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[crewperson] We are speeding.
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[crewperson] Sound, speed.
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00:00:06,089 --> 00:00:07,799
-Oh, there he is.
-Yeah, me too.
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00:00:07,841 --> 00:00:09,217
[crewperson] On my mark.
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dramatic percussive note
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[sighs] Oh, man.
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I don't know.
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Yeah, I don't--I can't.
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Oh, fuck.
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It's complex, Kamau,
you know?
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00:00:28,319 --> 00:00:30,864
Pioneering TV personality.
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[sighs]
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00:00:32,449 --> 00:00:33,616
[sighs]
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00:00:33,658 --> 00:00:36,703
Grammy award-winning
recording artist.
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00:00:36,745 --> 00:00:39,205
He was like a spokesperson
for fudge pudding.
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00:00:39,247 --> 00:00:40,915
Is that the case?
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Oh, boy.
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00:00:42,959 --> 00:00:46,379
He's one of the most
successful comics in history.
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He is known as America's dad.
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Or, quote-unquote, "monster."
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dramatic percussive music
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The juxtaposition
is just bananas.
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00:00:53,803 --> 00:00:57,724
He was someone to believe in
and someone to trust.
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00:00:57,766 --> 00:01:01,352
But he wasn't the nice person
that everybody thought he was.
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00:01:01,394 --> 00:01:03,229
I Look forward
to seeing Bill Cosby again
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00:01:03,271 --> 00:01:05,899
in a court of law.
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00:01:05,940 --> 00:01:07,400
Should I even be
talking about this guy?
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00:01:07,442 --> 00:01:08,860
Uh-uh.
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00:01:08,902 --> 00:01:10,111
I know I'm gonna get
in trouble.
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[exasperated sigh]
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Deep Black girl sigh.
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00:01:13,573 --> 00:01:14,532
[chuckling]
Um...
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Bill Cosby is...
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One of the biggest predators
in Hollywood.
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He's a rapist who had
a really big TV show once.
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[Kierna]
An example of...
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the complexity of...humanity.
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What do you think, Kamau?
What do you think?
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jazz music
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42
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[audience laughter]
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00:02:18,138 --> 00:02:19,931
-Bill Cosby--
-Whoa--
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00:02:19,973 --> 00:02:21,850
Yeah, oh, no, it's--
they heard.
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00:02:21,891 --> 00:02:23,184
-Everybody heard.
-Everybody heard.
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-That's what happened.
-That's what happened.
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Nobody heard,
and then everybody heard.
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[Stephen] Can you still listen
to his comedy?
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-[Seinfeld] Oh, yeah.
-I can't listen to it now.
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-No--oh, you can't?
-I can't separate it.
51
00:02:32,318 --> 00:02:35,488
-You can't separate it?
-42-year-old Black comedian.
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00:02:35,530 --> 00:02:37,866
Obviously, Bill Cosby
was a hero of mine.
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[speaker] They've destroyed
Bill Cosby's career and life.
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[Wanda] If they wanted
to hurt him,
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the first thing
they should've taken away
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-was his medicine cabinet.
-What this is about--
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the obliteration
of legacy.
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And some of them really
is un-rapeable, when you--
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[Norm] The worst part about
Cosby was he was a hypocrite,
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and I said, "I don't think
that was the worst part."
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-[laughter]
-Bill Cosby is the focus
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-of a police investigation...
-[Kevin] We're talking about
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rape--that's a--
that's a tough thing.
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[Judd] But wow, every one
of those stories...is true.
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00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:04,893
[Murphy] I would be this boring
house dad,
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00:03:04,934 --> 00:03:06,603
and Bill Cosby
would be in jail.
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00:03:06,644 --> 00:03:07,979
[laughter]
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00:03:08,021 --> 00:03:09,397
[W. Kamau Bell]
In the last few years,
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00:03:09,439 --> 00:03:11,900
there's been a lotta talk
about Bill Cosby...
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Without me...knowing
all the ins and outs
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-of his case...
[Kamau] A lotta jokes...
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[as Bill] I put the pills
in the people.
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-[Kamau] Panels...
-There was a prosecutorial
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-agreement that was...
-[Kamau] News reports...
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The man once beloved
as America's dad...
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[Kamau] Breakdowns...
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[anchor] Then filed
a civil suit...
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[Kamau] IG Lives...
-I know I got
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-mad questions for Bill.
-[Kamau] Tweets...
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[anchor] "Cosby is guilty.
I'm sorry if you loved a lie."
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-[Kamau] This...
-My hat's off to him.
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-Happy pimpin', Bill.
-[Kamau] Honestly,
83
00:03:37,133 --> 00:03:40,094
it feels like everybody's
weighed in...even me.
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00:03:40,136 --> 00:03:42,805
Go home, Bill.
Just go home. [laughs]
85
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While we've said
a lot of things,
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it feels like we haven't
gotten to the root
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00:03:47,352 --> 00:03:49,646
of the discussion.
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What do we do about everything
we knew about Bill Cosby
89
00:03:53,316 --> 00:03:56,319
and what we know now?
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00:03:56,361 --> 00:03:58,238
Even though it scares me,
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00:03:58,279 --> 00:04:00,573
I feel like I have to have
this discussion.
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00:04:00,615 --> 00:04:03,076
Who knows anymore, but--
Why?
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I am a child of Bill Cosby.
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You know what I mean.
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00:04:11,251 --> 00:04:12,794
Please welcome W. Kamau Bell!
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00:04:12,835 --> 00:04:14,796
[Kamau] I'm a Black man,
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00:04:14,837 --> 00:04:16,631
I'm a stand-up comic,
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00:04:16,673 --> 00:04:18,132
I was born in the '70s.
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00:04:18,174 --> 00:04:20,260
-That's the whole story.
-[cheers and applause]
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Hey, hey, hey!
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[Kamau] I was raised
by Fat Albert...
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Fat Albert!
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[Kamau] Picture Pages...
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Lip, sip.
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[Kamau] The Cosby Show.
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Think about who I am
and what I am.
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[Kamau]
Bill Cosby himself showed me
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that you could be smart
and funny in equal measure.
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Why did you do it?
"I don't know."
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[Kamau] But then...
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Bill Cosby,
three words for you.
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-Guilty...
-[together] Guilty, guilty!
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[Jeff Glor]
Cosby, 80 years old,
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00:04:49,539 --> 00:04:50,832
was convicted today
of three counts
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of aggravated
indecent assault.
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[protester] Mr. Cosby, are you
prepared to go to prison, sir?
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[Kamau] How do we talk
about Bill Cosby?
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There's all the good he did...
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and all the other things
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00:05:02,302 --> 00:05:03,803
that I and many other people
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00:05:03,845 --> 00:05:05,013
believe he did.
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00:05:05,054 --> 00:05:06,514
tense dramatic music
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00:05:06,556 --> 00:05:08,349
So I invited some people
to sit down
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00:05:08,391 --> 00:05:11,686
and have the difficult
conversation about Bill Cosby.
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00:05:11,728 --> 00:05:14,897
And although lots of people
said no,
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thankfully, some intelligent,
brave, and funny folks
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said yes.
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There's some times
where you just have to show up.
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[Kamau] That's a wrap.
Thank you.
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00:05:24,741 --> 00:05:26,659
-Thank you very much.
-Okay, thank you.
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00:05:26,701 --> 00:05:28,161
[Kamau] Thank you
very much--thank you.
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00:05:28,202 --> 00:05:29,454
All right, Kamau.
Take care. Bless you.
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[Kamau]
And just when I thought
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00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,208
we had all
the conversations we needed...
135
00:05:34,250 --> 00:05:35,877
[anchor] Breaking news
about Bill Cosby.
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The comedian was
just released from prison.
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[supporter]
We love you, Mr. Cosby!
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00:05:40,256 --> 00:05:42,717
[supporters cheering]
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00:05:43,259 --> 00:05:44,886
[Kamau sighs]
140
00:05:44,927 --> 00:05:48,306
So let's start
at the beginning,
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when America met Bill Cosby.
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soft dramatic music
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144
00:05:57,273 --> 00:06:02,153
[indistinct chatter]
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00:06:02,195 --> 00:06:04,739
...who's become a big hit
in a small period of time.
146
00:06:04,781 --> 00:06:07,325
He's clever, inventive, fresh,
147
00:06:07,367 --> 00:06:09,118
and something other young
comedians sometimes neglect--
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00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:10,620
he's darn funny.
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00:06:10,661 --> 00:06:12,413
A promising comedian
who has kept every promise--
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00:06:12,455 --> 00:06:14,290
Bill Cosby.
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00:06:14,332 --> 00:06:15,833
[applause and band music]
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[Godfrey] See this?
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00:06:17,210 --> 00:06:19,921
He didn't mention,
"This first Negro comic."
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00:06:19,962 --> 00:06:21,964
He just said a comedian.
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156
00:06:26,427 --> 00:06:29,764
He looked so, so innocent.
Handsome.
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As when I was a kid,
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I used to go to the movies
every Saturday.
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And I--to start off,
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the guys that frightened me
the most were the monsters.
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Yeah, he was so likable.
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00:06:41,943 --> 00:06:46,114
1963, Bill Cosby appears
on The Jack Paar Program...
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00:06:46,155 --> 00:06:48,074
[indistinct chatter
and laughter]
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And blew everybody away.
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I think she'd have trouble
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00:06:50,326 --> 00:06:52,453
trying to punch out
Frankenstein, you know.
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00:06:52,495 --> 00:06:53,955
Break his knee cap!
[imitates gunfire]
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That kind of thing.
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[Godfrey] Good laughs.
He ripped it on that.
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00:06:57,834 --> 00:07:01,295
That's a rip in 1960-whatever.
[chuckles]
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00:07:01,337 --> 00:07:02,797
And they didn't have a lot
of Black people
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00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:04,507
on the Jack Paar show.
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00:07:04,549 --> 00:07:06,759
He didn't see not one of his
faces in the audience, like,
174
00:07:06,801 --> 00:07:08,803
"Oh, shit, oh, shit."
175
00:07:08,845 --> 00:07:13,891
So Cosby was kind of
in a special place.
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00:07:13,933 --> 00:07:16,894
His trajectory from his first
stand-up gig
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00:07:16,936 --> 00:07:20,106
to his first appearance
on TV was very short.
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00:07:20,148 --> 00:07:21,899
[Wayne Federman]
A few years before
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00:07:21,941 --> 00:07:23,317
he begins to do stand-up,
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00:07:23,359 --> 00:07:26,362
Bill Cosby was a freshman
at Temple University.
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00:07:26,404 --> 00:07:28,823
[Jamilah King] He decides
to take up bartending
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at this place called
the Cellar in Philadelphia.
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00:07:31,951 --> 00:07:34,036
While he's there,
he decides to, you know,
184
00:07:34,078 --> 00:07:35,079
tell jokes to the customers.
185
00:07:35,121 --> 00:07:36,664
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00:07:36,706 --> 00:07:38,332
He's like the most
popular bartender.
187
00:07:38,374 --> 00:07:41,669
'Cause he's figuring out
"Oh, this comedy stuff
188
00:07:41,711 --> 00:07:45,298
that I did in class kind of
can translate over here."
189
00:07:45,339 --> 00:07:47,175
His boss actually is the one
who says,
190
00:07:47,216 --> 00:07:48,759
"Hey, you should try stand-up."
191
00:07:48,801 --> 00:07:51,637
Football can be combined
with history,
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00:07:51,679 --> 00:07:53,931
as I found out sitting
in history class
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00:07:53,973 --> 00:07:56,476
-thinking of football.
-[laughter]
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00:07:56,517 --> 00:08:00,146
He starts doing comedy in '62
in the Village
195
00:08:00,188 --> 00:08:02,899
doing sets
in between the folk singers.
196
00:08:02,940 --> 00:08:04,984
Most amateur comics are shaky,
197
00:08:05,026 --> 00:08:06,194
they don't have
their voice yet.
198
00:08:06,235 --> 00:08:09,322
Bill Cosby had
full confidence.
199
00:08:09,363 --> 00:08:11,115
Pretty much immediately.
200
00:08:11,157 --> 00:08:14,952
It took him only one year
to go from
201
00:08:14,994 --> 00:08:17,538
raw, novice beginner
202
00:08:17,580 --> 00:08:21,542
to an A-level stand-up.
203
00:08:21,584 --> 00:08:23,252
And people saw him right away
204
00:08:23,294 --> 00:08:26,797
and was like "Oh,
this guy is something special."
205
00:08:26,839 --> 00:08:30,384
Our next guest has a unique
quality that made him a star.
206
00:08:30,426 --> 00:08:34,388
-Bill Cosby.
-[band plays and applause]
207
00:08:34,430 --> 00:08:36,807
I attended Temple University.
208
00:08:36,849 --> 00:08:39,101
Physical education major.
209
00:08:39,143 --> 00:08:40,478
Now, I hear some of you
laughing.
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00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,022
Phys Ed, ha ha.
You're dumb.
