I can still recite large chunks of the "dentist" routine. We used to listen to that cassette on family trips.

Mine is "Jeffrey." Especially when traveling and there are monstrous children, I start muttering under my breath, "Jeffrey, Jeffrey, Jeffrey..."

"And the mother, once lovely hair askew, clothes stained, handed the sleeping child over to his father and punched him in the face."

One evening when I was visiting my sister last year, her stepkids had taken over the living room tv to watch the pre-Cosby-Show concert film "Bill Cosby--Himself," which apparently they hadn't seen before. All three of them (aged 10-20) were laughing uproariously. When Sis and I started singing the "Dad is great / He gives us chocolate cake!" lines along with Cos, the kids all looked at us funny. "You've seen this before?" "Oh, yeah, a few times..."

A former roommate loved to go through Cosby's "Noah's Ark" routine regularly. ("What's a cubit?")

My kids have been know to ask for Chocolate Cake for breakfast and break into Cosby's rationalization. I have Himself on iTunes at home, but not on my iTouch. I want to listen to it NOW.

I have Himself on iTunes at home, but not on my iTouch. I want to listen to it NOW.

Smacks forehead

I have this on DVD. I really need to watch that.

The one area of success that eluded Cosby was as a film star. His films with Sydney Poitier in the 70s did OK, but his 80s output was notoriously bomb-tastic.

Of course, he was also in Mother, Jugs and Speed in the 70s, which answers the question "Name a movie that starred Bill Cosby, Harvey Keitel, Raquel Welch and Larry Hagman." A few other familiar character actors turn up as well: [link]

Clearly I have not seen as much Bill Cosby as 1) I think I have, and 2) I need to. I also loved the show he starred in with... that dude. What's his name. Bill something? I have to look it up. They were spies. I Spy? Yeah, I think that was it. They had great chemistry.

I used to love Himself, but I think the comedy I quote from most often is in Eddie Murphy's "Delirious" We got some ice cream
You can't afford it
cause your mama's on the welfare,
and your dad's an alcoholic
We eat a lot of ice cream.

Yes, Himself and Delirious were the comic soundtracks of my youth.

And I think they formed some of my parenting ideas. "I brought you into this world, I can take you out". The whole "sick and tired" routine. I have never thrown a shoe at either child, but I have threatened and they end up giggling. Oh well.

I had a big comedy album phase: Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, National Lampoon's That's not Funny...That's Sick! (brilliant!), and Vaughn Meader's The First Family. I miss those albums.

"And now, for ten THOUSAND dollars, name four famous Mickeys!"

Robin Williams' "Reality, What a Concept" album was big in our house--it was the first "grown-up" comedy album (complete with swear words!) that either my sister or I bought. (We were well-versed on Carlin and Cheech and Chong, but we'd never bought either of their albums yet.) We would have been in junior high at the time, and thought it was screamingly hilarious.