Tuesday, February 12, 2008
At the beginning of the show, Oprah reminisced about David Cassidy's 40 year run in the entertainment industry. Friday nights in the early 70s meant sitting down to watch The Partridge Family; at 21 David Cassidy was the highest paid performer with the biggest fan club in history; countless people were entertained by David's Broadway performances in the 80s; the 90s found David charming his adoring fans during his Las Vegas run - and after 40 years in the business, he's still going strong.
For his first ever Oprah Show performance, David Cassidy came out singing his Partridge Family hit - "I Think I Love You".
David sat down with Oprah to talk about where he is now and his past success after his fans in the audience calmed down. Quitting at the height of his career, David shared that he was 24 and felt like the experience had nothing more to give him - he wanted to move on.
After having enough of the "stuff" that came with being famous, David felt it was time that he got a real life - starting in the business at 19 and exiting at nearly 25, David said he was physically a 25 year old but emotionally still 19. Not being able to go out and meet people, David never got the chance to even date.
Being a teen icon, David found it hard to even be looked at as a normal human being, making his life isolated and lonely. He found that people's perception of him was very different than the way he looked at himself.
After taking a break, David went into theater, not wanting to compete with his own fame. He wanted to leave his old success behind so that he could move on from it and do other things. Having kids really changed everything - he made sure his kids, Beau 17 and Katie 21, got an education first and a career second.
In 1984 a show came on the air that was unlike any other - The Cosby Show showed a black, educated, upper-middle class family when no other show on television had every portrayed African-Americans in that way. The impact was tremendous and the show reached out to everyone regardless of race because it focused on family first. The show was #1 in primetime for 5 years and touched and inspired so many - one fan, Chatice, wrote into the Cosby Show to share her experience with the Huxtable family. Chatice first saw the show as a child while being raised by an alcoholic father in an unhappy home.
The Cosby Show gave Chatice an escape to a place where a black family ate dinner together and made their children a priority. She credits the show with inspiring her to finish college, marry an engineer, earn 6 figures, own a home and have 2 little boys. Oprah felt it right to let Chatice and the entire audience meet the Cosby kids in person!
The curtain opened to reveal a re-created Cosby set down to the books in the shelf and the art on the walls. Sabrina Le Beauf(Sondra), Malcolm-Jamal Warner(Theo), Tempestt Bledsoe(Vanessa), Keisha Knight Pulliam(Rudy) and Raven-Symone(Olivia) were all guests on the show.
Malcolm-Jamal shared that the chemistry on air was true; that the cast genuinely enjoyed each other. Due to Bill Cosby's family living in New York, the show also filmed in the city, keeping the kids away from the Hollywood scene.
All of the "kids" didn't realize the impact the show had on people while they were taping, it wasn't until years later when they were removed from the situation that they felt the power it had for people, especially the African-American community.
Critics of the show continually said that the plot was unrealistic, that no black family in American actually lived that lifestyle.
Many of the actors received letter from fans of all class levels - many thanking them for their inspiring example, and many to thank them for showing a side to black life that actually did exist at the time. The focus on family and having an expectation for the children was an example for the whole country - to see a loving and affectionate couple who were successful and made their family a priority was a show that everyone could benefit from.
The "kids" credit Bill Cosby for being the father figure of the show, as well as teaching them about professionalism, being on time and the craft of acting.
Bill Cosby led the kids not only by his advice, but also leading by example - showing them the way they could be. Bill, via satellite, gives credit to Phylicia Rashad, mother Clair, for being the anchor of the show, the one who tied everything together.
When asked if there will ever be a Cosby Show reunion, Bill answered "NO" - but with his humor and sarcasm, it's hard to know if there ever will be a Huxtable update.
