Cosby's Fat Albert Hits Silver Screen

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on November 20th, 2004

From the Washington Post comes this heads up about the Christmas Day release of a theatrical, live-action movie, Fat Albert:

Based on the popular animated television series of the 1970s, this is about a group of adolescent boys living and kickin’ it in a Philadelphia neighborhood. The ringleader is Fat Albert (Thompson), whose friends include Rudy, Mushmouth, Bill, Bucky, Old Weird Harold and Dumb Donald. The show and the movie are based on the standup routines and reminiscences of Bill Cosby, who grew up in Philadelphia. It will be interesting to see if Cosby’s script makes any references to some of the hard-hitting and controversial speeches the comedian has made in recent years about the state of African American culture.

Any references? The script, if it stays true to Cosby’s original routines, will make very loud and very clear statements about “the state of African American culture.” The world Cosby so vividly depicted– that of Philadelphia’s Richard Allen Homes in the 1950’s– is idyllic compared to what that project evolved into over the last 20 years. If Cosby can convince viewers and critics that his version of his early life is only slightly idealized (and that the movie is more a historical document than a fantasy), his movie will set off far more controversy than his recent public pronouncements.

We note that Philly comic Keith Robinson is a member of the cast. (In his early days, Robinson did material based on growing up in another of Philly’s public housing projects, Southwark, so his presence should lend some authenticity to the proceedings!)

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