Bill Cosby Movies
African-American entertainer Bill Cosby, in his own words, "started out as a child," the son of an eight-dollars-a-day maid and an absentee father. A product of grinding poverty, Cosby escaped his rundown Philadelphia neighborhood by dropping out of high school and joining the navy. He earned his diploma via correspondence course, then earned a football scholarship to Temple University. Working nights as a bartender, Cosby discovered he had the ability to make people laugh, so he temporarily shelved his plans to become an athletics teacher and set out to become a nightclub comedian. Most black comics of the era used the race issue in their act; this didn't quite work for Cosby, but relating humorous reminiscences about himself and his childhood buddies worked beautifully. After numerous TV guest shots and several top-selling, Grammy Award-winning record albums, Cosby was signed by producer Sheldon Leonard to co-star with Robert Culp in a weekly TV espionage series, I Spy. This was an era of acute racial tension; many NBC executives were wary about a black leading man, and quite a few Southern affiliates threatened not to run the show, but Leonard, a street scrapper from way back, refused to back down. I Spy was a hit, earning Cosby an Emmy. As the series progressed, the camaraderie between Cosby and Culp deepened, and by the end of the series, Culp was talking and ad-libbing in the same low-key, offbeat cadence that Cosby had adopted for his club appearances! After I Spy, Cosby signed a sweetheart deal with NBC, which guaranteed him a two-year run on his next program, whether the ratings were good or not. The Bill Cosby Show cast the star as high school coach Chet Kincaid, and was unusual for the time in that it was a sitcom minus a laughtrack. At times it was a sitcom minus laughs as well, but NBC had made its promise, and Cosby did his best. In the '70s he teamed with actor/director Sidney Poitier to make a trio of popular crime/comedy features: Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again, and A Piece of the Action. Viewers who think of Cosby in terms of one success after another have forgotten such failed 1970s TV projects as The New Bill Cosby Show and Cos. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there was The Cosby Show, the eight-season wonder that single-handedly rescued the sitcom format from oblivion in 1984 and enabled the woebegone NBC network to crack the Number One slot in the ratings week after week. And there were guest spots on the award-winning children's show The Electric Company and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1969-84) a superlative Saturday morning cartoon show supervised by Cosby that managed to be what is now called "prosocial" without losing any of the fun. He has also been the long-time commercial spokesman for Jell-O. In the fall of 1996 Cosby returned to prime time TV with yet another The Cosby Show sitcom, again set in New York City and co-starring Phylicia Rashad. Although he has been unable to build a successful movie career, Cosby's TV success has made him one of the wealthiest entertainers in the history of the business. Cosby's success is not limited to the entertainment industry, as he returned to school in the '70s and earned a Ph.D. degree in education and has since become a staunch advocate and supporter of education in the Black community, donating time and money to the cause. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1992
As the sixth and final season of A Different World gets under way, newlyweds Whitley (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) are returning from their honeymoon in Los Angeles -- which unfortunately coincided with the Rodney King riots! Nor is life a bed of roses for the couple upon settling into their new home. Whitley loses her position at the art gallery, forcing Dwayne to hold down three different jobs to make ends meet. Things look temporarily brighter when Dwayne is offered a lucrative job in Japan, but alas, this opportunity also comes a-cropper. And on top of everything, Whitley learns she is pregnant! Meanwhile, Dwayne's formerly footloose roommate Ron (Darryl M. Bell) has matured sufficiently to assume the management of a trendy nightclub. As for Ron's erstwhile girlfriend Freddie (Cree Summer), she has apparently forsaken her tacky Annie Hall wardrobe and her artistic inclinations for a stylish business suit and a career in law, leading the increasingly militant Lena (Jada Pinkett) to label Freddie a sellout -- at least until she realizes that Freddie intends to improve the system from within, rather than as the perennial outsider. As for Whitley's no-nonsense former roommate Kim (Charnele Brown), she has finally settled upon a boyfriend who is truly marriage material (it's taken her long enough). Newcomers to the cast includes Gary Dourdan as Shazza Zulu, whom