Electric Company You've Got the Power

[maroon261]

is that bill cosby? hahahaha

[Autostade67]

Wow. Life will never, EVER, be this groovy again. I watched this as a kid. Now I am a teacher, and, lovely as they are, my kids are a bunch of hyped up, fame seeking neo-cons, very plugged in, hot wired, and saavy but not street smart...the electric company indeed.

[JackPlatt]

WOW!!! Was this the first skit of the series? GREAT!

[rajinirulez]

wat is bill cosby's height?...6.2?...n how abt morgan freeman? he looks even taller.

[rajinirulez]

bill cosby is hot!..love bill.:D

[DesbGud]

what brought you here mike thompson or family guy?

[mlee2001]

Im here from Family Guy! Lol

[kevinmartinez723]

who else came only to listen to the song!

[rhsharp]

The Electric Company inspired me to create my own Emmy-Award winning children's series, Math Park. Check it out. 

[BoneMachine0]

@rhsharp Math sucks, you should have invented Reading Rainbow.

[Fettster777]

1:18 nobody gave the black guy five....

[Christiantodd1]

@MsLanyard123 Yes they should.

[jbennz02]

As someone who grew up with the original and true THE BEST Electric Company the new one shouldnt be counted out i think it does great for todays kids who have no attention spans the songs are just as catchy and upbeat plus it does a good job of sneaking in good morals and ethics something thats very much needed! And there is alot of young talent like the guy who plays hector and the girl who plays francine i hope thier acting futures are as bright as Bill cosbys,Rita Morenos

[tjmfishing]

"Despite those upbeat lyrics, I would like to remind everyone that we will not be bringing you the power"

[voidlam]

@tjmfishing I was thinking this! XD

[veeseee128]

morgan freeman before he drove that old crazy woresome white woman around.

[GosfordAbercrombie]

i like the new one cuz of the fine ass boy in it!!!!!!

[14DaveHunter]

Funny watching the beginning, Bill Cosby is singing with the cast. He sang on a Jello Fruit Pop's commercial, in 1987.

[LastCommodore]

Wow, I grew up watching this show. This is the first time I've seen it in almost 40 years.

[LMNvirgo]

MORGAN FREEMAN :) you are the best actor alive..

[269848]

This being 2011,the 40th anniversary of the original show, PBS should do a special with both casts to compare shows. Would be nice!

[FlynnMTaggart]

Why does Bill Cosby always looks old as hell. How old is he anyway.

[sclapione]

@FlynnMTaggart How does he look old there ? Are you 12 or what ?

[FlynnMTaggart]

@sclapione I'm pretty sure being born in 1990 means I am more than 12.

[Rsnoob05]

Who else clicked this because of Mike Thompkins???

[Totterfan]

I am so glad that I get to watch the 2009 vision of the Electric Company and not the 2006 Electric Company!

[orangelime22]

@Totterfan that's not a 2006 version... cause man... look at the animation their clothes!

that's more like the 80's or something. I'm not sure but judging from how young Bill Cosby looks it was some time ago.

[Totterfan]

@orangelime22 Sorry! My mistake!

[LolaCrazy222]

It's surprising to me that I never hear about Morgan Friedman being on the show these days.

[LEFTJEFFA]

I still don't get what this is about - Is this like a kids show? Bill Cosby is funny as here. He is the only one natural, and not robotic and fake arse. Sorry Morgan.

[TheInvisibleAvenger]

I really pity those kids who were born after 1979. The world is so much less cooler now. On the other hand, they had the Powerpuff Girls and I had to wait until my twenties..

[efwiz]

That...is Bill Cosby O_O

[269848]

Next to Sesame Street, this was my all time faves! The new version stinks big time!

[nnbstuff]

I lost it at "say what's cookin'"

[PAMAROSHOUSE]

all the 70s groovy lingo

[redmark19666]

Grooovy! I loved The Electric Company! It was the educational Saturday Night Live! I also loved ZOOM and Seasomy Street..........but i still have trouble spelling..............and Math!

[Dulcimerist]

Bill Cosby + Morgan Freeman + Rita Moreno = Epic Win!

[junedeon]

@Dulcimerist Don't forget Irene Cara and Skip Hennant (the voice of Fritz The Cat).

[VivaLaMente]

anything with Morgan freeman AND Bill Cosby deserves to be on television. Permanently

[RodneyPlusGirls]

what the hell is this..

[christimacc]

Bill did this show, and later Picture Pages, for education credits toward his doctorate.

