Telecommunications professor Maria Williams-Hawkins recalls Bill Cosby's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 as cause for celebration.
"That was the way you knew a star was up-and-coming, and for that time in the '60s when a black person made it to a show like Ed Sullivan, families would call other members out," she said. "I remember my grandfather saying, 'They've got a colored guy on TV.' That was also the time when we were changing names. He'd say colored, and I was coming along into the 'black' generation. But all that meant that someone really special was on TV."
Almost 40 years later, Cosby stands as one of America's most influential performers, black or white. Even through the eras of Richard Pryor and George Carlin, he's managed to keep a clean, insightful act that's crossed all lines of age and race.
Ball State students, many of which are children of the '80s, grew up watching him raise five kids on "The Cosby Show," and on Feb. 15 they will hear his humorous take on the foibles and successes of America's parents, children and family life.
Best known for "The Cosby Show," which ran from 1984-1992, Cosby has long been hailed for providing a different view of America. He spent his career tearing down stereotypes, establishing himself not so much as a black man, but simply as a funny, interesting individual.
"Cosby's winning personality and positive characters allowed him to transcend race," said history professor Richard Aquila, who has taught several courses on pop culture. "Viewers became colorblind as they accepted him into their homes and their hearts."
On the 1960s detective series "I Spy," Cosby, in his breakthrough role, starred opposite Robert Culp, as Oxford-educated secret agent Alexander Scott. The show was one of the first to pair a black man with a white man on equal terms.
"His inclusion in that ('I Spy') was not new, but putting blacks and whites as equals on American television at that time was still a crapshoot," Williams-Hawkins said. "Some southern stations would not carry the show. They would block it or try to find someone else to buy the time. They wouldn't even take the network money to air it."
In the 1970s, blacks were gaining ground on prime time with such shows as "Sanford and Son" and "Good Times." But even though blacks had starred in their own sitcoms since the 1950s (beginning with the highly controversial "Amos 'n' Andy"), "The Cosby Show" was one of the first to portray blacks in a stable middle-class setting, with the comedian starring as obstetrician Cliff Huxtable.
"Unlike most black sitcoms and TV shows of the era, 'The Cosby Show' did not portray African-Americans as ghetto dwellers, buffoons, gang members or drug dealers," Aquila said. "The show was a program about an upper middle-class family that happened to be black. Race was secondary."
"They were an American family," Williams-Hawkins said. "The argument was (for the network) that, 'This is a black show, this is a black show,' but non-blacks were saying this is a show about people who have experiences that they can understand. The experiences were about their children. Theo had ADD, he had dyslexia, the girls didn't know how to spend money. The daughter goes off to college and marries someone that is less than acceptable. They go through various fads like all other kids."
Cosby's clean brand of material has also garnered him respect, and in part helped him gain such a diverse audience. He still refuses to use profanity in his stand-up act.
"Anyone should be able to say on stage what they want," he said in a news release. "But those who have knowledge do understand that certain things on stage can be abused and misused. And if such topics are used just for laughter, the humor will not stand the test of time."
The family-friendly material continues to endear him to young comedians.
"I'm a big fan of clean comedy," said Ball State senior Andy Ober, who leads a self-titled parody orchestra. "I want to do something that will entertain an audience without having to shock them or gross them out. Bill Cosby is as good as anybody at that. He has a style that makes the audience comfortable with him."
"It can sometimes be very easy to make a crowd laugh out of nervousness by throwing out foul language or possibly telling some blue story of a sexual escapade," 25-year-old Ohio comedian Jeremy Essig said. "What is astonishing about Mr. Cosby is he can tell story after story, whether it be of his own childhood, raising his children, or just observational such as his Noah bit, all without being offensive."
Cosby remains a godfather of sorts for even the most seasoned comics.
Jerry Seinfeld's recent documentary, "Comedian," featured a scene in which Chris Rock speaks in awe of Cosby's 2 1/2 hours of non-stop material, with no opening act or intermission. Later on, in the movie's most poignant scene, Seinfeld, a comedy legend in his own right, embraces the aging comic, in a gesture of thanks to his mentor.
"You look at Bill Cosby and you smile," 20-year comedy veteran Tim Cavanagh said. "He's a very smart and charismatic performer. He exudes a warmth and intelligence that just makes you feel good."
Some believe that at 65, he's past his prime, but Williams-Hawkins compares his life to a mountain range.
"I don't see his career as one peak, but as multiple peaks," she said. "His high point in terms of television came between 1987 and 1990. A smaller peak came in 2000 with his philanthropic efforts. The man and his wife (Camille) have helped others. He's put his money out to help other actors, not just black actors. His efforts to help others climb higher have taken him higher also."
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