History Series / TheElectricCompany1971

* TheBadGuyWins: Surprisingly for a children's show, sometimes Spider-Man would fail to defeat the [[VillainOfTheWeek Villain Of The Day]].

* BlowYouAway: The super power of the super villain 'Blow Hard' in a Spider-Man short. After reading the Three Little Pigs as a child, he chose to imitate the Big Bad Wolf.

* CelebrityParadox: In a "Spidey Super Stories" segment, Spider-Man sits in front of a TV to watch his favorite show: ''The Electric Company''.
* ChainOfCorrections: The "Giggles, Goggles" sketch. One person misuses a word, the other corrects her, and they do this several times until they come back to the original word.

** A puppet chicken named Lorelei (voiced by Jim Boyd, who was mostly off-screen that season).

* FreudianExcuse: PlayedForLaughs in the "Spidey Super Stories" sketches, which usually gave each VillainOfTheWeek a ridiculous reason for turning to crime. Examples include the Thumper, who took to dressing up like Napoleon Bonaparte and punching people after she didn't get a yellow pony for her birthday as a child; the Mouse, who didn't get cheese on his Big Mac and so wears a mouse costume to swipe dairy products whenever he sees them; and the Funny Bunny, who had a bully sit on her Easter basket as a girl and now dons a rabbit costume to take other kids' Easter goodies.

* ThemeTuneExtended: Friday shows featured the instrumental theme in full (in Franklin Gothic, of course), along with a credits roll. Viewers only heard part of the theme during the corporate sponsor announcements.

* TheUnintelligible: Maurice, the guard plant in Pedro's Plant Place. Yet he could make sounds that allowed him to take part in a "Soft Shoe Silhouette" routine. Yet he actually spoke in his first ever appearance (it was the voice of Jim Boyd doing a FunnyForeigner bit) and never did so again.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

Its main purpose was to teach the next phase of reading skills beyond the alphabet by using SketchComedy, but its clever writing, memorable characters (such as Easy Reader, Fargo North Decoder, J. Arthur Crank, Jennifer of the Jungle, Paul the Gorilla), appearances by Franchise/SpiderMan, animated inserts with the superhero Letterman, and psychedelic Scanimation visuals made it a cult hit with all ages. A comic book series based on the Spider-Man segments, ''ComicBook/SpideySuperStories'', premiered in 1974.

* CannotTellFictionFromReality: J. Arthur Crank is convinced this trope is in play whenever someone tries to tell him that Franchise/SpiderMan is part of the cast of ''The Electric Company'', pointing out that Spidey is just a character in a comic book. Inevitably, he never notices the many times Spider-Man is standing right behind him, often engaged in a prank at his expense.

* TheSandman: In one sketch, a crossover appearance of Franchise/SpiderMan where he fights Sandman, not the known enemy of his rogue gallery, but a one based on this version (seen in nightshirt and cap).

* AffectionateParody: Of the historical figures who appeared in sketches, such as UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton and [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution Paul Revere]].

Other cast members included Skip Hinnant (best known as the voice of ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat''), Judy Graubart (a member of the improvisational comedy troupe ''The Second City''), Luis Avalos, Jim Boyd, Hattie Winston, and Lee Chamberlin. In addition to the adult cast, there was a FakeBand called the Short Circus, which consisted of 11- to 17-year-olds; [[TwoFirstNames June Angela]] was the only member of the Short Circus to stay the whole series' run. Other notable members included Creator/IreneCara, later to become a hit-making solo artist; Todd Graff, brother of ''Series/MrBelvedere'' actress Ilene Graff, and Creator/DeniseNickerson, at the time known for playing Violet Beauregarde in ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory''.

** Crank gets help with the two vowel sounds of the "y" when a heavy box falls - twice - on a moving man's foot!

The cast was made up of a diverse group of performers such as Creator/RitaMoreno, who was already a well-known actress in her own right. Creator/BillCosby was a cast member in Season 1, and "The Adventures of Letterman" shorts featured the voices of Creator/GeneWilder, Creator/ZeroMostel, and Creator/JoanRivers. But most notable was a young and then-unknown Creator/MorganFreeman, who played Easy Reader ([[OldShame and has been trying to live it down ever since]]).

