Last November, amid the pomp and politicking of the U.S. presidential election, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez of The Chicago Sun-Times posited that ‘80s comedy staple The Cosby Show helped Barack Obama win over the nation.

She wrote, “Social scientists have long shown the link between what children see in popular media and how they view the society those images purport to represent … So it is, I believe, that Barack Obama's successful candidacy and likely presidency were heralded with the arrival of The Cosby Show in 1984.”

She even had a name for the phenomenon: The Huxtable Effect. Whether that’s true is debatable – aside from Obama’s actual policies and presentation, other positive depictions of African-Americans likely helped, too, like Dennis Haysbert, who played the U.S. president on 24.
 
But Valdes-Rodriguez did have a point. I, like many others in my generation, grew up on The Cosby Show, which reigned in the ratings during its run from 1984 to 1992. I laughed, cried and learned many lessons mined from the mind of creator Bill Cosby.

If you get WGN, you can catch a tribute to The Cosby Show on Sept. 20. The station will turn its prime-time schedule into the exact NBC Thursday night line-up from the Cosby’s NBC debut on Sept. 20, 1984, 25 years ago: The Cosby Show’s pilot, Family Ties episode “The Gambler,” Cheers episode “I'll be Seeing You, Part 1 and Part 2” and Hill Street Blues episode “Eva's Braun.”

The network will also feature interviews with Lilly Tartikoff about those iconic shows in 1984 and memories of her husband, NBC’s head of programming Brandon Tartikoff, as well as a Cosby Show viewer's choice marathon. 

As my way of honouring the 25th anniversary of the show’s debut, here’s a list of the Top 10 things I learned from the comedy classic.

1. You can never own too many wild-coloured sweaters. Cliff Huxtable (Cosby), it seemed, owned one for every occasion. Mustard, teal, burgundy … it was a vivid snapshot of the questionable hue combination at the height of ‘80s fashion. And it wasn’t just the colours of Cliff’s cozy closet staple – the patterns were equally iris-searing.

2. A good lip-synching performance always makes a great anniversary present. Who can forget Season 2’s episode “Happy Anniversary,” when the family redid Ray Charles's song "Night Time Is The Right Time" for Cliff’s parents? I still die every time I see Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) wail “Babyyyy!”

The show followed up in the Season 3 episode “Golden Anniversary,” when the Huxtables performed James Brown's "I Got the Feelin'" for the lucky couple’s 50th fete.

3. When in doubt, act it out. In the Season 2 episode “Theo’s Holiday,” Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) claimed he was mature enough to make it in the real world. Not so, apparently.

The Huxtables converted their home into the “Real World Apartments” with each family member playing the role of someone Theo would meet in the real world – Rudy was the banker and his BFF Cockroach (Carl Anthony Payne II) was Theo’s lawyer. I howled and thanked my lucky stars I was still living safely under my parents’ roof.

4. Never go for designer knock-offs. Who knew The Cosby Show was such a font of fashion insight? To impress a girl in Season 1’s “A Shirt Story,” Theo asked Denise (Lisa Bonet) to sew a ripoff of a pricy Gordon Gartrelle shirt. When it came out looking like a hot mess, Theo freaked out – but luckily his friends thought it was an haute sensation.

5. Don’t eat spicy subs before bedtime. OK, sometimes I ignore this lesson if the sub is really tasty. Why postpone the pleasure when it’ll be all soggy the next day? Anyway, in the sixth-season episode “Cliff’s Nightmare,” Cliff ate a late-night sub and has a terrible dream that included several scary Muppets.

6. There’s no mercy for a drunken Cosby kid. The sixth-season episode “I'm 'In' With the 'In' Crowd” featured Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) and her besties playing a drinking game. But apparently intoxication is no excuse for truancy, and she had to shove off to school despite a nasty hangover. When she got home, she was forced to play the drinking game with her parents and Rudy (although shenanigans ensued, the family used ice tea as their drink of choice).

