| The Adventures Of Letterman |
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Created by Mike Thaler, this superhero spoof debuted during ''The Electric Company's'' second season, and quickly became one of the show's most popular segments. 60 "Letterman" segments were produced between 1972-1976. TYPICAL STORY In each segment, the Narrator describes a simple, everyday situation. The villianous Spellbinder – of Middle Eastern descent, dressed in a white coat and Turban – would express disgust at what was going on. He would then use his trusty Magic Wand (stored beneath his turban) to change a key letter in the word (e.g., "custard" to "mustard"). Havoc would ensue as the result of Spellbinder's actions; for instance, in the above example, the people who were enjoying flavorful Custard suddenly and unknowningly began eating red-hot Mustard , causing them to turn red and burn from the mouth. Spellbinder would then revel in his fun. After the narrator expresses despair at the situation, the heroic Letterman – having observed the situation from afar – jumps into action. He replaces the incorrect letter with a more appropriate one that was conveniently placed on his varsity Sweater (e.g., "Ripping a 'c' from his varsity sweater ..."), after which time the situation was resolved and things went back to normal. Spellbinder expressed disgust and frustration that Letterman once again foiled his fun ("Curses" or some similar line), while Letterman was sometimes invited to join with the people he helped in whatever they were doing. INTRODUCTION ''Faster than a rolling 'O''' ''Stronger than silent 'E''' ''Able to leap capital 'T' in a single bound!'' ''It's a word, it’s a plan...it's Letterman!'' (majestic three-note fanfare) PARODIES Letterman was parodied as the live-action "Litterman" during the sixth season of The Electric Company. In the lone segment, the Spellbinder changed a woman sitting on a park bench ("sitter") into a pile of garbage ("litter"). After the litter begins reeking, Litterman arrives to correct the situation. CAST
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