Freddie briefly dates before returning to Ron; Karen Malina White as the garrulous and somewhat pushy college freshman Charmaine Brown, a character carried over from A Different World's "parent" series The Cosby Show; Patrick Malone as Terrell, a student who may look and act like a thug but isn't...and may be a potential boyfriend for Charmaine. When near the end of the series' run Lena, Charmaine, Terrell, and Gina Devereaux (Ajai Sanders) decide to rent a house together, the casual viewer might assume that the producers had a spin-off series in mind, but this never came to fruition. Before leaving A Different World, let us give an affectionate nod to actor Lou Myers, who has woven in an out of the proceedings as Vernon Gaines, chef at the campus hangout The Pit. The series' resident philosopher, Vernon is known far and wide for occasionally bending the truth to serve his needs -- but in the season six episode "A Rock, A River, A Lena," we are offered proof incarnate that Vernon did indeed make the acquaintance of guest star Lena Horne during WWII. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, (more)
The eighth and final season of The Cosby Show opens with a shocker for obstetrician Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) and his attorney wife, Clair (Phylicia Rashad). It seems that the couple's daughter Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), who'd graduated from high school a year early and has been attending Lincoln University since the beginning of season seven, has for the past six months been engaged to the university's maintenance man Dabnis Brickley (William Thomas Jr.) -- who is a dozen years older than she! At first, Cliff and Clair are cold to Dabnis, suspecting his motives, but before long the level-headed working man wins their confidence and respect. In addition to William Thomas Jr., child actors Gary Gray and Jessica Vaughn join the cast as Nelson and Winnie Tibideaux, the twin children of Cliff and Clair's oldest daughter, Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), and her husband, Elvin (Geoffrey Owens). (The twins had previously been played by other children in one-shot appearances; now they can qualify as "regulars.") Absent this season is Lisa Bonet as the Huxtables' daughter Denise, and (except for one episode) Joseph C. Phillips as her husband, Naval lieutenant Martin Kendall; it is explained that the Kendalls have moved to Singapore, where Martin has been stationed -- and that because of Navy rules and regulations, their daughter, Olivia (Raven-Symone), must stay behind with Cliff and Clair. Of the remaining Huxtable children, youngest daughter Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) is still at home, and Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) is still attending college, living near campus. Also, the Huxtable household remains the temporary domicile of 18-year-old Pam Turner (Erika Alexander), Clair's second cousin once removed, who keeps in close contact with her friends from her old Bedford-Stuyvestant neighborhood, and is now contemplated a college career herself. The series' now-legendary final episode is an hour-long affair honoring Theo's graduation from college, ending with Cliff and Clair acknowledging the presence of the studio audience for the first (and last) time in The Cosby Show's eight-year history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, (more)
- 1991
Children need positive role models to understand the values and perseverance necessary to be successful in today's world. The Ebony/Jet Guide to Black Excellence series is a project designed to educate young African-Americans about leaders they can look up to. Ebony/Jet Guide to Black Excellence: The Entertainers profiles the following black pioneers in the entertainment industry: comedian Bill Cosby, award-winning author and poet Maya Angelou, and Broadway, TV, and film star Charles Dutton. Each personality's life story is an inspiration for youth who may need to overcome enormous obstacles to succeed in life. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Season five of A Different World finds sweethearts (and recent college grads) Whitley (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) resuming their romance; Whitley's pal Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) surprising one and all by eloping with hard-nosed calculus professor Col. Clayton Taylor (Glynn Turnan); and the off-and-on relationship between Ron (Darryl M. Bell) and Freddie (Cree Summer) back in "on" mode, with Ron actually evincing signs of growing up and accepting responsibility by heading a band called X-Pression. New to the cast is Jada Pinkett as streetwise freshman Lena James, who, thanks to a computer glitch, ends up staying in Whitley's extra bedroom. Lena later gets in trouble for her flagrant disregard of dorm rules; after setting fire