211
00:08:43,064 --> 00:08:46,859
He presented himself as
the nice, young, college guy
212
00:08:46,901 --> 00:08:50,071
that you wouldn't mind
having come over for dinner.
213
00:08:50,112 --> 00:08:52,907
Good evening.
Good evening.
214
00:08:52,949 --> 00:08:54,909
Bill Cosby,
with just one look or just
215
00:08:54,951 --> 00:08:57,578
one reaction,
could make people laugh.
216
00:08:57,620 --> 00:08:59,580
[laughter and applause]
217
00:08:59,622 --> 00:09:03,292
He was so gifted
as a physical comedian, too.
218
00:09:03,334 --> 00:09:05,253
-[babbling]
-[laughter]
219
00:09:05,294 --> 00:09:08,214
[Danielle Morgan] The sort of
sound effects he uses,
220
00:09:08,256 --> 00:09:10,675
the way he vacillates
between various characters
221
00:09:10,716 --> 00:09:11,717
just through his voice.
222
00:09:11,759 --> 00:09:12,885
Charlie, take the reins!
223
00:09:12,927 --> 00:09:14,387
Cosby, I can't drive.
224
00:09:14,428 --> 00:09:17,765
All of these things were
really unique to Cosby,
225
00:09:17,807 --> 00:09:20,101
and since then,
everyone has imitated that.
226
00:09:20,142 --> 00:09:22,228
He was just
the best storyteller.
227
00:09:22,270 --> 00:09:24,438
Car skidding back and forth.
228
00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:25,731
Kind of kept me awake,
you know?
229
00:09:25,773 --> 00:09:28,526
Oh, almost died that time.
Yes, that's great.
230
00:09:28,568 --> 00:09:29,777
To have a funny story,
231
00:09:29,819 --> 00:09:31,779
to have people
continuously laughing--
232
00:09:31,821 --> 00:09:33,823
you know, that's what Cosby
was a master at.
233
00:09:33,864 --> 00:09:36,117
Every Saturday, we used
to have go-kart races.
234
00:09:36,158 --> 00:09:38,202
[Eden Tirl] As a little girl,
all I knew was that
235
00:09:38,244 --> 00:09:40,788
whatever Bill was doing
made my grandmother laugh,
236
00:09:40,830 --> 00:09:42,248
made everybody
in the house laugh,
237
00:09:42,290 --> 00:09:44,000
and made me feel good.
238
00:09:44,041 --> 00:09:45,334
[laughter]
239
00:09:45,376 --> 00:09:46,544
[Marc Lamont Hill]
Bill Cosby, he's the...
240
00:09:46,586 --> 00:09:50,923
storyteller who is clean,
241
00:09:50,965 --> 00:09:52,717
but not corny, right?
242
00:09:52,758 --> 00:09:55,219
He doesn't curse, but he still
has some edge to him.
243
00:09:55,261 --> 00:09:56,971
[imitates impact]
I hit a tree.
244
00:09:57,013 --> 00:09:58,472
Soon as I hit the tree,
245
00:09:58,514 --> 00:10:00,558
I remembered
in my glove compartment,
246
00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,394
I've got nine old
moving violation tickets.
247
00:10:03,436 --> 00:10:05,896
That was a big part
of the appeal of Bill Cosby.
248
00:10:05,938 --> 00:10:08,149
You could watch him
and enjoy him
249
00:10:08,190 --> 00:10:12,111
as an educated
and cool Black man.
250
00:10:12,153 --> 00:10:14,405
You know, you just didn't see
lot of Black people on TV.
251
00:10:14,447 --> 00:10:16,574
-And you're funny too.
-Yes, I hope so.
252
00:10:16,616 --> 00:10:18,326
[laughter]
253
00:10:18,367 --> 00:10:19,744
[protestors] We shall
254
00:10:19,785 --> 00:10:24,540
Overcome
255
00:10:24,582 --> 00:10:25,708
We shall overcome
256
00:10:25,750 --> 00:10:27,335
[Jamilah]
The '60s in America
257
00:10:27,376 --> 00:10:30,796
are just a tremendously
turbulent period.
258
00:10:30,838 --> 00:10:32,006
energetic funk music
259
00:10:32,048 --> 00:10:33,841
[Martin Luther King Jr.]
I have a dream
260
00:10:33,883 --> 00:10:37,887
one day,
this nation will rise up,
261
00:10:37,928 --> 00:10:40,681
live out the true meaning
of its creed.
262
00:10:40,723 --> 00:10:42,892
[chanting and shouting]
263
00:10:42,933 --> 00:10:44,644
[car horn honking]
264
00:10:44,685 --> 00:10:48,648
[Allan Jackson] The President
of the United States is dead.
265
00:10:48,689 --> 00:10:51,359
[Jamilah] All of those things
are happening at once.
266
00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:54,904
So it's a really chaotic time
in America.
267
00:10:54,945 --> 00:10:56,113
You're not going to see
any of this
268
00:10:56,155 --> 00:10:58,616
in Bill Cosby's comedy
from the time.
269
00:10:58,658 --> 00:11:01,952
What Bill Cosby is doing
is talking about Noah's Ark.
270
00:11:01,994 --> 00:11:04,372
Who is that?
271
00:11:04,413 --> 00:11:08,668
It's the Lord, Noah.
272
00:11:08,709 --> 00:11:11,796
[laughter]
273
00:11:12,922 --> 00:11:14,215
Right.
274
00:11:14,256 --> 00:11:15,841
Bill Cosby is saying
things of substance,
275
00:11:15,883 --> 00:11:17,885
but he's not making
people uncomfortable,
276
00:11:17,927 --> 00:11:20,179
he's not making people look
at themselves.
277
00:11:20,221 --> 00:11:22,723
-What's an eye?
-[laughter]
278
00:11:22,765 --> 00:11:24,392
He's not Dick Gregory.
279
00:11:24,433 --> 00:11:26,519
[Dick Gregory]
I feel sorry for Willie.
280
00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:29,397
I hate to see any baseball
player having troubles,
281
00:11:29,438 --> 00:11:31,899
'cause that's the great sport
for my people.
282
00:11:31,941 --> 00:11:33,776
That is the only sport
in the world
283
00:11:33,818 --> 00:11:35,695
where a Negro can shake a stick
at a white man
284
00:11:35,736 --> 00:11:38,447
-and won't start no riot.
-[laughter]
285
00:11:38,489 --> 00:11:42,743
1961, two years before
Bill Cosby appears
286
00:11:42,785 --> 00:11:44,412
on The Jack Paar Program,
287
00:11:44,453 --> 00:11:46,455
Dick Gregory
comes on the scene.
288
00:11:46,497 --> 00:11:49,250
He's the first
African American comic
289
00:11:49,291 --> 00:11:51,419
to play to white audiences,
290
00:11:51,460 --> 00:11:53,254
and he did something
that people thought
291
00:11:53,295 --> 00:11:55,089
couldn't possibly
have been done before,
292
00:11:55,131 --> 00:11:58,634
which was talk about race,
talk about racism,
293
00:11:58,676 --> 00:12:00,344
talk about
the civil rights era.
294
00:12:00,386 --> 00:12:02,763
When a Negros in Chicago
move into one large area,
295
00:12:02,805 --> 00:12:04,932
and it look like
we might control the votes,
296
00:12:04,974 --> 00:12:06,851
they don't say anything to us.
297
00:12:06,892 --> 00:12:10,187
-They have a slum clearance.
-[laughter]
298
00:12:10,229 --> 00:12:11,439
[Godfrey]
Dick Gregory talked about race
299
00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:13,691
in front of their face.
300
00:12:13,733 --> 00:12:16,402
Dick was sittin' on a stool
smoking a cigarette.
301
00:12:16,444 --> 00:12:18,279
It was almost like
302
00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:20,114
nigga, what are you doing?
303
00:12:20,156 --> 00:12:23,743
[Wayne] The color line was
broken by Dick Gregory
304
00:12:23,784 --> 00:12:27,580
when he plays the Playboy Club
in January of 1961.
305
00:12:27,621 --> 00:12:29,248
jazz music
306
00:12:29,290 --> 00:12:31,792
[Carrie Pitzulo] Playboy starts
to establish these clubs
307
00:12:31,834 --> 00:12:36,464
all over the United States
and the world in the 1960s.
308
00:12:36,505 --> 00:12:38,966
They often featured
up-and-coming
309
00:12:39,008 --> 00:12:42,261
or otherwise popular
but controversial comedians.
310
00:12:42,303 --> 00:12:44,472
In other words, a stripper
in the burlesque house
311
00:12:44,513 --> 00:12:45,765
starting to [indistinct],
goes "Here it is, boys."
312
00:12:45,806 --> 00:12:47,475
La-da-da-da, it's cool.
313
00:12:47,516 --> 00:12:49,310
But let her do that in the
public park on the way home
314
00:12:49,351 --> 00:12:50,644
and her ass is in jail.
315
00:12:50,686 --> 00:12:53,314
And Hefner purposely brought on
316
00:12:53,355 --> 00:12:55,357
African American entertainers,
317
00:12:55,399 --> 00:12:57,109
and that was one of the ways
in which
318
00:12:57,151 --> 00:12:59,028
he was trying
to express his support
319
00:12:59,069 --> 00:13:02,364
for the civil rights movement
and integration.
320
00:13:02,406 --> 00:13:04,950
[Wayne] Dick Gregory playing
the Playboy Club
321
00:13:04,992 --> 00:13:07,703
and gets huge national press.
322
00:13:07,745 --> 00:13:11,290
He gets on
the Jack Paar Tonight Show,
323
00:13:11,332 --> 00:13:13,125
opens the door.
324
00:13:13,167 --> 00:13:17,963
He is, what they say, the
Jackie Robinson of night clubs.
325
00:13:18,005 --> 00:13:21,300
So now,
all these night club dates
326
00:13:21,342 --> 00:13:24,178
are available
to a young, Black comedian
327
00:13:24,220 --> 00:13:26,430
who, ten years earlier,
328
00:13:26,472 --> 00:13:28,349
Bill Cosby would have been
on something
329
00:13:28,390 --> 00:13:30,142
called the Chitlin' Circuit.
330
00:13:30,184 --> 00:13:33,020
He would have played primarily
Black clubs
331
00:13:33,062 --> 00:13:35,356
in Black neighborhoods
and Black theaters.
332
00:13:35,397 --> 00:13:37,775
Dick Gregory
breaks the color lines
333
00:13:37,817 --> 00:13:40,861
right before Bill Cosby hit.
334
00:13:40,903 --> 00:13:44,907
All serves up
this guy perfectly.
335
00:13:44,949 --> 00:13:46,867
[Kamau] Even though by the time
336
00:13:46,909 --> 00:13:48,828
Bill Cosby made it
to television
337
00:13:48,869 --> 00:13:51,705
he was sort of the alternative
to Dick Gregory,
338
00:13:51,747 --> 00:13:55,876
early in his career, Cosby
wanted to be Dick Gregory.
339
00:13:55,918 --> 00:13:57,419
[Michael Dennis]
There's an article
340
00:13:57,461 --> 00:13:59,296
in The New York Times
where he's quoted as saying
341
00:13:59,338 --> 00:14:01,298
he's the Philadelphia
Dick Gregory.
342
00:14:01,340 --> 00:14:04,802
343
00:14:04,844 --> 00:14:08,097
At that time,
a lot of his stand-up material
344
00:14:08,138 --> 00:14:10,432
dealt with race
and racial issues.
345
00:14:10,474 --> 00:14:13,060
This the great mystery
of Bill Cosby.
346
00:14:13,102 --> 00:14:16,522
Something happened from that
New York Times article
347
00:14:16,564 --> 00:14:20,150
to several months later
with different managers he has
348
00:14:20,192 --> 00:14:25,072
that he decides to drop all
references to racial strife,
349
00:14:25,114 --> 00:14:27,366
being a Black guy in America,
350
00:14:27,408 --> 00:14:31,745
like, removed his race
from his comedic equation.
351
00:14:31,787 --> 00:14:33,664
[Kamau] Once Bill Cosby decides
352
00:14:33,706 --> 00:14:34,915
he's not going
to be confrontational
353
00:14:34,957 --> 00:14:36,083
like Dick Gregory,
354
00:14:36,125 --> 00:14:38,043
the press sees him
in a new way.
355
00:14:38,085 --> 00:14:39,753
They call him "raceless,"
356
00:14:39,795 --> 00:14:44,008
which white people often think
is a compliment. Hm.
357
00:14:44,049 --> 00:14:46,093
What was important to him
at that moment
358
00:14:46,135 --> 00:14:48,387
was having a successful career
359
00:14:48,429 --> 00:14:51,974
as a Black man in an industry
that didn't have many.
360
00:14:52,016 --> 00:14:53,601
361
00:14:53,642 --> 00:14:54,894
[Maureen Ryan]
The number of gatekeepers
362
00:14:54,935 --> 00:14:56,645
in the TV industry was tiny.
363
00:14:56,687 --> 00:14:58,272
They were all white.
