The Terrible Catsafterme

SEASON 1 – CBS

Created by Bill Cosby, based on his comedy routines of reminisces of the friends of his youth first heard on his LP “Revenge”

The series was preceded by a 1969 one-hour NBC comedy special titled “Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Fat Albert“

Theme song: “Gonna Have a Good Time” composed by Ricky Sheldon and Edward Fournier, performed by Michael Gray with Kim Carnes and Edward Fournier on background vocals

• 001. Lying – 9/9/1972
  • Bill Cosby (himself) hangs out in a Philadelphia junkyard and talks about the dangers of lying, and then introduces us to the animated Fat Albert (Bill Cosby, Michael Lee Gray singing voice) and his friends James “Mushmouth” Mush (Bill Cosby), Dumb Donald (Lou Scheimer), Bill Cosby‘s younger self (himself) and his younger brother Russell (Jan Crawford), Weird Harold (Gerald Edwards), Rudy Davis (Eric Suter), and Buckey Miller (Jan Crawford). They too discuss lying and perform the song Don’t Go Telling a Lie. They run into their friend Edward (Eric Suter), who has just got back from Florida and claims to have lost his shoes wrestling alligators. The kids simulate alligator wrestling down at the muddy river, and get filthy. The kids go to Edward’s house to seek advice on how to get clean, but his cousin Violet (Erika Carroll aka Erika Schemier) refuses to let them see Edward and then spray them down with a hose. Edward gives them advice on how to lie to their parents to explain why they got so wet. Bill later tells Edward’s sister about the alligator stories, and she tells him that Edward can’t even swim. The boys then coax Edward into swimming, but Violet shows up and pleads with them to save her cousin, which they do. The gang forgives Edward but tells him that if he lies again, they’ll clobber him. Live action Bill recaps that there is no need to tell lies, because the truth can be trouble enough. 10/11/17