to her room in an effort to cook dinner, Lena is forced to pay damages by the new dorm director -- none other than Whitley. This enables Lou Myers to make several amusing appearances as Vernon Gaines, chef at the local hamburger joint where Lena has landed a job in order to make money in a hurry. Ultimately, Lena is reinstated at the dorm, with fellow freshman Gina Devereaux (Ajai Sanders) as her roommate. Meanwhile, grad student Dwayne is teaching classes at Hillman college, with Whitley's former roomie Kim as his assistant. Feeling emboldened by his new status and a regular paycheck, Dwayne finally proposes to Whitley, and she accepts -- only to take back her "yes" when it appears that Dwayne has been unfaithful to her. It is at this point that Joe Morton joins the cast as Hillside alumnus Senator Byron Douglas III, who launches his own crusade to make Whitley his wife. Season five ends as Whitley prepares to march down the altar with Byron -- whereupon Dwayne appears, setting the stage for a gentle revision of the finale of the 1967 film The Graduate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Dawnn Lewis, (more)
- 1990
Happy Birthday, Bugs: 50 Looney Years is a television special celebrating 50 years of Bugs Bunny cartoons, complete with testimonials from various celebrities and a terrific end-piece "50 Years of Bugs in 3 Minutes," which features a manic collection of highlights compiled by Academy Award-winner Chuck Workman (he won for his animated short, Precious Images). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
So here are the conditions that prevail as The Cosby Show enters its seventh season. Obstetrician Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) and his attorney wife, Clair (Phylicia Rashad) are still happily married, still living in the upscale Brooklyn brownstone that also serves as Cliff's office. Their youngest daughter, Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam), is the only one of the couple's five children still living at home: both daughters Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf) and Denise (Lisa Bonet) are married and raising families; son Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) is attending New York College and living near campus in a tiny apartment; and daughter Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) had graduated from high school a year earlier, and is about to start her freshman year at Lincoln University. This season, the series' humor, which has usually been at a gentle middle-American level, takes on a sharper and sometimes more caustic edge with the introduction of several new characters from the tough Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn. In the episode "Period of Adjustment," 17-year-old Pam Turner (Erika Alexander), Clair Huxtable's second cousin once removed, moves out of her inner-city neighborhood when her mom leaves for California to take care of a sick relative, and moves into the Huxtable home. Also coming along for the ride -- at least on an occasional drop-in basis -- are Pam's neighborhood pals Slide (Mushond Lee), Charmaine (Karen Malina White), and Lance (Allen Payne). For the first time in five years, The Cosby Show was not America's top-rated series during season seven. However, it did manage a respectable fifth place -- ironically, just below its spin-off series, A Different World. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, (more)
- 1990
Jonathan Winters and Bill Cosby host this captivating collection of internationally produced cartoons. Many of the subjects offered in Animation Wonderland have won major industry and festival awards. Others have been selected purely for their entertainment value (as good a reason as any). The titles include "Early Birds", "The Tinder Box", "Petroushka", "The Chocolate Princess"and "King Midas." At 62 minutes, Animation Wonderland is over all too quickly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
It's official -- the formerly self-centered Hillman College graduate Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) is definitely in love with her fellow collegiate Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) as A Different World begins its fourth season. Unfortunately, during the summer, Dwayne has met and fallen for someone else: a Japanese-American girl named Kinu. So disconsolate that she forgets to pay her room rent on time, Whitley temporarily moves in with another of her Hillman College confrères, the worldly Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) -- in an apartment right across the hall from Dwayne's! Hoping to make Dwayne jealous, Whitley finally agrees to go out with Dwayne's dweebish roommate Ron (Darryl M. Bell), but the scheme doesn't work. Incidentally, Ron is far more interested in the artistically inclined coed Freddie (Cree Summer), who isn't quite as waif-like as in