All language subtitles for The Cosby Show s02e26 Special Commentary

We could read Macbeth. We could snuggle
up under the covers and read Macbeth,

and it could take all night.

Really?

And I'll be Lady Macbeth.

And I'll be the Big Bad Wolf.

They called me and said, we're going to
do a Bill Cosby presentation.

Would you direct it?

I had worked with Bill on a... Bill
Cosby show where he played a school

And I had loved working with him.

What they were going to do is take
scenes from Bill's records, those great

records he had, and sort of try to, you
know, make a half an hour type show with

a family.

The other shows that I had done, like
Barry Tyler Moore and Soul, we had

that... We rehearsed and did the line
basically the

way the writers wrote them.

On Cosby, we had wonderful scripts, but
because Bill was really more

comfortable saying and doing things for
the first time as a comedian.

Bob Newhart was the same way. I used to
work.

with bob they don't want to rehearse too
much and which is great for them

because that brilliant mind of his would
come up with wonderful things but it

was tough especially on the kids who
they didn't they never quite knew what

was going to say air conditioner
breakdown no are you hot

What are you looking for, Dad?

What are you looking for? Some food.

Ah.

So, you're the one.

What? Yeah, see, the power company
called and thanked me for running up a

bill. He could have a freedom to try
things.

And if he couldn't try things, it
wouldn't have been the same show. I put

key in the ignition.

Turned the thing anyway.

It's not running yet. It's just thinking
about it.

Just the right side now. Just the right
side.

She's sitting there like this.

You know, like she's dancing.

And you think I'm lying. The car said,
what?

I'm not lying.

The wife was the biggest problem because
Bill wanted her to be able to speak

Spanish because what he wanted to do was
with an Hispanic wife.

And it was important to him that she
speak Spanish.

And one afternoon, Felicia walks in and
she is doing a play called Dream

Girls. And I thought, oh, this lady is
just.

Terrific. But I'm afraid to ask her at
that point if she could speak Spanish.

And she did. She rattled off a string of
Spanish because she'd been raised in

Houston. So Spanish was like a second
language. After we got into the editing

room and I started cutting to Felicia
all the time because she had this

wonderful smile and laugh and she
listened so well. So when we got in

and Bill would go a little far afield or
couldn't quite remember the line or

something, I could cut to Felicia and
then get back to him. I remember the

you were chasing before I came along.

There you were.

Little bright -eyed, knobby -kneed boy
of 14 chasing a woman 18 years old who

was still in the ninth grade.

You know, I still wonder about her
sometimes.

And what do you wonder?

Oh, I wonder if she's still in the ninth
grade.

I'd watch every single...

camera because we'd record all four
cameras and then I'd take shots from

and there and try to piece it together.

And once I'd look at the final cut, I'd
realize this is really good.

Daddy, you don't have to hold me
anymore.

Was that our daughter just went by?

Yes, it was.

Well, how did she learn to ride like
that?

Well, I told her what to do and she did
it.

Told her what to do?

That's right.

Now, how can you do it and I can't?

I'm good.

You are good?

No. I'm amazing.

Bill really respected Felicia.

He respected her as a performer, and he
respected her intelligence to know

how to shape scenes when they had to do
with her.

Is it that your mother can stand here
and just tell you what to do and you go

whizzing by and I have to run with my
hand on the seat for 8 ,000 miles?

Mom's good.

There's not a person in the world who
doesn't love Felicia or would want to

with her. I just grabbed the only pizza
with black olives, anchovies, and

sausage, sneaked out the back door,
walked around to the front of the house,

came in through the entrance to your
office. You are a genius, and I am a

because I married you.

We had no script, and we're supposed to
shoot in like two weeks.

There was supposed to be a son and two
daughters, no kids. We didn't want to

have little kids.

Keisha walked in, and Keisha was four at
the time.

And she sat down at a desk, and we
talked for a little while, and then I

asked her if she could remember lines,
and she said, of course.

Hey!

What's that?

Pate. Can I have some?

You won't like it. Yes, I will.

Well, it's made out of liver.

I don't like liver.

And it has ground -up worm's eyes.