• 002. The Runt – 9/26/1972
  • The Cosby kids are playing basketball but exclude their friend Pee Wee because he is too short. However when Rudy had to go home they call him into the game to complete the teams. Pee Wee causes Fat Albert’s team to lose through his mistakes, and most of the kids make fun of him, but Fat Albert and Bill tell them to back off. Later Fat Albert takes Pee Wee out to find out if he might have some talent in baseball, but he fails at both hitting and pitching. The kids are then challenged by a rival gang to a game of football, and although they are ready to exclude Pee Wee once again, they realize that he has a tremendous kick and invite him to play. They are winning by a huge margin, but the rivals bring in their secret weapon Kong (Bill Cosby), a kid even bigger than Fat Albert, and then pull ahead with a huge lead. When Kong kicks the football way too far off the field, it goes into a building crack. The kids send in their pet duck Cluck to get it, but he becomes stuck inside too. Pee Wee saves the day when he is the only one who can crawl inside. The kids sing Don’t Look Down on a Small Guy. 10/15/17
• 003. The Stranger – 9/23/1972
  • Dumb Donald’s cousin Betty (Erika Carroll aka Erika Scheimer) moves into town and being from the South, she gets the cold shoulder from the gang. But when Rudy takes one of her tomatoes and hits the principal, Betty doesn’t tell on anyone from the gang. Rudy and the gang still blame Betty, but the teacher Miss Berry (Jan Crawford) assures her it wasn’t her fault. After inadvertently causing more disasters with the kids, she causes even more problems for Rudy on the tennis court. The gang even begins to blame getting more homework on Betty’s arrival. When she beings to share what she is learning in her King Arthur book, the gang starts to act out the story of the knights with Fat Albert declaring himself the king. Miss Berry gives the gang glowing reviews on their book reports on King Arthur, which can be attributed to Betty. Henceforth the gang – except for Rudy – all have a different opinion of Betty. The gang performs Everybody’s Different. 12/13/17
• 004. Creativity – 9/30/1972
  • Bill Cosby says he will relate the tale of how Fat Albert’s Junkyard Band was formed. Rudy has big aspirations of being a one-man act with his guitar, although he can scarcely play, bragging to the gang how rich and famous he will be. The gang plans to ask their parents to get them instruments as well, but they are all denied, so they all decide to make their own money by doing odd jobs around the neighborhood. Fat Albert and Dumb Donald get a bunch of bottles from the neighborhood old man Leadfoot (Bill Cosby). Harold and Donald wash a lady’s windows but only get a stick of gum from her. Bill tries to walk a hyperactive dog. Mushmouth tries to work for a baker, but he gives him a nickel to help someone else. Eventually they make enough money and visit the pawn shop to buy their instruments. but they can only get a broken drumstick for their 63 cents. When Rudy blows his guitar’s amplifier, he’s in the same boat. When Russell throws a rock against a bed spring in the junk yard, the noise it makes gives them the idea to use some old junk as their instruments. Pretty soon after a great deal of practice, their creativity pays off and they play the song We’re All Together. Lane Vaux and Keith Allen provide additional voices. 12/18/17
• 005. Fish Out of Water – 10/7/1972
  • Fat Albert and the kids are excited to be going to summer camp at Camp Green Lane, except for Russell who doesn’t want to go. When they arrive at camp, they find that another bus arrives with a group of white kids led by the disagreeable Bunky, and they meet their counselor Mr. Gonzalez, who runs the camp like the Army. Bunky begins trying to play pranks on Fat Albert and the boys, and soon they reciprocate. Mr. Gonzales insists that they all need to get along. That night around the campfire Bill tells the tale of the Chicken Heart, a hungry heart kept in a laboratory that escapes and begins to devour New York City. That night Bunky tries to dress as a ghost and scare the boys, but Bill has set up a scarecrow that scares them off. Russell is still homesick and wants to go home, and tries to run away. All of the kids team up to help look for Russell, and Bunky ends up trying to save him from falling into a ravine, but nearly falls in himself. Bill and Fat Albert rescue them both, and they all make up become friends. By the time they leave, Russell doesn’t want to go home. The Cosby kids recall their experience and sing the song One World. Pepe Brown provides an additional voice. 8/14/18
• 006. Moving – 10/14/1972
  • Fat Albert and the gang are challenged by a rival gang to championship of Buck Buck, a game during which one team member holds onto a telephone pole and his partners grab each other from behind, while members of the competing game jump on top of them until they collapse. They assume they will be a shoe-in since they have Fat Albert, but when they find out that he is down weight, they begin giving him all of their food to get him back up to his tonnage. When the competition takes place, the opposing team find the gang laughable until they see Fat Albert coming their way… but just then Fat Albert has to head home with a massive stomach ache. As they gang are discussing kicking Fat Albert out of their game, he is finding out that he and his family are moving away. The gang starts to get depressed thinking about the good times they had with Fat Albert, particularly when he designed a giant go-kart. They are all ready to apologize for booting him from the club, but don’t know where he moved to. Fat Albert then shows up and tells them that they had just moved around the block. The kids sing a song about moving away called Friends. 8/16/18 
• 007. Playing Hookey – 10/21/1972
  • The kids realize they could be having more fun if they took a day off school and played hookey. Only Donald has the guts to stand up to them and go to school instead of skipping, but then the kids worry all day that he’ll tell on them. They do not have the fun they thought they would on their day off, starting with skateboarding into an old man’s chuckwagon and he threatens to call the police on them. They hide out for a while, and then come out and try to have fun again, but they wind up cracking their boat in half while attempting to be pulled by a garbage scow, sliding down a chute into a pile of ash, and after narrowly avoiding the police, crashing a hand car. Since they haven’t eaten all day, they wind up begging for some food by a pair of homeless hobos in the junkyard, who espouse to them the thrills of life having played hooky all of their lives. After imagining their lives without an education, they show up early the next morning to school to make up for the studies that they missed. They sing a song about Playing Hookey. 3/31/19
• 008. The Hospital – 10/28/1972
  • Russell is reluctant to visit the school doctor to look at his tonsils, and when he shows him how easy it is to be checked out, the doctor determines that both of them need their tonsils removed. The boys try everything possible to avoid the situation, but then finally accept it, so they do a reading of their will and give away all of their valuables to their friends. Their friends assure them that having their tonsils out is perfectly safe, so they try to get their stuff back from them. When the time comes to check in at the hospital, the boys’ parents comfort them by telling them that they’ll get all of the ice cream they want, which makes them excited to go. The vow to not share their ice cream with their friends since they wouldn’t return their loot. After the surgery, the gang comes to visit and return their stuff, but the hospital won’t let them in without an adult, so Fat Albert and Mushmouth disguise themselves as an adult, and ultimately sneak in as a giant package, causing havoc along the way. Once they get in, they’re all envious of the boys for getting all the ice cream they want, but not enough so to have their throats checked by the doctor.  Instead, they all visit the ice cream man, which the real Bill gets a craving to do as well. The kids sing a song about being At the Hospital. 4/1/19
• 009. Beggin’ Benny – 11/4/1972