previous seasons, and is beginning to emerge as something of a social activist thanks to the influence of her Black History professor. Meanwhile, the romance between Jaleesa and local community-center leader Walter (Sinbad) has gone south, with Jaleesa now hitching her star to hard-driving calculus teacher Colonel Clayton Taylor (Glynn Turnan), whose son Terrence (Cory Tyler) is currently driving everyone crazy as a new Hillman freshman. As the season progresses, Whitley lands a marketing job and later becomes assistant to an art gallery curator; Dwayne and Kina split, with Dwayne finally realizing he is as much in love with Whitley as she is with him; Ron is invited to join his dad's car business, but he opts instead to become a drummer in a band ; and Whitley's former roommate Kim is temporarily working at a mortuary. Season four ends with the possibility of Ron failing to graduate from Hillman, Walter accepting a job in Philadelphia; and Whitley laboring under the misapprehension that Dwayne wants to break off their relationship. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Dawnn Lewis, (more)
Bill Cosby mugs so uncontrollably that it looks as if he may be the victim of a muscular disorder in the inane and unfunny Ghost Dad. Cosby plays Elliot, a workaholic widower with three children -- Danny (Salim Grant), Amanda (Brooke Fontainbe), and the teenage Diane (Kimberly Russell). Elliot is hoping to close a big deal that will mean a promotion, more money, and lots of perks, but a cab ride with a freaked-out cab driver causes his untimely demise. Elliot discovers that he is now a ghost and has to learn to spend more time with his kids rather than worry about money and career. Otherwise, after three days, he'll be whisked away into the great beyond. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Kimberly Russell, (more)
- 1990
A cast of celebrities gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. It is an entertaining special that points out the crisis state of our planet's environment. It provides scientific facts and detailed analysis. The show provides ways in which everyone can participate in saving the planet. There are ways we can do this everyday with the choices we make. It strives to make us all take responsibility for the condition of the environment. The cast entertains and teaches through comedy, singing, and storytelling. The Earth Day Special is an entertaining motivational tool that encourages everyone to do their part in saving the earth. ~ Beth Deki, All Movie Guide
The sixth season of The Cosby Show marks the full-time return of actress Lisa Bonet in the role of Denise Huxtable, second of four daughters of obstetrician Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) and his attorney wife, Clair (Phylicia Rashad). Bonet had been on maternity leave throughout much of season five, so it was explained that Denise had gone to Africa to work as a photographer's assistant. Now she's back, with a new husband in tow, Navy lieutenant Martin Kendall (played by new series regular Joseph C. Phillips). But wait, there's more: Denise is now also the stepmother of Martin's three-year-old daughter, Olivia (played by another new regular, Raven-Symone). Though the Kendalls move to Rhode Island, the Brooklyn-dwelling Huxtable parents remain in very close contact -- as they do with their other married daughter, Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), now living with her husband, Elvin (Geoffrey Owens) and their twin children, Nelson and Winnie (played in one episode -- and only in one episode -- by Clayton Griggs and Domonique Reynolds). As for the other Huxtable kids, Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) are still living at home, while college student Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) has moved into a tiny apartment. The Cosby Show remained firmly in the number-one ratings slot throughout season six -- though it was tied with another sitcom from the Carsey-Werner factory, Roseanne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, (more)
- 1989
As the third season of A Different World rolls around, Hillman College's venerable Gilbert Hall is now a coed dorm. Lettie Bostic has quit her job as dorm director, succeeded by local community-center leader Walter Oakes (Sinbad), with whom divorced, 28-year-old college senior Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) had fallen in love (Jaleesa is also now assistant resident advisor at the dorm). Spoiled, self-centered student Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) is surprised at how much her friend and fellow student Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) has matured over the summer, but she still isn't ready to go beyond the platonic stage of their relationship. As for Whitley's tough-minded roommate Kim (Charnele Brown), she has made the first steps toward mending the fences between herself and her overprotective policeman father (played by none other than Mr. Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree). Making his first appearance this season is Julian (Dominic Hoffman), a South African exchange student who begins stirring up political consciousness at staid old Hillman -- and also begins to stir up something quite different within Whitley Gilbert. Although Whitley's romance with Julian is over virtually before it begins, he has succeeded in instilling a sense of responsibility and social awareness in the rich and pampered coed, who isn't quite as "me-oriented" at the end of the season as she was at the beginning. Season three ends with the graduation of Whitley and Jaleesa -- not to mention the two-part escapade "Getaway," in which all the leading characters become innocently involved with dangerous drug leaders who are searching for their ill-gotten loot! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Dawnn Lewis, (more)
America's number one-rated series for three years running, The Cosby Show manages to hold on to this lofty status throughout its fifth season on the air. Bill Cosby is of course back as obstetrician Cliff Huxtable, as is Phylicia Rashad as Cliff's attorney wife, Clair. Three of the five Huxtable children are still being seen on a regular basis: Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa, Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theo. Also back after a year's hiatus as star of the spin-off series A Different World is Lisa Bonet as daughter Denise, though the actress' pregnancy would severely curtail her appearances this season. Likewise, oldest daughter Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), now the wife of Elvin Tibideaux (Geoffrey Owens) and the mother of twins Nelson and Winnie (born in an hour-long episode, originally aired November 10, 1988), is only seen on a sporadic basis. Season five is distinguished by the fact that Theo has graduated from college and is attending New York University for graduate school, while Denise has dropped out of Hillman College and is preparing to journey to Africa as a photographer's assistant (a plot development which neatly coincides with Lisa Bonet's maternity leave). Likewise worth more than a passing nod is the episode "If the Dress Fits, Wear It," which features appearances by series regular Phylicia Rashad's sister Debbie Allen and husband Ahmad Rashad. And in the episode "No Way, Baby," Sammy Davis Jr. makes one of his last TV appearances as a cranky old cuss named Ray Palomino (Davis earned an Emmy nomination for his performance). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, (more)
- 1988
Season two of A Different World finds the overall quality of the series improving immensely, which many insiders attributed to the fact that the multi-talented Debbie Allen had taken over as producer-director. Originally intended as a vehicle for former Cosby Show co-star Lisa Bonet in her familiar role as college student Denise Huxtable, the series would be forced to undergo a major format change when Bonet dropped out of the series due to her real-life pregnancy. Also gone from the cast is Marisa Tomei, who had played Denise's naïve white college roommate Maggie Lawton. With Bonet and Tomei gone, the emphasis shifts to Denise's former dorm-mates at Hillman College's Gilbert Hall: streetwise 27-year-old divorcée Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) and spoiled, haughty Whitley (Jasmine Guy). Likewise carried over from the first season are Gilbert Hall's worldly dorm director Lettie (Mary Alice), self-styled campus Romeo Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), Dwayne's irresponsible roomie Ron (Darryl M. Bell), and local community-center leader Walter Oakes (Sinbad). New to the series are Whitley's new roommate, the iron-willed, slightly promiscuous pre-med student Kim Reese (Charnele Brown); fashion-challenged but cute and artistically gifted student Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer); and tough-as-nails calculus professor Col. Clayton "Dr. War" Taylor (played by Glynn Turnan, the husband of Aretha Franklin, who this year takes over from Phoebe Snow as the singer of the series' catchy theme tune). Major season two plot developments include the growing attraction between Whitley and Dwayne, although both continue dating others; the budding romance between Walter and Jaleesa; and the many benighted business schemes cooked up by Ron and Dwayne. Also, the characters begin spending more and more of their spare time at a local eatery called The Pit, presided over by philosophical chef Vernon Gaynes (Lou Myers). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Sinbad, (more)
