The Fat Albert movie, like the famed series, is based on Mr. Cosby’s stand-up comedy monologues about his growing up with his friends in a Philadelphia neighborhood.
Not only was the show phenomenally popular, it was groundbreaking, cutting across ethnic and economic lines. It had an...
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The Fat Albert movie, like the famed series, is based on Mr. Cosby’s stand-up comedy monologues about his growing up with his friends in a Philadelphia neighborhood.
Not only was the show phenomenally popular, it was groundbreaking, cutting across ethnic and economic lines. It had an irrepressible sense of fun, yet at the same time imparted important lessons. “If you aren’t careful, you might learn something,” Mr. Cosby would tell viewers during each episode.
“Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” even had an impressive educational pedigree. The program was studied by more academics than any show in television history, except “Sesame Street.”
Moreover, Mr. Cosby and the show’s producers assembled a special Advisory Board to consult on the program. The distinguished panel, comprised of linguists, psychologists, historians, teachers and scientists, had a clear goal: to create an entertainment program that would delight youngsters (of all ages) while telling pro-social, age-appropriate life lessons.
The program’s appeal was based equally on its sense of humor and fun and its pro-social messages and characters. “We wanted to do something good with this show,” says Mr. Cosby. “It was anti-stereotype. Fat Albert and his friends are fully-functioning, bright kids…in their own way. Fat Albert himself, while heavyset, is heroic and a role model; Mushmouth may have a speech impediment, but he’s a bright young man.
“The stories were serious, but they still made people laugh and feel good,” Mr. Cosby continues. “They felt good because you liked and trusted Fat Albert and his friends, and you wanted to hang out with them. But they’re not superheroes; they’re boys. They enjoy themselves even though they live in less than ideal circumstances. They make correct choices and help others make correct choices.”
Now, as FAT ALBERT makes the jump to the big screen, its characters, themes and of course fun, remain just as relevant. “The problems and concerns that young people face, translate from the time of the series to today,” says Mr. Cosby. “They’re still relevant.”
The movie adds an exciting new twist to the characters by having the boys step out into the “real world,” becoming flesh-and-blood, and face challenges they couldn’t have dreamed of as cartoon figures. Plus, the characters’ “old-school” ‘50s-era sensibility makes them fish out of water in today’s world.
As the story opens, Fat Albert and friends are playing their favorite game, buck-buck, on their home turf: a North Philly junkyard. At the same time, in the real world, a teenager named Doris is watching “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” reruns on television. The unhappy, lonely teen begins to cry, and as her tears fall onto the remote control, Fat Albert hears Doris. The big guy with the big heart stops what he is doing and dives headlong through the television screen – and into the real world – to help her. His friends, Rudy, Mushmouth, Bill, Bucky, Old Weird Harold and Dumb Donald, follow shortly thereafter.
Fat Albert, the ultimate problem solver, is determined to help Doris, even though she insists she doesn’t need his assistance. But as Fat Albert slowly brings Doris out of her shell, he begins to undergo some big changes of his own. For one thing he and his friends are fading. Even more significantly, Fat Albert has discovered love, courtesy of Doris’ foster sister, a lovely high school student named Lauri.
Even more surprises await Fat Albert and his friends in their new world, including Fat Albert meeting his “creator,” Bill Cosby. But as Fat Albert deals with his new feelings and challenges – and races to complete his mission and return to his world before he fades from existence – one thing is certain: While they do their thing, they’re all gonna have a good time!
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