[TheGoodeProject]

light bulb = idea

electric company = the company, the "man", the establishment

bring light to the darkness

space=science

electricity=science

cloud/brain/the "cloud"/the internet/the collective consciousness

[TheGoodeProject]

light bulb = idea

electric company = the company, the "man", the establishment

bring light to the darkness

space=science

electricity=science

[shinigamideathgirl]

Wow... everyone's on acid.

[cowboybear40]

Yep Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Bill Cosby was on tht program, also Hattie Wilson(from BECKER). Irene Cara(FAME, Flashdance) was on there as well

[ColmInCanada]

That was Morgan Freemean, I swear.

[lisamaria1972]

@ColmInCanada yes it is

[paralentor]

Weird how gen-x'ers had to watch shows which starred adults yet when it came time to refit these shows for current times they went with kids who were a similar age to the viewers.

[LarryTheTubaBoy]

I don't know what's louder in this vid, the colors rendered in polyester or the 70s colloquialisms. HEEEY YOU GUYS!

[GalaxyDuelist64]

HEY YOU GUYSSSSS!

[carmelgoddess612]

this takes me back to my childhood.

[Smogget]

A whole new dimension just opened up IN MY BRAIN.

[drfrisby]

i only know about this show from family guy. looks cool

[lollaughhard]

Hey guys give me some SKIN!!!

[pictureisup1]

It was a great show, I had a big crush on Julie (June Angela) when I was a little kid.

[vichy766]

Whenever you need a lift, take an ear full of this tune, one of the most upbeat tunes recorded. Not necessarily just a kids theme tune. C H E E R S!!!!

[Jawharrah]

Groovy !!!

[noluv2u]

Wow this brings back memories. i didn't know i still remembered this.

[nbness]

Theres a new electric company!

[Perlinator67]

@nbness

Unfortunately, the new one stinks. I think PBS should cancel it and replace it with reruns of the original.

[Sunnshyneone]

@Perlinator67 I agree completely! Same with Sesame Street. We should also bring Mr. Rogers back...he was really awesome!

[lewkev]

@Sunnshyneone Mr. Rogers was a pedo......lol

[obbyloser09]

@Perlinator67 i agree

[Astraldragon1]

@Perlinator67 I agree 100%. kids today would learn more from the original show then the new one. they should just show reruns of the old show.

[StormflightonMabi]

@Perlinator67 no it doesnt

[MrMinecraftGuyz]

@Perlinator67 I DISSAGREE

I LIKE THE NEW ONE BETTER

[sirXroam]

@Perlinator67 I like the new one. the updated music and scenes are fantastic, very interesting, catchy, and i believe really reach to the new generation of kids.

[sirXroam]

@Perlinator67 I like the new one. the updated music and scenes are fantastic, very interesting, catchy, and i believe really reach to the new generation of kids.

[hail1112]

@Perlinator67 i think the new one is great, and the old version would be hard for kids these days to relate to

[robingohard1]

@Perlinator67 shutup



[BoomBoomStockings1]

@nbness And it's completely HORRID :(...

[14DaveHunter]

Seeing Bill Cosby sing, was something else. I always wondered why he didn't stay, for the entire show's run. Maybe because he was doing Fat Albert, during this time.

[kokoheal]

true awesomeness...

[PhatKat28]

This was my shit!!!!!!

[OneThousandHomoDJs]

That's a young Irene Cara next to the Asian girl......

[cottonwhiskersuk]

HEY YOU GUUUUUUUUUYS!

[golddustwoman83]

RITA MORENO!!!!

[coolsweetgroovy]

@golddustwoman83 I know Love Rita Moreno

[Dremple]

GROOVY

[StarWarsMG]

the best show EEEEVVVVVVEEEEERRRRR!!!!!!

[thegools]

The dude with the fro is Morgan Freeman. He has come a long way.

[mainmedic]

If you look at the actors on the intro song you can tell that Bill Cosby isn't singing.

[xxironballzxx]

government run electric companies those were the days. not like the private shit we have now.

[nealadams70]

never saw the Cosby episodes, but isaw eveery other episodes thanx to the lazy teachers in the LAUSD

[realcheeseball]

EPIC HIGH FIVE FAIL AT 1:20 lmfao look at the guy sitting in the chair.

[milou66]

the "guy sitting in the chair" is bill cosby.

[blaze2nice]

Were you born ten years ago? If so that would explain your comment.

[mightyninjacl]

hahahaha just noticed that, cosby is a legend though

[SweetZombiJesus]

Didnt see anything that wasnt scripted.

[Astraldragon1]

@realcheeseball, that guy sitting in the chair is Bill Cosby.

[yandrsupreme]

Season 2 intro is by far the best one.

[TinaArchieLoviezz]

I LOVE THE NEW ONE

[Patrickphx11]

What a freakin trip..

