Peter Costa Movies
- 1990
- PG13
Diane Keaton, Carol Kane and Kathryn Grody are the title "siblings," three unrelated women who perform as a lounge trio and struggle to come up with the money to buy their own club. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Keaton, Carol Kane, (more)
- 1989
After Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and her friends are denied the privilege of watching a video called "The Gross-Out Gang" in the Huxtable living room, Rudy complains that she is weighed down by too many rules and regulations, while her siblings get to do whatever they want. Mulling over Rudy's litany of grievances, Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad) decide to teach her a lesson by granting every privilege that she asks for, consequences or no consequences. Privilege Number One turns out to be the right to stay up and watch TV as late as she wants--and of course, she soon learns to regret her new-found "liberation." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In a rare pure-fantasy episode, the cast members of The Cosby Show appear in a visualization of a an antiwar fairy tale penned by youngest Huxtable daughter Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam). The story is set in Happyland, where the peace and wellbeing of the Happy People is threatened by the invasion of the Nasty People, headed by the Duke of Doom--played by Rudy's taciturn school chum Peter Chiara (Peter Costa). Others in the ensemble included Rudy herself as the flower-girl heroine, Cliff (Bill Cosby) as the Royal Man-at-Arms, Clair (Phylicia Rashad) as Happyland's song leader, Vanessa (Lisa Bonet) as the Wizard, Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) as the Town Crier, Grandpa Russell (Earle Hyman) as the Mayor, Sondra (Sabrina LeBeauf and Elvin (Geoffrey Owens) as Farmers, and Kenny (Deon Richmond) as the King--all dressed in costumes that look as if a child actually designed them! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Cliff (Bill Cosby) takes his daughter Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and two of her friends to a vaudeville tribute featuring such vintage performers as "The Great Ballantine" (Carl Ballantine, reprising the comedy magic act which regaled decades of The Ed Sullivan Show) fans. Unfortunately, the kids are bored stiff by the sparsely attended show--until emcee Eddie Bartholomew (played by master mime Bill Irwin) goes into his eye-popping routine. Elsewhere, Vanessa's former boyfriend Robert (Dondre T. Whitfield) scares off yet another prospective date by impulsively proposing marriage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
When Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) and Cockroach (Carl Anthony Payne II) show up late from school and nearly cause the family to miss Vanessa's production of "South Pacific", Cliff (Bill Cosby) demands an explanation. Theo insists that he was tardy because of his cross-country coach's bizarre behavior at the Circus Burger restaurant. But a later phone call from the school principal suggests that Theo isn't telling the whole truth, whereupon Clair (Phylicia Rashad) holds a mock trial in the "First District Court of Brooklyn" (actually the Huxtable's living room) to determine what really happened--and, ultimately, to mete out a suitable punishment! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Cliff (Bill Cosby) incurs the wrath of his next door neighbor Jeffrey Engels (Wallace Shawn) when he can't find a power drill that he has borrowed. Unable to understand why Engels has overreacted, Cliff must be reminded by Clair (Phylicia Rashad) that he himself has behaved the same way (even worse, in fact) in similar circumstances. Ultimately, Cliff resolves the situation by using the time-honored process of elimination. Meanwhile, Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and Kenny (Deon Richmond) put together a "haunted house" for Halloween. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Season Three of The Cosby Show begins as little Rudy Huxtable (Keshia Knight Pulliam) finds a garter snake in the family cellar, but has trouble getting anyone to believe her. Once the snake has made his (her? Its?) presence known to one and all, the Huxtables go into full panic mode and send for the exterminator (Leonard Jackson)--who ends up in more danger from the clutter in the cellar than from the slithery little serpent. At the same time, Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) and his pal Cockroach (Carl Anthony Payne II) draw up plans to throw a party where only girls are invited. With this episode, Geoffrey Owens becomes a semi-regular in the role of Elvin, the boyfriend of the Huxtables' eldest daughter Sondra (Sabrina LeBeauf). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Cliff (Bill Cosby) allows Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and Peter (Peter Costa) to keep a lost dog until the actual owner is located. Unfortunately, the kids neglect their promise to care for the dog--and worse, older brother Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) is growing quite attached to the mutt. Meanwhile, Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) is down in the dumps over having to miss a party in order to attend Clair's speech in Washington--whereupon Cliff, already frazzled by the dog situation, orders his daughter to "be happy" or else! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Danny Kaye guest stars as Dr. Burns, a puckish dentist who tries his best (and then some) to allay the fears of Rudy's friend Peter (Peter Costa) when the boy balks at sitting in Burns' chair to have a toothache treated. And back at the Huxtable house, Cliff (Bill Cosby) suffers sleep deprivation thanks to the loud and incessant outrage expressed by Clair (Phylicia Rashad) over a newspaper article. This episode was originally telecast on a Sunday, rather than The Cosby Show's usual Thursday-night timeslot, as a lead-in to the NBC miniseries Peter the Great. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
When Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) announces that she feels left out of all the Huxtable family fun, Cliff allows his five-year-old daughter to hold a slumber party for her friends, never dreaming that he'd be forced to supervise in Clair's absence. During the festivities, Cliff is dumbfounded by the inscrutability of Rudy's doggedly nonverbal friend Peter Chiara (Peter Costa, in his first series appearance). Meanwhile, Cliff's dad Russell sits on the sidelines watching how effectively his son handles an unruly group of pre-schoolers--with a heavy wager riding on the outcome of the evening. Watch for an early appearance by Alicia Keys, here billed as Alicia Cook. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Cliff (Bill Cosby) warns daughter Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and her taciturn friend Peter (Peter Costa)) to stay far away from his new juicer. The kids try hard to obey, but can't resist an opportunity to "create" their own version of grape juice--with predictably disastrous, and very messy, results. Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) bears the brunt of the consequences because she was supposed to be watching the kids, but Clair (Phylicia Rashad) thinks that Cliff should shoulder some of the blame himself for placing temptation in Rudy and Peter's path! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Despite Clair's fears that her daughter will be injured, little Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) ends up the star player on Peter's pee-wee football team. Once Rudy is established as "Sweet Feet", however, Clair (Phylicia Rashad) becomes her daughter's biggest fan, going so far as to bone up on the game of football by watching the weekend professional games with Cliff (Bill Cosby). This proves to be a detriment to Cliff's enjoyment as he tries to listen to the game while Clair and Denise (Lisa Bonet) blithely chatter away about all the wrong things (such as how "cute" those guys are in their uniforms!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Halloween proves to be a most eventful occasion for the Huxtable family. For starters, Cliff (Bill Cosby) reluctantly agrees to wear a costume to take Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) trick-or-treating. And then, Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) invites Robert Foreman (Dondre T. Whitfield in his series debut), the "coolest seventh-grader" in her school, to her Halloween party. Though Cliff manages to survive his ordeal, Vanessa is so overwhelmed by Robert's presence that she ends up embarrassing herself in front of all her friends (well, ALMOST all). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Set in 1963, The Flamingo Kid finds 18-year-old Brooklynite Matt Dillon, the son of blue-collar Hector Elizondo, getting a taste of the Good Life by joining several of his friends at "El Flamingo", a swank Long Island beach club. Wealthy car salesman Richard Crenna, the uncle of Matt's girl friend Janet Jones, befriends the boy and takes him under his wing. Thanks to Crenna's influence, Matt secures a good job at the Flamingo. The boy is bedazzled by Crenna's sumptuous lifestyle, and most especially by the older man's reputation as the Flamingo's reigning gin rummy champ. Dillon begins taking on airs, which alienates his down-to-earth father. Watch for a scene in which, while channel-surfing with his new remote control, Richard Crenna watches a fleeting clip from the old TV sitcom The Real McCoys--featuring Richard Crenna. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Dillon, Richard Crenna, (more)
- 1984
The series that literally rescued the moribund situation comedy genre from oblivion, NBC's The Cosby Show made its first appearance on September 20, 1984. By the time its first season was over, the series was the second-highest-rated program in the country, enabling NBC to build a brand-new sitcom empire with such popular offerings as Frasier, Seinfeld, and Friends. Bill Cosby was of course the creator of the series, in concert with the Carsey-Werner Company, whose later efforts included Roseanne, 3rd Rock From the Sun, and That '70s Show. Cosby played the leading character, Dr. Cliff Huxtable, a successful obstetrician who lived in a fashionable Brooklyn townhouse with his attorney wife, Clair (played by Phylicia Ayers-Allen, later billed as Phylicia Rashad). The couple's children included daughters Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and son Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner). Among the many other characters were Cliff's dad, Russell (Earle Hyman), and mom, Anna (Clarice Taylor); Sondra's boyfriend -- and later husband -- Elvin Tibedeaux (Geoffrey Owens); Theo's pal Cockroach (Carl Anthony Payne II); Rudy's friends Peter (Peter Costa) and Kenny (Deon Richmond); Vanessa's boyfriend Dabnis (William Thomas Jr.); Clair's second cousin, Bedford-Stuyvesant refugee Pam Turner (Erika Alexander); and Pam's friends Slida (Mushond Lee), Charmaine (Karen Malina White), and Lance (Allen Payne). Also, after briefly leaving the series to star in her own series, A Different World, Lisa Bonet returned in the role of Denise, then-married to Lt. Martin Kendall (Joseph C. Phillips) and stepmother of Martin's daughter, Olivia (Raven-Symone). Increasing the number of family members were Sondra and Elvin's twin children, Winnie and Nelson, played during the series' final season by Jessica Vaughn and Gary Gray. Unlike many sitcoms with African-American casts, The Cosby Show did not overemphasize its racial aspects, nor did it traffic in stereotypical characters or dialogue. Put simply, the Huxtables could have been any upper-middle-class family of any color, and it was their normality and universality that made the series a hit with viewers from all ethnic groups. The winner of innumerable industry awards, and America's top-rated sitcom for a remarkable five years in a row, The Cosby Show finished its network run on September 17, 1992, and has been a welcome fixture in the syndicated-rerun field ever since. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, (more)
