By June Sullivan
Beloved comedian to appear at Westbury Music Fair, October 27
He is a one-time high-school dropout who eventually went on to earn a doctorate in education and ultimately become one of the richest entertainers in the country. And it wasn't even until after he attended Temple University that he first began performing the standup comedy routines, including such characters as "Fat Albert" and "Weird Harold," that quickly would make him a night-club sensation in the 1960s and set him on his way to stardom.
Bill Cosby, or as fans affectionately call him, "The Cos," has remained a major influence in comedy through each successive decade and become one of the nation's most influential people. The man who once joked that he wasn't always black, "it was just that a freckle got bigger and bigger," has, through his stature and success, gone on to make major inroads for his race.
The entertainer, who is bringing his comedic wisdom to Westbury Music Fair at 8 P.M. October 27, has been an equal-opportunity influence, however. For who would deny that his personal style of comedy has also been a major influence throughout our entertainment culture?
A comedian who can tap into universal feelings and experiences, the man evokes hilarious mental pictures in his standup routines. Once joking about his wife in labor, he gave his audience a vivid image of her during childbirth, saying that she stood up on her gurney and pulled his lower lip all the way up to the top of his head, while saying, "No, Bill, this is what childbirth feels like."
Winning Emmys during the '60s for his co-starring role with Robert Culp in the adventure series " I Spy," Mr. Cosby also continued earning honors for his comedy, including Grammy-honored record albums of his humor.
In the '70s, Mr. Cosby finished his education, earning his doctorate at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and became involved in his life's new passion: philanthropy. Since then, he has donated large sums to educational institutions, including a reported gift of $20 million to Spelman College in Atlanta in 1989.
After "I Spy," Mr. Cosby appeared in several television shows, including "Cos," "Picture Pages," and "Kids Say the Darndest Things." But one particular program would come to define the comedian's influence on the nation. His top-rated series "The Cosby Show," which ran from 1984 to 1992, has been credited by some for single-handedly resurrecting the sitcom genre.
The success of "The Cosby Show," which soon launched him into a side career as Madison Avenue's favorite pitch man, would accomplish more than that, however. The show had enormous impact on closing somewhat the chasm of white Americans' misunderstandings about African-Americans.
In this sitcom, an African-American family of affluence and influence - he a doctor and his wife a lawyer - were seen to live lives similar to their white counterparts. Prior to this show, Black-Americans had never been portrayed on television as having normal family relationships and aspirations.
The show would begin to enlighten those previously ignorant and go on to endear Bill Cosby, now 63, in the minds and hearts of many Americans.
An on-line biography of the star says that, after the success of "The Cosby Show," a series of humorous books "about the vicissitudes of just plain living" became major best-sellers. One book, "Fatherhood," is reported to have sold 2.6 million copies. According to his promoters, Mr. Cosby's book "TimeFlies" had the "largest single first printing in publishing history."
But while the fates have given much to Bill Cosby and his wife Camille, they have also taken away. In January 1997, their son Ennis, a 27-year-old doctoral student of special education at Columbia University, was killed by a gunshot when changing a tire. And just hours later, two extortionists, Autumn Jackson and Jose Medina, tried blackmailing Mr. Cosby for a reported $40 million, threatening to tell a tabloid newspaper that Jackson was Cosby's illegitimate daughter.
The comedian who was loved by millions for his humorous and wholesome routines about family life eventually had to admit that he had had a "rendezvous" with Jackson's mother around the time of her conception, but he continued to deny paternity. Although the blackmailers were eventually found guilty of extortion, Bill Cosby hardly needed this blow during his time of grief for his son.
There have been some disappointments professionally as well. His much-desired big-screen career has not happened, and a few television efforts did not succeed, including his most recent comedy, "Cosby," which re-teamed him with Phylicia Rashad, who played his wife on "The Cosby Show."
Also, as of this writing, his series "Kids Say the Darndest Things," a remake of the classic Art Linkletter show, had not been renewed by CBS as part of its fall lineup.
Whether through concert appearances or recordings, television or films, commercials or education, Bill Cosby has touched people's lives. In particular, his insights into the relationships between spouses, parents and children have delighted audiences for nearly half a century. And as "An Evening with Bill Cosby" will no doubt show, he remains a comedic force.
Tickets for Mr. Cosby's Music Fair performance cost $50 and can be purchased at the theater's box office, all Ticketmaster locations or on-line at musicfair.com or sfx.com. To purchase tickets by phone, call (631) 888-9000.