[FrauleinFive]

I have this on DVD. :')

[binkle1]

I was already in high school, but my younger sister was still in grade school, so this, "ZOOM," and "Sesame Street" were all guilty pleasures for me.

[Damaris756]

i looooved zoom! Especially when they spoke gibberish

[brandyjanus]

I haven't heard that since I was a kid. Brings back great memories.

[Silversnowprincess]

the new version is way better

[Saltheigh]

oh whoa oh no, I must disagree with you there!

I love the classical art that's no longer on air,

and the freestyle that's new

is pretty cool too.

if it's quirky and it's cheesy, then that's why I care.

[socksandpistols]

blasphemous

[Perlinator67]

@Silversnowprincess

How do you type with a strait jacket on?

[funkmike]

This is all a bunch of "jive talk" and "street slang" spoken in jazzy rhyme by a bunch of "hep cats"...I'm not sure I want our children learning that.

[dandiacal]

Bill Cosby was on EVERYTHING: The hardest working man in show business...

[shmuleson48]

Not just Bill Cosby, if you look closely there's Rita Moreno

and a young Morgan Freeman. The show also featured animation with the voices of Gene Wilder, Zero Mostel and Joan Rivers.

[BIG7THHEAVENFAN]

@dandiacal

Agreed! Put Bill Cosby on the new one too this time.

[nealadams70]

@dandiacal actually Sammy Davis jr was on everything in the 70s...if you reference shows and specials of the period youll see this...Mr Cosby chose products that stressed information and education of young people..Sammy chose  the money

[herogna]

@dandiacal you clearly don't have heard of James Lipton

[HGbunny]

My 5 yr old daughter watches the current version of the Electric Company on our local PBS station. This was a trip back to my own childhood. I never remembered Bill Cosby being on it, though.

[janmarbol]

awesomeeeeeeeeeee

[Astraldragon1]

a once in a life time experiance never to be seen again...this was a great show for kids to learn things...They treated kids as adults and didn't talk down to you......Todays kids don't know what they ar missing.. today's parents need to buy this DVD and show it to their kids.

[milicosa93]

dios mio que video mas :(

[addprisoner]

My aunt is an elementary school teacher, and she bought the DVD set and occasionally shows it to her 2-3rd graders.

[Uptown1616]

This makes me wanna drop some acid...

[FLAMEFOLLIES09]

i gotta gree with u on this one, the colors man!!! lol

[georgelee43211]

this show was probably inspired by ''rowan and martin's laugh-in.''

[JamiJR]

Hey, whatever it took to get kids to learn....

[georgelee43211]

right,we were lucky to have this kind of tv programs when we were kids.

[sleazypig]

wow thats a shitload of talent to have on one public television show. you will never see anything like this again

[tdhooge]

Hoe I loved this show!!! I liked it better than sesame street

[secretsquirrel75]

Re m1kenas:

I believe that stat is skewed. I'd like to see the stats on non-minorities since US has such a large group of mixed minorities compared with other countries.

[shadyman2000]

groovy?

[m1kenas]

The united states is still at a sixth grade level. It ranks 58th in literacy compare to the rest of the world. It's amazing how Americans have become dependant on tv shows for education, maybe thats the problem.

[chitownhowie]

This American would like to discuss the capitalization, spelling and punctuation errors in your comment. It seems that you would have benefited from an American education.

[m1kenas]

This american can write as he wishes, i did that very well in grade skool but i chuz when i was asked. but i have no need to do so here. you are to caught up in trying to figure out who has spelled right or capitalized, yet americans don't have an idea about real education and knowledge...gullible....dear..­.dear...such ignorance.

[illicious]

Problem is that americans are enslaved with basic living. Debts, rent, taxes, bills, etc etc. its just a mess. This show (before preschool) actually taught me the alphabet and some english. Today our youth are presented by to much flashy crap and none of it is based on education. Ex: 7 year old next door recites some song about drugs, guns, money and bitches. Sad.

[sandytherabbit]

i needed this

[potsmoker101234]

that is so f-in trippy

[rnbwsistah38]

What's shakin' baby, what's the WORD!!

[alientruth13]

this is so fucking better then the new one

[GospelGirlB]

kinda, but the statistics say that after 30 something years since 1971, some kids still can't read. I like this one, but the new one is newer, fresher, and hipper for me. By the way, this is for alientruth 13... AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[karonG1]

;-)

[calspace]

And Rita Moreno.

[BadruAkeem]

???

[rickwaz]

I LOVED this show as a kid.

[LFirstbasema]

Is Bill Cosby with that group?

