The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
FANS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MEMORIES:
Elainer remembers...My friend from high school likes to watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and I've seen it a few times. More »
Posted on 03/17/08
PHOTOS:
Cast:
Philip Banks...James Avery
Vivian Banks (1990-93)...Janet Hubert-Whitten
Vivian Banks (1993-96)...Daphne Reid
Carlton Banks...Alfonso Ribeiro
Hilary Banks...Karyn Parsons
Ashley Banks...Tatyana Ali
Geoffrey...Joseph Marcell
Nicholas "Nicky" Banks (1994-96)...Ross Bagley
Fred Wilkes (1994-95)...John Amos
Jackie Ames (1993-94)...Tyra Banks
Ice Trey...Don Cheadle
Lisa Wilkes (1994-96)...Nia Long
Trevor...Brian Mitchell
Jazz (1990-96)...Jeffrey A. Townes
Vibe...Vernee Watson-Johnson
Studio:
Network:
Release History:
“Now this is a story all about how
My life got flipped, turned upside down
And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there,
I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air.”
In the late 80s and early 90s, pop culture saw the emergence of hip hop and rap from under the radar. One of the most popular acts of that cross-over was D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Their appeal was in their creative music videos featuring the charming Will Smith laying out light raps with comedy style. Execs saw promise, and soon snapped him up for a prime-time sitcom where he could showcase his talents.
Executive produced by music legend Quincy Jones, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had the Fresh Prince in the time-tested ‘fish-out-of water’ scenario. Will Smith played a character of the same name, a teen from Philly sent off by his mom to go live with his rich aunt and uncle in Bel-Air, California, once things got a little rough in his old neighborhood.
After pulling up to the house around 7 or 8 Will moved into his Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian Banks’ posh mansion. He would soon also come to know his three cousins, the preppy Carton, the pampered and selfish Hilary, and Ashley the unpretentious youngest daughter. They even had a butler, Geoffrey.
Will and Ashley made quick friends of one another, but Will continued to feel at odds with his new digs and new family. They had attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that were foreign to him, so he coped the only way he knew how: humor. The running gags for Will throughout the show were Carlton’s shortness and nerdiness (and love for Tom Jones), and his Uncle Phil’s large appetite. Will also found an ally in the refined butler, Geoffrey, whose tart sense of humor was sharp and every bit as sarcastic, though more refined. And who could forget Jazz always flying out the front door after saying something offensive to a member of the family?
Plot lines often went around Will’s constant struggle to fit in with the people of Bel-Air, or his street-wise influence rubbing off on those who were around him. There was plenty of room for comedy, though the show did tackle some tough subjects, such as race, wealth, divorce, gun control, absent parents, teen pregnancy, interracial marriage, and drug and alcohol abuse.
The Fresh Prince was an immediate hit with the young and old alike, and quickly became the most popular African-American themed sitcoms since The Cosby Show. It was the hip place for celebrities to make an appearance, and solidified it’s links to hip hop culture with cameos from musicians like Tevin Campbell, Queen Latifah and Dr. Dre. It also got away with something called “breaking the fourth wall” – the imaginary invisible wall, separating the audience from the performers. In many episodes, questions would be referred to the audience, or it would otherwise be show (to much comic effect) that they were in-fact on a ‘set’ and several times in the show, bits from the opening sequence were restated by cast-members and featured guests. At the end of many episodes, they would play a gag reel of mistakes and bloopers made during the recording of the episode.
The show ended its network run in May of 1996, after six seasons and 146 episodes. It went immediately into reruns and is popular to this day and has found a worldwide fanbase. It will be happily remembered for years to come for fans of music and comedy alike.
