'' was an
American Sketch Comedy Television Series which ran on the
Fox Television Network from
1990 to
1994 . Executive producer
Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program.
Other members of the Wayans family —
Damon ,
Kim ,
Shawn and
Marlon — had regular roles (oldest brother Dwayne frequently appeared as an extra), in addition to
David Alan Grier , an established character actor who had worked in Keenen Ivory Wayans' motion picture ''
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka '' (1988).
The series strove to produce comedy with a strong emphasis on
African American subject matter. However, ''In Living Color'' may be best-known as the launching pad for
Jim Carrey (the one male
Caucasian member of the original cast, edging
Thomas Haden Church in the audition process), future
Academy Award winner
Jamie Foxx (who joined the cast in the third season), and future actress/singer
Jennifer Lopez (who became a "Fly Girl" in the third season).
For the first episode, an
Exotic -looking black-and-white logo was used for the opening credits. After the band
Living Colour claimed the show stole the logo from them and threatened to sue, the logo was changed to one with rather plain-type letters of three colors. Both versions of the theme song were performed by the
Hip-hop group
Heavy D & The Boyz .
Keenen Ivory Wayans left the show in the middle of the fourth season over disputes with Fox about the network's
Censoring the show's content and rerunning early episodes without his consultation. Keenen feared that Fox would ultimately decrease the
Syndication value of ''In Living Color''.
On the
Censorship issue, Fox became more intrusive of the scripts after ''In Living Color'' produced a live Super Bowl halftime special (branded by the network as ''The
Doritos Zaptime/'In Living Color' Super Halftime Party''). During the "Men on Football" sketch, it was suggested by Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier through
Adlibs that actor
Richard Gere and track and field star
Carl Lewis were
Gay , much to Lewis' open chagrin. The programming stunt lured a hefty 20 million to 25 million viewers from
CBS ' telecast of the halftime festivities during
Super Bowl XXVI .
By the fifth and final season, none of the Wayans family had any involvement whatsoever with the show. Damon Wayans had already left the show after the third season to pursue a movie career even though he still made "special guest appearances" in the fourth season. Keenan Ivory Wayans had virtually disappeared from the series well before he officially left it. The show's traditional reliance on the character-driven sketches featuring Damon and Keenan gave way to an increasing reliance upon walk-on cameos by "special guests" like
James Brown ,
Rodney Dangerfield ,
Bobby Bonds ,
Biz Markie ,
Ed O'Neill ,
Sherman Hemsley ,
Sam Kinison ,
Chris Rock ,
Tupac Shakur ,
En Vogue , and various stars of the
National Basketball Association . Even
Kelly Coffield , who, prior to
Alexandra Wentworth 's arrival in the fourth season, was the lone female Caucasian cast member, left prior to the final season.
''In Living Color'' was an Ivory Way Production (until Keenen Ivory Wayans left) in association with
Twentieth Century-Fox Television . It was in reruns on local affiliates and on the
News Corporation owned
FX Network , where it was distributed by Twentieth Television.
As of
April 11 ,
2006 , all five seasons of the series are available on
DVD (albeit in edited form). Reruns of the show air on the
BET Network.
- - Damon Wayans portrays a homeless person (he lives in a corrugated cardboard box) with a unique world view. Amongst other happenings, he appeared in '' The People's Court '', had his own Cable Television local access show, and had a Marriage Of Convenience . He frequently carried with him his "personal facilities", a jar that he used as a toilet and which seemed to contain a floating pickle and brine.
- - Kim Wayans and David Alan Grier play a seemingly loving elderly couple who constantly insult and attempt to kill each other. "And we stiiiiilll together!"
- - Kim Wayans portrays an apparently unemployed woman Gossip ing directly to the viewer and airing her neighbors' dirty laundry after they pass by her... But she "ain't one to gossip."
- (Damon and Keenen Ivory Wayans ) - two brothers named Tom who sing like the Smothers Brothers (who actually lend their uncredited singing voices) and are often confused for being black.
- ("Black-Strong" also called "Funky Finger Productions") - two men (David Alan Grier and Tommy Davidson ) with a knack of being at the right place for promotion, but with little promotional experience. Their pitches are punctuated with the occasional "BAM!" that later became the trademark of TV chef Emeril Lagasse .
- - David Alan Grier portrays an old Bluesman who always sings the wrong things to the wrong person at the wrong time. Catchphrases: "Wrote a song about it. Like to hear it? Here it goes!" "Thank you very much!"
- - Jamie Foxx portrays a Boxer who has lost every bout he's been in. He is always getting beaten up by everyone he comes in contact with. The name is a takeoff on heavyweight boxer Carl "The Truth" Williams .
