Bill Cosby Happy 75th Birthday Give Him Chocolate Cake

Bill Cosby has done so much in his 75 years. He broke down racial barriers in I Spy the 1960s spy drama in which he starred with Robert Culp. He made audiences laugh with the short lived Bill Cosby Show and continued the laughter on Saturday mornings with Fat Albert Mushmouth Dumb Donald and the rest on Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids. Hey hey hey He appeared on Electric Company and taught kids via the Picture Pages segments that appeared on shows like Captain Kangaroo. Of course his 1980s smash hit The Cosby Show made every kid wish Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable was their dad. And it is impossible to think of Jell O Pudding Pops without remembering Cosby as the products spokesman. Cosby hasnit gone gently into retirement either. He’s spoken up on many issues affecting the African-American community and America in general — often delivering speeches that are controversial. And he has hard-earned experience with the social issues he speaks about — his only son, Ennis, who inspired Theo on “The Cosby Show,” was murdered 15 years ago for the simple crime of changing a flat tire in Los Angeles. But if you’re of a certain age, you may remember all of that, yet have a special spot in your heart for Cosby’s stand-up comedy, whether you saw him perform in person (I did!) or listened to his albums over and over (guilty!) His tale of listening to the “Lights Out” radio program about “The Chicken Heart That Ate New York” is hilarious and yet weirdly terrifying. (“It’s outside of your door!”)