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The Best Of The Electric Company - Volume 2
 
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The Best Of The Electric Company - Volume 2 (1971)

Series: The Electric Company | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
List Price: $39.99
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Frequently Bought Together

The Best Of The Electric Company - Volume 2 + The Best of the Electric Company + Schoolhouse Rock! (Special 30th Anniversary Edition)
Price For All Three: $91.97

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  • The Best of the Electric Company ~ Henry Behar DVD$39.49

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  • Schoolhouse Rock! (Special 30th Anniversary Edition) ~ Lauren Yohe DVD$14.99

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Best Of The Electric Company - Volume 2
57% buy the item featured on this page:
The Best Of The Electric Company - Volume 2 ~ Jim Boyd DVD 4.7 out of 5 stars (26)
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The Best of the Electric Company
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The Best of the Best of Electric Company ~ Jim Boyd DVD 4.1 out of 5 stars (17)
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Sesame Street: Old School, Vol. 2 (1974-1979) ~ Jim Henson DVD 4.5 out of 5 stars (55)
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Product Details

Special Features

  • "Remember The Electric Company" featurette
  • New episode intros
  • Trivia
  • Bill Cosby on  The Dick Cavett Show segment
  • "Play All Songs" feature

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Each episode was an explosion of creativity. From 1971-1977, The Electric Company made learning to read not just fun, but downright hip. Designed more as a complement than an alternative to Sesame Street, that means skits, animated segments, musical interludes, and funky fashions--always a plus. (Dig those fringed jackets and snakeskin stretch pants.) The cast includes Emmy winner Bill Cosby, Oscar winner Rita Moreno, Fame star Irene Cara (a member of the Short Circus), and a skinny beanpole named Morgan Freeman, who would pick up his own Academy Award a few decades later. In this 20-episode set, cast members Judy Graubart, Luis Avalos, Skip Hinnant, Jim Boyd, and Hattie Winston provide introductions. In addition, pop-ups dispense fun facts, like the show's original title: The Reading Program. As in the first four-disc collection, episodes appear out of sequence, but work fine as stand-alones--although it would be nice to have all of them available at some point. Musical highlights include Freeman's hobo lament "Shoo Shoo Sunshine" (episode 12), Short Circus funk jam "Knock Knock Rock" (35A), and let's not forget that "empowering" theme: "We're gonna turn it on / we're gonna bring you the power!"

Watch carefully or you'll miss quick-as-a wink cameos from the likes of I Dream of Jeannie’s Barbara Eden (150), Bonanza’s Lorne Green (223), and All in the Family’s Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton (166). Other notables to contribute their talents include Tom Lehrer, author of the "Silent E" song, Mel Brooks, voice behind "Blond-Haired Cartoon Man," and Producers pals Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel, voices behind The Adventures of Letterman (with Joan Rivers as narrator and Mostel as the evil Spell Binder). The Electric Company set its sights on children aged 7-10, but there's plenty of fast-paced fun here for younger kids and adults, too. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

With roots in the Motown Sound, Broadway and "The Carol Burnett Show", The Electric Company became a cultural phenomenon in the ‘70s as the wildly popular educational television show with big laughs and an even bigger message…teaching children basic reading and grammar skills, with the emphasis on fun. Now, even MORE of your favorite episodes are all here in true nostalgic glory, for the first time ever on The Best Of The Electric Company - Volume 2 4-DVD Set!

An impressive cast (such as Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno and many others) embodied characters and enlivened skits the whole world knows and loves: Easy Reader, Fargo North Decoder, Jennifer of the Jungle, J. Arthur Crank, Paul The Gorilla, The Adventures of Letterman, Love of Chair, The Short Circus, Spider-Man, and much more!