- - Kim Wayans and David Alan Grier play a pair of incredibly annoying Soul singers.
- - Chris Rock guest stars as a cheapskate who won't pay more than $1.25 for anything. His catchphrase is "Good Lord that's a lot of money!"
- - Stu Dunfy ( Nick Bakay ) hosts a game show that is a cross between '' Jeopardy! '' and '' Concentration '' in which contestants are involved in a battle of insults. Variations include ''Family Dozens'' and ''Wheel of Dozens''.
- - Jamie Foxx performs tricks with his dead German Shepherd named Duke.
- ' -An alcoholic, depressed, and incestuous Grandpa Jack McGee ( Jim Carrey ) hosts a housekeeping show, along with his promiscuous daughter and hateful wife.
- - Peter Marshall hosts an urbanized version of the game show he made famous in the 1960s and the 1970s.
- ( Jim Carrey ) - A Fire Marshal with a Manic grin whose safety advisories usually cause the very disaster he was warning against. Catchphrases included "Lemme show ya something!!" and "Its very da-da-dangerous."
- -Tommy Davidson narrates reinactments of dubious moments in african-american history. Examples include the accidental invention of the Jheri Curl , the first black Astronaut to be abandoned on The Moon , and the advent of the self-serve Gas Station . "Get it yo' own damn self"
- - Damon Wayans portrays a Handicapped Superhero who sometimes has a Midget sidekick (Tiny Avenger, played by Debbie Lee Carrington ).
- - Damon Wayans portrays a police detective who, due to a horrific accident, is merely a head attached to a pair of feet and tiny hands and appearing similar to a Mr. Potato Head . Along with his full-bodied partner (played by Keenen Ivory or Marlon Wayans ), he solves crimes and foils villains.
- - Damon Wayans heads a family of hard-working West Indian s, each with many careers. With the "lazy" son working eight different jobs, they find nothing more appalling than meeting people with two or fewer jobs, including babies.
- - two streetwise pitchmen named Wiz And Ice (Damon and Keenen Ivory Wayans ) use a QVC -style approach to sell stolen goods. The phrase "Mo' Money, Mo' Money!" was coined in this sketch.
- ( Damon Wayans ) - A convict who works as a Clown (real name Herman Simpson) for his Parole agreement, but violently lashes out at any attempt to make him perform the standard antics of the role - "I don't think so...Homey don't play that!"
- - Shawn Wayans plays a violent Street Poet who recites eloquent threats to get what he wants. He is usually foiled by an equally poetic David Alan Grier .
- - Damon and Keenen Ivory Wayans portray a pair of Conjoined Twins attached at the side. Wes is a Celebrity , while Les is not, often having a job unrelated to Les'.
- - David Alan Grier plays a shady Infomercial host shilling out ridiculous products and services. Examples include ineffective Self-help audio tapes and "Custom Built Condom s" that only fit Mr. Simmons.
- (Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier)- In this parody of '' Siskel & Ebert '', a pair of extremely effeminate gay men review films completely based on their potential for Homoerotic content. Variations of this sketch include ''Men on Television'', ''Men on Fitness'', and ''Men on Vacation''. - "Hated It!", "Three snaps in Z formation, the Zorro snap."
- - Damon Wayans plays an eloquent prison inmate whose vocabulary is full of incorrectly used clinical (usually sexual) terms. "Unfortunately, we could not Impregnate everyone. It is simply beyond our Colonic threshold." "I believe it was Plato... No, excuse me, I mean Play-Doh ... who stuck to the wall when he said one must not put one's Transvestite in jeopardy if one is to become a cunning Linguist ".
- - Kim Wayans played an obnoxious, Hard-of-hearing waitress at a greasy spoon Diner . Running gags included her giving patrons used water, contaminated food, and the chef ( Tommy Davidson ) announcing entrees that were never ordered.
- - Jim Carrey portrays a Steroids -using, flat-chested female Bodybuilder whose trademark laugh sounds horselike.
- - Jamie Foxx portrays the ugliest woman in the world (Wanda Wayne)... so ugly, in fact, that no one wanted to be in the same room as she. Trademark phrase: "I'm gon' rock yo world."
- - A family modeled after '' The Cosby Show '' characters, only they have Buttocks on their foreheads
- - A very desperate, lonely, sad, psychotic woman ( Alexandra Wentworth hosts a children's television program while having on-air issues with men who had prior sexual relations with her.
- - Kim Wayans plays an annoying and unattractive woman who Sexually Harasses everyone she meets.
- - Carol Rosenthal plays Lorena Bobbitt in a mock knife Infomercial where she is brutally chopping phallic looking food and related items (pants, Boxer Shorts , and a game cock).