  • Fat Albert’s cousin Benny is visiting, and he immediately eats Russell’s ice cream bone, and then borrows money from Albert for a replacement… and eats that too. He also borrows Harold’s shoe polish and uses it to swipe one of Harold’s customers. He then proceeds to steal all of their customers by telling them a sob story. With the money he makes he offers to take the gang to a Humphrey Gocart movie, but when they arrive he claims he lost all of the money and only has enough to buy his own ticket, advising the kids to sneak in through the back door. They eventually get thrown out of the theater, but Benny promises to re-create the movie, swiping Fat Albert’s clothes to play the part of Gocart, and getting Albert in trouble. By this time everyone has had enough, and although Albert tries to defend him, Benny gets the message and roams off to meet new friends. He runs into three bullies who take his ice cream and money. The adult Bill phones Albert and encourages him to be an example to his cousin. Albert saves Benny from the bullies, but makes sure that Benny understands that he is being treated like he treated the others. The kids let Benny rejoin their Gocart play, and after some reluctance, Benny allows the kids to ‘get him’ in a fake gunfight. The Cosby kids perform the song Beggin’ Benny. 2/3/20
• 010. The Hero: Cool or Fool? – 11/11/1972
  • The kids idolize announce a cool older kid named Scrap Iron Yates (Lane Vaux aka Lane Schemier). Rudy is quick to do Scrap Iron a favor and return his sitar to the pawn shop and pay the extra money in order to get Scrap’s pool cue back. When Scrap needs more money to play pool, Fat Albert gets all of the kids to contribute. Scrap tells the kids how to sneak into the pool hall in order to watch him play. When they get caught by the owner, Scrap denies he knows the boys. He claims he did it for their own good so he didn’t have to be a witness against them. The boys later polish up Scrap’s motorcycle, but he charges them to give them a ride on his bike. He agrees to give Fat Albert, Bill, and Harold a ride… but all at one time. He takes them on a dangerous ride all over the city and end up splashing an officer with mud and crashing. Scrap tells the officer that the kids stole his bike and that he wants to press charges. When the officer asks Scrap for his license and registration, he finds out that he only has an expired learner’s permit. Scrap Iron tries to escape, but the kids reel him back in and he winds up in wet cement. The kids learn that it’s important to be careful who they put on a pedestal, and as a result perform the song He’s Not a Hero. 2/3/20
• 011. The Prankster – 11/18/1972
  • Bill gets a package from Otis the new kid in town, but it turns out to be spring snakes. Otis later scares Fat Albert with a rubber spider and a hand buzzer. The other kids think it is hilarious and invite him to join the gang. Fat Albert reluctantly agrees, so they initiate Otis by making him go into a haunted house. When he doesn’t come out, Fat Albert goes in after him, only to be chased out by Otis is a ghost outfit, much to the delight of the gang. Fat Albert is disgusted, so he quits the group. Later Otis pranks another gang of kids by having them look through viewfinders and which give them ink black eyes. The gang challenges the Cosby kids to a fight. Fat Albert refuses to save them and tells them that Otis caused the problem so he can get them out of it. Otis helps the kids train in karate, boxing and weightlifting, but when he takes them for a job, he guides them into a manhole, which them shoots them out a fire hydrant and into a empty bathtub. When the gang shows up to fight, the kids abandon Otis, and he winds up tripped up by his own practical jokes. The gang is too busy laughing at him that they forget about the fight. Later Fat Albert reads to Otis and kids from his Brown Hornet comic book. When Otis gets drawn to an ad for a squirting flower, the kids make it clear they are done with jokes. Fat Albert and Cosby Kids perform the song A Joke Isn’t a Joke If You Hurt Someone. Bill gets another package and douses it and smashes it thinking that it is another joke, but it turns out to be a lunch that his mother packed for him. 5/11/20
• 012. Four Eyes – 11/25/1972
  • Bill Cosby talks about trying on various pairs of glasses and admits that he himself wears them, but explains that some kids don’t see glasses as being too cool. The gang enlists their friend Heywood (Lane Vaux aka Lane Schemier) to play junkyard baseball with them, but he doesn’t do much playing after all. Instead he makes the gang laugh with his antics, including using a broom to hit the ball and standing behind the catcher when he is batting, and then when he runs to base, he knocks over an old man’s chuck wagon. In school the next day, he makes everyone laugh by reading The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere completely wrong, and at one point holding his book upside-down. Miss Berry takes him to see the principal, and they take him to the clinic to have his eyes tested. He is told that he needs glasses, but he resists strongly saying the kids will all make fun of him. Sure enough when they spot him the next day in his new glasses, they call him ‘four eyes.’ However they are surprise that he can now read so well, but they won’t let him play baseball since they have an important game against the Riverfront Blockbusters. When the Blockbusters don’t have enough players, they add Heywood to their team in right field. To everyone’s surprise, Heywood is excellent at both hitting and fielding in his new glasses. The Blockbusters end up winning 19 to 0. The next day in school, all of the kids are wearing glasses, proclaiming that if they can’t beat him, they’re going to join him. The Cosby kids sing Four Eyes. 5/11/20
• 013. The Tomboy – 12/2/1972
  • Bill Cosby is knitting a sock and talks about how everyone should follow their hobbies no matter what anyone says. Fat Albert likewise is enjoying his hobby of baking fudge, which he attempts to bring discreetly bring to his teacher Miss Breyfogle (Jan Crawford) but he is intercepted by the gang who eats it all during a melee. In fact it takes a new student named Penny to stop the roughhousing when Miss Breyfogle enters the room. The gang requests that Albert make more fudge and then they play some football. Penny wants to play but they all laugh at her, until her first kickoff goes farther than they would have ever imagined. She continues to challenge them to different sporting events including basketball, weightlifting, pole vaulting, and Indian wrestling, all of in which she gets the upper hand. The gang eventually escapes her, and when Penny goes looking for them, Violet tells Penny to tone down defeating the boys. She talks her into doing some girl activities too like sewing and baking, and encourages her to enter a baking contest in which Fat Albert is entering. Penny laughs at Fat Albert but sure enough, he wins the contest. Penny is irritated to have lost, so they go back to some more sports. Penny works with Fat Albert to help him improve his tennis abilities. Bill Cosby tells us that things will even out as they learn each others skills. The Cosby Kids sing a song they wrote for her called She’s a Tomboy. 8/25/20
• 014. Stagefright – 12/9/1972
  • Bill Cosby talks about how the life of an actor isn’t easy. The gang is sitting around bored when Fat Albert shows them a flyer for the Harbor Light Drama Club, which is offering a prize for the best amateur play based on a classic work. Russell suggests re-creating the William Tell story, but when they used a pumpkin on Donald’s head, he gets covered by it. They then decide to perform Moby Dick, with Fat Albert in the main role using an inflatable whale as his costume. They show  up at the theater and meet its leader Miss Shoopkagel, and unload their huge number of props to put on the play. The gang gets in a fight with Rudy because he shows up as King Arthur knight Sir Gallahad. Miss Shoopkagel suggests that he does his own soliloquy. Rudy opens the act, and the the others go on stage. Fat Albert faces some major stage fright that he has to overcome. In the end, his costume is punctured and the stage is destroyed. Rudy wins the grand prize, which is ballet lessons with Miss Shoopkagel. The Cosby Kids performs the song Stage Fright. 8/26/20

