← B.E. 40th ANNIVERSARY COVER GALLERY

nd-1981-DECEMBER

By Alfred Edmond, Jr. | Published August 8, 2010 | Full size is 500 × 320 pixels

Our December 1981 cover revealed funnyman Bill Cosby as one of America’s top celebrity endorsers due, in part, to having qualities that many in the advertising industry believe “transcend race.” Leading the pack with $3 million in TV and other advertising contracts for hawking products such as Coca-Cola and Jell-O pudding, Cosby helped usher in a new crop of black spokespersons, including boxing sensation Sugar Ray Leonard, baseball superstar Reggie Jackson and R&B singer Gladys Knight.

Our December 1981 cover revealed funnyman Bill Cosby as one of America’s top celebrity endorsers…