Little Bill (TV series)
| Little Bill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Bill Cosby |
| Directed by |
Robert Scull Jennifer Oxley Olexa Hewryk Mark Salisbury |
| Starring |
Xavier Prichett Gregory Hines Phylicia Rashad Ruby Dee Monique Beasley Tyler James Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52[1] |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel |
Nick Jr. BET Centric |
| Original run | November 28, 1999 – February 16, 2004 |
Little Bill is an American animated children's television series produced for Nick Jr. The stories are based on Bill Cosby's Little Bill book series, set in Philadelphia,[2] and feature Bill Jr. learning a lesson or moral. It was developed through research and in consultation with a panel of educational consultants.[3]
The show also aired on CBS as part of Nick Jr. on CBS, from September 16, 2000[4] - September 7, 2002, then as part of Nick on CBS from August 2, 2003 - September 10, 2005. The show returned with the return of Nick Jr. on CBS on September 17, 2005, and seen through September 9, 2006, when the block was replaced with The KOL Secret Slumber Party on CBS. The series went back into production in fall 2006 and a new season of 6 episodes aired on Noggin throughout April and July 2007, ending in the later month. Reruns were played on Nick Jr., but ceased as of February 24, 2014 when the show was pulled from the air.
Sonia Manzano, best known for playing Maria Rodriguez on Sesame Street, was a frequent writer for the show.
Characters
- William "Bill/Little Bill" Glover Jr.
- An inquisitive and imaginative boy who loves his hamster and is a fan of the (fictional) Blue Sox baseball team. He also likes Captain Brainstorm because he comes up with great ideas. He enjoys going to kindergarten, although he misses Elephant, but he is still happy. He is known as Little Bill because his actual name is Bill Jr; his father's name is also Bill. Little Bill is African-American. Voiced By Xavier Prichett. He is based on Bill Cosby's son Ennis William Cosby.
- Elephant
- Elephant is a small light yellow hamster who loves Little Bill. The only noises that are heard from him is his blinking eyes after Little Bill has spoken and he sneezes in one episode. When the rest of the family goes on vacations, he is left alone with Alice the Great, Little Bill's great-grandmother. He gets sick in one episode, but gets better at the end.
- April Glover
- The oldest of the Glover children, She is a highly talented basketball player on the school team, and also at basketball camp, where she won a trophy and is also in a choir. She is often seen getting bossy. (She sometimes argues with Bobby.) She is the only sister. Voiced By Monique Beasley.
- Robert "Bobby" Glover
- Bobby is the most studious of the kids. He is always reading and investigating things. He is the middle child and oldest son of the Glover children. He can also play the violin and sometimes he can say upsetting things, usually resulting in his family saying, "Bobby!" Voiced By Devon Malik Beckford (Season 1-2) and Tyler James Williams (Season 3-4).
- William "Bill/Big Bill" Glover Sr.
- Father of Bobby, April, and Little Bill. They have a very close relationship with their father. He works for the Department of Housing, as a housing inspector. His hobby is collecting and listening to jazz records. He is also known as Big Bill because his actual name is Bill Sr. Voiced By Gregory Hines.
- Brenda Glover
- Little Bill, Bobby, and April's mother. Wife of Big Bill, she works for a bank (see "Mom's Trip"), but her hobby is photography. Voiced By Phylicia Rashad.
- Alice the Great
- Great-Grandmother of Little Bill, Bobby, April, and Jamal; Alice is also Brenda and Deborah's grandmother (see "The Magic Quilt"). Alice the Great has an older brother and older sister (see "The Surprise") and a cousin who lives in Cincinnati. Usually teaches Little Bill lessons and tells stories to him. She also lives with the family. Voiced By Ruby Dee.
- Captain Brainstorm
- Captain Brainstorm is an astronaut who has an orange rocket and an orange space suit. Little Bill is a fan of his TV show, Space Explorers. Captain Brainstorm has a dog called Spark-E whose tagline, "Ruff-Roo!", is in a dog accent. Voiced By Bill Cosby.
