In the 70's, PBS aired and supported some of the most groundbreaking, beloved, and enduring children's shows ever to be produced. For the younger set it was "Sesame Street", and for those a little older "The Electric Company" was just as vital. From 1971-1977, Shout Factory and the unique company of actors they formed to deliver "The Electric Company", through talent, ingenuity and a great deal of hard work gave us some the best educational television ever made for young viewers. In "The Best of...Volume Two" we are given a four disc set loaded with 20 episodes, a play list, trivia, and a very nostalgic and informative featurette from most of the Company's stellar cast which for Volume II included: Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, Judy Graubart, Lee Chamberlin, Skip Hinnant, Jim Boyd, Luis Avalos, and Spiderman. In season one, Boyd appeared only as voice-over for most of the puppets and off-camera characters. Also, by season three, Bill Cosby and Lee Chamberlin had left the Company to pursue other opportunities, although both of their previously recorded skits continued to appear on the Company long after they had left. ****

A grand total of 780 episodes with many guest appearance by such names as Jean Stapleton, Carroll O'Connor, Barbara Eden, and Lorne Green, were created over their six season span. While we are not given a complete season set (yet), or even given episodes in sequential order, these minor matters pale before the powerful creative light generated by "The Electric Company". Early examples of computer animation and chroma keying (blue and green screen techniques) were cleverly employed throughout the show. The use of Sign Language was also frequently included and I still surprise myself at how many words I can spontaneously use or recognize correctly. Cultural references and era markers that are still recognizable to older viewers, but are too dated to forge a present-day connection with new viewers of this DVD set loose absolutely none of their charm. While I had never thought twice about it as a child, as an adult I was flabbergasted at how the wide-range of ethnic groups represented and the completely innocent childlike wonder with which the show was presented. ****

There is no chance that today's society, which is so concerned with being socially and politically "correct", would ever air a show in which 3 adult males, Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic, appear together in a bubble bath to sound out words and sing an educational song! Here is Morgan Freeman as you many never have seen him before! While it has always been fairly easy to see the naivete evident in films or television from earlier eras (the 50's are a prime example), I must admit that this look backward at the "Company" has proven to me just how idealistic, uncritical and wide-eyed was the era in which I grew up. The educational devices employed by the show for its original audiences, however, remain just as useful and entertaining as they were when I first viewed them. I honestly expected only my husband and myself to be at all interested in viewing this particular DVD, but was delighted and surprised to find my 16 and 14 year old daughters drawn inexorably to the living room by the music and comedy. "Wow, Mom! You guys watched this when you were kids? That was pretty good!" is actually high praise when you consider the source! ****

"The Electric Company's" quirky blend of education, music, sketch comedy, and vaudeville struck exactly the right blend to create a joy and desire to learn in countless children across America. With characters like "Faster than a rolling "O"! Stronger than silent "E"! Able to leap capital "T" in a single bound! It's a word, it's a plan, it's... Letterman!" and his arch-enemy Spell Binder, J. Arthur Crank, Jennifer of the Jungle, the Slow Reader, the Blue Beetle and the Soft-Shoe Silhouettes this cast riveted young audiences, made learning fun, and helped to explain some of our languages most perplexing peculiarities. During one of the many "trivia" segments delivered by surviving cast members, I was rather surprised to find out that the "Company" received many letters from Adult viewers to whom English was a second language, and who had found the show to be invaluable in their own learning process. When I watched this marvelous show as a child, I never once thought that there might be adults out there also watching it who would be learning as much as I was at the time! While it is most evident that this show was created during the height of the disco era (i.e. more fringe and flares than you could shake a Bee Gee at!), its creative juices still hold great savor and continue to be just as entertaining and mentally stimulating as they were to me all those years ago.****

No one who grew up in the 70's could forget the signature tune ("We're gonna turn it on ! We're gonna bring you the power! We're gonna light up the dark of night like the brightest day in a whole new way...", or Rita Moreno's trademark yell, "Hey You Guys!" that has been referenced in works like "The Goonies" and even "Family Guy". Some of my personal favorites that can be seen in Volume Two are Letterman, the blond cartoon man who was voiced by Mel Brooks, the Silent E song, the Onion Girl, Grin performed by Luis Avalos, the Monolith, and the 6 dollar and 39 cent man. Perhaps two of the best remembered bits from the "Company" are the Adventures of Letterman, in which our hero rips a letter from his varsity sweater to foil the evil plans of Spell Binder (turning a conjured bear back into a pear for example), and the Silhouettes in which one cast member would make the beginning sound of a word and the other would make the ending sound until they put it all together. Yet, how many of you former viewers knew that the voices used in the Letterman animations were typically Zero Mostel, Joan Rivers and Gene Wilder?! For years it bothered me why Joan Rivers sounded so familiar til one day I caught an airing of the "Company" complete with Letterman! I'm sure that it was shows like the "Company" in my own youth that helped to addict me to the written word, and I most likely would not have been such an early and avid reader if it weren't for my luck in being just the right age during this pinnacle of children's television. The "Company", like "Sesame Street" and another classic of the era "Schoolhouse Rock", truly captured that most elusive and rewarding aspect of learning...making it Fun! There were many times as my own children struggled with aspects of our language that I wished heartily for a return of "The Electric Company". Unfortunately, it remained largely unavailable to them and countless other children... until now. Fortunately for my own children, I remembered many of the important lessons and tricks that I learned from the "Company", and used these to help them in their own struggles with our complex and odd language. It's amazing how simply putting something into a musical or poetic form, or even breaking down a word to it's most basic sounds can make everything easier, more enjoyable and completely threat-free when learning! If more programming, both in schools and on television, were as entertaining as these fine examples we would have far less reason to worry about our children's education. ****

Image and Sound:

While unsophisticated by today's standards, the charms of the show far outweigh any drawbacks one might consider for the outdated television quality. The sound and images are relatively clean and do not interfere with the overall quality of this set.****

I particularly enjoyed "The Electric Company" featurette in which so many of the original cast talked about their experiences with each other, the sketches and songs, and the evolution of the "Company" as a whole. Along with the many bits of trivia scattered throughout the set, the featurette really contributed a lot of information and gave a whole new world of insight into the "Company's" realm both then and now. I was shocked to hear accounts of the grueling filming schedule that all of the cast seems to remember with such utter joy and love. I was likewise touched by their collective memories of departed cast and found myself missing people I never really knew. Sadly, I cannot imagine this kind of collective optimism, devotion, ingenuity, talent and energy being so freely given today to form a simple child's educational show. With rumors of a revival of the "Company" being put together for today's modern audiences, I'd love to be proven wrong! Should they move forward with that notion, I truly hope they make every effort to remain true to the original as they could certainly never surpass it. ****

With so many wonderful and original songs performed by the "Company", I was thrilled to see that this set is offered with a "Play All Songs" function. Coupling educational material with music is perhaps one of the oldest devices in human history. If, as they say, "it ain't broke, don't fix it"! Having a selection of songs ready for play does make for a great "quickie" when kids and parents might not have time to watch a full episode before dashing off to some other planned activity though. ****

Final Words: