I watched this as a kid and now I direct today for a living. These skits were so close to the reality of it I'm in tears laughing right now hahaha... and Skip even wound up PRESIDENT OF SAG-AFTRA, I can't hahahaha
PBS should seriously consider picking up the old Electric Company shows for airing on weekend mornings...Since there are no outdated topical references and the skits themselves are quite entertaining and educational, I think today's younger viewers would get a kick out of them, just like we did when we were their age...
paul simmons: They should. The show was timeless in its own right. Nick Noggin had their chance and they partially ruined it. Just 65 heavily edited episodes not in order? TEC had 780 of them and PBS should focus on the final two seasons uncut for now as you mentioned on weekend mornings for 5 hours (7am-noon), ala Pinwheel on Nickelodeon.That way, kids will see it more over the vacanted network schedules no longer relegated to cartoons and such.
Hey, while we're at it, let's have PBS bring back the old Sesame Street episodes and air them before The Electric Company...Now that would be like a heady time warp...and at the same time, a fun, colorful and educational way to bond with our little ones...
Noggin was doing that for awhile and calling it "Sesame Street Unpaved." It would be great fun if PBS or some other accessible network did; they might worry about all the now dated references, but how about an old show right before a current show. SS, TEC and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood together would be great.
Absolutely hilarious as well as being educational to those learning to read, such a talented cast! I actually guessed the last botch during filming would be "Good...riddance" just before Judy said "riddance."
Sounds like this one is from EC’s final season; if you listen carefully, you’ll hear Rita ask of Skip, “How long have you been on the Electric Company?” “Six years.”(Somehow I did not remember this one at all.) I do remember a couple other “Otto the director” segments that have not been posted-something about the cue word or words were “We will make beautiful music”(Skip was the one to read the cue card), and at the end as Rita had had it(as usual), he ended up saying to HER,”We will make beautiful music,”(as the joke of the segment). All I remember it was so HILARIOUS, I laughed so hard I got the HICCUPS! The other one was a commercial parody promoting a cereal named “Whackies,”(the cue word being “should,”) and Judy sang the jingle,”Whackies, Whackies, Whackies, you have to try Whackies, if you haven’t tried Whackies, you (should!) she was supposed to say, but of course kept coming up with the wrong words-I remember “YOU BETTER!” and something like “You TURKEYS, you don’t know WHAT’S good for you!”(which was the last straw for Otto, as usual, as the joke in these Otto the director segments.) Anyway, hopefully someone will find and post those as well. :)
Julia Capulet Julia Capulet....nope, nobody got the Mary Hartman Mary Hartman reference....still don't?...it wa a thing back in the 1970's ...a running joke of sorts....
Dale Pidcoe I like the part of the classic Electric Company with Sylvia''s voice saying the actress has five seconds to read the next words she sees. Can you read them before she does? The actress failed to read the words good night and hears the times up buzzer and Otto says good night and breaks her pointer stick.
Every Otto the Director I know: 9 and 73) all for one and one for all 13) on 154) Gwendolyn 176) scream 204) Howdy, Slim! 285) Don't bug me. Please stop. 351) coin 368 and 119B) you 391) To the Queen. 60A) Is this the bus stop? 37B) Three Dwarfs 42B) Good night. 110B) prunes
00:07- Mr. Hinnant's character actually called Miss Moreno's character 'Otto'! Now whether this character is supposed to be a female with a male given name . ..or a male is never spelled out! However, Miss Moreno said it was FUN playing mean (and she sure had her share of mean directors in her career). Of course, it was funny how the Director addressed Mr. Hinnant's character as 'Half-Pint' in spite of being somewhat vertically challenged her(?)self. I know that got the attention of 'Little House on the Prairie' (1974-1983) fans and foes watching! LOL
I think it stems back to Rita is supposed to be playing a spoof of Otto Preminger, so Skip called her Otto in this one scene. I noticed it too, and from what I can remember, this was the only episode/skit where one of the "cast of said movie" actually referred to her as Otto during a "Director" skit
@@Defensewhiz Interesting. Of course, Miss Moreno didn't play Otto with any kind of Central European accent -and she definitely was capable using any kind of accent a role called for!
@@wardarcade7452 from what I remember in interviews… It was more Otto’s demeanor, mannerisms, and irate attitude that she was spoofing rather than accent
So was I! I think Hattie's character thought this was a waste of time, and didn't have much confidence the next take would be done correctly either, haha!
FWIW, in TEC DVD Miss Graubart praised Miss Moreno for being energetic, a very hard worker and 'FUN-NEE!' while Miss Moreno praised Miss Graubart's talent(and the fact that she was a Second City alumna) in her Emmy TV Legends Interview when they discussed TEC. So, I doubt there was much if any actual contempt on either part but all the performers seemed to have fun interacting with each other- even if their characters didn't for this particular skit! Miss Moreno has said she wished she'd been able to have done more TEC episodes than she did in the last few years of its run.
Rita being interviewed said hey really did get along in real life and had a lot of fun on set! Sometimes cracking up after the real TEC director said "Cut." All the animosity in these sketches between them is acting!
@@bobdavis4848 What would have been really cool is if both Rita Moreno and Judy Graburt competed against each other for charity on a episode of Concentration back when Jack Narz was hosting it. Now I doubt if that ever happened but man, that would be priceless to see!
@@meyerj75 You mean Judy Graubart. Yes, that would have been great to see. I enjoyed "Concentration" and other 70s game shows. Well, Rita did do some game shows including talking up TEC on the $25,000 Pyramid.
