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Bill Cosby: Children
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As Chet Kincaid in The Bill Cosby Show (1969?71) Cosby defied the typical image of the militant black man depicted on 1960s television by exuding his blackness in more subtle, nonverbal ways. Starting with the opening music by Quincy Jones, the program created a black ambience unique to the African American experience. Kincaid wore dashikis, listened to black music, had pictures of Martin Luther King and H. Rap Brown and prints of black artist Charles White hanging on the walls of his home. He worked with less privileged children and ordered "soul" food in black restaurants. Kincaid was pictured as a colleague, friend, teacher, and member of a close supportive family unit. Audiences experienced his failures and successes in coping with life's everyday occurrences.
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This brief biography on Bill Cosby outlines his life and his career achievements and tries to focus on the important aspects of his life. Although funny and parental, Cosby was always focused on education and using the media of television to impart education to children. He was ... very firm in his stand about showing how people could deal with the issues of racism, rather than just protesting about it. In that he shows a very proactive pursuit towards creating an open environment for all human beings in the world. The Bill Cosby biography also focuses on the sometimes unpalatable and controversial aspects of his life. However, being a person in the spotlight of the media, this is sometimes inevitable.
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WASHINGTON — Bill Cosby had just listened as five mothers who lost their teenage sons to gun violence told their tragic stories. He looked out over the audience. "I hope none of you ever has to get that call," he said. "Those of you with children that age need to look at the walls in their rooms, see what they're writing, see what they're listening to. If you don't want to know that your child has a gun or knows how to get a gun, and if you don't want to believe that this could happen to your child, look up here."
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[D]uring the 1970s, Cosby and other African American actors, including Sidney Poitier, joined forces to make some successful comedy films which countered the violent "blaxploitation" films of the era. Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975) were generally praised, but much of Cosby's film work has fallen flat. Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976) costarring Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel; A Piece of the Action, with Poitier; and California Suite, a compilation of four Neil Simon plays; were all panned. In addition, Cos (1976) an hour-long variety show featuring puppets, sketches, and musical numbers, was canceled within the year. Cosby was ... regular on children's public television programs starting in the 70's, hosting the "Picture Pages" segments which lasted into the early 80s.
In 1998, Cosby was an honoree at the Kennedy Center Awards. The following year, he was presented with a People's Choice Award for Favorite All-Time Television Star. In 1999, Cosby developed Little Bill for Nickelodeon. The animated series, focusing on an inquisitive pre-schooler and his family, proved immensely popular among children and adults alike. Little Bill received a 2001 Image Award, in addition to being nominated for a Daytime Emmy.
In the early 80's, Cosby hosted "Picture Pages" on Captain Kangaroo's "Wake Up" program on CBS. Today, the Instruction Cosby leads, which is designed to develop readiness skills in pre-school children, is available on home video by Disney. The series was awarded the Gold Award at the 1981 International Film & TV Festival in new York as "Outstanding Children's Program."
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