others to let their guard down re criminal behavior, this whole show has to join so many other works he was in as something to monetarily boycott for the rest of his life since I don't want to even minutely contribute to anything that would possibly chance contributing to his dubious purposes.

[MIKEPR]

Originally Posted by PracTz

Yep, The original Electric Company was where I first was entertained by Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman and I loved it! They and virtually all their costars were hilarious and they instilled in me a lifelong love of reading AND Borscht Belt comedy (now, sadly a dying art).

Miss Moreno and Mr. Freeman did a large variety of characters and accents for their parts but so did so many of the others including those who did NOT become famous such as Skip Hinnant and the now-deceased Luis Avalos, Jim Boyd and Lee Chamberlin. I always felt bad these four never got many post TEC roles that the others did (Jim Boyd in particular was almost on par with Sid Caesar re the variety of accents and characters flawlessly done).


Alas, I can't discuss this show without having to also acknowledge the torn feelings I have re Bill Cosby's involvement. Yes, the one year he was on (the first year), he did a great job and I enjoyed his skits at the time and for years to come. However, since it's now obvious to me that he used the friendly, helpful and encouraging facade as a mask for getting others to let their guard down re criminal behavior, this whole show has to join so many other works he was in as something to monetarily boycott for the rest of his life since I don't want to even minutely contribute to anything that would possibly chance contributing to his dubious purposes.

I don't think one should not allow what Bill has done to spoil their enjoyment of TEC. If it's hard to think about his work on the show that's understandable but he was not the main character and who knows if others on the show have done bad things if not to the extreme Bill did.


Even SS wasn't free of such stuff.

Will Lee who was Mr. Hooper was blackballed in the early 50's for being a communist sympathizer and Northern Calloway who was David had many problems including a rampage in Nashville in 1980 which was officially confirmed in the 2008 publication of "Street Gang The Complete History of Sesame Street."

I'm not saying we should overlook all this but there's no use in letting it ruin any enjoyment of these shows.

[PracTz]

Originally Posted by MIKEPR

I don't think one should not allow what Bill has done to spoil their enjoyment of TEC. If it's hard to think about his work on the show that's understandable but he was not the main character and who knows if others on the show have done bad things if not to the extreme Bill did.


Even SS wasn't free of such stuff.

Will Lee who was Mr. Hooper was blackballed in the early 50's for being a communist sympathizer and Northern Calloway who was David had many problems including a rampage in Nashville in 1980 which was officially confirmed in the 2008 publication of "Street Gang The Complete History of Sesame Street."

I'm not saying we should overlook all this but there's no use in letting it ruin any enjoyment of these shows.

I get what you are saying but the thing is that both Mr. Lee and Mr. Calloway are no longer with us so there's no chance they'd reap any profits from their show. Mr. Cosby is still in this world- and seems unrepentant to boot. So, since he's still here and not sorry for what he did, I can't overlook stuff.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by MA

I like the revival better in my own opinion. The original I find to be really silly.

The Electric Company reboot that ran from 2009-2011 was if you ask me, fine (it was kind of when you get right down to it, a spiritual successor to Ghostwriter but with more of a sitcom/sketch comedy/musical variety show slant) until the third/last season. Several things happened that really hurt the show in that last year:

• Lisa was hardly apart of the show anymore (thus Jessica was left as the only girl on the "Electric Company" team). I'm assuming that Jenni Barber was busy with other commitments, hence they explained that she was "away at science camp" (or appeared in occasional vignettes).
  
• They added Marcus (with too much time spent on Marcus "learning the ropes") and Gilda, which to me, boarders on entering "Cousin Oliver syndrome".
  
• Animated Francine stopped hosting with the "Prankster Planet" segments at the end of the episodes.
  
• There was this weird change in the format by having those animated characters serve as "hosts"/play-by-play commentators.

I think that looking back Lisa's absence really hurt to show more than anything because she was kind of the "moral compass" of the Electric Company. Her sunny, smart, nice girl character served as a perfect counterbalance to the devious, eccentric Francine. And whenever a major character leaves (it's debatable over whether or not Lisa or Jessica were at the very least, the female lead) and a show adds new "kid characters" to liven things up then you know the show has jumped the shark.

[TMC]

Jack looks back on the 2000s reboot of the educational show The Electric Company. The overview covers the unique superpowers of the neighborhood heroes and the antics of their nemesis pranksters. It also explores the musical numbers and weird skits featured in the series.

Does anyone remember The Electric Company? Looking back, it was an insane show, enjoy me rambling about it!

• 0:00 - Introduction
• 2:18 - Skills
• 11:55 - What is the power?
• 23:36 - Outroduction

[Dude111]

The only ELECTRIC COMPANY I agnoledge,is the original 70s series which was the BEST!!