CIA director Snyderburn (Joe Don Baker) talks former agent Leonard (Bill Cosby) into returning to the job in this failed Bond-style spy comedy. Leonard's mission is to stop the evil Medusa (Gloria Foster) from taking over the planet by controlling the behavior of the world's animals. The highlight of the film is when lobsters, fish, and frogs begin to attack the humans in a reversal of the food chain. Jane Fonda makes a brief appearance as she talks to Leonard while filming one of her exercise videos. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Tom Courtenay, (more)
- 1987
Life is the fodder for a comedian, and Bill Cosby examines his as he approaches his fiftieth year. ~ All Movie Guide
Most of the familiar characters established during the first three seasons of The Cosby Show are still in attendance as the series launches its fourth season: obstetrician Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby), his attorney wife, Clair (Phylicia Rashad), daughters Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam), and son Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner). Conspicuous by her absence is daughter Denise (Lisa Bonet), whose adventures at Hillman College are this season being enacted on the character's own sitcom, A Different World. Denise does, however, make a few return appearances in such episodes as "Home for the Weekend." Also, oldest daughter Sondra isn't around much any more, since she is now the wife of Elvin Tibideaux (Geoffrey Owens, who has become a regular cast member). Conversely, one actor makes four very prominent appearances in the role of Theo's pal Smitty: that actor is Adam Sandler, several years removed from his Saturday Night Live and motion-picture superstardom. Still the number one-rated TV show in America, The Cosby Show would manage to hold on to this status for the next two years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, (more)
Season one of A Different World focuses primarily on former Cosby Show regular Lisa Bonet in her familiar role as Denise Huxtable, 19-year-old daughter of Cleveland obstetrician Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby). Having enrolled in Hillman College, the alma mater of both her father and grandfather, Denise is now in her sophomore year, living in the Gilbert Hall dorm with her two roommates: Maggie Lawton (Marisa Tomei), a dreamy and naïve white girl; and Jaleesa Vinson (Dawnn Lewis) a worldly 26-year-old who'd decided to enroll in college after getting a divorce. Much of the fun arises from level-headed Denise's tiltings with her neighbor across the hall, the wealthy, spoiled, and arrogant Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy). In the earliest episodes, Gilbert Hall's dorm director is Stevie Rollins (Loretta Devine), who lives with her son J.T. (Amir Williams). Also showing up on occasion are self-styled campus Casanova Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), who works as a DJ at the campus radio station; and Dwayne's lazy, irresponsible buddy Ron Johnson (Darryl M. Bell). Midway through the season, Loretta Devine leaves to get married, presumably to handsome Professor Walcott (David Alan Grier). Enter Lettie Bostic (Mary Alice), a globetrotting adventuress who has "seen it all" (and probably done it all), who has shown up on campus to give a lecture about the famous persons of her acquaintance. Enchanted by Lettie, Denise and Jaleesa persuade her to remain at Hillman as Loretta's replacement. Also joining the cast at this juncture is athletic coach Walter Oakes (Sinbad), who runs a local community center. Although Different World posted excellent ratings its first season on the air, many critics attributed this to the series' enviable Thursday night time slot, hammocked between The Cosby Show and Cheers. Of the series itself, few except its most loyal fans felt that it had any value past its theme song, performed by Phoebe Snow. Clearly, a major shakeup would have to occur if Different World were to survive past its next season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Bonet, Jasmine Guy, (more)
- 1987
To impress her father Cliff (Bill Cosby, crossing over from his own TV series), Denise (Lisa Bonet) goes out for the Hillman College track team. Alas, our heroine can't keep up the pace, and considers giving up the team. . .until the star runner, a good-looking guy named Virgil (Guy Killum), makes a startling confession. Meanwhile, Maggie (Marisa Tomei) is convinced that she'll mess up her Economics term paper unless she is able to track down a specific--and very elusive--textbook. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
While visiting her big sister Denise (Lisa Bonet) at Hillman, little Rudy Huxtable (Keshia Knight Pulliam) unexpectedly forms a strong bond with the imperious Whitley (Jasmine Guy). This in itself is enough to drive Denise crazy, but it gets worse: Rudy now regards Whitley as her role model. Elsewhere, Denise's roommate Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) faces a crisis of her own when her ex-husband goes on a date with her own sister. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
