Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert

Very different look than later TV show simple animation over real backgrounds jumping animation.

My watching and reviewing "Hey, Hey, Hey It's Fat Albert" is in no way an endorsement of Bill Cosby. I just watched it because I remember enjoying it as a kid and was curious if it held up after all these years. Is it as good as I remembered?

The story plays out much like Bill Cosby's standup, though he doesn't provide all the voices...just some. It's supposed to be about his childhood when he and his neighborhood friends all loved to play football...especially since Fat Albert was on their team an no one seemed able to tackle him! But just before the big game, the gang make fun of how fat Fat Albert is...and he overhears them. As a result, he refuses to play...which you certainly can understand. Is there any way to get Albert to forgive, forget and play?

Well, the first thing I noticed about it was the strange, artsy animation of the late 1960s. The backgrounds look like colored film negatives and the animation is very simple. For the time, it probably was received quite well. Today, it just loks pretty garrish and cheap. Sorry to be so blunt.

As far as the story goes, it exaggerates so much that you can't help but laugh as the story progresses. Enjoyable...just ugly to look at due to the animation. The story itself is good...and it teaches a pretty good moral lesson.

I vividly remember this as a one time special that aired when I was about 7. I do call some distinct differences about it as compared to the Saturday Afternoon cartoon we grew up with in the early 70's. I recall in this special that fat albert was so huge you could not see him from the neck up on the TV screen so it was like his facial appearance was a mystery (intended). I recall the screen shaking and a funky type R &B riff that was always played whenever he came on the screen. Regarding a plot, I recall they wanted to recruit him for the neighborhood football team. They figured because of his size he would be unstoppable as a ball carrier a la Bill Perry of the Chicago Bears. I recall a scene where he had the ball and was running toward the end zone and like the whole opposing team was hanging on him trying to bring him down but they could not do it. I remember the opposing team has "Al's Meat Market" on their jersey as the team sponsor. I don't recall a laugh track. I remember as a kid being in awe of this because I thought it was so cool (and very funny).

I really loved this cartoon special. I was becoming a big Cosby fan at the time. This was my early introduction to pieces from a few of his routines (Buck-Buck w/ Fat Albert, 9th St Bridge(?), Little Brother Russell).

It had some very positive messages for kids, before they became obligatory in cartoons. The music, animation (not sophisticated but very stylized), & dialog were all funky & really cool.

I've Been hoping it will come out on DVD some day, or at least the soundtrack (I think it might have been Herbie Hancock).

I think I can remember a few choice lines: "OK, Momma didn't buy you from the Salvation Army....For now." "Do you have anything in the way of a mint?" "Yay Wolfman!...Snort snort snort...Yay Wolfman!" (had to be there)

Highly recommended, even if you're not a kid.