Fat Albert und die Cosby Kids

This is probably the finest effort by Bill Cosby, even better than the Cosby Show. This show managed to teach valuable lessons without being overly preachy like other show's that came out around the same time (Isis, Shazam etc.). Also, the show had memorable characters such as Russell (based on Cosby's own brother), Weird Harold, Dumb Donald and, of course, Fat Albert. This will always be one of the great series in the history of Saturday morning programming.

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.

Fat Albert is the second African-American cartoon since the Harlem Globetrotters that aired a couple of years earlier. This is got to be Bill Cosby's best inventions ever and became a hugh success. Fat Albert is one of the most memorable cartoons by almost any race over the age of 18. The show was positive and fun to watch. It displayed comedy,adventure,messages that keep the youth going in the right direction. Any kid that lived in the ghetto can get a kick out of this show because it shows everything that goes on in the neighborhood during that time (the 70s). Fat Albert is the obese teenager that hangs out with his neighborhood buddies,and crack jokes amongst themselves. This is similar what we do today with our friends. That's the reason Fat Albert will be the best cartoon which we can relate to.

I remember watching this cartoon in the 4th grade. I had to finish my homework before 5:30 when it came on. Every episode back in the days, they either sang a song at the end of the cartoon or showed the Brown Hornet or Legal Eagle at the beginning of the cartoon. It took them 100 years to bring Fat Albert back. And they just started selling DVDs of SOME Fat Albert episodes. There are still some episodes that I have never seen and some episodes that I haven't seen in 21 years! The movie was nothing like the cartoon. No bickering between Rudy and Russell that we saw every episode of the cartoon. And if anyone saw the movie before seeing the cartoon, they are like school at midnight, "NO CLASS!"

In the late 1960's,and throughout the 1970's and 1980's for that matter, Lou Scheimer and his partner Norm Prescott crank out a ton of cartoons for Filmation productions during the time. They were some that were in fact down right awful,and some that were very successful indeed(like their animated version of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek,and The Archies) to name a few. But the one that blew them out of the water and perhaps one of the better Saturday Morning cartoon shows that had a minority in a starring role was that of "Fat Albert". There was some criticism during this show's run,but when it was on CBS,it garnered more awards and praises then any children's show ever produced. It was the show that broke the mold and the quinessential animated show of all time. As a kid growing up,I couldn't wait for it to come on. Each episode had the kids in usual predictments,and after the band would sing a song regarding the lesson they learned. However,me and me friend had a debate on who was singing those songs. We knew that Bill Cosby was the voice behind Fat Albert,but we it was a unknown singer that did the songs.........From its premiere episode in September of 1972 to the final episode of the series in September of 1985,this was the show to watch. However,the years on CBS were from 1972-1979,and when the network cancelled "Fat Albert",the series went into syndication from 1979-1985,under the title,"The New Adventures Of Fat Albert". Bill Cosby was not only the star of the show,but served as executive producer,executive in charge of production and also as the educational consultant for the series. Repeats of the show ran every Saturday Morning from two decades(1970's and 1980's)and later on in syndication markets.

It was a great show. However,their were many specials produced that were good including the riveting "A Fat Albert Christmas" and others. It a crying shame that this series isn't on Cartoon Network or FOX family channel or the Odyssey network,since the show had family values. It would be nice if Bill Cosby would release these episodes on videocassette or DVD(as a box set..they did with the animated version of Star Trek). Great show from the groovy 1970's!!