364
00:14:58,314 --> 00:15:00,232
Bill Cosby in the '60s
had to fit into
365
00:15:00,274 --> 00:15:04,862
a very, very narrow definition
of what a Black man could be.
366
00:15:04,904 --> 00:15:07,114
The term was "nonthreatening."
367
00:15:07,156 --> 00:15:10,451
Dick Gregory never had
a television sitcom.
368
00:15:10,492 --> 00:15:13,704
He very rarely appeared
on variety shows
369
00:15:13,746 --> 00:15:17,374
because he didn't fit
whatever that white, Hollywood
370
00:15:17,416 --> 00:15:20,711
prejudicial concept
of "nonthreatening" was.
371
00:15:20,753 --> 00:15:24,256
Bill Cosby filled that role.
372
00:15:24,298 --> 00:15:27,051
[Renee] He wasn't ruffling
any feathers with race.
373
00:15:27,092 --> 00:15:29,553
He wasn't protesting,
he wasn't making
374
00:15:29,595 --> 00:15:31,639
great political announcements
about anything.
375
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:33,724
I think that was just
very comforting
376
00:15:33,766 --> 00:15:36,977
to all of these white people
he had to work for.
377
00:15:37,019 --> 00:15:38,812
You know, they didn't want
someone who was going to say,
378
00:15:38,854 --> 00:15:41,065
"Well, we need to talk about
the March on Washington."
379
00:15:41,106 --> 00:15:43,651
I'm not sure Bill Cosby went
to the March on Washington.
380
00:15:45,027 --> 00:15:46,445
[Roland Martin] One of the
things that Dr. King
381
00:15:46,487 --> 00:15:49,156
often said to folks
in Hollywood was,
382
00:15:49,198 --> 00:15:51,617
"Look, you do what you do."
383
00:15:51,659 --> 00:15:54,286
Even if you were not
in the streets,
384
00:15:54,328 --> 00:15:58,207
you still had tremendous value
to the movement.
385
00:15:58,248 --> 00:16:00,000
I became interested
in the civil rights struggle
386
00:16:00,042 --> 00:16:01,627
out of a necessity
to survive.
387
00:16:01,669 --> 00:16:05,506
[Roland] Because what you are
presenting to America
388
00:16:05,547 --> 00:16:08,676
is a view of African Americans
that needs to be seen
389
00:16:08,717 --> 00:16:10,844
that Black folks were
not criminals,
390
00:16:10,886 --> 00:16:13,806
that Black folks were
not poor, illiterate.
391
00:16:13,847 --> 00:16:16,350
They call me Mr. Tibbs!
392
00:16:16,392 --> 00:16:18,185
That is critically important
393
00:16:18,227 --> 00:16:20,229
to the work
of a civil rights movement.
394
00:16:20,270 --> 00:16:22,064
395
00:16:22,106 --> 00:16:23,399
[Tressie McMillan Cottom]
I think his later-articulated
396
00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:25,067
vision of Black progress
397
00:16:25,109 --> 00:16:28,362
that could best be described
as incrementalism,
398
00:16:28,404 --> 00:16:30,864
which is get on,
get your money,
399
00:16:30,906 --> 00:16:33,534
and then help the Black people
out that you can.
400
00:16:33,575 --> 00:16:34,994
And one of the best ways
to do that
401
00:16:35,035 --> 00:16:38,163
is by being the safe,
compromised choice.
402
00:16:38,205 --> 00:16:41,000
soft music
403
00:16:41,041 --> 00:16:43,210
404
00:16:45,170 --> 00:16:46,714
Ladies and gentlemen,
405
00:16:46,755 --> 00:16:49,174
this afternoon,
we're over on Paradise Road
406
00:16:49,216 --> 00:16:53,637
visiting with one
of television's top producers.
407
00:16:53,679 --> 00:16:56,348
He's an actor turned writer
turned director
408
00:16:56,390 --> 00:16:58,267
turned producer,
Mr. Sheldon Leonard.
409
00:16:58,308 --> 00:17:01,395
Sheldon Leonard was like
a real mogul in those days.
410
00:17:01,437 --> 00:17:04,440
First, may I apologize
for this very informal garb?
411
00:17:04,481 --> 00:17:06,066
[Kliph] He had
a big track record
412
00:17:06,108 --> 00:17:08,068
of hit television programming.
413
00:17:08,110 --> 00:17:12,489
So Sheldon Leonard heard about
Bill Cosby and thought hey,
414
00:17:12,531 --> 00:17:15,826
this guy would be great
for a new TV show.
415
00:17:15,868 --> 00:17:18,662
energetic
suspenseful music
416
00:17:18,704 --> 00:17:20,080
417
00:17:20,122 --> 00:17:23,459
See, even cool titles.
Very '60s.
418
00:17:23,500 --> 00:17:27,463
419
00:17:27,504 --> 00:17:28,255
[gunshots]
420
00:17:28,297 --> 00:17:32,801
421
00:17:32,843 --> 00:17:34,094
Everything about it's cool.
422
00:17:34,136 --> 00:17:36,513
It's got the whole
James Bond vibe.
423
00:17:36,555 --> 00:17:39,516
I just remembered tennis,
pretty women,
424
00:17:39,558 --> 00:17:41,727
and punching guys.
425
00:17:41,769 --> 00:17:43,771
That to me was kind of
the essence of the show.
426
00:17:43,812 --> 00:17:45,230
And at 12, you go,
"That's cool."
427
00:17:45,272 --> 00:17:48,358
upbeat music
428
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,612
When this relatively unknown
guy named Bill Cosby
429
00:17:51,653 --> 00:17:55,449
gets this premier role
on I Spy,
430
00:17:55,491 --> 00:17:58,202
it's a watershed moment.
431
00:17:58,243 --> 00:18:00,079
Television history
instantly changed.
432
00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:02,331
This is the first time
that a Black man's gonna be
433
00:18:02,372 --> 00:18:03,791
the star of a series.
434
00:18:03,832 --> 00:18:07,294
435
00:18:07,336 --> 00:18:09,797
[Doug E. Doug] "I Spy" was
an espionage-type
436
00:18:09,838 --> 00:18:11,924
television series.
437
00:18:11,965 --> 00:18:14,426
It costarred Robert Culp
438
00:18:14,468 --> 00:18:17,763
and Bill Cosby as spies.
439
00:18:17,805 --> 00:18:21,350
Robert Culp was a tennis pro,
and he was his valet.
440
00:18:21,391 --> 00:18:23,811
But really, they were traveling
all over the world,
441
00:18:23,852 --> 00:18:26,939
trying to undermine, um, uh...
442
00:18:26,980 --> 00:18:28,023
communists.
[laughs]
443
00:18:28,065 --> 00:18:30,317
Or whatever other threat
there was.
444
00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:31,485
Kind of absurd.
445
00:18:31,527 --> 00:18:34,238
dramatic orchestral stabs
446
00:18:34,279 --> 00:18:35,823
447
00:18:35,864 --> 00:18:38,867
You know, in the
earliest days of television,
448
00:18:38,909 --> 00:18:43,163
many of the Black characters
were kinda holdovers
449
00:18:43,205 --> 00:18:45,666
or carry overs
from the film industry.
450
00:18:45,707 --> 00:18:47,459
You gonna put your shoes on?
451
00:18:47,501 --> 00:18:51,338
No, I'm saving them
in case my feet wear out.
452
00:18:51,380 --> 00:18:53,841
[Todd] You talk about
a Stepin Fetchit,
453
00:18:53,882 --> 00:18:58,137
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson,
or Willie Best.
454
00:18:58,178 --> 00:18:59,638
-Chicken house?
-Uh-huh.
455
00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:01,515
-What am I waiting for?
-I don't know.
456
00:19:01,557 --> 00:19:03,225
Me, either.
457
00:19:03,267 --> 00:19:06,395
These were the images
of Black people in film
458
00:19:06,436 --> 00:19:08,021
and later, I think,
459
00:19:08,063 --> 00:19:11,275
many of those images you could
see on television as well.
460
00:19:11,316 --> 00:19:13,152
Amos 'n Andy.
461
00:19:13,193 --> 00:19:18,073
-Lipstick.
-Let's see that lipstick now.
462
00:19:18,115 --> 00:19:20,033
-Hmm.
-[laughter]
463
00:19:20,075 --> 00:19:22,661
downbeat piano music
464
00:19:22,703 --> 00:19:25,122
[Todd]
Black people are represented
465
00:19:25,164 --> 00:19:30,002
as childlike, slow.
466
00:19:30,043 --> 00:19:31,587
You know, if it's a woman,
467
00:19:31,628 --> 00:19:36,383
either you have the sort
of overly-sexualized Jezebel,
468
00:19:36,425 --> 00:19:39,595
or you have the asexual,
Black mammy.
469
00:19:39,636 --> 00:19:42,264
I mean, it was just
the worst representation
470
00:19:42,306 --> 00:19:44,975
you could possibly imagine.
471
00:19:45,017 --> 00:19:48,312
The reason a Bill Cosby
stands out in the '60s is
472
00:19:48,353 --> 00:19:52,608
because he's not playing these
old, stereotypical Black roles.
473
00:19:53,025 --> 00:19:55,986
[Kamau] The images that Bill
Cosby was fighting against
474
00:19:56,028 --> 00:19:57,571
weren't from the distant past.
475
00:19:57,613 --> 00:19:59,698
Lot of this stuff
was still on TV.
476
00:19:59,740 --> 00:20:01,992
When I Spy
first went on the air,
477
00:20:02,034 --> 00:20:03,994
Amos 'n Andy
was still in syndication.
478
00:20:04,036 --> 00:20:08,081
Oh, what wouldn't I give to
hear a wooden doorstop again.
479
00:20:08,123 --> 00:20:09,499
[Kamau]
So you could watch this...
480
00:20:09,541 --> 00:20:11,001
Has there been any
further contact?
481
00:20:11,043 --> 00:20:12,920
[Kamau] Flip the channel,
and see this.
482
00:20:12,961 --> 00:20:16,256
Oh, yeah, that's what it is.
A cigarette lighter!
483
00:20:16,298 --> 00:20:19,509
Oh, yeah.
Sure, Andy.
484
00:20:19,551 --> 00:20:22,054
And in order
to make the thing work,
485
00:20:22,095 --> 00:20:24,932
all you got to do
is take it like this.
486
00:20:24,973 --> 00:20:27,768
[Kamau] Who thinks Black guys
don't know what a gun is?
487
00:20:27,809 --> 00:20:29,895
Bill Cosby was this cool,
488
00:20:29,937 --> 00:20:33,315
suave character
who also was the smart one.
489
00:20:33,357 --> 00:20:35,984
And that is not hypothesis.
That is fact.
490
00:20:36,026 --> 00:20:38,737
[Renée] Alexander Scott,
the Bill Cosby character,
491
00:20:38,779 --> 00:20:42,658
He's a Rhodes Scholar.
He speaks multiple languages.
492
00:20:42,699 --> 00:20:45,452
-[speaks language]
-[speaks same language]
493
00:20:45,494 --> 00:20:46,995
[Renée] He's a karate expert.
494
00:20:47,037 --> 00:20:50,666
He's not just a spy,
he's a Superman.
495
00:20:50,707 --> 00:20:53,001
He's everything you don't see
496
00:20:53,043 --> 00:20:54,795
in Black characters
on television.
497
00:20:54,836 --> 00:20:55,963
[Robert Culp's character]
You all right?
498
00:20:56,004 --> 00:20:58,465
Yeah, yeah,
everything's fine, man.
499
00:20:58,507 --> 00:20:59,800
My family's fine.
500
00:20:59,841 --> 00:21:01,635
peaceful orchestral music
501
00:21:01,677 --> 00:21:04,972
[Lise-Lotte Lublin] I was like
every little kid in America
502
00:21:05,013 --> 00:21:07,557
who looked up to him.
My parents looked up to him.
503
00:21:07,599 --> 00:21:10,727
My father looked up to him
from I Spy, you know?
504
00:21:10,769 --> 00:21:12,604
[Matt] White people
in Southern Indiana were
505
00:21:12,646 --> 00:21:16,817
inviting this Black man
into their home every week
506
00:21:16,858 --> 00:21:18,944
and not clicking off the TV.
507
00:21:18,986 --> 00:21:22,948
[Doug]
He had a kind of mystique
508
00:21:22,990 --> 00:21:27,327
of a change agent,
not just an actor or performer.
509
00:21:27,369 --> 00:21:30,831
He was a significant
cultural figure.
510
00:21:30,872 --> 00:21:34,376
soft dramatic music
511
00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:40,257
No.
512
00:21:42,676 --> 00:21:43,844
No.
513
00:21:50,267 --> 00:21:53,020
No.
No. See, that's incredible.
514
00:21:53,061 --> 00:21:55,188
Okay, in a Bond--Bond film--
515
00:21:55,230 --> 00:21:57,024
excuse me,
I have to tell you this story.