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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews
5 star:
 (22)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars better than anything you'll find on TV today for kids, November 29, 2006
By Andrew Woodward (Salem, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Best Of The Electric Company - Volume 2 (DVD)
It's amazing how well this show has held up. I never missed it growing up and am so thankful that unedited episodes are available on DVD. If there is a volume 3 (I think there will be since volume 1 suprisingly sold well, and vol. 2 will do likewise), there should be a Friday episode from season 4 so we can see the production credits. They haven't been seen since their original airing so it will be worth it. Also, more season 1 Friday shows with the now classic Love of Chair segment over the credits. Apparently, the boy (Skip Hennat), does different things over the credits (including falling asleep!!). I will stick by that this show (and Sesame Street) are FAR better than any show you will find for kids. From Barney to Bob the Builder to Spongebob; these shows are idiotic and I would rather die than show these shows to kids. Shows produced by CTW are the ONLY shows that I would recommend to kids. I have learned though that some of the episodes have been slightly altered (particularly some of the Spidey segments) but that shouldn't stray people away from this set.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars If you have young children, then you should buy this for them!, November 20, 2006
This review is from: The Best Of The Electric Company - Volume 2 (DVD)
If your children are learning to read, then you owe it to them to buy one or both both DVD sets of the Electric Company. It's hard to exaggerate how much my daughters (ages 4 and 6) enjoy watching these episodes, or how much they have learned as a result. When volume 2 arrived at my home last week, my girls were screaming and jumping up and down with excitement.

And while they certainly enjoy the comedy and the music, it's very clear that the lessons have been sinking in; just a few nights ago, my 6-year-old wowed us with a demonstration of "dinner" vs. "diner." She has similarly learned to handle punctuation, silent E, and common letter combinations, long before these subjects were introduced in school. I'm generally quite skeptical of claims regarding "educational television," but the Electric Company demonstrates that it can work.

The inclusion of some classic bits, including Julia Grownup and the LY song, is greatly appreciated. And of course, we're enjoying Letterman and (the surprisingly small number of episodes with) Spiderman.

For most of my family, the second set of DVDs means that we now have 40 fabulous episodes to choose from, rather than just 20. But for me, as someone who grew up with this show, it was nice to see interviews with many of the cast members. And yes, it was a bit surprising to see how they've aged -- but I'm also 30 years older than I was in the 70s, so it's only fair! The documentary about teachers' use of the show was a bit long and dry, but still a worthwhile addition.

Even without the extras, this DVD set would be well worth the price. Your kids will learn to read, and they'll laugh and sing as they do so. I can't recommend The Electric Company highly enough; buy it, and you'll see what I mean.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars So great to see these again!, June 8, 2008
This review is from: The Best Of The Electric Company - Volume 2 (DVD)
These episodes of The Electric Company not only conjure up wonderfully nostalgic feelings in me, but they are wildly educational for my 5 year-old son. He loves them! What a wonderful series that was way before it's time!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars brought back memories!
I love this dvd set! It brought back so many memories for me! a much better educational tool than anything on tv today. And for nostalgia purposes, the insert was fun to read. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Shannon Michener

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Electric Company Vol 2
I got these in the mail in almost record time. They are in excellent condition--brand new. I'm enjoying reliving my youth through fun, clean TV. Thank you so much. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Kevin Cuccia

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but Vol. 1 is Better!
I bought both Volume 1 & 2 for my three preschool-age sons (ages 4 & 5 ). While both are EXCELLENT in every respect, I think the Volume 1 compilation is slightly better than... Read more
Published 17 months ago by E. Huinda

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad news to report here!
Enthusiasts of "The Electric Company" like myself are not going to like hearing this, but Shout Factory has taken this DVD release and its accompanying Volume 1 off of their... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Barbara L. Gill

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I got this for my son but we both get a kick out of watching it, brings back some old memories.
Published on April 9, 2008 by B. Randall

5.0 out of 5 stars Bring on volume three!!
For those of you who have kids struggling with reading may I recommend both this and volume one of the Best of the Electric Company! Read more
Published on April 22, 2007 by PATRICK J.POWERS

5.0 out of 5 stars Educational DVD
Excellent DVD, have a wife who is an Elementary School teacher and this helps to assist in learning educational fundamentals.
Published on March 24, 2007 by Bruce Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars stands the test of time
Bought for my 7 yr old (first grade) girl and 5 yr old (pre k) girl and 2 yr old boy. The 7 yr old is just learning the ropes of reading and LOVES these videos. Read more
Published on March 24, 2007 by happy mom

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Electric Company Volume 2
This is a GREAT product. There is quite a bit of repetition from Vol. 1, but that's the nature of the show and despite that, the new sketches and songs Vol. Read more
Published on February 8, 2007 by K. Kelly

4.0 out of 5 stars True Old School
This is a great way to get kids to start using words and sentences. I have a 7 year old and a 5 year old, and they really get great learning experience. Read more
Published on February 2, 2007 by Enrique Medina

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