Bernie Kukoff Movies
- 1991
John Ritter and his future wife Amy Yasbeck show up in this episode as high school coach Ray Evans and his pregnant spouse Alicia. A lifelong control freak on the job and at home, Ray has prepared meticulously for the moment that Alicia gives birth, carefully rehearsing every possible scenario. But when Alicia actually goes into labor, Ray forgets his "winning strategy" and panics--leaving it up to Cliff (Bill Cosby) to salvage the situation with a bit of astute psychology. This episode is unusual in that none of the Huxtable children makes an appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In the conclusion of a two-part story, novice community-center youth counselor Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) is frustrated in his efforts to help a bright but troubled teen named Stanley (Merlin Santana), who may be suffering from dyslexia--but refuses to be tested for fear of being stigmatized as "different." Weighed down by a plethora of similar crises, Theo begins to wonder if he is capable of handling his new job--prompting his dad Cliff and the center's head Mrs. Hudson (Lynne Thigpen) to team up for some "counseling" of their own. This is the final episode of The Cosby Show's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In the first episode of a two-part story, Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) begins his internship as a community-center counselor assigned to "The Rosa Parks Group", a collection of underprivileged 7th graders. Unable to maintain his professional aloofness, Theo puts in overtime trying to help a bright youngster named Stanley (Merlin Santana, in his first series appearance), whose inability to finish his schoolwork may be due to dyslexia. And back at the Huxtable home, Cliff (Bill Cosby) instills terror in the hearts of his family as he sets about to fix the sink. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
"I'm healthy. I'm in shape. And I'm beginning menopause." Clearly, Clair (Phylicia Rashad) is not troubled in the least about facing the Change of Life. Such, however, is not the cases with the Huxtable children, who are terrified that Clair will rend the household asunder with hot flashes and mood swings--and thus begin treating her as if she is an invalid, driving her crazy in the process. Prankishly, Clair and Cliff (Bill Cosby) cook up a scheme to convince the youngsters that their worst fears about mom's menopause have come horribly true! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Embarrassed that his wife Bernice (Catherine Cox) is more athletically skilled than he is, father-to-be Alfred Phelps (Ray Demattis) prevails upon Cliff (Bill Cosby) to act as his sports coach, in anticipation of the birth of the couple's son. Alas, Cliff's input does nothing to build up Mr. Phelps' ego, so it is up to Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) to straighten out a knotty situation. Meanwhile, Pam (Erika Alexander) prepares for a date with Aaron Dexter (Seth Gilliam), an intelligent but timid fellow who is quite a contrast to Pam's boisterous Bed-Stuy buddies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Denise (Lisa Bonet) and Martin (Joseph C. Phillips) want to move out of her parents' place and into their own apartment, but little Olivia (Raven-Symone) refuses to leave the Huxtable household. Martin begins to appreciate his daughter's point of view when, while apartment-hunting, Denise "falls in love" with a tiny efficiency which is SO tiny that you have to go outside to chew. In the process of counseling the couple, Cliff and Clair recall their own early experiences living in an wretched flat right next to a heliport! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single one-hour special), Pam (Erika Alexander) is still being pressured by her boyfriend Slide (Mushond Lee) to begin having sex with him. When Slide gets angry over Pam's insistence upon using birth control, he blurts out that it's "no big deal" if she gets pregnant--and instantly loses himself a girlfriend. Turning to her family for advice, Pam has a heart-to-heart with cousin Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), who assures her that Slide will one day grow up and take responsibility for his actions, just as Theo himself has (we hope!). And in a separate development, little Olivia (Raven-Symone) tries to pin the blame for her own mischief on an invisible dog. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Although it has been a year since the wedding of the Huxtables' daughter Denise (Lisa Bonet) and Martin Kendall (Joseph C. Phillips), Denise's brother Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) decides to throw a bachelor party for his brother-in-law--complete with a stripper. Denise can't decide what she's maddest about: the fact that Theo would do such a thing, or that Martin hesitates so long before turning down Theo's idea. The couple's argument spreads to eldest daughter Sondra (Sabrina LeBeauf) and HER husband Elvin (Geoffrey Owens), casting a considerable pall over the annual barbecue held by the girls' father Cliff (Bill Cosby). Grandpa Russell (Earle Hyman) saves the day by recalling his own bachelor party--eliciting a surprising reaction from Grandma Anna (Clarice Taylor). This episode was originally intended to air September 20, 1990 as the opener of The Cosby Show's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In the first episode of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single one-hour special), Slide (Mushond Lee) is pressuring Pam (Erika Alexander) to prove her love by having sex with him: "We both know how we feel about each other, now's the time we did something about it." In his efforts to prove that "everybody's doing it," Slide gets his friend Lance (Allen Payne) in hot water; it seems that Lance has been bragging about sleeping with his own girlfriend Charmaine (Karen Malina White)--which is news to her! Back at the Huxtable household, Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad) try to keep their cool while counseling Pam, but are unable to hide their shock and dismay when she asks permission to take birth-control pills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 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)
- 1972
Lee Grant plays Mrs. Schuster, wife of a recently murdered Manhattan cop. Lt. Schuster died under a cloud, with intimations that the killing was orchestrated by criminals with whom the Lieutenant was chummy. Mrs. Schuster is forced to vindicate her husband, and to try to emotionally reassemble herself. The film is sustained by the powerhouse performance of Lee Grant, backed by such strong supporting players as Jack Warden, Paul Burke and Eartha Kitt. Lieutenant Schuster's Wife is one of the most convincing and compelling directorial jobs of TV-movie workhorse David Lowell Rich. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