SEASON 2

• 015. The Bully – 9/8/1973
  • Bill Cosby illustrates what it’s like to behave like a bully on a mannequin, and shows how the kids are getting picked on by a bully named Slappy and his goofy sidekick Fungo. While the kids are playing baseball, Slappy takes over pitching and hurls a grapefruit in at Bill that explodes when he hits it. Fat Albert doesn’t see it and thinks that Slappy is a good guy. When Fat Albert hits the ball out of the park and Russell tries to retrieve it, they play keepaway until Russell tackles Fungo. He gets caught by Fat Albert, who thinks that Russell started it. Later the kids go roller-skiing, and Slappy ties a rope to Bill’s ski. It backfires and he winds up getting dragged by Bill, but again, Fat Albert only sees the aftermath and is told by Slappy that Bill purposely dragged him. Slappy and Fungo then pursue Bill all over town, and they wind up hitting Fat Albert with a water bomb… that appears to have come from Bill. They finally catch up with Bill, but Russell distracts them with his pet frog Clyde. Slappy steals the frog, which jumps into his jacket, and when Russell tries to take it, he winds up tickling Slappy so bad that he can’t stand it and gives the frog back. They catch up to Bill again, but this time Fat Albert overhears them not only picking on Bill, but badmouthing Fat Albert. He finally intervenes and makes them promise not to pick on anyone in the gang again. Once Fat Albert leaves, he goes back on his word and starts hassling them again and steal their baseball. Russell knows the secret this time and tickles Slappy until he relents. The junkyard gang sings the song Nobody Likes a Bully. 12/11/20
• 016. Smart Kid – 9/15/1973
  • Bill Cosby pontificates about how he always admired the guys getting good grades, then introduces the audience to Thurman, a classmate of the kids. Everyone in Miss Breyfogel’s class have failed the exam and have to stay after class… except Thurman, who not only got an A+, but feels no need to take his books home. After the gang gets out of class, Thurman talks them into putting their books aside and playing some volleyball, but Thurman is so bad at sports, he destroys the court with his ineptitude. The next day in school, everyone is amazed by Thurman’s ability to explain one of Einstein’s theories. It is then revealed that Thurman stays up late every night studying all that he can, while putting on the appearance that learning comes naturally to him. The kids flub their oral questions the next day in school, so they try to hit the books harder. Thurman tries to distract them with playing golf, but he again plays terrible and this time the kids decide to work on their homework. After studying, Thurman is still attempting to play golf and hits the ball through a window. After Thurman leaves, the kids find out that the building he hit was being demolished anyway. They go to tell him the good news, and find out from his sister how hard he is cramming. The kids decide to work with Thurman and teach him to box, while he tutors them. Miss Breyfogel is impressed with how well the kids are at answering questions during school. The kids perform the song You Can Make It if You Try. 12/11/20
• 017. Mister Big Timer – 9/22/1973
  • A bearded Bill Cosby talks about he never had any money when he was a kid, unlike the Cosby kids’ friend Frainey Bates, who shows up throwing money around, handing out licorice whips, and providing a new bat and ball… which makes the new compass that Fat Albert has found go unnoticed to the gang. Two men show up and deliver a motorbike to Frainey as well. All of this money and these gifts come from Frainey’s older brother Muggles. Fat Albert takes a reckless spin on the bike and winds up wrecking it. While Frainey isn’t worried about it and buys the gang a round of ice cream, Fat Albert goes to see Muggles to apologize and offer to work to raise money to replace the bike. Muggles won’t hear of it, but instead asks Fat Albert to deliver a package to a friend and collect the money from him. Fat Albert agrees, but is stopped by the police and told that he is carrying narcotics for Muggles. Fat Albert agrees to cooperate with the police, although Fat Albert’s parents are concerned. They manage to nab Muggle and toss him in jail, which makes the local news. The gang wants to give Fat Albert a hero’s welcome, but Frainey is furious and tells the gang that this means no free stuff for him or them. The gang then tosses away the awards they were going to give Fat Albert, who tries to make peace with Frainey by giving him his compass. Frainey tosses it into the lake, but the other kids tell Fat Albert that they’re on his side and are glad he helped rid the streets of dope. Bill Cosby hopes that Frainey will come around as well, and the kids sing the song Dope Is for Dopes. 4/4/21
• 018. The Newcomer – 9/29/1973
  • After seeing how much trouble Bill has with getting Russell home for his bath, and Harold has getting his sister Tiffany home for dinner, Dumb Donald feels great about not having any siblings. However, when he arrives home, his parents break the news to him that he is going to have a new baby brother or sister. Donald is upset and acts out on the ball field when he breaks the bat in half. The kids try and help, and they all go to the zoo and see the baby animals with their parents. They also all discuss where babies come from, but no one actually knows the truth. When Donald goes home, his father explains that the baby is inside his mother and she is at the hospital because it is time to come out. Donald is most excited that he gets to tell the guys where babies really come from. After he gets his new baby sister, for the next three weeks, he stays at home and won’t let the kids see her, telling them how much of a pain she is. He finally lets them see her, but his tune doesn’t appear to have changed. However, when Fat Albert leaves his football in his house and goes back in, he sees Donald sweet talking and feeding his baby sister. The boys sing the song Lean on Me, which is all about becoming a big brother. 4/5/21
• 019. What Does Dad Do? (aka Dad’s Job) – 10/6/1973
  • Bill Cosby discusses that the gang doesn’t think jobs are important unless they come with a lot of glory. In class, Miss Breyfogel assigns the kids to talk about their father’s job. Donald tells everyone that his father is an animal trainer, Buckey says his father is a rich big business tycoon, Bill says his father is a secret agent, Harold tells the class that his father works in a submarine, Mushmouth says his father is a movie star, Rudy says his father is an antique collector, and Fat Albert tells everyone that his father is a boxer. Each of them supplies an example of what their father does. Miss Breyfogel then asks them to tell her what they really do. Fat Albert admits his father boxes things at a warehouse, Rudy says his father is a junk collector, Mushmouth says his father hosts a tour bus, Rudy’s father actually works on a tugboat, Bill says his father is a night watchman, Buckey admits his father sells brushes, and Donald says his father is a dog catcher. Miss Breyfogel says it is important that they all learn that each job is meaningful, and assigns them all to go to work with their fathers. On the jobs, Rudy sells an old gumball machine, radio, and phonograph to a customer that considers them all treasures, Rudy sees how his father saves a speedboater, Fat Albert works on the loading dock and knocks over stacks of packages with a forklift, Donald sees how his father rescue a dog for an ungrateful woman, who asks that his father get arrested, but instead gets a ticket from a policeman. Bill works with his father, who ensures that a large number of boxes aren’t damaged by a sprinkler system by turning it off as soon as it extinguishes a small fire. The kids present an update on their father’s job, except for Mushmouth who misses the bus. The kids sing a song called Everybody’s Job Is Important. 7/29/21
• 020. Mom or Pop – 10/13/1973
  • There is a new girl named Flora at school, and the gang is obsessed with finding out what she carries around in her pink bag. Rudy tries to swipe the bag with his foot, but she tickles him and causes him to laugh – and get in trouble – in class. Fat Albert then tries to get it out of her, but she won’t tell him anything. Rudy then swipes the bag and the gang plays keep-away from her. Albert tries to stop them and get it back for her, but they end up ripping it, and revealing that there is a stuffed puppy dog that her father gave her in there. The guys find out that her parents are divorced, and feel bad enough to make her a miniature play dog house for her. When she hears her mother fighting on the phone with her father Leonard, she expresses her sadness to the gang. They try to cheer her up by making her Queen of the Junkyard and putting on a Miss Junkyard USA Pageant, full of failed acrobatic acts. She returns home, and finds that her parents are fighting over her birthday, no less, so she leaves again. Russell has spotted her climbing out the window, so the gang and her parents on go in search of her. As her parents drive through city trying to find her, they soften on each other somewhat and stop fighting. The gang finds her in their clubhouse, where she says is the only place lately that she is happy. Her parents agree that they need to do better to look out for Flora’s interests. The gang performs their song You Can Be Together Even When You’re So Far Apart. 8/1/21
• 021. How the West Was Lost – 10/20/1973
  • The gang lines up early in the morning at the theater to start a western marathon with the film A Crooked Arrow. After the movie, they start playing Cowboys and Indians in the street. The next day at school Miss Breyfogel introduces a new boy to the class, named Johnny Mocwow (Lane Vaux aka Lane Schemier), a Hopi Indian who has just moved to town from Arizona. Rudy is very skeptical that Johnny is a real Indian, since they’ve never heard of a Hopi. They ask Johnny to show them something that he does as a Hopi, so he shows them how well he can climb a pole to a rooftop. Rudy shows him that he can do the same, but he gets stuck hanging off the building, and Johnny has to rescue him. The gang starts to further doubt him when he isn’t familiar with Indian Wrestling, he is a good swimmer, and he reads book, all of which aren’t typical traits of Indians they see in the movies. They gradually stop playing with him, until an old-timer named Mudfoot Brown (Bill Cosby) calls them out for their false assumptions. He tells them a tall tale that they believe, and then he admits that it was all false, illustrating how fake facts can be believed. The gang goes to the library, and they check out some books on Indians, and the truth fascinates the gang. Johnny then shows up to say goodbye to them, and tells them that his father got a job opportunity in Indianapolis. They all bid him farewell, but Rudy still doesn’t seem to have time for him… especially since he wants to get back to reading about Indians. The gang sings a song called Check It Out, which talks about killing false notions by reading up on subjects. 1/29/22
• 022. Sign Off – 10/27/1973
  • The gang learns about signs in school, with the teacher showcasing the danger warning triangle, with Bill Cosby seconding the instruction by showing various symbols that can be placed within the triangle. Meanwhile, the gang discovers an abuse of signs and symbols when they encounter derogatory drawings which insult Fat Albert and Rudy, all signed by a mysterious culprit named Cool Roy (Lane Vaux aka Lane Scheimer). In addition to the graffiti, he is also moving signs around the city, causing the gang’s friend Pee-Wee’s father to have to go around the fix them. Meanwhile, the gang is looking for a place to play football, and when they find a closed-off street, they start playing there. However, the closed wooden barriers were put up by Cool Roy, and when some workmen find them and remove them, the gang is nearly hit by the traffic that comes once the wooden horses are removed. They then decide to play on the school grounds, since the “Keep off the Grass” signs are no longer there. However, they are yelled at by the groundskeeper, who directs them to the signs that Cool Roy has returned. The gang then moves to playing on Fat Albert’s apartment roof, but when they are caught by Albert’s parents, Fat Albert is assigned chores to do. While taking out the trash, he catches Roy Preacher painting more graffiti about him. Roy pleads with Fat Albert not to turn him in, and promises to turn over a new leaf… but with his fingers crossed. Later the gang returns to an open field to play football, but the ball goes over a fence and gets stuck near a building. Pee-Wee can get under the fence, so he attempts to rescue the ball. Two construction workers find them there, and tell them that the building was about to be demolished. Roy had removed the Danger signs, and Fat Albert refuses to vouch for him, so the construction worker turns him in. Fat Albert rescues Pee-Wee before the building falls. The gang sings a song called Signs, about the importance of paying attention to them. 1/29/22