* GloryDays: "Spidey Fixes the Hum" the rock star Hum Dinger was a huge fad when he hummed his songs because he forgot the lyrics in the 1950s, but as soon as the fifties were over, so was his career. Now he makes humming noises to make people think their TV or radio is busted and charges people to 'fix' them. The girl of the family he cons ironically turns out to be a fan of his.

* JunglePrincess: Jennifer of the Jungle.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u8MY7PjSXU Season 1 Easy Reader]] is basically Music/JimiHendrix.

* PopularityCycle: Happens in two different Spider-Man shorts. The villains Winky Goodyshoes and Hum Dinger were both popular in their day, but then lost their fame. At the end of the shorts, both discover they aren't as forgotten as they think they are; Winky even gets a chance to make a comeback on Broadway!
* PrimaDonnaDirector: Otto, a real [[IncrediblyLamePun drama queen!]] Justified, apart from [[TheBully bullying the actors]] and terrorizing cue card holder [[BeleagueredAssistant Marcello]] (Creator/MorganFreeman), as she is [[SurroundedByIdiots surrounded by actors who constantly flub their lines.]]

* PunnyName: Fargo North, Decoder (Fargo, North Dakota); J. Arthur Crank (British film producer J. Arthur Rank); Dr. Dolots (''Literature/DoctorDolittle''); Julia Grownup (Julia Child, "The French Chef"); Morgan Freeman's Easy Reader (''Film/EasyRider'' / [[Music/JimiHendrix Ezy Ryder]]); Short Circus ([[MakesSenseInContext short circuit]]); Johnny Charge (Music/JohnnyCash).

** In "O-U (The Hound Song)", a hound sings very l'''ou'''dly about how he dare not make a sound.

--> Happy birthday, Miss '''Jones''', you sure got nice '''bones!'''

Its main purpose was to teach reading to reluctant readers by using SketchComedy, but its clever writing, memorable characters (such as Easy Reader, Fargo North Decoder, J. Arthur Crank, Jennifer of the Jungle, Paul the Gorilla), appearances by Franchise/SpiderMan, animated inserts with the superhero Letterman, and psychedelic Scanimation visuals made it a cult hit with all ages. A comic book series based on the Spider-Man segments, ''ComicBook/SpideySuperStories'', premiered in 1974.

* SoapOpera: "Love of Chair," a {{parody}} of the Creator/{{CBS}} soap opera ''Love of Life'' that even used the same continuity announcer (Ken Roberts).

* AffectionateParody: Of the historical figures who appeared in sketches, such as UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton and [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution Paul Revere]]. Inverted in [[HarsherInHindsight the end]] [[HilariousInHindsight of a sketch]] featuring UsefulNotes/ChristopherColumbus (played by, [[HilariousInHindsight hilariously enough,]] Creator/MorganFreeman).

Other cast members included Skip Hinnant (best known as the voice of ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat''), Judy Graubart (a member of the improvisational comedy troupe ''The Second City''), Luis Avalos, Jim Boyd, Hattie Winston, and Lee Chamberlin. In addition to the adult cast, there was a FakeBand called the Short Circus, which consisted of 11- to 17-year-olds; [[TwoFirstNames June Angela]] was the only member of the Short Circus to stay the whole series' run. Other notable members included Irene Cara, later to become a hit-making solo artist; Todd Graff, brother of ''Series/MrBelvedere'' actress Ilene Graff, and Creator/DeniseNickerson, at the time known for playing Violet Beauregarde in ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory''.

The cast was made up of a diverse group of performers such as Creator/RitaMoreno, who was already a well-known actress in her own right. Creator/BillCosby was a cast member in Season 1, and "The Adventures of Letterman" shorts featured the voices of Creator/GeneWilder, Zero Mostel, and Creator/JoanRivers. But most notable was a young and then-unknown Creator/MorganFreeman, who played Easy Reader ([[OldShame and has been trying to live it down ever since]]).

* {{Corpsing}}:
** Creator/MorganFreeman was guilty of this quite frequently. One example was during the taping of a first-season Otto the Director skit (known by fans as "The Director and the Musketeer") wherein after Creator/BillCosby flubbed his line ("all for one and one for all") one last time, Otto (Creator/RitaMoreno) kicked Cosby's shin and took his props, running off crying as both Freeman and Judy Graubart (who played the cue card girl in this installment) visibly began laughing.
** There was a rare example happening off-screen. In a ballet sequence to illustrate the word "sun," the three dancers are joined by Freeman (yes, in ballet costume too) with a letter "t," shoves himself in to create the word [[WeirdSun "stun."]] [[ThrowItIn The musicians off-screen audibly join in his chuckling until Joe Raposo calls them to attention with his baton.]]

