COSBY: LUCAS ILLUMINUS (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about Hilton Lucas, who finds himself retired after his job at the airport is eliminated.
Hilton is volunteering as a reader for blind people, and visits an elderly blind man in his home. The man is Professor Christo, a former professor of English literature at Empire State University, who explains that he was fired due to his eyesight failing from glaucoma as well as his advanced age. Hilton begins reading to him, and Professor Christo makes his enthusiasm quite plain, frequently interrupting Hilton. A woman, Professor Murdock, enters and joins in Professor Christo’s extremely dramatic recital of the work he asked Hilton to read, “Paradise Lost.” They both explain their interpretation of the text, and Professor Christo notes that “the worst thing you can do is to give up.” He implores Hilton to take down notes about his observations, and Hilton does so.
Soon Hilton takes a liking to Professor Christo and brings him to the café to meet his friends and family. They note that Hilton has become quite enthusiastic about poetry since meeting Professor Christo; Hilton explains that the professor’s love of language has inspired him. Griffin introduces himself to Professor Christo and asks if he would like to come in to his English class to read poetry to them, although Professor Christo is reluctant, feeling that he would not be capable of leading a classroom again. Hilton tries to convince him that his talents would be better spent on impressionable children, but Professor Christo gets up to leave and confides in Hilton that he feels he requires a new reader. Professor Murdock arrives at the Lucas household later and tells Hilton that Professor Christo misses him, although he will not admit to it. Hilton learns that Professor Christo was not fired but quit of his own volition, convinced that his condition would make it impossible for him to be an effective teacher. She asks Hilton to help her persuade Professor Christo to change his mind.
Hilton visits Professor Christo and tries to persuade him by playing a record of Dylan Thomas reading his own poetry, which seems to affect Professor Christo emotionally. He explains that he attempted to teach despite his eyesight but inspired nothing but nervous laughter from his students, and he feels he cannot properly connect with them anymore. Hilton takes the opportunity to turn Professor Christo’s own observations about giving up against him, asking him to live up to his own message about continuing in spite of adversity. Professor Christo listens and Hilton and Professor Murdock sit in as Professor Christo attempts to teach a class about “Paradise Lost,” soon easing into his element after an uncertain start. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: March 17, 1999 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:22:26
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:83373
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Comedy; TV - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1996-2000
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Marcy Casey … Executive Producer
- Tom Werner … Executive Producer
- Caryn Mandabach … Executive Producer
- Tom Straw … Executive Producer
- Dan Wilcox … Co-Executive Producer
- J.J. Paulsen … Co-Executive Producer
- Vanessa Middleton … Co-Executive Producer
- Adam Belanoff … Co-Executive Producer
- John Rogers … Producer, Writer
- Joanne Curley Kerner … Producer
- Pat Nugent … Associate Producer
- Nick LeRose … Consulting Producer
- Don Scardino … Director
- Dennis Klein … Developed by
- Joseph Staretski … Writer
- David Renwick … Based on the BBC Series “One Foot in the Grave” created by
- William H. Cosby Jr. … Music by, Theme Music by
- Benny Golson … Theme Music by
- Bill Cosby … Cast, Hilton Lucas
- Phylicia Rashad … Cast, Ruth Lucas
- Doug E. Doug … Cast, Griffin Vesey
- T'Keyah Crystal Keymah … Cast, Erica Lucas
- Jurnee Smollett … Cast, Jurnee
- Madeline Kahn … Cast, Pauline Fox
- Anthony Quinn … Cast, Professor Christo
- Penelope Allen … Cast, Professor Murdock
- Tarsha O-Kin Vega … Cast, Student