SEASON 3

• 023. The Fuzz – 9/6/1975
  • On a particularly hot day, the gang’s friend Parker shows them how to open up the fire hydrant and let the water flow to keep them cool. The police come, but they are busy working on a stakeout so they let Parker and the kids go with a warning. Parker wants to show the others how he stands up to authority, so after he thinks the police are gone, he rounds the corner and begins insulting them. The police are standing by to catch a robber, but when the robber hears him talking about police, he grabs Parker and uses him as a shield and makes an escape. Parker tells the guys that he was actually working with the police, and that since they screwed it up, he is severing his ties with them. Parker then tells Fat Albert that a building is on fire and tells him to pull a fire alarm, when the building is actually only smoking because a cook is frying up burgers inside. The firemen come and put Fat Albert on the spot, which makes him upset at Parker. The kids then find an abandoned amusement park on the pier, so Parker distracts the security guard and the guys sneak in. They narrowly escape injuries on the rotted boardwalk, in the fun house, and boat ride of horror. Then they board the dilapidated rollercoaster, and it breaks down and starts to collapse while they are on board. Parker tries to tell the guard about the danger, but the guard doesn’t believe him after he tricked him before. Parker then gets the attention of the police while Fat Albert keeps their car from collapsing on the tracks. Parker tries to take credit, but the kids are only grateful to Fat Albert, since Parker has been getting them into trouble all along. The police take Parker downtown to question him about his recent activities. The kids sing a song called Don’t Mess with the Man to warn about the recent trouble they’ve been in. 6/7/22
• 024. An Ounce of Prevention – 9/13/1975
  • While playing baseball one afternoon, they run into their friend Lucius, who begins entertaining them with his many magic tricks. He works with Rudy to teach him some of the tricks, but when Rudy returns to him to ask further questions, Lucius snaps at him seemingly without reason. Likewise, Fat Albert looks to Lucius for some juggling pointers, but Lucius snaps at him as well, and tosses his ball down the manhole. Lucius then invites the entire gang over to his place for a pizza party, but when the gang arrives, Lucius acts as if he has no idea what they are talking about. Fat Albert decides to follow Lucius and see where he goes with a bag he’s carrying, and he tracks him to an abandoned building where he is drinking alcohol. Fat Albert tells the gang, and Rudy has the idea to try and scare him from drinking alcohol by having Russel pose as a ghost, a skeleton, and a pink elephant, then telling Lucius that he has an alcoholic uncle who sees things too. Fat Albert tries a more practical approach by telling his parents about Lucius. They then invite Lucius’s parents over for dinner and tell them their concerns. The parents know Lucius drinks, but didn’t want to interfere with his personal life. However, they did talk to their doctor and found out that their family isn’t alone. The vow that no matter what they do, they will make sure that Lucius knows they love him. Lucius later thanks Fat Albert and tells him that now that he knows how much his parents care, he had discarded all of his bottles. The kids sing a song about the show called Ask Your Momma. 6/7/22
• 025. Fat Albert Meets Dan Cupid – 9/20/1975
  • Fat Albert’s club go through Dumb Donald’s treasurer’s report and determines that they have enough to go to the movies. Most of the guys all agree that they’ll see a romantic picture called Warm Cookies and Broken Hearts, but Fat Albert refuses to watch a romance film. However, after everyone else watches the movie, they find that Albert has snuck into the picture and is sitting by himself. Later the boys all wait to see the new girl in school, Laverne. They all say hello to her, but Albert is so smitten, he can barely speak. Albert to spend his time reading rather than doing tricks and showing off in the park, but when Laverne comes along, they all end up hurting themselves. Albert makes fun of them for being show-offs, then trips when he stands up. Fat Albert tries to show off by lifting a trash can, but trash falls out the bottom and lands all over his face. Later at school, Fat Albert gives Laverne chocolate-covered almonds as a gift from a secret admirer, but accidentally tells him that they are from him. Albert then starts ‘accidentally’ running into Laverne around town so he can carry her books, while the other boys tease him. Fat Albert tells the guys he can date Laverne whenever he wants, but that he doesn’t want the other guys to get jealous. They want him to prove he’s not too afraid to ask her out, and as he approaches her, he has visions of their wedding in his head. She tells him that she was wanting to go a movie with him, so they off on their own to see one. They walk home together afterward, and he asks her out again, but she has to do homework. He tries to make future dates with her, but she tells him that she is very fond of him and cares about him, but only wants to be friends. Albert is down in the dumps for a while… but soon he is helping a new girl with her homework in the park. Than gang performs the song There’s a Whole Lot of Fish in the Sea. 9/30/22
• 026. Take 2, They’re Small – 9/27/1975
  • Fat Albert is looking after his younger cousin Justin, but it is raining outside, so they are forced to read comic books and then to play football with the gang indoors. When the rain lets up, Fat Albert’s father sends them outside, but soon it starts to rain again, so Justin suggests they browse around in Perry’s Department Store. Justin runs into his friend Harlow, who whispers suspiciously to Harlow and then teases Fat Albert about his weight. When the store managers sees them in the store, he runs everybody out. When they get outside, Justin gives Fat Albert a candy ball, and claims he stole it inside the store. On the way home, Fat Albert tries his best to coach Justin that stealing is wrong. Harlow later tells Justin that he is now ready for a big score. That night at dinner, Albert tells his parents about what Justin did, so they call Justin’s parents and tell them. Justin initially denies it but then tips his hand and incriminates himself when he mentions that no one saw him steal. He gets angry that Fat Albert told on him, and cries to his parents that he’s sorry. Fat Albert holds a meeting with his friends to come up with ideas on how to help Justin, but they offer nothing useful. Fat Albert thinks about his little cousin going to jail and decides he must do something on his own. Meanwhile, his friends puncture their football, and Harlow offers to help them get a football if they will steal some things for them, but Rudy turns him down. Fat Albert then comes along and tells they kids that they should all follow Harlow, who is threatening Justin and insisting that he starts stealing more. Fat Albert and the kids chase Harlow off and pick up his bag of stolen loot that he drops in the process. They take it to the police department and turn it in, and they end up arresting Harlow. Although they release him to a probation officer who promises all of his actions will be under a microscope. Justin is grateful that Fat Albert turned Harlow in. The kids sing the song Stealing Is Uncool. 9/30/22
• 027. Animal Lover – 10/4/1975
  • The kids are playing baseball in the junk yard, but when Fat Albert hits a ball far into the outfield and Bill is about to catch it, Dulcy’s dog Sanford gets in the way and causes him to trip. Russell is particularly upset that it looks like Fat Albert hit a homerun off of him, and he yells at Dulcy for letting her dog run loose. Dulcy maintains that animals should be given the same free reign as people should. She tells them to consider how they would feel if they had to wear leashes around their necks. The gang later attempts to play volleyball in an alley, but they experience interference from another dog, and the from a pigeon. Finally, Sanford returns and steals their volleyball and runs off with it. This time they report Sanford to the police, and they send the animal shelter to take the dog. She berates the guys for picking on her, and she vows that once she retrieves Sanford that it is going to be business as usual with the dog roaming the streets. This time she has Sanford chase them off. When Dulcy tries to retrieve Sanford, he runs off with another dog, and when she approaches them, the other dog nips her on the finger. Dulcy’s mother is frantic when she finds that she’s been bitten by a stray dog. The gang gets winds that Dulcy might have to get rabies shots unless they can track down the dog that bit her and have it checked out. They have a meeting about it and agree to split of and try to locate the dog. The look all over the neighborhood and can’t find it, but then they realize that Weird Harold hasn’t returned yet. When he shows up, she has the dog in question. Thankfully, the dog gets checked out and is clean for rabies, meaning Dulcy doesn’t have to undergo any treatments. Dulcy thanks the kids for finding the dog, and she also shows them that Sanford is now on a leash and collar with the proper tags. The Cosby Kids sing the song Take a Look Around You. 1/22/23
• 028. Little Tough Guy – 10/11/1975
  • After Fat Albert defeats the entire gang at tug-of-war which Rudy blames on a blister on his hand, the kids meet the new kid in town, Dwayne. They notice that Dwayne has an impaired foot that causes him to have to wear a thick-bottomed shoe. The kids decide to not mention and draw attention to it. They meet him formally in school the next day, and when Fat Albert spills his lunchbox while opening up a seat for him, Dwayne tries to help pick up his food and falls over. Alfred is careful not to mention his foot. Later, Dwayne joins the guys for basketball, but he winds up barreling into Rudy while taking a shot. They later play baseball, and Fat Albert purposely lets him score a home run, leading only to cockiness from Dwayne. The other kids all get sick of it and leave the game midway through, saying that they need to get home for dinner even though it is only 3:00 in the afternoon. While Fat Albert is talking to Laverne about their football game, Dwayne shows up and interrupts and agrees with Fat Albert, who tell shim that he’s quite an athlete. Dwayne demands to play quarterback on the gang’s football team. When Dwayne is late for the game, Rudy volunteers to be the quarterback. When Dwayne finally shows up, he again assumes he will be the quarterback, and then starts everyone around. Russell finally tells him that he can be bossy and do whatever he wants just because Dwayne has a bad foot. Fat Albert is mortified by what Russell said, while Dwayne goes off alone crying. Fat Albert comes to talk to him and tells him that it was his bossiness that made the gang uneasy around him, not his foot. Dwayne is hard on himself and says he’s good for nothing no matter how hard he tries. Fat Albert confesses the weight problem he tries to deal with but can’t. Meanwhile, none of the guys on the team can kick the ball, so Fat Albert and Laverne try to check out how Dwayne is at kicking. It turns out that he’s better at it than anyone on the team. They recruit Dwayne to play on Fat Albert’s Junkyard Jets team against the Next Block Bombers, and it is Dwayne’s extra point kick that wins them the game making him the big hero. The gang sings the song We All Got Something to Give. 1/24/23

