Happy Birthday, Bill Cosby

[filkertom]

On this date in 1937.

What are your favorite Cosby routines? I will always have immense love for "Tonsils" and "Chicken Heart", but I also love the story about Sheldon Leonard's honeymoon. And "Go-Karts". Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-NAAAAAAAA....

And, if you can't understand what someone just said, one of the handiest lines in existence is, "Yes, I've gone fishing there many times myself."

Comments

[fair-witness.livejournal.com]

My father, for some reason, wanted me and my sister to listen to "Tonsils" before we had our own tonsillectomies. At the age of 6, I really couldn't appreciate the absurdity too well. These days, I think it's incredibly funny.

His routine about going to the dentist is pretty funny, too.

[phillip2637.livejournal.com]

I don't remember the names of all of them, but the ones that stuck with me:
- Noah
- Hofstra? ("Last year they beat us 900-to-nothing in their street clothes.")
- Driving in San Francisco?? ("Come around, you fool!")
- and whatever had the bit with, "I didn't put no bullets in the furnace and don't say those kinds of things about my mother."

[kshandra]

He couldn't hear me, 'cause he was too busy telling the guy behind him "Come around, ya idiot, come around!"

[controuble.livejournal.com]

- 200 MPH "I didn't want to let him know I had followed the fire extinguisher."
- Noah "Why don't you just let it rain for 40 days and 40 nights and wait for the sewers to back up?"

[qnofhrt.livejournal.com]

- 200 MPH "I didn't want to let him know I had followed the fire extinguisher."

I agree. I've listened to it so many times I can recite large swaths of it from memory and have shared it with a number of friends. Of course, it loses some of the humor if you have to explain who Caroll Shelby is or the bit about closing a door on a Volkswagon.

[foenix.livejournal.com]

Almost the entire "Himself" album.

I listened to that sucker so many times, I probably STILL have it buried in my subconcious.

"My father yelled at us so much, I thought my name was Damnit, and my brother was Jesus Christ!"

[ororo.livejournal.com]

i>"My father yelled at us so much, I thought my name was Damnit, and my brother was Jesus Christ!"

This.

[cainle-bean.livejournal.com]

Dain Bramage =p

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

+1 on Noah (how long can you tread water? ha ha ha ha...)

and... Fat Albert. "I forgot I was behind him!"

Ever seen Coz live? It's just him, a mike, and a chair. For two hours. Wow.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

"I forgot I was behind him!"

Perfect delivery on that line.

Since no one seems to have mentioned "Neanderthal Man", I'll throw that one into the pot too. ("Ralphie? Who's Ralphie?")

[pagawne.livejournal.com]

Much older than those.

"Medic! Take two aspirin and see me tomorrow."

"Medic! I don't make foxhole calls."

These were on vinyl back in 1967.

[bruinson.livejournal.com]

"Dad MADE us eat chocolate cake!"

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

In our house, the long-time favorite Cosby line (ever since the birth of Z, for some unfathomable reason :-) is Give Me MORPHINE! (the rest is a fave, too, but the tagline is heard often).

[bald-ruminant.livejournal.com]

To Russell, My Brother, Whom I've Slept With.

[otherdeb.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes -- the whole bit about breaking the bed by jumping up and down on it...my kid sister and I actually did that once, so when I heard the bit, I was pretty much doubled over laughing...just the thought of it now brings it all back!

Oh, and I also love some of the more serious ruminations he's been doing lately on things one would not expect a comedian to think about.

[lapislaz.livejournal.com]

"Scalpel. Retractor. Ooops."

"Ooops? Whaddya mean, OOOPS? I know what I mean when I say Ooops, what do YOU mean when you say Ooops?"

[amgem.livejournal.com]

I think Jeff Goldblum pays a wee bit of homage to that routine in Independence Day (of all things)...

In the scene where he and Will Smith are about to take off in the alien craft, Will pulls the controls back and it crashes backwards, and says "Oops..." You hear Jeff Goldblum say "Oops? Whaddaya mean "oops?" I know what I've done when I've said oops, now what did you do, sayin' "oops" there...?"

Could be wrong, but you never know... :)

[maiac.livejournal.com]

I remember laughing myself sick while watching Cosby's "Noah" routine on TV. "Riiiiiight."

"Driving in San Francisco" is another favorite.

And the Lone Ranger: "What do you mean we, white man?"

[panthrsoul.livejournal.com]

It's a tie between Noah and 200mph though Noah may just edge out in front a titch. I listened to all the records when I was a kid over and over and I still have them and love them. He has always been able to crack me up!

"What are you building?"
"I can't tell you."
"Can you give me a hint?"
"How long, can you tread water?"

Fave Cos lines

[trav13369.livejournal.com]

"I'm four years old" (Jeffrey)

"You have to be careful with eggs...." (Chocolate Cake)

"Drugs intensify your personality,.......but what if you're an asshole?" ROFL!!

"Fat Albert"

the Chicken heart skit

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

Driving in San Francisco - "Me and the Volkswagon slipped into the bay." "You go to hell"
And playing with his belly button "Oh Navel Navel Navel."
And what isn't there to laugh at?

[ericcoleman]

The Go Karts ... no contest. One of the greatest bits of standup ever.

[reyl.livejournal.com]

What's a cubit?

I will love the Noah sketch forevah.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

Roland and the Roller Coaster.
"The tens and fives were missing out of Roland's deck."
"15 stories tall. Made of wood painted gray and the old people said the termites was eating it up."

"I told you that story to tell you this one."

Tonsils
Chicken Heart
Go-carts. Ol' Weird Harold had a Lincoln Continental
Oh and Noah. Always Noah.

[emiofbrie.livejournal.com]

GOD: I want you to build.... an ARK!

NOAH (sarcastic): RIGHT!!


;)

[ladysmith.livejournal.com]

Choklit cake for Breakfast!!!

Easy

[erisianagnostic.livejournal.com]

Old Wierd Harold - "And their was a little guy on top of a tall skinny guy beating him with a stick yelling faster, faster, you fool, you fool." To this day one of the finest acts of storytellng ever.

It's a shame. I enjoy stand up, but i do miss the days of storytellers. There really aren't to many left.

Noah and My Dad's Car are both way up there as well.

[shadowcat48li.livejournal.com]

Chicken Heart
Noah

Theres a educational video he did years ago called something like "Bill Cosby on Racism" where he opens it with "Hi, I'm Bill Cosby, and some people call me a N*****"

[aylinn.livejournal.com]

well, I think my favs have pretty much all been mentioned but the actual lines haven't

Noah:
Voompa, Voompa - DING! "Noah" "WHAT?!"

Chocolate cake - okay, well, yeah. The whole thing.

the baby sequence:
"and here they are the breathing Cosbys!"
"Push, push"
"She stood up in the stirrups and proceed to announce that my parents were not married at the time I was born!"
"I. WANT. MORPHINE!"

He does befuddled outrage so well.

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

Smboke! Fibre!

[bschilli.livejournal.com]

Noah (which appears to be several people's favorite) and Why is there air?