516
00:21:57,065 --> 00:21:59,276
[Paul McCartney]
Say live and let die
517
00:21:59,318 --> 00:22:02,529
rock music
518
00:22:02,571 --> 00:22:05,365
[Gloria] We were filming
Live and Let Die
519
00:22:05,407 --> 00:22:08,160
with Roger Moore
and Gloria Hendry,
520
00:22:08,201 --> 00:22:11,621
the first Mrs. Bond of color,
521
00:22:11,663 --> 00:22:14,499
and the first love interest.
522
00:22:14,541 --> 00:22:17,210
So here I am coming
in the door.
523
00:22:17,252 --> 00:22:19,963
That hand is standing
at the door, this cigar,
524
00:22:20,005 --> 00:22:23,133
and he flips this body over.
525
00:22:23,175 --> 00:22:24,968
-That's not me.
-[Gloria's character yelps]
526
00:22:25,010 --> 00:22:26,887
They didn't have
a woman of color
527
00:22:26,928 --> 00:22:28,555
to play my role
to do that stunt.
528
00:22:28,597 --> 00:22:31,725
It was a white man
529
00:22:31,767 --> 00:22:34,186
dressed in a white outfit,
530
00:22:34,227 --> 00:22:39,024
sleeveless, and you could see
they colored his skin black.
531
00:22:39,066 --> 00:22:42,944
Also, when I was killed in
Jamaica with the scarecrow,
532
00:22:42,986 --> 00:22:45,739
they didn't have anybody
of my hue to play that.
533
00:22:45,781 --> 00:22:47,741
dramatic music
534
00:22:47,783 --> 00:22:49,368
So I'm lying on the grass
535
00:22:49,409 --> 00:22:51,078
with all those ants
eating me up.
536
00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:54,414
[laughs]
537
00:22:54,456 --> 00:22:57,167
[crewperson] There you go, sir.
Thanks for your patience.
538
00:23:00,087 --> 00:23:02,589
Been doing this a long time.
[chuckles]
539
00:23:06,009 --> 00:23:08,678
Never dreamed of it.
Never thought of it.
540
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:10,263
Yes, sir.
Be right with you.
541
00:23:10,305 --> 00:23:13,350
[Jamilah] It's while
Bill Cosby's filming I Spy...
542
00:23:13,392 --> 00:23:14,935
[explosion and screaming]
543
00:23:14,976 --> 00:23:18,563
Sees a white stuntman putting
on essentially blackface.
544
00:23:18,605 --> 00:23:20,440
545
00:23:20,482 --> 00:23:25,529
At the time,
it was in 1958 and up to '65,
546
00:23:25,570 --> 00:23:28,448
if they had a Black actor
that that needed a stuntman,
547
00:23:28,490 --> 00:23:30,450
they painted
a white actor black
548
00:23:30,492 --> 00:23:32,702
and had him do the stunt.
549
00:23:38,750 --> 00:23:41,378
No, I mean black.
They painted him black.
550
00:23:41,420 --> 00:23:43,130
It's a horrible-looking thing,
551
00:23:43,171 --> 00:23:45,632
but they got away with it
for years.
552
00:23:45,674 --> 00:23:49,636
Bill looked at it and said,
"This will never happen again.
553
00:23:49,678 --> 00:23:51,471
"I know we in Los Angeles.
554
00:23:51,513 --> 00:23:54,683
"You can find a Black stuntman
to double me."
555
00:23:54,724 --> 00:23:56,977
556
00:23:57,018 --> 00:24:00,480
When I came in,
I changed all of that.
557
00:24:00,522 --> 00:24:02,858
When I first started
in the movie business,
558
00:24:02,899 --> 00:24:05,819
I was working as an extra
on Gomer Pyle show.
559
00:24:05,861 --> 00:24:08,530
See, I want
a 100% PFC platoon.
560
00:24:08,572 --> 00:24:10,824
[Calvin] And Sheldon,
when he came on the set,
561
00:24:10,866 --> 00:24:13,285
and he saw me stand up
as a Marine.
562
00:24:13,326 --> 00:24:15,036
Said, "Who's that guy
standing over there?"
563
00:24:15,078 --> 00:24:16,705
He said, "That's
Calvin Brown."
564
00:24:16,746 --> 00:24:18,165
Said, "He look like Bill Cosby.
565
00:24:18,206 --> 00:24:20,584
Tell him to come out.
I need to talk to him."
566
00:24:20,625 --> 00:24:22,335
Because if he could do stunts,
567
00:24:22,377 --> 00:24:25,005
he no longer working
for Gomer Pyle as an extra.
568
00:24:25,046 --> 00:24:27,841
He working for I Spy
as a stuntman.
569
00:24:28,884 --> 00:24:31,887
Just that quick
and just that lucky.
570
00:24:40,312 --> 00:24:43,857
That's actually the origin
of how Black stunt performers
571
00:24:43,899 --> 00:24:45,317
came into the business.
572
00:24:45,358 --> 00:24:48,945
Calvin Brown was
his initial stunt double,
573
00:24:48,987 --> 00:24:52,699
and my grandfather also doubled
for him and Greg Elam.
574
00:24:52,741 --> 00:24:54,159
All of these pioneers
575
00:24:54,201 --> 00:24:57,204
that have gone on
to have incredible careers
576
00:24:57,245 --> 00:24:59,456
to become
second unit directors,
577
00:24:59,498 --> 00:25:02,334
to become stunt coordinators.
578
00:25:02,375 --> 00:25:05,003
It's created
an entire industry for people
579
00:25:05,045 --> 00:25:08,131
that did not have jobs before.
580
00:25:08,173 --> 00:25:12,219
If fact, I was the first
Black guy to get on a contract
581
00:25:12,260 --> 00:25:15,680
on a live show,
just for stunt purpose only.
582
00:25:15,722 --> 00:25:18,141
Any time Bill needed
a stuntman,
583
00:25:18,183 --> 00:25:21,561
I was already available
for that show.
584
00:25:21,603 --> 00:25:25,357
That is--
I had never heard that story.
585
00:25:25,398 --> 00:25:29,236
But you know, that tells me
that Bill Cosby was doing
586
00:25:29,277 --> 00:25:31,738
what he could do
to effect change
587
00:25:31,780 --> 00:25:33,573
on behalf of Black people.
588
00:25:33,615 --> 00:25:35,325
He made a huge impact.
589
00:25:35,367 --> 00:25:36,826
So what the hell else
we got to do?
590
00:25:36,868 --> 00:25:39,371
Fantastic.
See, that's what I'm saying.
591
00:25:39,412 --> 00:25:41,748
That's the Cosby I know.
592
00:25:41,790 --> 00:25:44,209
And that's what
I have to understand.
593
00:25:44,251 --> 00:25:46,670
Human beings are human beings.
594
00:25:46,711 --> 00:25:51,591
So to put all of that--
oh, it's difficult.
595
00:25:51,633 --> 00:25:54,386
[Nonie] Mr. Poitier
was very instrumental,
596
00:25:54,427 --> 00:25:56,596
and Mr. Belafonte
was very instrumental
597
00:25:56,638 --> 00:25:59,808
in the progression
of Black stuntmen.
598
00:25:59,849 --> 00:26:03,061
But it was Bill Cosby
who stood up
599
00:26:03,103 --> 00:26:04,479
and took
that first initial risk
600
00:26:04,521 --> 00:26:05,981
to say,
601
00:26:06,022 --> 00:26:08,608
"I need a Black person
to double me,
602
00:26:08,650 --> 00:26:10,360
and that's that, period."
603
00:26:10,402 --> 00:26:15,782
604
00:26:16,283 --> 00:26:18,994
I am
a documentary film producer
605
00:26:19,035 --> 00:26:20,370
currently producing
606
00:26:20,412 --> 00:26:22,664
Breaking Bones,
Breaking Barriers,
607
00:26:22,706 --> 00:26:25,834
about the history
of Black stunt performers.
608
00:26:25,875 --> 00:26:28,295
My grandfather
is Ernie Robinson.
609
00:26:28,336 --> 00:26:31,256
He is one of the first
Black stuntmen in Hollywood
610
00:26:31,298 --> 00:26:34,551
to fight for diversity
and inclusion
611
00:26:34,593 --> 00:26:38,054
for women
and minorities in stunts.
612
00:26:38,096 --> 00:26:41,808
I interviewed
Bill Cosby in 2014.
613
00:26:41,850 --> 00:26:43,476
Oh my gosh.
614
00:26:43,518 --> 00:26:47,147
When I think
about that interview, I beam.
615
00:26:47,188 --> 00:26:49,816
It was so unbelievable.
616
00:26:49,858 --> 00:26:52,777
He invited our crew
to his home.
617
00:26:52,819 --> 00:26:55,155
As an African American
filmmaker, and I'm a woman,
618
00:26:55,196 --> 00:26:57,991
and I was a part
of a Cosby generation,
619
00:26:58,033 --> 00:27:00,160
for me, it was just--
620
00:27:00,201 --> 00:27:03,079
it was unimaginable
that this could be possible,
621
00:27:03,121 --> 00:27:05,957
that this was happening.
622
00:27:05,999 --> 00:27:09,502
I had not really heard
anything about allegations
623
00:27:09,544 --> 00:27:11,504
prior to my interview with him,
624
00:27:11,546 --> 00:27:14,674
so I started learning about it
after our interview.
625
00:27:23,141 --> 00:27:25,644
[Nonie] I was at a loss
for words.
626
00:27:25,685 --> 00:27:27,729
I was very angry.
627
00:27:27,771 --> 00:27:32,025
I felt conflicted.
I felt let down.
628
00:27:32,567 --> 00:27:36,696
It was a very serious matter
that needed to be sorted out.
629
00:27:36,738 --> 00:27:40,492
So I think it was
a better position for us
630
00:27:40,533 --> 00:27:43,870
to cut the footage.
631
00:27:43,912 --> 00:27:46,790
But I don't think that
I can speak to the allegations
632
00:27:46,831 --> 00:27:49,376
because that wasn't
my experience,
633
00:27:49,417 --> 00:27:51,711
and I feel like
I can only speak
634
00:27:51,753 --> 00:27:55,799
to what my experience was like
in his presence filming him.
635
00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,218
That's the Mr. Cosby I know.
636
00:28:01,596 --> 00:28:04,182
Part of the reason
why he was able to do
637
00:28:04,224 --> 00:28:05,975
what he did for so long,
638
00:28:06,017 --> 00:28:08,103
nobody wanted to believe
those kinds of things.
639
00:28:08,144 --> 00:28:11,773
Nobody wanted to imagine
that these things were real
640
00:28:11,815 --> 00:28:13,942
when we're thinking
about somebody
641
00:28:13,983 --> 00:28:17,445
who is respectable
and clean-cut and nice
642
00:28:17,487 --> 00:28:21,574
and has sort of made his living
643
00:28:21,616 --> 00:28:24,411
as the nice Black guy
in the room.
644
00:28:24,452 --> 00:28:25,954
[reporter] The boys are on
a break right now.
645
00:28:25,995 --> 00:28:27,330
Would there be any chance
646
00:28:27,372 --> 00:28:30,291
of getting Mr. Cosby
and Mr. Covaline--
647
00:28:30,333 --> 00:28:32,502
[interviewee] Well, I see
Mr. Cosby here in the company
648
00:28:32,544 --> 00:28:34,796
of a glamorous young lady
649
00:28:34,838 --> 00:28:38,258
who is probably
our next important movie star,
650
00:28:38,299 --> 00:28:40,260
and I wonder
if we could prevail on him
651
00:28:40,301 --> 00:28:41,594
bring that young lady in.
652
00:28:41,636 --> 00:28:43,805
-Yes.
-Bill?
653
00:28:43,847 --> 00:28:45,306
Isn't she beautiful?
654
00:28:45,348 --> 00:28:48,226
Introduce this young lady
to the Las Vegas public?
655
00:28:48,268 --> 00:28:49,769
-What do you say, Bill?
-How are you, Mr. Cosby?
656
00:28:49,811 --> 00:28:51,104
Hey, how are you sir?
657
00:28:51,146 --> 00:28:52,355
Is this your little girl?
658
00:28:52,397 --> 00:28:55,692
Yes, this is my son,
the daughter.
659
00:28:55,734 --> 00:28:58,987
[Kamau] In 196d, Bill Cosby
meets a college student
660
00:28:59,028 --> 00:29:01,197
named Camille Hanks.
661
00:29:01,239 --> 00:29:04,117
By all accounts,
she was above his station.
662
00:29:04,159 --> 00:29:06,369
They get married in 1964
663
00:29:06,411 --> 00:29:08,913
and have a child
the next year.
664
00:29:08,955 --> 00:29:10,957
[Cosby] Well, I'm gonna have
about 30 kids.
665
00:29:10,999 --> 00:29:12,333
[laughter]
666
00:29:12,375 --> 00:29:14,419
And my wife can't do
a thing about it,
667
00:29:14,461 --> 00:29:16,463
'cause she's Catholic.
668
00:29:16,504 --> 00:29:18,298
[laughter]
669
00:29:18,339 --> 00:29:20,633
If she refuses me, I'll take
her right to the pope.
670
00:29:20,675 --> 00:29:23,928
Pope. If she says naw,
"Pope says you gotta do it."