SEASON 4

• 029. Smoke Gets in Your Hair – 9/11/1976
  • Fat Albert catches fellow schoolmate Wambly smoking in the janitor closet at school and gives him a lecture on potentially burning down the school. Wambly doesn’t want Fat Albert’s advice, and he is later spotted smoking by the Junkyard gang. Whereas, Fat Albert continues to lecture him, the rest of the kids, along with Wambly’s younger sister Lotus think that Fat Albert is a square and laugh at him. Lotus later notices that Wambly is doing a lot of coughing and can’t seem to shake his ‘cold’. The kids later go to see the movie The Killer Whale That Swam Up the Hudson and Ate New York City, but Rudy doesn’t show up to meet them. The kids later spot Rudy in the theater smoking cigarettes and causing everyone to choke on the smoke. Fat Albert and the others chase him through the theater and are all kicked out of the theater. Rudy begins hanging out with Wambly at his house and smoking cigarettes. Wambly’s father comes home and catches them. Although he is a cigar smoker himself, he thinks that Wambly got the idea to smoke from Rudy. Between his own smoking, he tells Wambly that he wants him to stop and reports it to his wife. She criticizes Wambly’s father of being addicted to smoking himself. Later, Fat Albert sees smoke coming from the clubhouse and douses the inside with water. He finds that it is Rudy and Weird Harold smoking cigarettes, and again, the entire gang makes fun of Fat Albert for lecturing them. Albert gets depressed and goes to see Mrs. Breyfogle for advice, but she tells them that he is not responsible for their actions. Later, the gang plays a baseball game and Wambly is the last at bat. He is distracted by the sounds of his father coughing uncontrollably, which causes him to strike out. Wambly’s father collapses but refuses to let the boys call the ambulance. He recovers, and decides then and there to quit smoking, and solicits Wambly to follow suit. The kids sing the song Smoking Will Wipe You Out. 7/6/23
• 030. What Say? – 9/18/1976
  • The Junkyard gang heads to the Soda Fountain for penny-candy day. A new girl named Shanna (Erika Carroll aka Erika Schemier) shows up at the shop, and Rudy lends her some money for her candy and tries to talk to her, but it appears that Shanna just ignores him, causing the other kids to all laugh and make fun of him. The boys’ bickering carries over into class the next day, but Shanna still continues to ignore all of them, even as they throw things at each other right by her. Mrs. Breyfogle has her introduce herself to the class and she tells everyone she is from Dayton, Ohio. When Mrs. Breyfogle asks her what famous pilots come from there, she responds that the ‘pirates’ are from Pittsburgh. Mrs. Breyfogle thinks she is joking around and tells her to sit down. At lunch, Shanna continues to ignore Rudy. He thinks she is stuck up, but Fat Albert thinks she is just shy. He sends some other girls over to play with her, but she gives them some strange responses as well. Fat Albert then goes to see Mrs. Breyfogel and tells her that he doesn’t think she can hear well. The school doctor gives her some tests and then sends her off to see a hearing specialist. Meanwhile, back in the junkyard Bill Cosby has a deaf person speak to the audience using sign language. Fat Albert tries to give words of comfort to Shanna, but she tells him not to shout at her, and tells him that she just wants to be left alone. The school calls home and speaks to Shanna’s mother, who had no idea that Shanna had any hearing issues. Fat Albert keeps trying to speak to her slowly and loudly to her, but Shanna runs away crying, telling him that she hates how everyone is making a big deal out of her hearing issues. When a truck nearly runs her over until Fat Albert steps in and grabs her, she finally realizes that she needs to be tested for her own safety, and her mother agrees. Shanna returns to the doctor and gets a hearing aid. She starts to think that the sounds are too much and prefers being deaf, and the doctor tells her that she will get used to the sounds. The kids convene in the junkyard to play kickball, and Shanna watches from afar. When Rudy hears her laughing, he starts to mock her, but Fat Albert steps in and makes Rudy apologize to her. The rest of the kids follow suit, and Rudy offers to buy Shanna an ice cream cone. The kids sing a song called Listen! 7/6/23
• 031. Readin’, Ritin’ and Rudy – 9/25/1976
  • Miss Breyfogel goes on extended leave for teaching school, and the kids get a new substitute teacher named Miss Johnson. Most of the kids decide right off the bat that they don’t like her, but Rudy is the rudest of all of them, smarting off and making jokes all through class. At the end of her first day, Rudy matter-of-factly approaches her and tells her that they don’t like her as much as they liked Miss Breyfogel. Fat Albert criticizes all of the gang for the way they treated her and tell them that they need to give her a chance but he is only met by their criticism of him. The next morning at school, Fat Albert walks into class before Miss Johnson arrives and finds the class engaging in an eraser fight. When he tries to stop them and begins picking up the erasers, they throw erasers at him. Making it even worse, Miss Johnson thinks he is the one behind the fight. He is forced to stay after school late, and when he is finished, he again yells at the guys for letting him take the rap. The next day in class, Rudy once again starts cutting up, so Miss Johnson sends him to see the vice-principal and Rudy is put on probation at school. Rudy decides that he’s tired of the treatment and that he’s going to simply drop out of school. When the kids play volleyball next, Russell’s team loses because they didn’t have Rudy to help. Russell blames this on Miss Johnson. With Rudy having nowhere to go during the day, he wanders around town and bumps into old Mudfoot, who tells Rudy that he had dropped out of school when he was a boy as well. This led to him having a horrible job loading train cars all of his life under a tyrant boss named Iron Jaw. At school, Russell and the gang decide they actually like Miss Johnson better than Miss Breyfogel after all. Russell approaches Miss Johnson and apologizes for his behavior and asks if he can come back to school. Miss Johnson says that she and him can prove that a new teacher and a new class can get along. The kids perform the song Your Teacher Can Be Your Friend. 11/3/23
• 032. Suede Simpson – 10/2/1976
  • Fat Albert stops a ballgame one day so that he and the other kids can paint the fence on the field. A boy named Suede Simpson comes along and helps them, but they all notice that Suede doesn’t smell very good, with Russell being the one is most vocal about it. This manifests itself even more strongly in gym class, where Suede makes the choice not to take a shower after class. When Fat Albert overhears the other kids making fun of Suede because of his aroma, he suggests that instead of making fun of Suede, they should tell him that he smells bad. They wind up drawing straws and Fat Albert loses. Fat Albert hems and haws and tries to talk his way around the topic, using a broken-down car, and cat cleaning himself, and the odor that fish emit as analogies to broach the subject, but Suede misses the point entirely. Meanwhile, Suede finds out that Wanda Washington is having a party at her house, so he invites himself to join Albert and the gang as they head to the party. They all know that Wanda hasn’t invited him because he smells so bad. However, Suede thinks his invitation hasn’t arrived in the mail, and he wants to pretend he’s not at the party and then reveal himself to see Wanda’s ‘excited’ reaction. However, once he arrives, all of the girls start out avoiding him and then all start to leave one by one. Suede jokes that if he didn’t know better, he’d think that everyone is leaving on account of him. Russell blurts out that they all think he’s dirty as evidenced by his smell. Suede is dumbfounded and reacts angrily before storming off. Suede stays away from everybody for a few days, and then suddenly reappears with a girl on each arm. He tells the guys that he took a bath and has been keeping upon his hygiene and now feels like a new man. He treats some guys to some fresh cookies at the bakery because he says now that life is sweet. The guys sing a song called Soap and Water. 11/3/23
