Lean On Me & The Cosby Show

The Cosby Show

I'm old school. Plus, I hardly watch any tv these days; so, the only movies and shows that I have to talk about are from the eighties and the nineties. So, the first program I have to talk about is Lean On Me which was released in 1989 (March 3, 1989) and was a true story about a high school (Eastside High) in a low class community, with dysfunctional kids from unstable, dysfunctional, homes, and teachers who had given into the horrible circumstances of the school. A principal, named Joe Clark, came along and changed all their lives.

The role of the principal, Joe Clark, was played by Morgan Freeman. And Joe Clark was no pushover; but he was wise enough to to be understanding, and fun, also. The thing that, eventually, made the school, and viewers of the movie, fall in love with the principal was his strictness, knowledgeably, combined with compassion, understanding, humor, and fun.

In this movie, which depicted a real life event, teachers learned a new pattern of thinking and became part of the solution to a problem which they had been victims of. The children learned what true love was; and they learned self-respect, and dignity.

This film, mostly, involved ethnic raced people. Most of the students and teachers were African American. The principal, Joe Clark, was African American. And other characters were of other ethnic races like Latino races. But, of course, there were some Caucasian characters. And this brings me to the African American series which I believe will be pleasing to anyone who likes the, inspirational, African American, film, Lean On Me.

I think that, if you liked Lean On Me, you would love The Cosby Show, which first aired on September 20, 1984, starring Bill Cosby, who was one of it's creators.

The show was about a, high class, African American family. The mother, Claire Huxtable, was a, successful, lawyer whose character was played by Phylicia Rashad; and the father, Clifford Huxtable, was a, successful, doctor whose character was played by Bill Cosby. The two of them had five children whose character's were played by Sabrina Le Beauf, Lisa Bonet, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, and Keshia Knight Pulliam.

If you compare this show to Lean On Me, and use your imagination, you can see in The Cosby Show a place and people the likes of what someone like Joe Clark builds towards, a life that could have been invented by a person who comes along and helps lower class people understand their potential and worth - or a place and people that children, like the one's Joe Clark helped, might find one day as they use the skills and attitudes he taught them. For example:

In The March, season 3 and episode 6 of the series, Theo wrote a paper for school about a Civil Rights act called The March On Washington. His assignment and low grade brought the family together. In the livingroom of the Huxtable house, Theo's parents and grandparents sat discussing the event which they had each, personally, lived to see and had participated in. Now, they had lived to share it with some of their children, or grandchildren, who sat listening to the story that contained their history - part of the history of the African American struggle for freedom, equality, and justice. It showed the unity of the family, family bonding, the wisdom and experience of the elders, and the stability of the home.

In Hillman, season 3, episode 25, the family takes a trip to a college that is part of their family history. You see the appreciation for family history, and education. Part of the show includes the young woman, Denise Huxtable, following in the footsteps of her parents and grandparents by being a student of the college.

The series also relates to the movie in that the people in that series had the spirit of Joe Clark in that they believed in offering a helping hand to less fortunate people. Many episodes of the show demonstrated this. For example:

In Mr. Quiet, season 1, episode 23, of the show you see the Huxtables volunteering at a local community center. Cliff Huxtable, an obstetrician, teaches a free class where he advises and informs pregnant women on what to expect, and how to have a healthy pregnancy. Meanwhile, a young boy shows up at the center who, for some reason, doesn't talk. You see the coming together of the staff members and volunteers as they try to find out how they can help the boy. The Huxtable's only son, Theodore Huxtable, whose character is played by Malcolm Jamal Warner, had tagged along to the center with his parents. Around the end of the show, he decided to donate his basketball to the center after seeing that the only balls that the children at the center had to play with were in very bad shape. And that was the character that he had learned by being raised in the Huxtable home.

In No Way, Baby, season 5 episode 16, Cliff Huxtable's patient is a, very young, pregnant, woman who has no one to father her baby, nor supporter during her pregnancy. He takes it upon himself to track down some form of support for her. He finds the young woman's grandfather, a man who it turns out doesn't know how to read, but who is, pretty, pushy and bossy towards Cliff. Cliff complains to his wife while he shows nothing but patience towards the girl's, illiterate, grandfather. And his wife only encourages him to be even more patient, suspecting that the man can't read. It's through her that they find out that he can't read. Cliff finishes assisting the young woman and her grandfather never expecting even a minor thanks.

In Period of Adjustment, season 7 episode 4, the Huxtable's, teenaged, cousin, Pam Tucker, played by Erika Alexander, who is from a much lower class area and circumstance has been invited to come live with the Huxtable's while her mother is away. She and her friends become part of the Huxtable household as her friends are there often to visit with Pam. Here you see demonstrated the respect that these very well-off people have for people who are less advantaged. You see their value for the equality of those with less advantages. And you see how willingly they offer a helping hand to those less fortunate whether of their own family, or of those unrelated. Pam and her friends remain on the show from then on; and, so, you continue to see that quality of the family as you see how much she becomes just another member of the family; and her friends become family friends.

There is another way that Lean On Me relates to The Cosby Show. Though the Huxtable children did not live in a dysfunctional home, they had the ignorances and misbehavior common to children no matter where they come from, or who their parents are. And the parenting of the Huxtable parents included the same knowledge and wisdom of Joe Clark.

In Truth or Consequences, season 5 episode 12, you get a demonstration of the Huxtable's disciplinary methods. When Vanessa Huxtable, played by Tempestt Bledsoe, lies to her parents about where she's going one night, sneaks out to see a boy, and then stays out past her bedtime, Cliff and Claire are furious. But never does anger ever cause either of the Huxtable parents to step outside proper, parental, behavior. In that episode, they ground Vanessa and the next morning speak to the boy who was the reason for her defiance. Cliff has a one on one talk with the young man that allows you to see a similar wisdom and knowledge he has to Mr. Clark when it comes to handling the minds of the youth. You see it also in both him and Claire when they handle their daughter in that episode.

In A Room With No View, season 5 episode 23, the two youngest children of the Huxtable family are constantly fighting and causing a disturbance until the father reaches his last straw after the two children knock part of the ceiling down with their fighting. Cliff puts the children out of the bedroom they share and forces them to live in the basement until they learn to get along, feeding them jail food on trays. His disciplinary methods in this episode resemble the creative disciplinary methods of Joe Clark.

Both Lean On Me and The Cosby Show are inspirational programs. And, while they can inspire anyone no matter the race, they each promote a positive image for African Americans and other minorities, and encouragement to these classes to believe that we can accomplish the same things we see accomplished by majority races.

Of course, one of the main things about each of these shows is how much they do not discriminate in terms of race, or nationality. These programs go a long ways to promote racial unity.

With that said, I end my story. Thanks for reading!

THE END