- Andrew Mulligan
- Andrew is a red haired, freckled boy who is Little Bill's best friend. Andrew and Little Bill have many things in common - they both like Captain Brainstorm or play with construction sets, etc. In one episode Copy Cat Little Bill and Andrew had a quarrel and Andrew called Little Bill a copy cat, but soon learns his lesson and apologizes to him. Andrew has a pet dog named Farfy. Andrew is sometimes seen with his cousins: Kevin and Rachel. He lives two houses away from Little Bill. Voiced By Zach Tyler Eisen. (Credited As Zachary Tyler)
- Kiku Wong
- Kiku is an Asian-American friend of Little Bill's. Little Bill would say that she is the nicest of his friends. She loves nature (particularly flowers) and origami (her grandmother, Ms. Natsuko, showed Little Bill how to make origami in the episode "Shipwreck Saturday"). Voiced By Eunice Cho.
- Fuchsia Glover
- Fuchsia is the paternal cousin of Little Bill, Bobby, and April. Her father Al (Big Bill's brother) runs a shop close to Little Bill's house. Fuchsia's mother is named Vanessa. Voiced By Kianna Underwood. She goes to school with Little Bill.
- Dorado
- Classroom friend of Little Bill (see "New Foods" and "Natural Root Pals"). Teaches Little Bill about experiencing the Latino culture by inviting him to dinner. Dorado introduces Bill to arroz con guandules y platanos (chicken with rice and bananas). Dorado is a bit of a comedian.
- Monty
- Grandson of Alice the Great's best friend Emmaline, uses a wheelchair to get around because he was born with cerebral palsy. He and Little Bill are good friends and pretend to be dinosaurs together; Monty's favorite is the tyrannosaurus rex. Voiced By Cole Hawkins.
- Michael Rhiley
- A classmate of Little Bill's who moves to the neighborhood from Miami, Florida. He is mean to Little Bill and his friends at first, but he soon learns his lesson. He is then a very good friend to Little Bill. He sleeps over at Little Bill's house in one episode and in the next episode, he plays in the snow with Little Bill for the first time. Voiced By Muhammed Cunningham.
- Miss Aisha Murray-Clinkscales
- Little Bill's teacher, who later marries Dr. Winthrop Clinkscales (But the students are still allowed to call her Miss Murray, since they have trouble pronouncing her husband's surname). Their engagement was mentioned in "The Ring Bear" and they were married in "Miss Murray's Wedding." Voiced By Ayo Haynes.
- Dr. Winthrop Clinkscales
- Mrs. Murray's new husband. He is a doctor and treats Little Bill when he breaks his arm in "A Trip to the Hospital."
- Mrs. Shapiro
- A Hawaiian lady, with a cat named Sophie. She was Little Bill's neighbor but then moved back to Hawaii, in the episode "Same Moon, Same Sun, Same Star," to live with her sister Mimi. She is voiced by Madeline Kahn in her first appearance and later by Kathy Najimy.
- Mr. Miguel Rojas
- Mr. Rojas is an old man who speaks English and Spanish. He moved into Mrs. Shapiro's house and met Little Bill in the episode "The New Neighbors." He has a dog called Lito who's good at doing tricks. He only appears in "The New Neighbors," "Doggie Magic," "The Early Bill," and "The Halloween Party." He has children, but they're all grown up and have families of their own. Voiced by Victor Argo.
- Mr. Clark Terry
- Alice the Great and Little Bill's new friend. He teaches Little Bill how to skip rocks and make music with a reed. He plays the flugelhorn. He is voiced by Clark Terry, whom he is named and modeled after.
- Baby Jamal
- Little Bill's maternal baby cousin, son of Deborah (Brenda's sister) and Gary.
- Percy Mulch
- The owner of a pet shop. He knows all about animals, but is a bit clumsy and has a hard time remembering the first names of Little Bill's parents. Voiced by Doug E. Doug.
- Mr. Williams
- A music store owner only seen in "The Musical Instrument." He is a talented musician and shows little Bill the piano, accordion, saxophone, and drums (which happens to be his grandson's favorite instrument).
