Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!

For those of you who choose to forget, Mr. T was an icon of the 1980s--a tough guy who could act sensitive when he needed to, or when a paycheck depended on it. If you ever watched the A-Team, you'd see his character repeatedly clobbered in the head with lead pipes and he wouldn't flinch; but he also tried to branch out into a strange kind of motivational programming for children, even inspiring a tasteless breakfast cereal. "Be Somebody, or be Somebody's Fool" is one of Mr. T's bizarre efforts to teach little kids how to be better people. Either this show is incredibly bad, or it's just too deep for me to comprehend. The 80s answer to Huggy Bear leads the viewer through a long string of unrelated pearls of wisdom, the values of which are reinforced by small children who can't act. The philosophy of this show really is encapsulated in its title--the watchcries never stray beyond this level of simplicity. This show really is insane--you have to wonder who thought it would be a good idea. Mr. T is no Mr. Rogers; he presents his lessons to children without seeming to care at all. If you can find this tape, it's worth watching just to see how bad children's programming can get. Plus, the hilariously bad rap songs may inspire you to donate something to the "Blacks Without Soul" fund.

I discovered this film in High School. My folks were out of town, and my friends were at the house. I'm sure we were up to no good. Then it happened. Randy showed up with this video and said that we had to watch it. Growing up in the eighties, we all had a pre-existing place in our heart for Mr. T, so we were game. The tape started to roll, and then we started to roll. Man, it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. Being the creative bunch of musicians that we were, we decided to start a tribute band. What better name for the band than "Mr. T's Be Somebody Or Be Somebody's Fool"? So there it was, we learned all the songs from the movie, and went for it. We were pretty serious too. We would rehearse twice a week, and play shows regularly. We even had matching t-shirts made with the movie's poster on the front.

Those were some good times, inspired by a life changing film.

Thanks Mr. T! And remember: "Everyone's gotta wear clothes. If they don't, they could get arrested".

Just as everyone else has said, this is a classic!

It is a genuine tragedy that Mr T no longer works regularly. I guess there's more money in filthy mouthed, mother hating, thugs than a man who wants to help, educate and make the world a better place.

However the other comments are a bit in error, there's plenty of places to find this gem online, you just have to look around a fair bit.

I guess this tape is long since out of reproduction and if they ever figured out who owns the rights I doubt if they'd care if there was a market for a DVD release, but it is out there! So by fair means or fowl get out there and find it. It's worth it!

Be Somebody!

"Hey you, you with the teeth"...any film beginning with the incomparable Mr. T addressing you in such a way can safely be deemed a classic. If you haven't yet had the privilege of seeing "Be Somebody", your life is sadly incomplete. "T" solves all of the social ills plaguing, not just the youth of the 80's, but all of mankind in only 52 minutes; can you think of anyone else who could do that? The mere suggestion is "absiludicrous".

Parents, there is no doubt that you want your children to grow up to be somebody. Do them the ultimate favor, show them that you truly love them, and watch this video together as a family. Remember, if you don't, they may wind up being someone's fool.

Although all agree that this movie is hysterically funny and not to be missed, I am compelled to defend it from the implication that it's one of those "So-bad-it's-good" movies, a la Showgirls or the one where Rupert Everett gets Madonna pregnant. When the video started rolling, I was really ready to make fun of Mr. T, to suggest he was on drugs when he filmed this, or that he had to make it to pay off gambling debts, but this movie is truly good, good lessons, good feelings, good attitudes, good fun. I just ordered 4 copies: one for me, 2 for gifts for friends, and one to keep around for whomever might need it. I only hope that more people find out about it so it can get the recognition it deserves, and so that more people (especially kids) will be exposed to Mr. T's lessons of self-esteem, his perpetually hopeful spirit and his silly sense of humor.