7. Some guys will do anything to impress a girl. In Season 1’s “Independence Day,” Theo got a shady ear-piercing job to woo the ladies but it got infected. The incident prompted Cliff’s dad, Russell (Earle Hyman), to tell the tale of when Cliff tried to awe a girl with slicked-back hair but accidentally burned it off. That prompted Cliff’s mom, Anna (Clarice Taylor), to spill about the time Russell tried to remove a tattoo of a name of a girl he was trying to impress but ended up with a giant scar on his chest.

8. Never stop wishing for Stevie Wonder to show up. I have this dream, that Stevie Wonder will magically appear in my living room and teach me how to compose wicked-cool songs on my piano. Alas, I’m still waiting. But the R&B singer stopped by The Cosby Show in the Season 2 episode “A Touch of Wonder,” when his limo ran into Denise’s car and Wonder invited the fam to a recording session. I crooned along when they sang “I Just Called to Say I Love You” – didn’t you?

Incidentally, other awesome musical guest stars in the show’s run included Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Mavis Staples, Sammy Davis, Jr. and B.B. King.

9. Some people just aren’t meant to sing. Did I mention that when I crooned along to “I Just Called to Say I Love You” I was hopelessly, painfully off-key? Sigh. In Season 5’s “How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?” Vanessa and her friends think they have the look (and breasts, courtesy of some strategically-placed Kleenex) to form a girl-group called The Lipsticks. Sadly, they don’t have the talent or patience to perfect their version of “The Loco-Motion.” Good thing, because Clair ended up yanking out their faux breasts.

10. Pets deserve funerals too. Rudy’s fish died in the first season episode “Goodbye Mr. Fish,” and Cliff decided to arrange a funeral to commemorate Lamont’s legacy. Dressed in black, the whole family crowded into the bathroom as Cliff delivered the eulogy for the tiny, fishy friend. Vanessa tried to console Rudy by saying, "I always felt safe with him around.” Then Rudy gets bored and leaves to watch TV. Awesome.

What was your favourite Cosby Show episode? melissa@tvguide.ca

 

RETRO READERS WRITE BACK
Loved your article on The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. I watched it and remember it well. Our local ABC affiliate showed it on Saturday afternoons, usually after the Wide World of Sports. I believe it was a filler program, way before Guthy-Renker  and the late Billy Mays filled our airwaves with paid programming.
 
It was bad, but at age 15 I loved it. Florence had a great voice and was always a treat to hear sing in the variety numbers and solos, and the show always ended with "United We Stand." Barry was way hot by then, showing chest hair not seen just the years before. Susan had a pre-Mariah Carey haircut, was just a teenager having what I thought was "fun." And who could ever forget fake Jan, who could actually sing and dance.
 
Living in the past has become addictive on Facebook. I'm so glad Susan has great memories about her Brady experience, even with some of the post-Brady disasters. Thanks again. – Lori

 

GOT FIVE MINUTES?
Pick up the September-October issue of mental_floss magazine! Not only will you feel brainy, but you can also chortle at an article titled “The MacGyver Fact-check.” The author dissects four of the show’s kookiest escape tricks – like building an airplane out of bamboo and jumping out of a plane in a car – to see if they’re actually scientifically plausible. Awesome.


CLIP OF THE WEEK
With school now officially in session for another year, I’m offering a trip back to Bel-Air Academy with this clip from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The ever-smooth Will offers some tips on how to mack the ladies.


 



 

 

Whether a show invaded TV in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s or ‘80s, Melissa will likely think it’s hep, groovy, dyn-o-mite or totally awesome. Her ever-expanding classic TV on DVD collection includes Three’s Company, Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She has a soft spot for anything retro – heck, she even married an ex Elvis tribute artist.

Though her fave current series are quirky ones, like Flight of the Conchords, Mad Men, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother and The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, Melissa is on a quest to rediscover forgotten shows and classics of TV screens past. Her RetroChick mission is simple: to dish retro news, tease your brain with trivia, indulge in nostalgia and catch up with past icons. The question is, can you dig it?


 

 

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