"Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" (1972) TV series 1972-1985

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Creator:

Bill Cosby

Release Date:

9 September 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Animation | Comedy

Plot:

The educational adventures of a group of Afro-American inner city kids.

Plot Keywords:

Inner City | Educational | Friendship | Famous Opening Theme | Part Live Action

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Bill Cosby	...	Host / Fat Albert / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot / Brown Hornet (voice)
Jan Crawford	...	Russell / Bucky (voice)
Gerald Edwards	...	Weird Harold (voice)
Erika Scheimer	...	Tweeter Belle / Various (voice)
Jay Scheimer	...	Miss Breyfogle (1972-1978)
Lou Scheimer	...	Dumb Donald / Stinger / Legal Eagle (1984) (voice)
Eric Suter	...	Rudy (voice)

Also Known As:

"The New Fat Albert Show" (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

30 min (110 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Canada:G (TV rating) | USA:TV-Y7

Company:

Filmation Associates

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In episode #4, "Creativity", Rudy's voice comes out of Bill ("what 'choo talkin' about?") with Rudy even standing right next to Bill.

Quotes:

Bill Cosby: This is Bill Cosby coming at you with music and fun, and if you're not careful, you might learn something before it's done. So let's get ready, eh?
[In his Fat Albert voice]
Bill Cosby: Hey, Hey, Hey!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar (#2.8)" (2000)

"Na, na, na, gonna have a good time..."

This is one of the iconic Saturday morning cartoons of the 70's. Based on Bill Cosby's stand-up routines about characters in his old neighborhood, the show featured a group of inner city African-American kids hanging out, singing a song, and learning a thing or two. The comedy was good and the show lively. I didn't get to see it often, as it was broadcast on a channel that we couldn't tune in well (this is in the stone age before cable), so I had trouble keeping up with who was who. It was Filmation, which meant lots of stock footage, but they were creative within their limitations. And unlike the 30 minute commercial cartoons of the 80's, they had real educational value.

With the Cartoon Network and Boomerang showcasing the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons, we could really use an outlet for some of Filmation's old work. The problem is, so many of their shows featured licensed characters that I don't think they owned much of their work. I wouldn't mind seeing these and other Filmation shows on dvd, like the Groovie Goolies, Star Trek, Flash Gordon, and Tarzan.