- - Kim Wayans Parodies the actress as an extremely physical enthusiast of any activity whether it be fighting an Alligator for her dinner or Pro Wrestling while regularly asking "Do you think I'm sexy?"
- - (Keenan Ivory Wayans) - An obnoxious "Partay Animal" in a red platform shoes, red pleather suit with yellow vinyl strings, long jheri curls, and gold chains. Frenchie somewhat resembles Rick James .
- - An " I Am Woman Here Me Roar !" type of show hosted by Shawanda Harvey ( T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh ).
- - Jim Carrey plays McGarrett in a parody of the long-running police drama.
- - Jim Carrey plays a surprisingly accurate impersonation of infomercial personality Jay Kordich , who uses an Electric Juicer to make juice from unlikely sources, such as garbage and sand.
- - (David Alan Grier)A flamboyant host presents televised events and programs celebrating Black underachievment and the perpetuation of stereotypes, for example television awards for Typecast characters such as "sassy seighbors" and "scared brothers on Police Shows "
- - A mother Kelly Coffield and her son James Carrey own a pit bull.
- - Features Kim Wayans as a very tall girl without talent who aways auditions for talent shows, accompanied by her zealous stage mother, played by David Alan Grier . "I'm Miss Smile Bright 1987!"
- - Jim Carrey portrays host Chuck Woolery and Keenen Ivory Wayans portrays Mike Tyson in a parody of the television series of the same name.
- - Jim Carrey plays a young college age kid still attached to his overprotective mother ( Carol Rosenthal ) literally by the Umbilical Cord
- - Damon Wayans plays the descendant of cave-dwelling runaway slaves, unaware of changes in the world around him since the 1860s . The skit ended with a Cliffhanger that was never resolved.
- - Jay Leggett plays an Irish Singer whose songs start with traditional, uplifting lyrics... and end with graphic lyrics, usually involving death or destruction. Each of his songs ends suddenly with "That's it."
- - (Shawn and Marlon Wayans)A pair of immature brothers talk tough, but invariably get put in their place.
- - Jim Carrey impersonates Captain Kirk with grossly exaggerated mannerisms, with David Alan Grier playing Mr. Spock .
- - (David Alan Grier) a prisoner who always says "Big, Big, Breastes-s-s..." He usually appears with Oswald Bates(see above).
- On the May 5 , 1990 broadcast, Keenen Ivory Wayans did a take-off on a Billy Dee Williams " Colt 45 " commercial (in which the purpose of the beverage is to get your lady friend wasted) that ended with a woman (played by Kim Coles ) passed out on her back on a dining table, and "Billy Dee" lifting her leg up and over his head to get into position between her legs.
Note: The "Volt 45" sketch was seen only once during the original broadcast. The sketch was omitted from repeats because some felt it was making light of Date Rape . The Season One DVD set of ''ILC'' didn't include the "cut" sketch from the Pilot . This skit was cut by Fox censors, and the necessary modifications were made to the master tape. But Keenen "accidentally" mixed up the Masters , and the original master was broadcast. That segment has never been broadcast since, not even in syndication or on FX. It has been replaced by ''The Exxxon Family'' in syndication and DVD Box Sets.
Cast members came and went during the run of the show, and new members appeared in new seasons. Note that some older cast members continued to appear in later seasons, so later casts also include some of previous casts' members.
Featured Players
Despite popular belief,
Chris Rock was never an official cast member on ''In Living Color''. Rock appeared (as a "special
Guest Star ") only in a selected number of skits in the fifth season, and reprised his petty "Cheap Pete" character from ''
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka ''.
Other recurring guest stars in the fifth season include
Nick Bakay (for "The Dirty Dozens" sketches) and
Peter Marshall (for several editions of "East
Hollywood Squares ").
Biz Markie also appeared in various roles as a guest star in the fifth season.
Rosie Perez was the choreographer for the first four seasons. Jossie Thacker assumed the role for the fifth season.
Over the run of the series, several individuals -- both male and female -- made uncredited appearances as unofficial "Fly Girls."
- Jim Carrey , David Alan Grier , Tommy Davidson , T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh and Fly Girl Deidre Lang are the only cast members to remain on the show throughout all five seasons, although Carrey's presence during the fifth season was limited due to his rising movie career.
- T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh and Deidre Lang are the only female cast members to remain on the show throughout all five seasons.
- Jay Leggett and Reggie McFadden appeared in the same fourth season episode (Episode 14), before they both became regulars in the fifth season.
- Reggie McFadden appeared in 12 episodes, 11 as "guest star," before officially joining the cast in Episode 12 of the fifth season.
