Bill Cosby accepted the vaunted Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at Lincoln Center last night, complete with two hours of highlights from the 72-year-old’s career: his standup on The Jack Paar Show, his breakthrough role on I Spy, and of course, The Cosby Show, among others. In accepting honor, and joining the likes of previous winners Richard Pryor and George Carlin, it marked a relaxing of Cosby’s own strict standards: He’d turned down the honor twice before because of objections to the profanity-laced ceremony, the prize’s first, for Pryor in 1998. (“Too much foul mouth,” he said. “Too much N-word.”)
Luminaries paying homage to the iconic humorist last night cited their own defining Cosby moments: Comedian Dick Gregory noted the importance of I Spy to aspiring black comics, Seinfeld mentioned his 1965 album Why Is There Air as a major inspiration, and Phylicia Rashad was there to represent for the Huxtables. For me, the Cosby moment came with his 1983 comedy special Bill Cosby: Himself, in which he memorably skewered everything from dentist visits (a bit he still kills with even these days) to — my personal favorite — his own lack of breakfast-making ability. (As I read of his honor, I was instantly humming the “Dad is great…he gives us chocolate cake” song to myself.)
It’s truly amazing how well his stuff holds up, not unlike reruns of The Cosby Show (which would be just as timeless, if not for the sweaters!):
How about you, PopWatchers? What is your defining Cosby moment?
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love when he gets really serious, and makes you feel bad for thinking certain things are funny. I also love when he lectures me on how I should be living my life, because he knows that since he was the dad on the Cosby Show he knows more than me. That’s really awesome when he does that.
The Cosby Show was the most OVERRATED sitcom on tv, sure he taught lessons and was very preachy but failed to be funny. The only funny scene in the entire series was the monopoly scene with Theo. I can’t stand Cosby with his snobby moral authority he seems to love shoving in everyone’s face. The most ridiculous thing I heard him say was on a PBS documentary of comedy where he lamented how “All In the Family” never taught anyone anything. I mean, how dumb can someone be, ITS A COMEDY – the goal is to make someone laugh (which is clear why his show placed comedy as a low priority) Shows that preach have always been bad (MASH, cosby) while the greats have been pure comedies where no lessons are learned (Seinfeld, All in the family, Sanford and Son)with loveable losers. Save the moral speeches for afterschool specials
how do you like being SO wrong?! no one gives a damn about your opinion, and no one ever will. television critics (who actually have jobs that require them to judge TV shows) think it’s one of the best tv shows ever created. it had huge ratings and will remain a classic in the decades to come. go cry over that.
@myself – this is the comments section, as in the place one may state their opinion, whether or not he is right is pointless, buttwipes like you should stop acting like the comments police. This is a free country
I was a kid in the 80s when “The Cosby Show” was on, and watching those episodes now as an adult makes me wish for the days when parents actually held their children responsible for their actions, taught them to respect people, and wanted their children to do their best. Everytime I see an episode, I wonder where “those kinds of parents” are. They don’t exist in real life and certainly not on TV.
I was a kid in the 80’s too and The Cosby Show was the only show other than the news that we were allowed to watch when at dinner. It is funny, and so is MASH (weirdos out there), and my parents ARE “those kinds of parents”. So they do exist in real life… they’re just outnumbered
I love Bill Cosby! He was able to cross many barriers and bring laughter to so many lives. He truly is a great man. Kudos Bill!
Favorite Cosby Moment–
God to Noah: I want you to build an ark
Noah: Riiiiiiight. Am I on Candid Camera?
God to Noah: How long can you tread water?
Cliff’s speech to Theo in the pilot for the Cosby Show is one of my favorite TV moments of all time… “I am your father! I brought you in this world, and I’ll take ya out!”
lol, the chocolate cake song is eternaly hilarious. My favorite cosby joke.
Pretty sure that was the Kennedy Center, Jennifer. Either way, a very deserved award. I loved the Noah routine, as well, and the musical numbers on The Cosby Show were always entertaining.
I am a children’s librarian and everytime that I work with the kids who come in after school, I automatically think of Bill Cosby. Not only is he a phenominal comedian but he is a true educator.
Here’s one of my favorire quotes from Cosby: Himself (1983):
“My wife said, “Bill, get out of that bed… and go downstairs… AND COOK BREAKFAST FOR YOUR CHILDREN!” I said, “Well, I… I don’t know what they want to eat.” She said, “It’s down there! NOW YOU GET OUT OF THE BED!”
I sing that everytime I have chocolate cake! When we were kids we used to listen to the Bill Cosby comedy album “To Russell,My Brother Whom I slept With” and laugh at the stories he would tell about him and his brother getting into trouble. I loved the episode where they gave Theo a taste of the real world and Dr. Huxtable was his ‘landlord’.
As soon as I saw the headline, I started humming “Dad is great! He gives us chocolate cake!”
Best. Cosby. Moment. Ever. I sing it every time I have cake, see cake, or think of cake.
The Cosby Show Rocks. The Grandparents anniversary songs were awesome.
The place was the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. not the Lincoln Center.
always loved his kindergarten and fat albert stories
When he stopped making depressing sitcoms. Zing!
No, not really. My favorite line was: “You roll your eyes at me I’ll roll that head of yours down on the floor.”
I was just telling a co-worker about Chocolate Cake for breakfast the other day! LOVE IT!