- Aunt Deborah
- Aunt Deborah is the wife of Uncle Gary and the mother of Baby Jamal. She is Little Bill, Bobby, and April's maternal aunt. She appears in "Just a Baby" when she and Gary came over to her sister's house to show them baby Jamal.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 9 | November 28, 1999 | June 19, 2000 | |
| 2 | 12 | September 4, 2000 | December 4, 2000 | |
| 3 | 12 | May 7, 2001 | November 25, 2002 | |
| 4 | 19 | February 18, 2003 | February 6, 2004 | |
Season 1 (1999–2000)
| No. in season |
Title | Original air date[5] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Just A Baby / The Campout" | November 28, 1999 |
|
Just a Baby: Little Bill's baby cousin Jamal visits and Little Bill learns about babies from Brenda, Big Bill, and Bobby. | ||
| 2 | "The Treasure Hunt / Best Way to Play" | November 28, 1999 |
|
The Treasure Hunt: Little Bill goes on a treasure hunt in order to keep himself occupied on a rainy day. | ||
| 3 | "Monty's Roar / Natural Root Pals" | December 12, 1999 |
|
Monty's Roar: Little Bill meets Monty, a handicapped boy who likes dinosaurs. | ||
| 4 | "The Dollar / The Choice" | December 19, 1999 |
|
The Dollar: Little Bill finds a dollar bill and is curious on what to spend it on. | ||
| 5 | "Guppies / The Magic Quilt" | January 9, 2000 |
|
Guppies: Little Bill takes swimming lessons with his cousin Fuchsia. | ||
| 6 | "The Meanest Thing to Say / Lavatory Story" | February 6, 2000 |
|
The Meanest Thing to Say: A new boy at school named Michael bullies Little Bill and his friends. | ||
| 7 | "The Zoo / My Pet Elephant" | February 20, 2000 |
|
The Zoo: Little Bill's class goes on a field trip to the zoo. | ||
| 8 | "Little Bill's Adventure with Captain Brainstorm" | June 4, 2000 |
| Little Bill and his friends go to the mall to see Captain Brainstorm. | ||
| 9 | "Chicken Pox / Shipwreck Saturday" | June 19, 2000 |
|
Chicken Pox: Little Bill has had the chicken pox for days. | ||
Season 2 (2000)
| No. in season |
Title | Original air date[5] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Zoopity Zoo / Neighborhood Park" | September 4, 2000 |
|
Zoopity Zoo: Little Bill learns how to make cleaning his room fun. | ||
| 2 | "Elephant on the Loose / If a Bird Rings, Answer it" | September 5, 2000 |
|
Elephant on the Loose: Elephant gets lost in the house, so the family tries to find him. | ||
| 3 | "Big Kid / The Bills Go To Work" | September 6, 2000 |
|
Big Kid: Little Bill acts like a big kid. | ||
| 4 | "The Promise / The Practice" | September 7, 2000 |
|
The Promise: Little Bill borrows his sister April's basketball trophy for show-and-tell, but when at school, his friends break it. | ||
| 5 | "Are We There Yet? / Super Family Fun Land!" | September 8, 2000 |
|
Are We There Yet?: Little Bill and his family take a road trip to an amusement park. | ||
| 6 | "The Ring Bear / Miss Murray's Wedding" | September 12, 2000 |
|
The Ring Bear: Little Bill is going to be the ring bearer for his teacher's wedding. | ||
| 7 | "The Birthday Present / The Birthday Party" | September 13, 2000 |
|
The Birthday Present: Little Bill unintentionally ruins Fuchsia's birthday present. | ||
| 8 | "A Trip to the Hospital / The Wrong Thing to Do" | September 14, 2000 |
|
A Trip to the Hospital: Little Bill breaks his arm and goes to the hospital. | ||
| 9 | "Making Mother's Day / Picture Perfect" | September 15, 2000 |
|
Making Mother's Day: Little Bill forgets to bring his mother's day gift to her mother from school. It's up to him to find something else as a gift for her mother for Mother's Day. | ||
| 10 | "Rolling Along / The Stage Trick" | October 9, 2000 |
|
Rolling Along: Little Bill tries to learn to roll. | ||
| 11 | "The Snack Helper / Buds" | November 13, 2000 |
|
The Snack Helper: Little Bill faces a tough decision on whom to send to the snack table first as the snack helper. | ||
| 12 | "Copy Cat / Picture Day" | December 4, 2000 |
|
Copy Cat: Little Bill is upset when Andrew calls him a copy cat. | ||
Season 3 (2001–02)
| No. in season |
Title | Original air date[5] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ready, Set, Read! / I Got a Letter" | May 7, 2001 |
|
Ready, Set, Read!: Little Bill wants to learn how to read. | ||
| 2 | "The Violin Lessons / Squirmy" | May 9, 2001 |
|
The Violin Lessons: Little Bill accidentally upsets Bobby when he makes fun of the way he plays the violin. | ||
| 3 | "Monty's Visit / Mom's Trip" | May 10, 2001 |
|
Monty's Visit: Little Bill is jealous of Monty being with Alice the Great. | ||
| 4 | "The No-Talking Contest / The Search is for the Sock" | May 11, 2001 |
|
The No-Talking Contest: Little Bill and his siblings have a no-talking contest. | ||
| 5 | "The Halloween Costume / The Haunted Halloween Party" | October 26, 2001 |
|
The Halloween Costume: Little Bill is upset that a Captain Brainstorm costume he wanted is sold out. | ||
| 6 | "Merry Christmas Little Bill" | December 3, 2001 |
| Little Bill is afraid that Alice the Great won't be home in time for Christmas, due to the fact that she is stuck at the Cincinnati Airport. | ||
| 7 | "A Day at the Beach / The Get Well Song" | February 12, 2002 |
|
A Day at the Beach: Little Bill and his family go to the beach. | ||
| 8 | "Michael Sleeps Over / Michael's First Snow" | March 6, 2002 |
|
Michael Sleeps Over: Michael sleeps over at Little Bill's house. | ||
| 9 | "Monty Joins the Class / Dad Goes to School" | March 13, 2002 |
|
Monty Joins the Class: Monty joins Little Bill's class. Dad Goes to School: Big Bill goes to Little Bill's school to tell his class how his jobs works. | ||
| 10 | "Number One on Honeywood Street / Baseball Glovers" | March 19, 2002 |
|
Number One on Honeywood Street: Little Bill and Andrew's families compete. Baseball Glovers: Little Bill's entire family plays baseball at a family reunion. | ||
| 11 | "Little Bill's Giant Space Adventure" | July 8, 2002 |
| Max and Little Bill have to save Captain Brainstorm From the giant purbuls | ||
| 12 | "Wabbit Worries / Wabbit Babies" | November 25, 2002 |
|
Wabbit Worries: Little Bill is concerned about one of the class' pet rabbits. Wabbit Babies: Little Bill tries to find a place for the baby rabbits to live. | ||
Season 4 (2003–04)
| No. in season |
Title | Original air date[5] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Car Keys / Doggie Sitting" | February 18, 2003 |
|
The Car Keys: Little Bill accidentally loses his father's car keys. Doggie Sitting: Little Bill and his siblings try to take care of a neighbor's dog. | ||
| 2 | "New Foods / Elephant Tricks" | February 19, 2003 |
|
New Foods: Little Bill tries new foods when he visits Dorado. Elephant Tricks: Little Bill tries to get Elephant to do tricks. | ||
| 3 | "What About Me? / Happy Not Birthday To You" | February 20, 2003 |
|
What About Me?: Little Bill feels left out. Happy Not Birthday to You: Little Bill wants to cheer up April when she loses the basketball championship. | ||
| 4 | "Racing Time / All Tied Up" | February 21, 2003 |
|
Racing Time: Little Bill is late for school due to dawdling. All Tied Up: Little Bill wants to learn to tie his shoes. | ||
| 5 | "Echo Falls / Going Fishing" | July 28, 2003 |
|
Echo Falls: Little Bill, Fuchsia and their fathers hike to Echo Falls. Going Fishing: Little Bill wants to catch as fish. | ||
| 6 | "The Best Book Ever! / A Ramp for Monty" | July 29, 2003 |
|
The Best Book Ever!: Little Bill gets a library card and checks out books. A Ramp for Monty: Little Bill and Big Bill build a ramp for Monty to make it easier for him to get into the backyard. | ||
| 7 | "The New Babysitter* / My Friend Isabel" | July 30, 2003 |
|