[alientruth13]

who cares about Bill Cosby

[GospelGirlB]

who cares about you! Bill Cosby is a legend! This is for alientruth 13

[bbo40]

I hated this show! my grandmother only had VHF on her old TV [Ch. 3,6, 10 &12] and I had to spend a summer there as a kid out in farm country. No speed Racer, Spiderman, Wee Willy weber......just this on PBS along with the other PBS educational crap!

[ShadyGirl619]

Wow.. I forgot that Bill Cosby was in this..

[cashawnt125]

Rita Moreno was the Latina lady. Wow...she turned like 81 this year. Still going on. This is a great video!

[AllRequired]

And she says this inspired her daughter to read.

[boxxxah]

I so Love Morgan Freeman - He is ageless

[dscottkerr]

Me, and my best friend used to have lot's of fun singing this theme song. Wow, that was so long ago!

[SpeakTruthToPower20]

Is that Irene Cara as a little girl?

[YouDummy]

Yes it is.

[SailorCallie]

Yes, as part of the "Short Circus."

[samatarou100]

xD HEY YOU GUYS i love family guy

[curtisdonthurtus]

look at bill cosby he was young there.

[catgumart]

I loved this show I liked when they would say "Hey You Guys!"

[Jellogel]

Morgan Freeman and Bill Cosby, pretty amazing

[BAhern63]

Cosby looked so out of place in this series

[yubazubee]

I love the token geeky white guy.

[Defjams1991]

I swear every show in the 70's had a biracial cast as if no racism ever occured back then

[NyeTunes]

Well, I think that was the point... they were trying to *combat* racism. But 70's biracial casts weren't always fair - SNL's Garrett Morris was treated *horribly* by the white writers, relegated to playing maids and monkeys.

[HeartlessGorre]

Groovy, man.

[robin23509]

I learned so much from this show in second grade.34 years ago. It so needs to come back on air,so our kids can learn from it in the classrooms.I learned to right cursiv and spell from this show.Thanks to the electric company and my teacher Mrs.Bowser for allowing this to be our first morning assighnment and lesson.PLEASE BRING IT BACK-Even the reruns. how groovy and this is definetly RIGHT ON!!!!

[alianaj0808]

I can dig it!

[Ronette1966]

OMG I soooo remember this beginning ... they just don't make shows like this anymore.  But yanno, I didn't know Morgan Freeman was in it HA ......

[Wellch]

I think that Bill Cosby was in it too for a while. It is probably funnier than Sat. Night Live now.

[wilkes85]

Where the shitting cunt was this show when I was a kid?! I would have loved this!

[patsyd11]

i never heard of this as im from london. but thanks to family guy im in the loop. hell yeah

[theyscream]

no sound. This show was great. Should be on DVD

[CandelarioGaIvan]

wow I haven't seen this in 35 years.

[browngal1709]

this show would probably have taught me something had i grown up in the 70's

[Mystifier122]

That was friggin' cool, the 70's rule.

[scottbaino]

I feel so bad for Buddy having to wear a purple marching band shirt. Even in 1971 that would be hard on the guy. Luckily, it was the first episode and things got easier.

[midguardz]

Hard on a guy -NO. That was the fun of the 70s u could wear what u wanted as a guy & you didnt have to get labeled gay for wearing floral zany polka dots on your silk shirts. With the advent of aids & the ball busting feminism from Greer women squeezed all the colour out of males so we are now shyed into comments like what youve just expressed because looking drab is pleasing to women because they dont like to be upstaged & their feminism has brought them to a level of suppressing our vibrancy.

[fourthgirl]

Oh man! I was sooo in love with Morgan Freeman. "Easy Reader, that's my name"!

[luno44]

No way, Judy Graubart was the cutie on that show :)

[klwewf]

I had forgotten how very cool and educational this show was. And, it featured my first crush - RITA MORENO!!

[Americanautistic]

Is the bird that says "Long time no see" a boy or a girl?

[dubs19842008]

Contrary to those upbeat lyrics, the Electric Company would like to emphacize, it will NOT be bringing you the power.

[Americanautistic]

Hahahahaha! That's from Family Guy, wasn't it? You know-the one where Meg was working at that store?

[peepeevagi]

Thats... very fly?

Damnded 80's slang.

This show is awesome!

[dubs19842008]

The Electric Company is coming back this Fall.

[Lacymacy]

GROOVEY DUDE!! Talk about Nostalgia! Brings back some good memories. Hey, Chadhead-I know what you mean by the acid-I was trippin' when I was a little older while watching this show and noticed that the stars on The Electic Co. were trippin' pretty hard too! I knew they were always jacked-up on something! I'm already having flashbacks! LMFAO!!!

[TracyInsomiac]

I wonder how many people have told Morgan Freeman that he was an influence on the. He sure as heck was to me!