With this episode, Marisa Tomei makes her first appearance as Maggie Lauten, one of the few white students at predominantly black Hillman College. As the new roommate of Denise (Lisa Bonet) and Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis), Maggie quickly drives both girls crazy with her nonstop talking. Also puttng Denise on edge is the fact that she has completely run out of money, and must come up some cash in a hurry or she'll be forced to move out of Gilbert Hall. Will daddy Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby, making a crossover appearance from The Cosby Show along with costar Keshia Knight Pulliam) come to the rescue? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Cosby Show enters its third season as America's most-watched television series -- and would continue to enjoy this lofty honor for four seasons to come. The basic cast of characters remains the same as in season two, headed by Bill Cosby as Brooklyn obstetrician Cliff Huxtable, Phylicia Rashad (formerly Phylicia Ayers-Allen) as Cliff's attorney wife, Clair. Oldest daughter Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), still attending Princeton University, is now seriously dating Elvin Thibedeaux (Geoffrey Owens); second daughter Denise (Lisa Bonet) has graduated from high school and is attending Hillman College, alma mater of her father and grandfather; middle daughter Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) and son Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) are still in high school, with Theo hanging out more than ever with his pal Cockroach (Carl Anthony Payne II); and youngest daughter Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) has a new school friend named Kenny (Deon Richmond). Sharp-eyed fans may notice that Clair Huxtable is spending an inordinate amount of time standing behind tables and desks, and wearing heavy coats. The reason, of course, is that actress Phylicia Rashad was pregnant -- and her character Clair was not. Additionally, quite a few seemingly fleeting characters show up in the episodes depicting Denise's life at Hillman. Several of these characters would become regulars in the fall of 1987, when Lisa Bonet departed The Cosby Show to star in the spin-off series A Different World. Of the season's many excellent episodes, special attention should be paid to "Bald and Beautiful," which reunites Bill Cosby with his former I Spy co-star Robert Culp (and trivia buffs will get a kick out of Culp's character name: Kelly Scott). Season three ends as Sondra Huxtable prepares to leave the family nest and become the wife of loyal Elvin Tibideaux. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, (more)
- 1986
Comedian and actor Bill Cosby narrates this animated version of Aesop's classic tale about perseverance and overconfidence. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
Season two of The Cosby Show begins with all six members of the Huxtable family of Brooklyn present and accounted for: obstetrician Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby); his attorney wife, Clair (Phylicia Rashad); their daughters, Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf, previously recurring and now a regular), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam); and son Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), whose oft-repeated "No problem!" has by now become a national catchphrase. This season is distinguished by "Happy Anniversary," an episode cited by many sources (including TV Guide) as one of the best TV half-hours ever (how could it be any less, with the entire Huxtable family lip-synching to Ray Charles' "The Night Time Is the Right Time"?) Also, in the episode "Cliff in Love," Geoffrey Owens makes his first series appearance as Elvin Tibideaux, Sondra Huxtable's future husband -- and, ironically, Joseph C. Phillips, who would later portray Denise's husband Martin Kendall, is seen in the same episode in the role of Darryl Marchamp, Elvin's rival for Sondra's affections! And a later installment, "Theo and Cockroach," introduces Carl Anthony Payne II as Theo's pal Walter "Cockroach" Bradley, a character heretofore unseen and only talked about. (Incidentally, this is the same episode in which series regular Phylicia Ayers-Allen officially changes her screen billing to her married name, Phylicia Rashad). Now the number one-rated series in America -- a status it would maintain for the next five years! -- The Cosby Show was also the winner of an Emmy award for Best Editing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, (more)
- 1985
Bill Cosby helps young children learn about animals in this video with two activity books included. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
