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The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series that first aired in 1971. It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett, and produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop. The show's target audience was elementary school students who were too old for Sesame Street but still needed help with reading. The Electric Company employed sketch comedy and various other devices to help children develop their grammar and reading skills.
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What You'll Learn
- The Electric Company was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett
- The show's cast included Academy Award winner Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, and Morgan Freeman
- The series aired on PBS for 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from 1971 to 1977
- The show used sketch comedy and other devices to help children develop their grammar and reading skills
- The show won two Emmys and became a teaching tool in thousands of classrooms nationwide
The Electric Company was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett
Dooley, an American character actor, comedian, and writer, served as the head writer of the series and wrote a total of 780 episodes across its six-season run. He is known for his roles in various films and television shows, including Breaking Away, Popeye, Sixteen Candles, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Ganz Cooney, an American television writer and producer, was also one of the founders of Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Workshop or CTW), the organization that created the children's television show Sesame Street. She grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and earned a Bachelor of Arts in education from the University of Arizona in 1951. After working in various roles, including as a journalist in Phoenix and a publicist in New York City, she became interested in working in educational television.
Morrisett, an American experimental psychologist with a career in education, communications, and philanthropy, was also one of the founders of the Children's Television Workshop. He attended Oberlin College and received his BA in philosophy in 1951. He initially wanted to become a chemist but later pursued graduate studies in experimental psychology at Yale. Morrisett played a significant role in the development of Sesame Street, and his efforts in securing financial support for the show were crucial to its success.
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The show's cast included Academy Award winner Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, and Morgan Freeman
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series that aired on PBS from 1971 to 1977. The show's cast included Academy Award winner Rita Moreno, who played Millie the Helper, Otto the Director, Pandora the Brat, and Carmela. Moreno was already a well-established performer on film and television when she joined the cast of The Electric Company. She was the first to shout, "Hey, you GUYS!", a phrase that was eventually incorporated into the opening credits. Moreno also provided commentary for the DVD release of the show, "The Best of the Electric Company".
Bill Cosby, who was also a well-established performer before joining the show, played the role of Hank in seasons 1 and 2 of The Electric Company. He also appeared in new segments during season 2 and was a regular announcer on the show, including on the segment "Wild Guess". Cosby left the show after season 2, but his segments continued to be used throughout the series run.
Morgan Freeman played multiple roles on The Electric Company, including Vincent the Vegetable Vampire, Mark, and an evil scientist on the "Mad Scientist" sketch. Freeman was also an announcer on the show, taking over from Bill Cosby as Ken Kane on "Wild Guess" starting in season 2.
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The series aired on PBS for 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from 1971 to 1977
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series. It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The series aired on PBS from 1971 to 1977, with a total of 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons. The show was directed by Robert Schwarz (1971 and 1977), Henry Behar (1972–1975), and John Tracy (1975–1976).
The show's first episode aired on October 25, 1971, and its final episode aired on April 15, 1977. The show continued to air in reruns until October 4, 1985. Each season of The Electric Company consisted of 130 episodes, except for the last two seasons, which were designed as year-long curricula for schools. The total episode count for the entire series was 780.
The Electric Company was produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop. It was intended for children who had graduated from CTW's flagship program, Sesame Street, and thus had more mature humour. The show employed sketch comedy and various other devices to entertain and educate its young viewers.
The show's cast included well-known names such as Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, Judy Graubart, Lee Chamberlin, and Skip Hinnant. Many of these actors had experience in stage, repertory, and improvisational work. The show also featured a five-member singing band called Short Circus, with June Angela as the only member to remain with the show for its entire six-year run.
The Electric Company left a lasting impact, with fans expressing nostalgia for the show even decades later. It was successful in providing educational value and stimulating young minds, with fans noting that they learned basic reading and grammatical skills from the show.
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The show used sketch comedy and other devices to help children develop their grammar and reading skills
The Electric Company, an American educational children's television series, was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. It was produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop. The show aired from 1971 to 1977 and continued in reruns until 1985.
The Electric Company used sketch comedy and other devices to provide an entertaining program to help elementary school children develop their grammar and reading skills. The show's creators and writers understood the importance of making learning fun, and they succeeded in creating a program that was both educational and enjoyable for young viewers.
One of the key ways The Electric Company boosted children's reading skills was through its extensive use of phonics. The show taught children the sounds of letters and the relationship between printed letters and their corresponding sounds. This was achieved through various creative segments, such as the one described by Barbara Fowles, a developmental psycholinguistics expert who worked on the show:
> "One regular segment showed the silhouettes of two faces looking at each other. As they sound out the beginning and end of each word, the letters float out of their mouths and form the word in the middle of the screen."
Comedy sketches were also a vital tool in helping children learn to decode words and identify patterns. The show's format as a comedy series allowed it to engage young viewers while subtly teaching them important reading skills. This unique approach to education was summed up by Samuel Gibbon, a TV writer and producer who oversaw The Electric Company:
> "We thought of it as a comedy show that tried to teach."
The Electric Company's innovative use of sketch comedy, creative segments, and engaging cast helped children develop their grammar and reading skills in a fun and interactive way. The show's impact was significant, and it left a lasting legacy as a pioneering educational program that entertained while it instructed.
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The show won two Emmys and became a teaching tool in thousands of classrooms nationwide
The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series that first aired in 1971. The show was produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), now known as Sesame Workshop, and co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. It was directed by Robert Schwarz, Henry Behar, and John Tracy, and written by Dooley, Christopher Cerf, Jeremy Stevens, and John Boni/Amy Ephron. The original cast included Academy Award winner Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, and a then-unknown Morgan Freeman.
One of the show's regular segments featured the silhouettes of two faces looking at each other. As the two figures sounded out the beginning and end of each word, the letters would float out of their mouths and form the word in the middle of the screen. This helped kids learn to decode words and identify patterns.
The show also made innovative use of early computer-generated imagery, especially Scanimate, a then-state-of-the-art analog video-synthesizer system. These were often used for presenting words with particular sounds and were sometimes combined with cast members interacting with the word animations.
The show's success can be attributed to its unique blend of entertainment and education, with comedy writers and reading experts working together to create a program that was both fun and instructional. The Electric Company's impact extended beyond the screen, as it became a valuable teaching tool in classrooms across the nation, helping thousands of children improve their reading and grammar skills.
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Frequently asked questions
The Electric Company was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett.
The show was created to teach elementary school students reading skills beyond what was taught in Sesame Street.
The show aired on PBS from October 25, 1971, to April 15, 1977, for 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons.
Yes, a reboot of the show aired from January 19, 2009, to April 4, 2011, on PBS Kids Go!
The original cast included Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, Judy Graubart, Lee Chamberlin, and Skip Hinnant.
