Am I the only one here old enough to remember "The Electric Company"
on PBS? Along with "Sesame Street" and "Mr. Rogers", "The Electric Company"
comprised the third leg of a formidable children's programming lineup
on PBS in the 1970's, and Parenting Magazine has just named a 4-disc
retrospective of the show as one of it's "Best DVDs Of The Year" for
children 5 and up. The Emmy-winning children's program featured
an ensemble cast of now-familiar names such as Morgan Freeman, Bill
Cosby, and Rita Moreno, with voice-overs by such 70's comedy heavyweights as
Gene Wilder, Joan Rivers (before she became annoying), Mel Brooks and
Zero Mostel.
"The Electric Company" became a cultural phenomenon of the '70s,
teaching children basic reading and grammar skills with an emphasis on
fun. The new DVD set features 20 of its best episodes along with bonus programming, for a suggested price of $49.98.
So
what's up with this new interest in the 70's? I don't have the
answer to that, but I am guessing that having your kids watch a show
like "The Electric Company" might be a lot more innocuous than a lot of
TV out there today.