Then they have sauteed chicken's toes.

Like sauteed chicken toes.

Okay. So you want some? Yes.

They had a script from a show that was
on the air at the time called Punky

Brewster. And she had read those lines.
So we decided that once Bill saw her, he

would fall in love.

We couldn't find the middle daughter.

So now we're gathered in a room in Los
Angeles. We're going to bring in the

various kids to meet with Bill.

And this girl, this 15 -year -old girl,
comes up to me and said, I can't sign

the contract.

And I said, well, we can't read with
Bill in the network until the contract's

signed. She said, well, I can't be in
every show. And I said, well, you know,

it's about a family, and you're going to
have to be in every show. She said, no,

I want to be a singer. And I said, well,
if you don't sign the contract, you—

Can't do the show. She said, I won't
sign the contract. So she didn't go in,

it was Whitney Houston.

Lisa got the part, and I'm thrilled that
she did because Lisa brought so much to

the show. You two look comfortable.

We are.

Great, because I want to talk to you
about something.

You can't borrow my car.

I don't want to borrow your car.

Great, then she wants to borrow your
car. I need my car. I don't want to

your car either.

I want my own car.

She loved Bill's humor.

And Bill loved working with her. You
won't believe what happened to us. We

in a wreck.

A wreck?

Yeah. Where's the car?

Oh, it's okay. The front fender has a
little dent.

Where's the car?

He's still driving.

Where's the car?

Malcolm Jamal Werner showed up that
morning.

They hadn't found anybody.

until the morning of the reading. Come
on, drop it. Let me see it. Let me see

it. Come on. Lower it.

Bill had said he wanted to do the idea
of talking to the son about

earning a living, what it was like to
earn a living.

And Michael and Ed Weinberger came up
with the idea of using Monopoly money.

Suppose you graduate.

From high school. Let's say you just
slide by.

All right. Now, you've got to find a
job.

Now, what kind of salary do you expect
for a regular person?

$250 a week.

$250 a week? Yeah. Sit down.

I'm going to give you $300 a week. Yes,
indeed.

$300 a week, $1 ,200 a month.

All right? Great, I'll take it. Yes, you
will. And I will take $350 for

taxes. Whoa!

Huh? Yeah. Now, because, see, the
government comes for the regular people

Now, how much does that leave you with?

$850. All right.

Now, you've got to have an apartment
because you are not going to live here.

So, an apartment in Manhattan will run
you at least $400 a

month. I'll live in New Jersey.

All right.

You live in New Jersey, you've got to
have a car.

I'll ride a motorbike.

you need a helmet.

Figure $100 a month for clothes and
shoes.

Figure $200. I want to look good.

Okay, so what does that leave you with?
$200.

So, no problem.

There is a problem. You haven't eaten
yet.

I can get by on bologna and cereal.

So I got everything I need, plus $200
left for the month.

You plan to have a girlfriend?

For sure.

So Keisha and Felicia from New York,
Malcolm and Lisa from Los Angeles, and

we flew in Tempest from Chicago.

And that's how the cast got put
together.

Whoa!

Not as smart as Bill that I've ever
worked with as a performer.

He knows what they can do as well. And
I'm not going to sit there and argue

Bill. Sometimes I would say to him,
we've got to do it again because we

have it.

Or can you find a different way to do
it? The other thing that I love about

is he never once said to me, I want to
see an editor of a show before we're on

the air. He'd see them when they were on
the air.

Once he had faith that...

a person knew what they were doing, he'd
leave them alone.

And it was fun. It was just fun. It was
just a lot of fun on the set.

Lovely people to be with.

They have a great relationship with
their kids.

Up until then, usually either the
parents were really dumb or the kids

would manipulate them. And here was a
family that treated their children

as rational human beings and would do an
awful lot with humor.

Plus, it was funny.

So, I mean, it just was a very special
show.

But what we had going for us was a great
mind of Bill Cosby's. I mean, it's a

great, great comedic mind.

And the cast was so appealing.

We were very lucky to put that cast
together.

Do you want to be 19 again?

Only if you'll be 19 with me.

Shimmer. And the children could be 49.