• 033. Little Business – 10/9/1976
  • Fat Albert attempts to repair the gang’s old bike, but after he gives it a test run, it falls apart. Bill finds an ad in comic book that they can win a bike by sending in for a novelty sales kit to sell items for the company and adding just $5.98 for postage. Fat Albert is skeptical but agrees that they can look through their treasury… where they find all of 47 cents. The gang decides to go door-to-door looking for odd jobs to raise the money. The boys all pair off and search for jobs, which they either find to be over their heads, or wind up making a bigger mess by covering Fat Albert in paint. Eventually, they win the money and send in for the novelties. The box later arrives, in which they find the novelty sample kit containing black and white Christmas cards, Revolutionary War soldiers, and Shetland hair pieces. The guys return to many of the houses where they previously did work to sell their new wares, but no one is interested in their junk. Despite their favor, Fat Albert rallies the kids to get back on the horse. This time he thinks he can make the buyers come to them by putting on the show of the year on the street. Rudy does some magic, Bill does a ventriloquist act with Dumb Donald as the dummy, and while the crowd is watching, Fat Albert passes around the novelties for sale. Unfortunately, the police show up to put a stop to them selling without a license or their permit to perform. The kids are hauled into City Hall along with Fat Albert’s father. The prosecutor doesn’t want to press charge but asks for their help to put a stop to the novelty company. He also shows them the shoddy bike they would’ve won had they sent in the money. Despondent that they’ll never get a bike now, Shanna rides up on a new bike that she bought by doing babysitting odd jobs. The boys then realize that they could raise the money for a bike like they did to get the postage money. The kids sing the song Look Before You Leap about their experience. 3/12/24
• 034. TV or Not TV – 10/16/1976
  • Rudy is practicing hitting golf balls in the junkyard and bragging about his ability, but Fat Albert bets that even shy Monroe can hit a ball further than him. Even though Rudy only hits the ball about an inch, Monroe manages to do worse, meaning Fat Albert has to make good on his bet to push a golf ball with his nose across the junkyard. Monroe feels bad that he cost Fat Albert the bet, but Fat Albert tells him not to worry. When Fat Albert engages him in chatting, all Monroe can talk about is a movie that he watched. Later, the kids plan to clean the lot for Mrs. Franklin, and Monroe is supposed to bring them the tools to do it. When he doesn’t show up, the boys go to see what is keeping him and find him sitting at home watching TV. Because of the delay, the boys miss the chance to borrow the tools from Monroe’s apartment janitor. Later, Monroe’s mother leaves him to go work a night shift and tells him to go to bed. However, after she leaves, he sneaks back out to watch more TV. His mother finds him the next morning asleep in front of the TV. Meanwhile, Fat Albert and the game see that their musical hero Purdell Peters is playing locally but think they can’t afford the $7.50 admission. However, Mrs. Breyfogel announces that there will be contest at school for each class to put on a one-act play, and the winning class will win tickets the concert. Monroe offers to write a Robin Hood play and enlists the gang to be part of it. The boys rehearse the play, but when it comes time for the show’s curtain, Monroe hasn’t shown up. As Fat Albert is trying to call Monroe, he is at home practicing his fake fencing while watching TV. He then gets caught up in a Purdell Peters concert on TV. Fat Albert bicycles to his house, snatches him up, and then rides back to the auditorium with Monroe in tow. After a train delays their arrival, they wind up missing their performance, which costs them all the Purdell Peters concert. The next day at school, Mrs. Breyfogel announces that everyone who was ready to participate in the play gets taken to the concert, leaving Monroe behind. Monroe watches the concert on TV, but his mother sets a TV alarm for him to turn the TV off and read a book. The Cosby kids work up a song about TV watching called TV or Not TV. 3/12/24
• 035. The Shuttered Window – 10/23/1976
  • With his friends’ help, Fat Albert has crafted a new skateboard, but when he takes it on a test run, he is quick to crash. Undeen (Erica Scheimer) brings her Uncle Monty (Johnny Brown) to mee the gang, and gives them some suggestions on skateboard safety, then shows them how he can ride a skateboard while standing on his hands. Quite the entertaining showman, Monty takes Undeen out to feed the ducks, fish, and squirrels. When Fat Albert finds out that their sports are going to be cut at school due to budget cuts, Monty suggests that they put on a benefit show. The kids decorate a hall for the show, while Monty rehearses juggling and jokes, puppetry with his dog Homer, and a dance number with Undeen where they alternate telling jokes. As the gang later puts up signs all over town for the event, they are informed by Wambly that Monty won’t be at the show as he has suddenly passed away. All of the kids are depressed at the news, especially Undeen, who gets furious at her mother when she suggests turning Monty’s room into a sewing room. When Undeen doesn’t show up for school for quite a few days, Fat Albert goes to talk to her but struggles to find any meaningful words. He later runs into her in the park and tries to tell her that she needs to move on now that he is gone, but she doesn’t want to accept his death as real. Eventually, Undeen’s mother gets through to her and tells her to let Uncle Monty’s love live on in her heart. Undeen then decides that what Monty would want is for the benefit show to go on, so she begins helping get it set up again. The kids sing the song Life Must Go On as they remember Monty. 7/24/24
• 036. Junk Food – 10/30/1976
  • Rudy has organized a circus in the junkyard, with Weird Harold doing a tightrope act and Mushmouth and Fat Albert scheduled to be in the Jumbo Albert elephant costume. However, Fat Albert fails to show up, and they are forced to refund all of the ticketholders’ money. Fat Albert got caught up at Nick’s Candy Store, where he is hanging out and gorging himself on candy with his friend Slim Noodleton. Rudy drags him away to face the other kids, and they all poke fun of him for eating so much junk food. Albert gets annoyed and splits, but he declines Slim’s off er of coconut caramel chocolate covered popcorn, citing the kids betting on his case. Slim rags that he can eat whatever he wants, and it doesn’t affect him, but although he is skinny, he isn’t immune to getting a toothache. Fat Albert takes him to the dentist, who recommends that Slim stays away from candy. He checks out Fat Albert too and finds a small cavity. Fat Albert vows to only eat healthy food from now on, as well as brush his teeth, and increase the size of his muscles. Slim goes back to the candy store, so while Fat Albert is eating a tuna health salad, Slim has cotton candy. Albert even inspires his mother to make his father eat healthier. The real-life Bill also begins eating more fruit. Meanwhile, some of the rival kids challenge the junkyard kids to a Super Junkyard Bowl football game. As they are practicing, Slim’s little sister tries to drag him away to come home since he has skipped the last three evening’s worth of healthy meals. On the day of the game, the score reaches a tie of 84-84, and Slim is no help kicking an extra point, as he is nearly out of energy and the ball only goes a matter of inches. Slim attempts an onside kick during the last play of the game, but he nears total collapse. He attempts to throw the ball, and it goes right into the arms of the opponent… and Slim is powerless to stop him. As a result of Slim’s horrible health, they lose the game. Slim vows to take better care of his body and eat healthier. The kids sing the song Junk Food, Junk Food, It’s All the Same. 7/24/24