671
00:29:23,970 --> 00:29:25,889
Ha ha ha.
672
00:29:25,930 --> 00:29:27,474
[Kamau] The beginning
of Bill Cosby's career
673
00:29:27,515 --> 00:29:29,100
moved super quick.
674
00:29:29,142 --> 00:29:32,353
In 1962, he's a single
childless college dropout
675
00:29:32,395 --> 00:29:34,189
who people think is funny.
676
00:29:34,230 --> 00:29:37,192
By 1965, he's married
with a family,
677
00:29:37,233 --> 00:29:39,986
and he's one of the hottest
comics in the country.
678
00:29:40,028 --> 00:29:42,989
He wins Best Actor
in a Dramatic Series
679
00:29:43,031 --> 00:29:45,450
three years in a row.
680
00:29:45,492 --> 00:29:47,827
[Jamilah]
While he's filming I Spy,
681
00:29:47,869 --> 00:29:51,456
he's also recording
comedy albums.
682
00:29:51,498 --> 00:29:52,665
[Cosby] This is a true story.
683
00:29:52,707 --> 00:29:54,000
Happened to me
in San Francisco.
684
00:29:54,042 --> 00:29:55,335
I had a tooth pulled.
685
00:29:55,376 --> 00:29:57,420
First of all,
Novocain does not kill pain.
686
00:29:57,462 --> 00:30:00,673
It postpones it
and gives it a chance
687
00:30:00,715 --> 00:30:04,594
to build little pain buddies
over to the side, you know.
688
00:30:04,636 --> 00:30:06,262
Every year, a new album
came out.
689
00:30:06,304 --> 00:30:08,348
Bill Cosby's
A Very Funny Fellow Right!,
690
00:30:08,389 --> 00:30:10,183
I Started Out As A Child,
691
00:30:10,225 --> 00:30:12,936
and then Why Is There Air,
and then Wonderfulness,
692
00:30:12,977 --> 00:30:15,522
and then Revenge,
and then Russell.
693
00:30:15,563 --> 00:30:16,856
Year after year,
he was winning
694
00:30:16,898 --> 00:30:19,275
all these Grammy awards.
695
00:30:19,317 --> 00:30:21,986
He has, like, six in a row,
like, some crazy record.
696
00:30:22,028 --> 00:30:23,988
[Jamilah] Bill Cosby is
a family man.
697
00:30:24,030 --> 00:30:24,948
He's more successful
698
00:30:24,989 --> 00:30:26,366
than he ever
699
00:30:26,407 --> 00:30:28,368
could have imagined being.
700
00:30:28,409 --> 00:30:31,037
He's no longer just
the up-and-comer.
701
00:30:31,079 --> 00:30:33,373
He has arrived.
702
00:30:33,414 --> 00:30:35,041
[Tressie]
Usually, part of the deal
703
00:30:35,083 --> 00:30:36,543
with becoming a celebrity
704
00:30:36,584 --> 00:30:37,877
is that your private life
705
00:30:37,919 --> 00:30:40,421
now becomes open
to public discussion.
706
00:30:40,463 --> 00:30:43,591
But the way his public life
was constructed,
707
00:30:43,633 --> 00:30:47,512
we felt like we were seeing
enough of his private life
708
00:30:47,554 --> 00:30:49,764
that we didn't need
to ask any more questions.
709
00:30:49,806 --> 00:30:51,766
And I was real happy
710
00:30:51,808 --> 00:30:53,434
to borrow our next guest.
711
00:30:53,476 --> 00:30:55,186
We got him from one of the
712
00:30:55,228 --> 00:30:57,772
season's top TV shows, I Spy.
713
00:30:57,814 --> 00:31:00,567
It's great to have him back
with us again tonight.
714
00:31:00,608 --> 00:31:03,862
-Mr. Bill Cosby.
-[applause]
715
00:31:03,903 --> 00:31:05,864
[Tressie] If you knew of him
as, like,
716
00:31:05,905 --> 00:31:07,907
the Hollywood creation
from I Spy,
717
00:31:07,949 --> 00:31:10,076
he was absolutely, at one time,
718
00:31:10,118 --> 00:31:12,537
the sort of sexualized,
719
00:31:12,579 --> 00:31:15,582
young, potential heartthrob.
720
00:31:15,623 --> 00:31:17,584
[interviewee]
The spy is here, Bill Cosby.
721
00:31:17,625 --> 00:31:19,085
Bill Cosby is here.
The spy.
722
00:31:19,127 --> 00:31:20,837
I got a story here.
723
00:31:20,879 --> 00:31:22,881
You mumble
when you tell stories.
724
00:31:22,922 --> 00:31:24,090
He's a mumbler.
725
00:31:24,132 --> 00:31:25,884
[Kierna] The veneer
726
00:31:25,925 --> 00:31:27,677
that Cosby represented
727
00:31:27,719 --> 00:31:30,430
was always about progress.
728
00:31:30,471 --> 00:31:33,141
Folks who were thinking
about what could be next
729
00:31:33,182 --> 00:31:36,394
and what could be possible,
he stepped in that gap.
730
00:31:36,436 --> 00:31:37,937
But the truth of the matter
731
00:31:37,979 --> 00:31:40,773
is that the machine
that creates Hollywood,
732
00:31:40,815 --> 00:31:43,776
the machine that even allows
a Cosby to come forth,
733
00:31:43,818 --> 00:31:46,905
is one that's rife with
misogyny
734
00:31:46,946 --> 00:31:50,617
and active kind of
behind-the-scenes
735
00:31:50,658 --> 00:31:55,496
and in-front-of-the-scenes
oppression of women.
736
00:31:55,538 --> 00:31:56,956
It's just a time when,
737
00:31:56,998 --> 00:31:58,625
if you are a womanizer,
738
00:31:58,666 --> 00:32:01,586
you will be patted
on the back for it.
739
00:32:01,628 --> 00:32:04,756
You could be
a high-profile actor
740
00:32:04,797 --> 00:32:08,635
and go about your business
having multiple affairs,
741
00:32:08,676 --> 00:32:13,473
and it never, ever interfered
with this public persona
742
00:32:13,514 --> 00:32:17,101
that you have crafted
with your PR folks.
743
00:32:17,143 --> 00:32:18,603
Are you a man
744
00:32:18,645 --> 00:32:21,898
of good character
where women are concerned?
745
00:32:21,940 --> 00:32:23,483
Have you ever met a man
of good character
746
00:32:23,524 --> 00:32:25,318
where women are concerned?
747
00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:29,072
There was a culture that was...
748
00:32:29,113 --> 00:32:30,740
people would look away.
749
00:32:30,782 --> 00:32:31,824
"Boys will be boys."
750
00:32:31,866 --> 00:32:34,994
Man talk.
751
00:32:35,036 --> 00:32:36,287
[Kamau]
And if we're gonna talk
752
00:32:36,329 --> 00:32:38,331
about "boys will be boys"
in the '60s,
753
00:32:38,373 --> 00:32:41,709
then we got to talk about
Hugh Hefner and Playboy.
754
00:32:41,751 --> 00:32:44,295
[crewperson] It's queued up.
Just press play.
755
00:32:46,214 --> 00:32:48,007
[Barbara Walters]
Standard equipment
756
00:32:48,049 --> 00:32:50,009
is the Bunny cotton tail.
757
00:32:50,051 --> 00:32:52,345
Pair of ears.
Here's one.
758
00:32:52,387 --> 00:32:53,721
Are most of the girls
embarrassed
759
00:32:53,763 --> 00:32:55,807
when they first put
these costumes on?
760
00:32:55,848 --> 00:32:57,225
Not hardly.
761
00:32:57,266 --> 00:33:00,853
I'd say
about one out of 143.
762
00:33:00,895 --> 00:33:04,065
Darling, I'm two out of 143.
I feel ridiculous.
763
00:33:04,107 --> 00:33:06,067
I can't believe I didn't
know this existed.
764
00:33:06,109 --> 00:33:09,278
[Walters] When my turn came,
I felt pretty awkward.
765
00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:12,407
But at least I didn't spill
anything on the customers.
766
00:33:12,448 --> 00:33:14,200
Later, when I left the club,
767
00:33:14,242 --> 00:33:17,829
the doorman asked
if I wasn't taking off early.
768
00:33:17,870 --> 00:33:19,539
"Well," I replied,
very grandly,
769
00:33:19,580 --> 00:33:22,875
"after all, I'm not a Bunny.
I'm a reporter
770
00:33:22,917 --> 00:33:25,044
for the National Broadcasting
Company."
771
00:33:25,086 --> 00:33:26,879
"Gee," he said,
"you could have fooled me."
772
00:33:26,921 --> 00:33:28,631
And you know something, Hugh?
773
00:33:28,673 --> 00:33:31,300
I must admit that secretly
I think I was kind of pleased.
774
00:33:31,342 --> 00:33:34,220
And that's it.
That's Bunny school.
775
00:33:34,262 --> 00:33:35,471
You should be pleased.
776
00:33:35,513 --> 00:33:37,223
-You make a very cute Bunny.
-Thank you.
777
00:33:37,265 --> 00:33:38,683
You know, the amazing thing
is, though,
778
00:33:38,725 --> 00:33:40,059
They are more chaperoned,
really,
779
00:33:40,101 --> 00:33:41,894
than in a television studio.
780
00:33:41,936 --> 00:33:43,980
It has been said, even,
that the atmosphere
781
00:33:44,022 --> 00:33:47,066
is almost depressingly moral
in the Playboy Club
782
00:33:47,108 --> 00:33:49,360
because there's
no hanky-panky whatever.
783
00:33:49,402 --> 00:33:51,070
And the furor that's raised
about it is--
784
00:33:51,112 --> 00:33:52,280
[Renee] That's disgusting.
785
00:33:52,321 --> 00:33:54,615
Hugh Downs, man.
Who knew?
786
00:33:54,657 --> 00:33:56,409
But I enjoyed seeing you
as a Bunny.
787
00:33:56,451 --> 00:33:57,618
Thank you.
788
00:33:57,660 --> 00:33:58,953
[Downs]
We have a station break now.
789
00:33:58,995 --> 00:34:01,414
Eww.
790
00:34:01,456 --> 00:34:04,459
Eww!
[laughing]
791
00:34:04,500 --> 00:34:06,085
"I enjoyed seeing you
as a Bunny."
792
00:34:06,127 --> 00:34:09,047
Every woman I know is...
"Ugh."
793
00:34:12,258 --> 00:34:13,801
Playboy Club.
794
00:34:13,843 --> 00:34:17,221
I was a cigarette Bunny
doing cigars, cigarettes,
795
00:34:17,263 --> 00:34:18,890
Tiparillos.
796
00:34:18,931 --> 00:34:22,435
Playboy lighters, $1.05.
797
00:34:22,477 --> 00:34:25,021
[laughs]
798
00:34:25,063 --> 00:34:28,941
[Pitzulo] Hefner and Bill Cosby
were friends for decades.
799
00:34:28,983 --> 00:34:32,779
They became friends
both through civil rights work
800
00:34:32,820 --> 00:34:34,781
as well as
through the comedy scene
801
00:34:34,822 --> 00:34:37,116
at the Playboy Club.
802
00:34:37,158 --> 00:34:40,286
We had a lot of jazz musicians,
Gary Crosby,
803
00:34:40,328 --> 00:34:43,456
all of the old comedians,
Redd Foxx,
804
00:34:43,498 --> 00:34:45,083
and Jackie Gayle.
805
00:34:45,124 --> 00:34:46,959
I worked for this man
for years in the Playboy Clubs.
806
00:34:47,001 --> 00:34:48,461
I worked there so many years,
807
00:34:48,503 --> 00:34:50,546
I started to recognize
the bunnies by their faces.
808
00:34:50,588 --> 00:34:52,256
We all schmoozed with them.
809
00:34:52,298 --> 00:34:54,133
They were all our buddies,
you know, and then we'd all go
810
00:34:54,175 --> 00:34:55,802
and have breakfast
across the street
811
00:34:55,843 --> 00:34:58,262
after we got off work.
812
00:34:58,304 --> 00:35:00,640
The difference
between a Playboy Bunny
813
00:35:00,681 --> 00:35:02,433
and a Playboy Playmate:
814
00:35:02,475 --> 00:35:06,521
a Playboy Bunny
was the waitress in the club.
815
00:35:06,562 --> 00:35:11,067
A Playboy Playmate
was the centerfold.
816
00:35:11,109 --> 00:35:13,069
Now, you could be both
or either.
817
00:35:13,111 --> 00:35:15,613
I was both.
818
00:35:15,655 --> 00:35:18,116
I didn't meet Hugh Hefner
until we opened
819
00:35:18,157 --> 00:35:20,451
the Playboy Club in LA.
820
00:35:20,493 --> 00:35:22,578
The big deal of the day
821
00:35:22,620 --> 00:35:25,164
was when Hef would come out
from Chicago.
822
00:35:25,206 --> 00:35:27,750
Then they'd have
the big cocktail party
823
00:35:27,792 --> 00:35:30,920
in his penthouse
at the top of the building.
