The Bully

The Bully

September 8, 1973 TV Episode Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

Also known as: Nobody Likes a Bully

Studio
Filmation Associates, Bill Cosby Productions

Synopsis

Slappy and his sidekick Fungo terrorize the smaller boys under Fat Albert's gullible nose. Will little Russell be able to hold his own? The boys learn that bullies sometimes get an unexpected comeuppance. Slappy only acts tough- and they only need to confront him to make him run away. The kids realize that the neighborhood bully just wants attention and friendship.

Characters

Fat Albert, Rudy, Mushmouth, Dumb Donald, Bill, Mudfoot, Russell, Bucky, Weird Harold, Slappy, Fungo

Credits

Directing

Director
Don Christensen (Creative Director)

Producing

Producer
Lou Scheimer, Norm Prescott

Writing

Writer
Bill Danch, Jim Ryan

Voices

Voice
Bill Cosby (Fat Albert, Mushmouth, Mudfoot), Jan Crawford (Russell, Bucky), Gerald Edwards (Weird Harold), Eric Suter (Rudy), Lou Scheimer (Dumb Donald)

Production notes

"Na-na-na, gonna have a good time, Hey, hey hey!"

The show initially ran on CBS from 1972-1984, but moved to NBC in syndication for one year in 1989. The episodes revolved around the daily life lessons learned by Albert and his friends. Topics ranged from social issues to personal introspection and were blended with humor and music. Among the many great characters that inhabited Fat Albert's world were Rudy, Mushmouth, Donald, Bill, Weird Harold and Russell.

Bill Cosby lent his voice to many of the Fat Albert characters, playing Fat Albert, Bill, Mushmouth, Mudfoot and the Brown Hornet.

Live action bumpers featuring Bill Cosby were set around animated episodes of Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids, a series about a group of urban adolescents growing up in a Philadelphia neighborhood. The show was based on Cosby's 60's stand up comedy monologues about his childhood.

In 1979 the show was re-titled The New Fat Albert Show and featured a new segment called The Brown Hornet, a send-up of superhero cartoons starring a larger-than-life African-American crime fighter in outer space.

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids enjoyed one of the longest careers in Saturday morning cartoon history, running for twelve consecutive years; a record bested only by the many incarnations of Scooby-Doo.

Song in this episode: "The Bully."