** A puppet chicken named Lorelai (voiced by Jim Boyd, who was mostly off-screen that season).

* {{Visual Pun}}s: Taken UpToEleven!

* BedsheetGhost: Creator/MorganFreeman and Hattie Winston play a couple trying to sleep. The husband is spooked by weird noises, while the wife is non-plussed. Ultimately, he is kicked, and becomes frightened by a very polite ''visitor'' who apologizes for it and even turns off the electric lamp ''with his breath.'' Morgan Freeman is on the verge of {{Fainting}} as this happens!

** Season 3-6: After the intro, a [[Precap sneak peek]] of the episode will play, and afterwards will we see this. Seasons 5 and 6 have A and B suffixes for episodes respectively.

** Season 3-6: After the intro, a sneak peek of the episode will play, and afterwards will wee see this. Seasons 5 and 6 have A and B suffixes for episodes.

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Paul the Gorilla.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: In "Spidey Meets Eye Patch," the titular villain is a pirate with a literal EvilEye that compels anyone who stares at it to do the last thing they'd ever want to do. Eye Patch is able to stop even Spider-Man with it--but when he turns his power on a [[NewAgeRetroHippie flower child]], she immediately punches the pirate square in the eyeball, as the last thing ''she'd'' ever want to do is hurt someone. This ends up curing Eye Patch of his evil tendencies.

* FracturedFairyTale: Two kinds. There was the feature "A Very Short Book." There were also several skits that were based on, and often {{deconstructed}} FairyTales, including ''Literature/SnowWhite'' and ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}.''

The cast was made up of a diverse group of performers such as Creator/RitaMoreno, who was already a well-known actress in her own right. Creator/BillCosby was a cast member in Season 1, and "The Adventures of Letterman" shorts featured the voices of Creator/GeneWilder, Zero Mostel, and Creator/JoanRivers. But most notable was a young and then-unknown Creator/MorganFreeman, who played Easy Reader ([[OldShame and has been trying to live it down ever since]]). Other cast members included Skip Hinnant (best known as the voice of ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat''), Judy Graubart (a member of the improvisational comedy troupe ''The Second City''), Luis Avalos, Jim Boyd, Hattie Winston, and Lee Chamberlin. In addition to the adult cast, there was a FakeBand called the Short Circus, which consisted of 11- to 17-year-olds; [[TwoFirstNames June Angela]] was the only member of the Short Circus to stay the whole series' run. Other notable members included Irene Cara, later to become a hit-making solo artist; Todd Graff, brother of ''Series/MrBelvedere'' actress Ilene Graff, and Creator/DeniseNickerson, at the time known for playing Violet Beauregarde in ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory''.

''The Electric Company'' is an EdutainmentShow that ran from October 25, 1971 until April 15, 1977 on Creator/{{PBS}} (the last two seasons reran until October 4, 1985) from Creator/SesameWorkshop. Its main purpose was to teach reading to reluctant readers by using SketchComedy, but its clever writing, memorable characters (such as Easy Reader, Fargo North Decoder, J. Arthur Crank, Jennifer of the Jungle, Paul the Gorilla), appearances by Franchise/SpiderMan, animated inserts with the superhero Letterman, and psychedelic Scanimation visuals made it a cult hit with all ages. A comic book series based on the Spider-Man segments, ''ComicBook/SpideySuperStories'', premiered in 1974.

->''"Hey you GUUUUUUYYYYYYS!"''

EdutainmentShow that ran from October 25, 1971 until April 15, 1977 on Creator/{{PBS}} (the last two seasons reran until October 4, 1985) from Creator/SesameWorkshop. Its main purpose was to teach reading to reluctant readers by using SketchComedy, but its clever writing, memorable characters (such as Easy Reader, Fargo North Decoder, J. Arthur Crank, Jennifer of the Jungle, Paul the Gorilla), appearances by Franchise/SpiderMan, animated inserts with the superhero Letterman, and psychedelic Scanimation visuals made it a cult hit with all ages. A comic book series based on the Spider-Man segments, ''ComicBook/SpideySuperStories'', premiered in 1974.

* The Short Circus song “Poison”. “It’ll kill ya!”