The New Babysitter: Little Bill gets a new babysitter, Isabel. My Friend Isabel: Little Bill doesn't want Isabel to leave. | ||
| 8 | "The Early Bill / Going Camping" | July 31, 2003 |
|
The Early Bill: Little Bill gets up early. Going Camping: Little Bill and Big Bill camp out in the backyard. | ||
| 9 | "Same Moon, Same Sun, Same Star / All Together Now" | September 22, 2003 |
|
Same Moon, Same Sun, Same Star: Mrs. Shapiro is moving away to Hawaii*. All Together Now: Little Bill wants to run away to avoid taking a nap. | ||
| 10 | "The Surprise! / Good ol' Lightnin'" | September 23, 2003 |
|
The Surprise!: Little Bill makes a surprise present for Alice the Great. Good ol' Lightnin': Little Bill finds Alice the Great's old wagon. Ol' Lightnin'. | ||
| 11 | "The Musical Instrument / The Choir" | September 24, 2003 |
|
The Musical Instrument: Little Bill wants to play an instrument. The Choir: Little Bill assists April's choir when one of singers is sick. | ||
| 12 | "The Incredible Shrinking Little Bill / The Big Swings" | September 25, 2003 |
|
The Incredible Shrinking Little Bill: Little Bill thinks he's shrinking. The Big Swings: Bobby accidentally scares Little Bill by pushing him too high on the swings. | ||
| 13 | "New Neighbors / Doggie Magic" | September 26, 2003 |
|
New Neighbors: Little Bill has new neighbors. Doggie Magic: Little Bill spends time with Mr. Rojas' dog, Miguelito (or Lito for short). | ||
| 14 | "I Can Sign / The Sign for Friend" | September 26, 2003 |
|
I Can Sign: Little Bill learns sign language The Sign for Friend: Little Bill and Andrew make a new friend. | ||
| 15 | "Summertime in the Wintertime / Snow Racer" | February 2, 2004 |
|
Summertime in the Wintertime: Little Bill pretends that it's summertime in the wintertime Snow Racer: Little Bill and Michael build a snow racecar. NOTE: This episode was featured on the VHS compilation Merry Christmas, Little Bill about 1 1/2 years before it aired on television. | ||
| 16 | "Get Well, Elephant / Elephant's Best Friend" | February 3, 2004 |
|
Get Well, Elephant: Elephant is sick, so Little Bill takes care of him Elephant's Best Friend: Little Bill wants to get Elephant a best friend. | ||
| 17 | "The Skating Lesson / Mr. Moth" | February 4, 2004 |
|
The Skating Lesson: April teaches Little Bill how to skate Mr. Moth: Little Bill waits for his moth to hatch. | ||
| 18 | "Private Time / Never" | February 5, 2004 |
|
Private Time: Little Bill and Brenda have some private time Never: Little Bill and Alice the Great make a new friend, Clarke Terry. | ||
| 19 | "When Friends Get Mad / The Party Box" | February 6, 2004 |
|
When Friends Get Mad: Little Bill gets mad at Kiku after she accidentally ruins his picture and refuses to apologize after he ruins her picture in return. In this episode, Little Bill has a time-out. | ||
Video games
Little Bill THINKS BIG! is for the Macintosh.
Awards
Emmy Awards
- 2003 - Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program - Gregory Hines
- 2004 - Outstanding Children's Animated Program
- 2001[6]
See also
References
- ↑ Little Bill Episodes - TVGuide.com
- ↑ "Nickelodeon's 'Little Bill' Debuts as First African American Balloon In 76th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade". PRNewswire.com. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ↑ "Little Bill". Retrieved February 10, 2008.
- ↑ Shrivastava, K M (2005). Broadcast Journalism in the 21st Century. New Dawn Press Group. p. 56. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Little Bill Episodes". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ↑ 61st Annual Peabody Awards, May 2002.
External links
- Official Bill Cosby Site
- Nick Jr: Little Bill
- Little Bill at the Internet Movie Database
- Little Bill at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Little Bill at TV.com
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