From the beginning of Bill Cosby's career as a stand-up comic, his warmly hilarious reminiscences of his North Philadelphia youth have beguiled and amused fans, becoming the most popular element of his extensive repertoire. The singular storyteller's childhood-inspired material featuring such memorable characters as Fat Albert, Weird Harold, Dumb Donald, Mushmouth and Bill's own baby brother Russell exemplified his uncanny ability to capture the essence of his listeners' common experiences in a comic context. They helped to endear him to a massive audience in the 1960s. Universal. 2005.