Anyone who remembers the PBS kids show knows that it was fantastic. This 4-disc set does nothing to detract from golden memories of Letterman, Fargo North, Decoder and Spider-Man. It's not really a "best of," just representative of the whopping 780 episodes made. With that many episodes there's just no way to ever release box sets of each season, so we are likely stuck with more best of sets if the maker chooses to release more. Despite the show's enduring appeal, the set is not a very good "value." There are only five half-hour episodes per disc. The entire contents of the whole 4-disc set could likely fit on one, certainly two, dvds. Also incredibly annoying is that Rita Moreno introduces EVERY episode! The "next" button takes care of this aggravation happily. The booklet is fairly thorough, though there are few details about the various actors, especially the kids. The show itself certainly holds up after all these years. It's captivating to hear and see it again with the way out 70's animation, sounds made by real Moog synthesizers and other vintage gear, and the high level of comic acting really shines forth. My own kids (Ages 2 and 5) love it. It doesn't talk down to them like today's kids shows, it's funny, and they love the approach to words and sounds that made the show so distinctive. So...though strictly speaking its a real rip-off, there's no competing item...so I would have recommend it.Read full review
I recently bought the Best of Electric Company on DVD. I watched this show growing up in the late 70's early 80's, so when I saw this was out on DVD I had to buy it up. All the memory's of my favrotie childhood characters came back to me, like Letterman, Easy Reader, Jennifer of the Jungle, and the classic Spider-man. This even had stars like Bill Cosby and Morgan Freedman. The extra features on the disc include outtakes, episode intros by Rita Moreno, and cast interviews. It aso has 20 Episodes on this 4 disc box set. The only thing I didn't like about the set was Spider-man wasn't on any of the episodes until the last disc. If you were hoping to see Spider-man you would be disappointed unless you pop the 4th disc in first. This is a great box set to own. I have watched it with my 8 year old and she loves it. It is classic TV at its best. The price is very reasonable. New or used it is a real bargin. I have several box sets based on TV shows from my childhood and this is close to being my favorite.Read full review
Flashback to childhood! Remember those fun, zany songs and the big-nosed cartoon guy painfully trying to sound out words like 'danger' before he got into 'danger'? Fast-forward to 2009. I'm now a mom with kids of my own, the youngest of which is struggling with reading. We're working with him in school and out, of course, but it's "boring". Suddenly mom remembers The Electric Company! Found it and bought it on Ebay for about half what it would have cost on the PBS website. Son's first reaction is, "Mom, is this another educational show?" After the second episode, the first thing he says when he gets home from school is, "Mom, turn on electric company!" Now, I'm not saying that this will cure reading woes, but it's fabulous reinforcement of REAL phonics - the sort of stuff they forget to put in school. (Sight words are fine to a point, but let's teach the kids how to SOUND OUT words!) Totally worth the investment. All four of my kids get a kick out of watching it, and even the high-school aged son admits that he's figured out some spelling challenges he's had just by watching some of the goofy vignettes. Hubby and I get a kick out of the 70's style shows, hair and music. Fun! Educational! Get it now - you won't be sorry!Read full review
dvds bring back fond memories was a regular viewer of this show even though i was over the intended age limit loved the sketches and especially the musical numbers to this day still rather fond of June Angela who played"Julie"
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
All the discs are in top shape. The extra pamphlet is in great shape as well. Box is a bit worn, but that's to be expected. Have only watched one disc so far, but looking forward to watching them all.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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