Celebrities Who Got Their Start Teaching Kids to Read on the 1970s PBS Show ‘The Electric Company’

Remember When shared 15 really interesting facts about the classic 1970s PBS kids show The Electric Company, specifically regarding the famous celebrities who got their start by teaching kids to read. This list includes such stars as Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, Giancarlo Esposito, and the late Irene Cara. Other famous names behind the scenes include Tom Lehrer, Chuck Jones, Paul Dooley, and Joe Raposo.

PBS tried to make reading cool by basically screaming the alphabet song at you through a television set? Relive the retro magic of the tec with Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, and Easy Reader. These kids shows made learning fun and even influenced Sesame Street!

Famous Faces of The Electric Company

Morgan Freeman on ‘The Electric Company’

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.