SEASON 5

NOTE: The onscreen title of the series was changed to “The New Fat Albert Show” starting in Season 5

• 037. In My Merry Busmobile – 9/8/1979
  • While the gang is playing badminton, Rudy is a bit more insulting to Russell than normal. Bill says that he’s acting this way because he’s a little bit nervous about the fact that they are all about to be bussed to Maywood, a new school for them. Meanwhile, Fat Albert calls a break in their game so that they can go watch their favorite TV program The Brown Hornet. The show relates the exploits of superhero Brown Hornet (Bill Cosby), who commands a ship through space with his pals Stinger (Lou Scheimer) and Tweeterbell (Erika Scheimer). As they run out of fuel, the make a crash landing on the planet Fedora, where they encounter two opposing sets of alien creatures, who both seem to be attacking them, but when they make themselves invisible, it is revealed that they are actually attacking each other because they are so different. One group is working on constructing a wall around a volcano before erupts, but the other group thinks that the volcano will never erupt and that they are wasting their time. The Brown Hornet and his men shake the area around the volcano to make both groups fear an eruption. They then join forces to quickly build a wall around the volcano so that when it does erupt, they are able to re-route the lava. Fat Albert gets to put this lesson into action when the gang attends their new school. One student named Kevin and his friend Margene (Erika Scheimer) seems hellbent on criticizing Fat Albert and his friends because they look and act different. Later, when their teacher Miss Wucher leaves the room, the class erupts into a circus of messing around and tossing the globe around, but the gang leaves Kevin and Margene out of the activity. Fat Albert tries to convince the other to make friends with the kids at school. While performing their gymnastics on the playground equipment, Margene tries to show off her skills, but everyone has walked away. Fat Albert calls a meeting to remind the guys about the episode of the Brown Hornet they watched and suggests that they team up with their new classmates. They return to the badminton court, and with Kevin and Margene watching them, Fat Albert and Bill run into each other by going after the shuttlecock, so Rudy asks Kevin and Margene to fill in for them. They soon realize they work and play well together and begin complimenting one another’s moves on the court. Even when Margene lands on top of Rudy, he takes it in stride. Bill Cosby sums up the fact that they learned that people of all races and religions can get along together, punctuating it by saying that you can’t have “brothers” without “others.” 11/25/24
• 038. The Dancer – 9/15/1979
  • Fat Albert and the gang hang out in the junkyard, training for their upcoming World Champion Boxing elimination. Their friend Dimitri happens by and says that he’d like to join their team, but because he’s a ballet dancer, in addition to being smart, they think he is too much of a sissy. However, outside of Fat Albert, all of the kids are too scared to fight the mammoth Slammin’ Sandy. Fat Albert tries to convince the others to give Dimitri a chance, but most of them, especially Rudy, are resistant. The kids watch the latest episode of The Brown Hornet, in which the hero and his stocky pal Stinger travel through space. In the latest episode, the heroes are searching for Mingis the Mighty, a space villain who is looting everything across space. Stinger is sent out to scout the galaxy looking for clues. Tweeterbell is kidnapped by Mingis, an act that is witnessed by a space creature named Silvo, a space artist who doesn’t speak English. Through various methods of miming, the creature is able to communicate to the Brown Hornet the whereabouts of Mingis and Tweeterbell, and the Brown Hornet is able to save her and put Mingis in prison. Bill Cosby points out that because of diversity in communication, the Brown Hornet was able to complete his objective. The gang runs into Mudfoot and tells them about Dimitri wanting to join the team, and he tells them how strenuous ballet is and how it builds body strength. When Dimitri continues to ask about joining their boxing team, Rudy challenges him to a fight, but Fat Albert breaks it up. Later, Fat Albert tries to get volunteers to fight Slammin’ Sandy, but none of them will do it. When they see Dimitri walking in the street, the gang hassles him and swipes his bag that contains ballet shoes and leotards, and then they play keep-away with his items. Dimitri volunteers to box Slammin’ Sammy, and Fat Albert agrees to give him a chance. During the elimination, both boxing teams are tied up, and the final match comes down to Dimitri and Slammin’ Sandy. Because of Dimitri’s ballet training, he is able to leap over Sandy during the entire match, eventually wearing him out and claiming victory. Bill Cosby notes that everyone has to understand that the creative arts are a great form of communication. 11/28/24

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