824
00:35:30,962 --> 00:35:34,507
funk music playing
825
00:35:34,549 --> 00:35:38,177
He was so skinny, and he was
standing there with a pipe,
826
00:35:38,219 --> 00:35:40,930
and all of these girls
were swarming around him.
827
00:35:40,972 --> 00:35:43,349
828
00:35:43,391 --> 00:35:46,811
And he walked over to me,
and he said,
829
00:35:46,853 --> 00:35:48,646
"Oh, Victoria Valentino."
830
00:35:48,688 --> 00:35:50,523
And, typical of me,
831
00:35:50,565 --> 00:35:53,025
I looked up,
and I said, "And you are?"
832
00:35:53,067 --> 00:35:55,653
And I made him
introduce himself.
833
00:35:55,695 --> 00:35:58,781
[laughs]
834
00:35:58,823 --> 00:36:01,742
[reporter] A typical Bunny.
Young, she's fresh.
835
00:36:01,784 --> 00:36:04,203
She has a pleasant personality,
a fabulous figure,
836
00:36:04,245 --> 00:36:07,165
and she works like a Trojan.
837
00:36:07,206 --> 00:36:08,875
What was it like
being a Bunny?
838
00:36:08,916 --> 00:36:10,793
You look at my face?
839
00:36:10,835 --> 00:36:12,628
It was incredible.
840
00:36:12,670 --> 00:36:15,840
upbeat music
841
00:36:15,882 --> 00:36:17,008
[British reporter]
The 30-million-pound empire
842
00:36:17,049 --> 00:36:18,509
built around
the simple principle
843
00:36:18,551 --> 00:36:20,845
that most people like
to look at pretty girls.
844
00:36:20,887 --> 00:36:23,181
In this case,
well-trained pretty girls.
845
00:36:23,222 --> 00:36:24,724
[man] Move along, move along,
move along.
846
00:36:31,355 --> 00:36:32,523
Well, put it this way.
847
00:36:32,565 --> 00:36:34,567
If there was equality
for women,
848
00:36:34,609 --> 00:36:36,235
especially during the '60s,
849
00:36:36,277 --> 00:36:38,362
I can go along with that.
850
00:36:38,404 --> 00:36:42,241
But honey, I didn't like
making $50 a week.
851
00:36:42,283 --> 00:36:43,576
You got it?
852
00:36:43,618 --> 00:36:46,746
But as a Bunny,
we made between $1,000
853
00:36:46,787 --> 00:36:49,749
to $2,000 a week in cash.
854
00:36:55,296 --> 00:36:57,757
I always felt used.
855
00:36:57,798 --> 00:37:00,218
A lot of the girls
didn't feel that way.
856
00:37:00,259 --> 00:37:02,220
They were saving money
for college,
857
00:37:02,261 --> 00:37:04,430
they were supporting
their children,
858
00:37:04,472 --> 00:37:05,890
they were buying houses,
859
00:37:05,932 --> 00:37:10,061
and I was feeling demeaned
and diminished.
860
00:37:10,102 --> 00:37:11,812
Now, when she places
this one,
861
00:37:11,854 --> 00:37:14,065
you notice that she is doing
what we call a Bunny dip.
862
00:37:14,106 --> 00:37:16,442
We would dip, dip this way,
863
00:37:16,484 --> 00:37:20,238
and we would serve this way,
this way.
864
00:37:21,781 --> 00:37:23,157
That's absolutely correct.
865
00:37:23,199 --> 00:37:26,077
[Victoria] Looked glamorous
on the surface,
866
00:37:26,118 --> 00:37:28,704
but if you didn't have
your ears straight,
867
00:37:28,746 --> 00:37:30,206
if your tail wasn't clean,
868
00:37:30,248 --> 00:37:32,833
if you had a run
in your stocking,
869
00:37:32,875 --> 00:37:34,168
you would get demerits.
870
00:37:34,210 --> 00:37:37,129
It was a very hard job.
871
00:37:37,171 --> 00:37:40,716
We were
very well taken care of.
872
00:37:40,758 --> 00:37:42,885
One man said,
"I'm not gonna have
873
00:37:42,927 --> 00:37:44,887
that nigger gal waiting
on my table."
874
00:37:44,929 --> 00:37:47,640
Honey, I went over there
and told the room director.
875
00:37:47,682 --> 00:37:49,475
He walked back over there,
and he said,
876
00:37:49,517 --> 00:37:52,144
"May I see
your Playboy key card?
877
00:37:52,186 --> 00:37:53,980
Get the "mm" out.
878
00:37:54,021 --> 00:37:57,316
[Victoria] If we got too fat
and didn't look good
879
00:37:57,358 --> 00:37:59,735
in our Bunny costumes,
we'd get fired.
880
00:37:59,777 --> 00:38:02,280
The bunnies had
their own doctor
881
00:38:02,321 --> 00:38:06,158
who prescribed us amphetamines.
882
00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:09,120
We were being plugged into
883
00:38:09,161 --> 00:38:11,080
a particular image.
884
00:38:11,122 --> 00:38:14,875
You know, we were a collection
of body parts.
885
00:38:14,917 --> 00:38:17,795
886
00:38:19,964 --> 00:38:21,465
Bill Cosby, who we associate
as being
887
00:38:21,507 --> 00:38:23,843
a very family-friendly,
G-rated act
888
00:38:23,884 --> 00:38:27,221
may seem incongruous
in the Playboy Club atmosphere.
889
00:38:27,263 --> 00:38:28,639
But really, in those days,
890
00:38:28,681 --> 00:38:32,393
nobody expected their comedy
to be dirty.
891
00:38:32,435 --> 00:38:36,022
Uh...
892
00:38:36,063 --> 00:38:38,274
no, it couldn't be.
893
00:38:38,316 --> 00:38:41,319
[Kliph] Ultimately,
it was a classy venue.
894
00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:43,237
They hired classy acts,
895
00:38:43,279 --> 00:38:45,406
so it wasn't really
beyond the norm
896
00:38:45,448 --> 00:38:50,369
for a comic like Bill Cosby
to be performing there.
897
00:38:50,411 --> 00:38:53,873
[Kamau] This is where
looking back gets complicated,
898
00:38:53,914 --> 00:38:55,541
because the definition
of family-friendly
899
00:38:55,583 --> 00:38:57,376
is always changing.
900
00:38:57,418 --> 00:39:00,004
What counted
as family-friendly back then
901
00:39:00,046 --> 00:39:02,214
wouldn't fly now.
902
00:39:13,559 --> 00:39:14,935
[Wayne] On the album
"It's True! It's True!",
903
00:39:14,977 --> 00:39:16,395
he does this routine
904
00:39:16,437 --> 00:39:18,272
which now seems like
905
00:39:18,314 --> 00:39:19,648
it might have been a red flag.
906
00:39:25,696 --> 00:39:27,406
[grunting noises]
907
00:39:38,209 --> 00:39:40,544
Ha ha ha ha!
908
00:39:40,586 --> 00:39:43,381
I had that album as a kid.
I remember listening to it.
909
00:39:43,422 --> 00:39:47,093
At the time, it just seemed
like, "Oh, this is funny
910
00:39:47,134 --> 00:39:49,387
that something could turn
someone on like that."
911
00:39:49,428 --> 00:39:52,723
You thought it was like,
I don't know, like oysters.
912
00:39:52,765 --> 00:39:54,892
[announcer] Spanish Fly is
the name of the game,
913
00:39:54,934 --> 00:39:56,685
and everyone wants to play.
914
00:39:56,727 --> 00:40:00,106
All of a sudden,
I feel very weird.
915
00:40:00,147 --> 00:40:02,274
Can't you wait?
916
00:40:02,316 --> 00:40:03,859
-No.
-Neither can I.
917
00:40:03,901 --> 00:40:05,611
[Chris]
I remember as a kid,
918
00:40:05,653 --> 00:40:07,446
and I hope I don't get
in trouble for saying this...
919
00:40:07,488 --> 00:40:09,532
It was before
I was having sex.
920
00:40:09,573 --> 00:40:11,867
But I remember, I think even
on the back of a comic book,
921
00:40:11,909 --> 00:40:14,286
you could get some stuff
called Spanish Fly
922
00:40:14,328 --> 00:40:15,746
and you put it in a drink.
923
00:40:15,788 --> 00:40:17,123
It was time to party.
924
00:40:19,458 --> 00:40:21,085
I remember him talking
about Spanish Fly
925
00:40:21,127 --> 00:40:22,461
in one of his albums,
926
00:40:22,503 --> 00:40:23,963
and I was like,
"Oh, shit, Spanish Fly.
927
00:40:24,004 --> 00:40:26,382
Man, when I start fucking,
I want some Spanish Fly."
928
00:40:26,424 --> 00:40:28,467
I didn't know what it was.
929
00:40:28,509 --> 00:40:29,802
-Hello.
-How's it going?
930
00:40:29,844 --> 00:40:31,137
I'd like a half a dozen
931
00:40:31,178 --> 00:40:32,638
of your best
Spanish Flies, please.
932
00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:35,141
-[speaking Spanish]
-All right.
933
00:40:35,182 --> 00:40:37,601
-Oh, Jesus.
-[speaking Spanish]
934
00:40:37,643 --> 00:40:39,603
Run!
935
00:40:41,730 --> 00:40:45,693
[crewperson speaking
indistinctly]
936
00:40:45,734 --> 00:40:47,319
My name is Hamilton Morris.
937
00:40:47,361 --> 00:40:51,157
I am a journalist, and I've
spent the last 12 or so years
938
00:40:51,198 --> 00:40:54,994
traveling around the world,
studying psychoactive drugs.
939
00:40:55,035 --> 00:40:59,498
Spanish Fly is--
it's an actual insect
940
00:40:59,540 --> 00:41:02,460
that produces a chemical
called cantharidin.
941
00:41:02,501 --> 00:41:05,337
And cantharidin
is an irritant
942
00:41:05,379 --> 00:41:08,257
that causes
a burning sensation
943
00:41:08,299 --> 00:41:11,594
in the urethra when
it's eliminated by urination,
944
00:41:11,635 --> 00:41:15,181
and that burning sensation
can be confused
945
00:41:15,222 --> 00:41:18,517
with a sort
of sexual stimulation,
946
00:41:18,559 --> 00:41:20,019
or an aphrodisiac effect.
947
00:41:22,146 --> 00:41:23,522
Yes, it's a real thing.
948
00:41:34,700 --> 00:41:38,204
[laughter]
949
00:41:41,081 --> 00:41:44,168
[cheers and applause]
950
00:41:55,137 --> 00:41:59,099
That was accepting?
Like, that's crazy.
951
00:41:59,141 --> 00:42:01,560
Ooh, yeah,
that doesn't age well, does it?
952
00:42:01,602 --> 00:42:03,687
The Spanish Fly bit.
953
00:42:03,729 --> 00:42:06,273
Maybe it's innocent,
maybe not.
954
00:42:06,315 --> 00:42:09,652
But if you listen
to that Spanish Fly joke,
955
00:42:09,693 --> 00:42:12,154
the motherfucker tells
on itself.
956
00:42:12,196 --> 00:42:15,533
[Wayne] The album is called
It's True! It's True!
957
00:42:15,574 --> 00:42:18,744
That almost could be
like a summation
958
00:42:18,786 --> 00:42:20,829
for the prosecution.
959
00:42:20,871 --> 00:42:22,831
And I think people just turned
a deaf ear to it
960
00:42:22,873 --> 00:42:26,377
and just kind of, like,
put it off
961
00:42:26,418 --> 00:42:28,212
to being just a joke.
962
00:42:28,254 --> 00:42:31,215
But I mean, clearly,
you have the indications
963
00:42:31,257 --> 00:42:34,051
that there's something wrong
with this man.
964
00:42:34,093 --> 00:42:37,721
Bill Cosby, it seems to me,
has been leaving
965
00:42:37,763 --> 00:42:41,642
something like bread crumbs
all throughout his career,
966
00:42:41,684 --> 00:42:44,436
pointing
to his guilty conscience.
967
00:42:44,478 --> 00:42:46,647
[Kamau] Okay, this
Spanish Fly thing is weird.
968
00:42:46,689 --> 00:42:48,816
As a comic, I'm not going
to judge
969
00:42:48,857 --> 00:42:50,776
every comic
for every joke they tell.
970
00:42:50,818 --> 00:42:53,612
But Bill Cosby was still
telling Spanish Fly jokes
971
00:42:53,654 --> 00:42:55,781
more than 20 years later.
972
00:42:55,823 --> 00:42:57,449
This is from 1991.
973
00:42:57,491 --> 00:42:58,617
Spanish Fly.
974
00:42:58,659 --> 00:42:59,952
[Larry King] We knew
what it was.
975
00:42:59,994 --> 00:43:03,414
Spanish Fly
was the thing that all boys
976
00:43:03,455 --> 00:43:07,126
from age 11 on up to death,
977
00:43:07,167 --> 00:43:10,921
we will still be searching
for Spanish Fly.
