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The Bill Cosby Show (1969-1971)

S

Stanislav

RTV has been showing episodes of Cos' "forgotten" sitcom, and I've been watching them for the first time since its network run. This delightful, low-key show has Cosby as high school gym teacher Chet Kincaid. It was a fish out of water in the era's network schedules (no laugh track, few big belly laughs, etc.), and it's not hard to understand why it only lasted for two seasons, in spite of its quality.

One musn't-miss episode has Chet's bickering Aunt and Uncle come to visit. The feuding couple are played by Moms Mabley and Mantan Moreland. ;D Both of these classic African-American entertainers would pass away in just a few more years, and it is a delight to see them here, stealing scenes from the great Cos.

What are your thoughts and opinions of this neglected series?
 
I actually liked this show. I was in fourth grade when The Bill Cosby Show first aired on WNBC. That there wasn't any canned laughter made me enjoy it more. What can I say? That's the kind of kid I was.
 
Stanislav said:
RTV has been showing episodes of Cos' "forgotten" sitcom, and I've been watching them for the first time since its network run. This delightful, low-key show has Cosby as high school gym teacher Chet Kincaid. It was a fish out of water in the era's network schedules (no laugh track, few big belly laughs, etc.), and it's not hard to understand why it only lasted for two seasons, in spite of its quality.

One musn't-miss episode has Chet's bickering Aunt and Uncle come to visit. The feuding couple are played by Moms Mabley and Mantan Moreland. ;D Both of these classic African-American entertainers would pass away in just a few more years, and it is a delight to see them here, stealing scenes from the great Cos.

What are your thoughts and opinions of this neglected series?
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I've been watching it on RTV too, for the first time since 1970. It was very low key comedy, well written and did not need a laugh track to make it funny. Cosby himself knew what was funny and it showed. But, in spite of the quality of the show (and it was top notch), it had no laugh track and was not what the audience wanted. They wanted laugh tracks, belly laughs and impossible situations (aka- The Brady Bunch). Ah, but times were changing..... "All In The Family" was the trailblazer for no-holds-barred, in-your-face comedy. "The Bill Cosby Show" was that bridge between the innocent fare like "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" to "Love, American Style" and "The Jeffersons" to the stuff they have now (somewhere between the "reality" crap). I actually like ABC's "The Middle". But I cannot help but think that this is a re-incarnation of "Malcolm In The Middle". Even the youngest boy, "Brick", looks like a clone of Malcolm's youngest brother (what was his name?).

Times have changed indeed. "The Bill Cosby Show" was made over 40 years ago. Can you believe his second show "The Cosby Show" has not been produced in over 20 years? I believe I'm getting very old!! ;)
 
Peter Q. George (K1XRB) said:
Times have changed indeed. "The Bill Cosby Show" was made over 40 years ago.
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Iowan said:
Titantv.com wrongfully listed the later Cosby Show in place of the aforementioned rare gem....
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No doubt "The Cosby Show" was so named to avoid confusion with the earlier "The Bill Cosby Show". But as you can see here, it still happens.
 
BET aired this show briefly in the 80s (to capitalize on the "other" Cosby Show's success, no dobut). I liked it. I remember one episode (which featured Bill Russell as a teacher/coach) where Cosby's character bought a TV aerial powerful enough to bring in blacked-out LA Rams games from Santa Barbara. The theme song was cool too.
 
If you think about it, The Bill Cosby Show was a lot like some other contemporary shows -- "gentle" comedy, with morals thrown in now and then -- a lot like Room 222, really, which also did not have a laughtrack, and was set in a school.
Also kinda like The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Julia, and the show that would replace Cosby's show, The Jimmy Stewart Show. Both were on in that strange nook of a timeslot on NBC, Sunday nights at 830, between The Wonderful World of Color and Bonanza. Before Bill Cosby, that's when The Mothers-in-Law ran.
 
azumanga said:
No doubt "The Cosby Show" was so named to avoid confusion with the earlier "The Bill Cosby Show". But as you can see here, it still happens.
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Let's not forget his short-lived 1972 CBS series The New Bill Cosby Show; plus his even shorter-lived 1976 venture for ABC, Cos.
 
SfanGoch said:
I actually liked this show. I was in fourth grade when The Bill Cosby Show first aired on WNBC. That there wasn't any canned laughter made me enjoy it more. What can I say? That's the kind of kid I was.
Click to expand...

I remember the old Bill Cosby Show airing on Saturday afternoons on the infamous WRBV/65(now Univision's WUVP) in Vineland NJ back in the early 1980's.
 
wbhist said:
azumanga said:
No doubt "The Cosby Show" was so named to avoid confusion with the earlier "The Bill Cosby Show". But as you can see here, it still happens.
Click to expand...

Let's not forget his short-lived 1972 CBS series The New Bill Cosby Show; plus his even shorter-lived 1976 venture for ABC, Cos.
Click to expand...

And Cosby's last sitcom, which was simply "Cosby".
 
It wouldn't have mattered if this show was good or bad, popular or unpopular. NBC wanted Cosby so badly that they signed a contract assuring him that the series would run at least two seasons, and that it would not be cancelled before that time under any circumstances.
 
Wow! Didn't know about this. When does RTV show it? I have a Low Power station that runs the network in my area. I respect comedian Mantan Moreland. He made some cheapie movies of the 1940s watchable thanks to his antics. You know a comedian is good when he can say just one word, and you laugh. That word, said with big bug eyes was... "ZOMBIES!"

Moms Mabley is unique too. I can see how putting those two old pros together could even steal scenes from Bill Cosby.
 
John:
Based on TVGuide.com. Bill Cosby is shown Saturdays at 6 and 6:30 PM on WAOH-29 Akron/WAX-35 Cleveland..Assuming you live in The Cleveland area..
 
I have an analog TV set up in one room just for the purpose of watching Channel 35. My cable provider used to have the channel, but dropped it right before they changed over to the RTN network. I hope people will call WOW cable and tell them to put it back on now that they have more interesting programming. Time Warner (ex-Adelphia) just won't put it on. Everytime they call about getting me to switch, I ask them if they've got channel 35 yet. No sale until they do.
 
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