Tuesday, April 16, 1968
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7
Stand-up comic shows serious side off-stage
By Bob Butler Kansan Staff Reporter
Four years ago the only people who knew the name Bill Cosby were the sports fans at Temple University.
Today, Bill Cosby has a reputation which can draw people from 200 miles away to a muggy Hoch Auditorium for a glimpse of his famous comedy routine.
Bill Cosby is a man of many talents. His success as a stand-up comedian is so wide-spread that his characters, such as Fat Albert and Old Wierd Harold, are almost national figures. He has won three grammay awards for his comedy albums and his acting talents have been displayed on the I Spy television series.
His singing debut, on an album entitled "Silver Throat," was chosen as one of the year's outstanding discs by Hi-Fidelity Magazine.
"Well, you can just forget about the singing bit," Cosby said from his perch on the table in the ladies dressing room of Hoch Auditorium. "That was just for kicks, I don't take it seriously.
"I'd say the most challenging of my 'talents' is that of a stand-up comedian. That's the Bill Cosby I always have to fight when I want to do something different. Since my comedy routines are my major interests, my success as an actor must be compared to my success as a stand-up. I always have to ask myself 'Is Bill Cosby the actor as funny as Bill Cosby the stand-up?'"
This complex relationship between Cosby the actor and Cosby the comedian was put to its best advantage in the now-cancelled I Spy television series. Cosby and co-star Robert Culp developed a rapport and special brand of humor and excitement that caught the fancy of the critics and the public alike.
"Yeah, Bobby and I have been practically married for three years," Cosby reflected as he pulled a cigar out of his breast pocket. "We're really groovy
friends, and it's because we know each other so well that we could ad lib right in front of the camera for the show. If we didn't like the lines in the script we
Strong cited
A doctoral candidate has been named an outstanding teacher at the University of Tulsa.
Photo by Moe Behravesh
Strong is completing work for a Ph.D. degree with the KU department of political science. His home is Xenia, Ohio.
Assistant Professor Edwin B. Strong was named one of the leading teachers by the campus newspaper, the Tulsa Collegian.
FAT ALBERT'S FATHER
Funnyman Bill Cosby relaxes with a cigar backstage after his performance in Hoch Auditorium.
Peace Corps Week April 15-19
Come and talk with the recruiters at the Union—room 305
UNION BALLROOM
UNION BALLROOM
S. U.A.
presents
CLASSICAL FILM SERIES
NOTHING BUT A MAN (U.S.A.,1963)
Michael Roemer's moving film of a young Negro couple trying to live with dignity in the South
Single Admission 60c
7:00 & 9:00 p.m.-WEDNESDAY-UNION BALLROOM
didn't even bother to learn them, we just said what we felt like and it came out all right."
I Spy was the boost Cosby needed to put his career in the national spotlight. As a result of his efforts, he has twice been awarded the television industry's highest award, the Emmy. But Cosby holds more pride in the show's basic format than in the awards and applause he's collected along the way.
"Bobby and I made our point with I Spy. Here, for the first time on television, was a series in which a black man and a white man were equal. It lasted for three wonderful years and we're proud of it."
Although Cosby refrains from playing up the racial aspects of his humor, he says he respects Negro comedians who do so as well as most of the leaders of the black community.
"I love Dick Gregory, Martin Luther King (whose death was announced shortly after the interview), H. Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael—all of them—they have a lot to say. It's just a matter of who's listening to what they say. I think there are too many loud-mouthed bigots who dominate useful discussion of racial problems."
In the future, Cosby plans on entertaining for a few more years
and then becoming a teacher in a junior high school.
"I want to teach black kids," he said, "and with my idea of teaching it's going to be a 24-hour-a-day job. Do you know a school teacher's salary in some places is lower than a garbage man's? Most people say to their kids, 'why don't you study?' Do you wanna grow up to be a garbage man?' Of course the garbage man asks his kids, 'Why don't you study?' Do you want to grow up to be a teacher?'
Cosby said he doesn't know what he'll teach. He took a long drag on his cigar and grinned.
"I think I'll tell the kids jokes all day. They won't learn much but they'll have a heck of a good time."
AUTO GLASS Sudden Service East End of 9th St.-V1 3-4416
International Club
invites you to the annual
BANQUET OF NATIONS
Sunday, April 21
5:00-7:30
Union Ballroom
Food from many countries
Scheherazade Beauty Queen Contest
International Entertainment
Tickets: $2.00 each
Union lobby ticket counter