978
00:43:10,963 --> 00:43:12,131
[Larry King] That's right.
979
00:43:12,172 --> 00:43:14,133
And what was the old--
the old story was,
980
00:43:14,174 --> 00:43:17,636
if you took a little drop--
it was on the head of a...
981
00:43:17,678 --> 00:43:19,096
[both] Pin.
982
00:43:19,138 --> 00:43:22,057
[Kamau] Ugh, why does he know
the dosage?
983
00:43:22,099 --> 00:43:25,269
[slowed] On the head of a pin.
984
00:43:25,311 --> 00:43:27,980
[Kamau] Oh, the famous
Larry King Live clip.
985
00:43:28,022 --> 00:43:30,482
Lot of you've seen it.
But did you know
986
00:43:30,524 --> 00:43:32,318
that he was there
987
00:43:32,359 --> 00:43:35,154
promoting his book Childhood,
988
00:43:35,195 --> 00:43:40,242
and Childhood has an entire
chapter about Spanish Fly?
989
00:43:40,284 --> 00:43:44,663
And Spanish Fly is mentioned
in the book 15 times.
990
00:43:46,540 --> 00:43:48,000
-And you put it in her drink.
-Drop it into Coca-Cola.
991
00:43:48,042 --> 00:43:49,793
-It doesn't matter.
-It doesn't make a--
992
00:43:49,835 --> 00:43:51,170
and the girl would drink it,
and...
993
00:43:51,211 --> 00:43:53,339
-She's yours.
-Hello America.
994
00:43:53,380 --> 00:43:57,176
And he's on Larry King Live,
taking about the Spanish Fly.
995
00:43:57,217 --> 00:44:00,471
"You just got to put just
a pin, just the head of a pin,
996
00:44:00,512 --> 00:44:02,681
and oh boy, God bless
America"--
997
00:44:02,723 --> 00:44:05,893
whoa, whoa.
998
00:44:05,934 --> 00:44:08,020
And Larry was like, "Yeah,
tell us how you do it, huh?
999
00:44:08,062 --> 00:44:09,688
How is it, Cosby?
How do you do it?"
1000
00:44:09,730 --> 00:44:12,274
And he's just talking about
how to drug women.
1001
00:44:12,316 --> 00:44:14,193
There was this narrative
that it always been there
1002
00:44:14,234 --> 00:44:16,362
in the undercurrent
of his comedy
1003
00:44:16,403 --> 00:44:19,073
about drugging women,
1004
00:44:19,114 --> 00:44:22,368
that we had all mutually
agreed to never talk about
1005
00:44:22,409 --> 00:44:24,787
and to never connect the dots.
1006
00:44:24,828 --> 00:44:28,207
What Cosby, from almost
day one, was telling us
1007
00:44:28,248 --> 00:44:30,000
that he was willing to,
1008
00:44:30,042 --> 00:44:32,294
and didn't think anything
was strange about,
1009
00:44:32,336 --> 00:44:33,837
putting things
in women's drinks
1010
00:44:33,879 --> 00:44:36,048
to get them to do
what he wanted them to do.
1011
00:44:36,090 --> 00:44:40,052
So when we fast forward,
it's not a huge leap to think
1012
00:44:40,094 --> 00:44:42,388
that what Cosby was talking
about in the '60s
1013
00:44:42,429 --> 00:44:44,306
he was doing.
1014
00:44:57,945 --> 00:45:01,490
[Victoria]
It was the end of '69.
1015
00:45:01,532 --> 00:45:04,284
September 6th.
1016
00:45:04,326 --> 00:45:06,495
I was under contract
to Capitol Records
1017
00:45:06,537 --> 00:45:09,498
to do an album of my own songs.
1018
00:45:09,540 --> 00:45:12,042
I had a music attorney
1019
00:45:12,084 --> 00:45:14,795
by the name of Martin Cohen.
1020
00:45:14,837 --> 00:45:19,299
He was giving a party
to celebrate my contract
1021
00:45:19,341 --> 00:45:23,679
and his new wine cellar
that he had just bought.
1022
00:45:23,721 --> 00:45:27,766
My son, Tony,
and I were there.
1023
00:45:27,808 --> 00:45:29,893
He had just turned
six years old.
1024
00:45:32,396 --> 00:45:35,232
He was saving grasshoppers
who were drowning
1025
00:45:35,274 --> 00:45:38,610
in the swimming pool.
1026
00:45:38,652 --> 00:45:40,112
Martin told me
to go in the house.
1027
00:45:40,154 --> 00:45:41,572
His sister-in-law, I think,
1028
00:45:41,613 --> 00:45:45,242
was coming up the steps
with a case of wine.
1029
00:45:45,284 --> 00:45:48,746
Martin was still out
by the pool.
1030
00:45:48,787 --> 00:45:51,248
Then he, all of a sudden,
was in the kitchen
1031
00:45:51,290 --> 00:45:53,542
pulling bottles of wine
out of the case and going,
1032
00:45:53,584 --> 00:45:55,627
"Oh, this is a great wine--
oh, where's Tony?"
1033
00:45:55,669 --> 00:45:58,964
[gasps]
1034
00:45:59,006 --> 00:46:02,009
And I ran outside.
1035
00:46:02,050 --> 00:46:05,137
Found him face down
on the bottom
1036
00:46:05,179 --> 00:46:07,181
of the deep end of the pool.
1037
00:46:07,222 --> 00:46:10,017
My beautiful wise little man.
1038
00:46:15,773 --> 00:46:19,526
So at that point,
my life was over.
1039
00:46:19,568 --> 00:46:24,364
somber music
1040
00:46:24,406 --> 00:46:27,284
What happened with Bill Cosby
1041
00:46:27,326 --> 00:46:29,369
was just a few short weeks
1042
00:46:29,411 --> 00:46:34,124
after my little boy drowned.
1043
00:46:34,166 --> 00:46:37,169
My roommate and I
went to this restaurant
1044
00:46:37,211 --> 00:46:39,171
right next
to the Whisky a Go Go.
1045
00:46:39,213 --> 00:46:41,840
It was like the new cool
steakhouse on the Strip
1046
00:46:41,882 --> 00:46:44,927
called Sneaky Pete's.
1047
00:46:44,968 --> 00:46:47,513
I was just having
a terrible, terrible day,
1048
00:46:47,554 --> 00:46:51,099
grieving, and Cosby
came to our table.
1049
00:46:51,141 --> 00:46:54,686
He was chatting her up.
1050
00:46:54,728 --> 00:46:57,648
It was clear that they had
their thing going,
1051
00:46:57,689 --> 00:46:59,691
so I was just sitting there,
kind of rearranging the food
1052
00:46:59,733 --> 00:47:02,361
on my plate
and glass of red wine,
1053
00:47:02,402 --> 00:47:03,821
and I wasn't participating,
1054
00:47:03,862 --> 00:47:06,990
and all of his corny jokes
were not moving me.
1055
00:47:07,032 --> 00:47:10,202
And finally, he reached over
1056
00:47:10,244 --> 00:47:13,956
and put a pill
next to my wine glass,
1057
00:47:13,997 --> 00:47:16,625
and said, "Take that.
1058
00:47:16,667 --> 00:47:20,546
It'll make you feel better.
It'll make us all feel better."
1059
00:47:20,587 --> 00:47:24,049
And then he put a pill
next to her glass,
1060
00:47:24,091 --> 00:47:28,262
and then he did like this,
as if he was taking a pill.
1061
00:47:28,303 --> 00:47:31,849
The pill started kicking in,
1062
00:47:31,890 --> 00:47:33,892
and suddenly, you know,
1063
00:47:33,934 --> 00:47:35,561
couldn't keep my head up,
1064
00:47:35,602 --> 00:47:39,940
and her head was bobbing
in her plate, too,
1065
00:47:39,982 --> 00:47:44,903
and slurring words
and feeling nauseated,
1066
00:47:44,945 --> 00:47:49,074
and I have this memory
that he reached out
1067
00:47:49,116 --> 00:47:52,077
and put another pill
in my mouth directly.
1068
00:47:54,121 --> 00:47:58,000
And it just got to the point,
and I think it was me--
1069
00:47:58,041 --> 00:48:01,670
it could have been her--
said, "I want to go home."
1070
00:48:01,712 --> 00:48:04,131
So he said, "Okay.
I'll take you."
1071
00:48:04,172 --> 00:48:06,341
We were probably
not looking very good
1072
00:48:06,383 --> 00:48:10,012
to be in public with
at that point.
1073
00:48:10,053 --> 00:48:12,598
So we went up
to the parking lot.
1074
00:48:12,639 --> 00:48:14,016
I got in the back seat,
1075
00:48:14,057 --> 00:48:15,893
and she was
in the front with him,
1076
00:48:15,934 --> 00:48:17,561
and suddenly,
we're going through
1077
00:48:17,603 --> 00:48:20,939
all those little windy
Hollywood Hills streets,
1078
00:48:20,981 --> 00:48:25,193
and I'm in the back seat
with spinners,
1079
00:48:25,235 --> 00:48:28,322
and then, all of a sudden,
the car stopped.
1080
00:48:28,363 --> 00:48:32,409
There we were,
parked kind of nose up,
1081
00:48:32,451 --> 00:48:33,785
and I looked, and there was
1082
00:48:33,827 --> 00:48:36,413
this--like a townhouse
1083
00:48:36,455 --> 00:48:39,374
kind of building.
1084
00:48:39,416 --> 00:48:44,338
And he said, "Oh, I want
to show you girls my awards
1085
00:48:44,379 --> 00:48:48,008
and things," and I'm going--
I didn't want to go.
1086
00:48:48,050 --> 00:48:49,801
I didn't want to go anywhere.
1087
00:48:49,843 --> 00:48:52,596
I just wanted to go home
and curl up in bed
1088
00:48:52,638 --> 00:48:54,222
and maybe throw up.
1089
00:48:54,264 --> 00:48:57,976
And got in this little
elevator, took us up.
1090
00:48:58,018 --> 00:49:00,979
I think it was
to the second floor,
1091
00:49:01,021 --> 00:49:03,941
and opened the door,
1092
00:49:03,982 --> 00:49:05,734
and it was no office.
1093
00:49:05,776 --> 00:49:08,695
And then she went over
immediately
1094
00:49:08,737 --> 00:49:12,032
and sat on the love seat
up against the wall
1095
00:49:12,074 --> 00:49:16,119
and keeled over on her side,
just...like that.
1096
00:49:16,161 --> 00:49:18,580
And I sat down on the love seat
1097
00:49:18,622 --> 00:49:21,083
and just put my head back.
1098
00:49:21,124 --> 00:49:23,919
And I don't know
whether I passed out or what.
1099
00:49:23,961 --> 00:49:26,922
All of a sudden, I remember,
everything was so silent,
1100
00:49:26,964 --> 00:49:30,008
it woke me up,
and I remember looking around
1101
00:49:30,050 --> 00:49:33,303
and seeing him
sitting next to her,
1102
00:49:33,345 --> 00:49:36,598
and he was just looking down
on her and looking down,
1103
00:49:36,640 --> 00:49:39,726
looking down, and she was
completely out of it.
1104
00:49:39,768 --> 00:49:42,020
Gone.
1105
00:49:42,062 --> 00:49:44,940
And I realized instantly
by the look on his face
1106
00:49:44,982 --> 00:49:48,777
and bulge in his pants,
what was going to happen next,
1107
00:49:48,819 --> 00:49:53,156
and so I started reaching
over and going ...
1108
00:49:53,198 --> 00:49:56,994
I was trying to say something,
but what was in my head
1109
00:49:57,035 --> 00:50:00,288
and was coming out of my mouth,
it just sounded like garble.
1110
00:50:00,330 --> 00:50:02,290
He kept ignoring me,
1111
00:50:02,332 --> 00:50:05,377
and then he started getting
this irritated look on his face
1112
00:50:05,419 --> 00:50:07,504
because I was distracting him.
1113
00:50:07,546 --> 00:50:09,840
And then he finally started
getting so annoyed
1114
00:50:09,881 --> 00:50:11,967
and I could just
see this whole--
1115
00:50:12,009 --> 00:50:15,053
his face changing, you know,
this anger coming over,
1116
00:50:15,095 --> 00:50:17,639
and he stood up,
and he came walking towards me,
1117
00:50:17,681 --> 00:50:19,975
and I got panicky,
and I stood up
1118
00:50:20,017 --> 00:50:22,477
and then lost my balance
and grabbed onto him,
1119
00:50:22,519 --> 00:50:24,229
and the next thing I knew,
I was on my knees
1120
00:50:24,271 --> 00:50:27,566
in front of the sofa, and...
1121
00:50:27,607 --> 00:50:29,234
well...
1122
00:50:31,945 --> 00:50:34,281
He orally raped me,
1123
00:50:34,322 --> 00:50:37,409
and then he stood me up
and bent me over
1124
00:50:37,451 --> 00:50:41,079
and did me doggy style
and split.
1125
00:50:41,121 --> 00:50:44,750
And as he's going out the door,
I said...[mumbles]
1126
00:50:44,791 --> 00:50:48,128
"How are we going--how are we
getting out of here?"
1127
00:50:48,170 --> 00:50:50,547
And he--
how are we getting home?
1128
00:50:50,589 --> 00:50:53,091
And he just pointed--
he didn't even look at me.
1129
00:50:53,133 --> 00:50:57,095
He pointed to the desk,
and he said, "Call a cab,"
1130
00:50:57,137 --> 00:50:59,139
and he slammed the door.
1131
00:50:59,181 --> 00:51:02,934
And the horrible thing is,
I said "Thank you."
1132
00:51:05,979 --> 00:51:08,774
For years, every time
I'd drive down the Strip,
1133
00:51:08,815 --> 00:51:11,610
I'd have to look away
when I passed that street
1134
00:51:11,651 --> 00:51:14,654
because I--you know,
my stomach would twist.
1135
00:51:17,240 --> 00:51:19,618
Here, he had taken advantage
of my grief
1136
00:51:19,659 --> 00:51:22,454
and had no compassion,
no empathy.
1137
00:51:22,496 --> 00:51:23,789
He didn't care.
1138
00:51:23,830 --> 00:51:25,749
I was just
the sacrificial lamb.
1139
00:51:25,791 --> 00:51:28,543
I was collateral damage.
He didn't get what he wanted
1140
00:51:28,585 --> 00:51:32,214
from my roommate,
so he took it out on me.
1141
00:51:37,511 --> 00:51:40,472
Well, I don't think I ever
told her the details
1142
00:51:40,514 --> 00:51:45,018
because I was so humiliated.
I was so ashamed.
1143
00:51:46,812 --> 00:51:48,939
Never told anybody.
1144
00:51:48,980 --> 00:51:52,692
I mean, told them that he had
gotten us drugged out,
1145
00:51:52,734 --> 00:51:55,278
or that, you know,
that he wasn't the nice person
1146
00:51:55,320 --> 00:51:57,155
that everybody thought he was,
1147
00:51:57,197 --> 00:52:01,827
but I never said
what he specifically did to me.
1148
00:52:01,868 --> 00:52:03,578
I couldn't.
1149
00:52:03,620 --> 00:52:06,456
I couldn't even think about it,
because you use the words,
1150
00:52:06,498 --> 00:52:08,708
then you have the images,
then you have the feelings,
1151
00:52:08,750 --> 00:52:13,046
and then you, you know,
are washed with self-loathing.
1152
00:52:14,548 --> 00:52:15,841
I never talked about it.
1153
00:52:15,882 --> 00:52:18,009
I never told anybody
any of the dirty details
1154
00:52:18,051 --> 00:52:20,679
for years and years and years.
1155
00:52:20,720 --> 00:52:23,348
I didn't know
that there were other women.
1156
00:52:23,390 --> 00:52:25,517
I just thought it was me.
1157
00:52:25,559 --> 00:52:27,352
[interviewer]
So he drove you to an office,
1158
00:52:27,394 --> 00:52:29,437
some sort of a place
that was not his home,
1159
00:52:29,479 --> 00:52:31,439
-and then, what did he do?
-Correct.
1160
00:52:31,481 --> 00:52:35,694
Opened his fly and had me...
1161
00:52:35,735 --> 00:52:37,821
perform oral sex
1162
00:52:37,863 --> 00:52:41,658
and then raped me.
1163
00:52:41,700 --> 00:52:43,034
[Kamau]
I think for many of us,
1164
00:52:43,076 --> 00:52:45,036
the hardest thing about
the Bill Cosby situation
1165
00:52:45,078 --> 00:52:47,080
is that we loved him
for such a long time
1166
00:52:47,122 --> 00:52:51,001
before we ever heard
about any of the allegations.
1167
00:52:51,042 --> 00:52:53,587
It feels like new information.
1168
00:52:53,628 --> 00:52:58,258
But long before
he was America's dad,
1169
00:52:58,300 --> 00:53:01,052
long before he was himself,
1170
00:53:01,094 --> 00:53:05,557
before we watched him
on Saturday morning cartoons,
1171
00:53:05,599 --> 00:53:07,934
before I was even born...
1172
00:53:10,520 --> 00:53:13,899
The guys that frightened me
the most were the monsters.
1173
00:53:13,940 --> 00:53:17,402
[Kamau] From almost
the very start of his career,
1174
00:53:17,444 --> 00:53:20,363
Cosby is alleged to have been
sexually assaulting
1175
00:53:20,405 --> 00:53:21,990
and raping women.
1176
00:53:22,032 --> 00:53:23,909
[interviewer] He prepares
a cocktail for you.
1177
00:53:23,950 --> 00:53:25,994
[Kristina]
Yes, a bourbon and seven.
1178
00:53:26,036 --> 00:53:28,914
I must have passed out again,
because when I awaken,
1179
00:53:28,955 --> 00:53:31,333
I found myself on a bed.
1180
00:53:31,374 --> 00:53:33,585
He had his hand
on the back of my head.
1181
00:53:33,627 --> 00:53:35,253
[reporter] She says
he then tried
1182
00:53:35,295 --> 00:53:37,255
to force her to perform
oral sex.
1183
00:53:37,297 --> 00:53:39,341
[Sunni]
I had ordered a Coca-Cola.
1184
00:53:39,382 --> 00:53:41,676
I have never been a drinker.
1185
00:53:41,718 --> 00:53:45,180
And that was when things
began to become blurry.
1186
00:53:45,222 --> 00:53:49,100
What I do remember next
was waking up naked
1187
00:53:49,142 --> 00:53:50,393
in a bed alone.
1188
00:53:50,435 --> 00:53:51,728
[Carla]
I turned around, and there was
1189
00:53:51,770 --> 00:53:53,104
nobody in the room at all,
1190
00:53:53,146 --> 00:53:55,232
just him and I.
He grabbed me.
1191
00:53:55,273 --> 00:53:58,985
He had me up against him
and kissed me in the mouth.
1192
00:53:59,027 --> 00:54:02,197
And I just pushed him,
and I ran down the hallway.
1193
00:54:02,239 --> 00:54:05,575
I was on The Tonight Show.
1194
00:54:05,617 --> 00:54:07,369
I was in my dressing room.
1195
00:54:07,410 --> 00:54:08,995
He opened the door.
1196
00:54:09,037 --> 00:54:10,664
He came up to me,
1197
00:54:10,705 --> 00:54:13,250
zippered down his pants,
1198
00:54:13,291 --> 00:54:16,753
and put my head on his penis.
1199
00:54:16,795 --> 00:54:18,004
[Linda Brown]
When I awakened,
1200
00:54:18,046 --> 00:54:20,298
I was naked
in the bed beside him.
1201
00:54:20,340 --> 00:54:23,969
I couldn't move or speak.
I felt paralyzed.
1202
00:54:24,010 --> 00:54:26,721
He flipped me over
and sexually assaulted me.
1203
00:54:26,763 --> 00:54:27,889
[Cindra] And I had a headache,
1204
00:54:27,931 --> 00:54:29,432
and he brought back a capsule.
1205
00:54:29,474 --> 00:54:30,809
He wouldn't tell me
what was in it
1206
00:54:30,850 --> 00:54:32,811
and was like,
"Well, don't you trust me?"
1207
00:54:32,852 --> 00:54:34,562
Well, of course I do.
It was Bill Cosby.
1208
00:54:34,604 --> 00:54:36,731
[Linda Traitz] He starting
grabbing at my chest.
1209
00:54:36,773 --> 00:54:39,985
Then he started
to push himself on top of me.
1210
00:54:40,026 --> 00:54:41,319
That's when I panicked.
1211
00:54:41,361 --> 00:54:43,321
I opened the door
and ran out of his car.
1212
00:54:43,363 --> 00:54:47,492
[Joan] I came to with him
taking off my underwear.
1213
00:54:47,534 --> 00:54:50,078
He pulled me up by my hair
1214
00:54:50,120 --> 00:54:54,082
and shoved his penis
in my mouth,
1215
00:54:54,124 --> 00:54:57,544
and I thought in that instant
that people are going to find
1216
00:54:57,585 --> 00:55:00,880
a naked body
in a canyon somewhere.
1217
00:55:00,922 --> 00:55:02,924
1218
00:55:02,966 --> 00:55:06,511
Even though he was like
the kind of center of morality,
1219
00:55:06,553 --> 00:55:09,347
then
and all throughout his career,
1220
00:55:09,389 --> 00:55:11,975
it turns out that
just behind the curtain,
1221
00:55:12,017 --> 00:55:15,395
there was the most immoral shit
you could imagine going on.
1222
00:55:17,188 --> 00:55:19,274
[Kamau] But we didn't know
about any of that.
1223
00:55:19,316 --> 00:55:23,361
The Bill Cosby we knew was
going through some changes,
1224
00:55:23,403 --> 00:55:26,614
like Black folks
all over America.
1225
00:55:26,656 --> 00:55:28,533
[reporter]
Dr. Martin Luther King
1226
00:55:28,575 --> 00:55:31,286
has been shot to death
in Memphis, Tennessee.
1227
00:55:31,328 --> 00:55:32,954
[Todd] In the late '60s,
1228
00:55:32,996 --> 00:55:36,958
you have
this shift in the culture,
1229
00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:40,462
and it creates the opportunity
1230
00:55:40,503 --> 00:55:44,466
for a new representation
of Blackness.
1231
00:55:44,507 --> 00:55:46,051
-I am--
-[crowd] I am--
1232
00:55:46,092 --> 00:55:47,886
-Black.
-[crowd] Black.
1233
00:55:47,927 --> 00:55:49,346
[Kamau]
But as the culture shifted,
1234
00:55:49,387 --> 00:55:54,351
Black performers
started to shift.
1235
00:55:54,392 --> 00:55:57,395
Cosby uses this moment
to transform his image
1236
00:55:57,437 --> 00:56:00,565
from late-night comedian
to radical educator.
1237
00:56:00,607 --> 00:56:03,276
Black people have to go out
and burn up the neighborhood
1238
00:56:03,318 --> 00:56:07,238
in order to get the community
to see what's going on.
1239
00:56:07,280 --> 00:56:08,907
[Kamau]
And this point is critical,
1240
00:56:08,948 --> 00:56:11,576
because it's Bill Cosby's
focus on education
1241
00:56:11,618 --> 00:56:14,621
that sows the seeds
for the rest of his career.
1242
00:56:14,662 --> 00:56:19,209
And nobody could have imagined
how big that career would get.
1243
00:56:19,250 --> 00:56:20,794
When we turned on the TV,
1244
00:56:20,835 --> 00:56:24,005
it was almost impossible
not to see Bill Cosby.
1245
00:56:24,047 --> 00:56:26,716
He was our teacher,
and he was funny.
1246
00:56:26,758 --> 00:56:28,301
[person] And now welcome
the star of the show.
1247
00:56:28,343 --> 00:56:30,220
[Tressie] Everybody knew
the show was happening,
1248
00:56:30,261 --> 00:56:32,097
this show called
The Cosby Show.
1249
00:56:32,138 --> 00:56:33,640
[Marc] I mean,
there was just no way to know
1250
00:56:33,681 --> 00:56:37,143
how much America would fall
in love with this man.
1251
00:56:37,185 --> 00:56:39,437
You started hearing
these things
1252
00:56:39,479 --> 00:56:42,899
that this guy is not
who he appears to be.
1253
00:56:42,941 --> 00:56:46,444
We all know Bill Cosby
as America's dad.
1254
00:56:46,486 --> 00:56:48,780
What in the world
did you think was going on?
1255
00:56:48,822 --> 00:56:52,534
He constructed himself
as a role model.
1256
00:56:52,575 --> 00:56:57,247
There is a time when we have
to turn the mirror around.
1257
00:56:57,288 --> 00:57:01,918
He became
a cultural icon, hero,
1258
00:57:01,960 --> 00:57:04,337
not only for Black people,
but for all people.
1259
00:57:04,379 --> 00:57:05,505
Thank you.
1260
00:57:05,547 --> 00:57:07,048
He looked at me,
and he said,
1261
00:57:07,090 --> 00:57:08,383
"Fooled them again."
1262
00:57:08,425 --> 00:57:09,801
And suddenly, this is
1263
00:57:09,843 --> 00:57:11,469
no longer a rumbling
underneath the ground.
1264
00:57:11,511 --> 00:57:13,388
[interviewer]
I have to ask about your name
1265
00:57:13,430 --> 00:57:15,432
coming up
in the news recently.
1266
00:57:15,473 --> 00:57:17,308
No, no,
you don't answer that.
1267
00:57:17,350 --> 00:57:20,645
[interviewee] It was impossible
to comprehend, impossible.
1268
00:57:20,687 --> 00:57:23,314
It was just like...no.
1269
00:57:23,356 --> 00:57:25,650
Not Bill Cosby.
1270
00:57:25,692 --> 00:57:27,819
I'm Bill Cosby,
1271
00:57:27,861 --> 00:57:30,155
and you take care of yourself.
159089
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