CDN$ 23.85
Unlike the original Saturday Night Live cast, the In Living Color ensemble was definitely ready for prime time. But, was prime time ready for In Living Color? This subversively funny 1990 sketch-comedy series boldly went where SNL feared to tread, particularly in matters of race relations and cultural stereotypes. Series creator Keenen Ivory Wayans was hot after his hilarious blaxploitation spoof, I’m Gonna Git Ya Sucka. But In Living Color was hotter. According to a “Looking Back” segment included in this three-disc set, it took him a year to sell the pilot. He fronted a young, gifted, and mostly black cast, including David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson, Damon Wayans, Kim Wayans, and T’Keyah “Crystal” Keyman. “James” Carrey and Kelly Coffield were the white Garret Morrises.
Like the first season of SNL, In Living Color played provocateur, with such politically incorrect sketches as “Homeboy Shopping Network,” “This Old Box,” and “Ted Turner’s Very Colorized Classics.” Other sketches, such as “Riding Miss Daisy,” have a stick-it-to-the-man brazenness. Don King, Mike Tyson, Milli Vanilli, and Arsenio Hall are easy targets, but In Living Color did not spare such icons as Richard Pryor. There is the inevitable Oprah roasting, but also a brilliant Star Trek spoof, “The Wrath of Farrakhan.” Among the first season’s breakout characters are Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier’s finger-snapping “Men on Film,” and Damon’s Homey D. Clown. Carrey struts his stuff as “female” bodybuilder Vera DeMilo. Coffey is a scream as Samantha Kinison and Andrea Dice Clay. While much of the topical humor has dated, sketches such as “Michael Jackson Potato Head” are timeless. The fun of revisiting this groundbreaking series is watching these fearless and talented performers go for broke, and make the most of their unlikely opportunity. –Donald Liebenson
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I like the two snaps up guys.
Rating: 5 / 5
CLASSIC TV, JUST WISH THEY HAD MORE THREE CHAMPS AND A BABY,COULDN,T STOP LAUGING MY ARSE OFF EVEN THOUGH IM A HUGE FAN OF, THE GREAT ONE MIKE TYSON.
Rating: 5 / 5
In living color seson one has all 13 episodes and some alright dvd extras.
Rating: 5 / 5
Coming out in 1990, “In Living Color” was a major rarity at the time: a show that held up political correctness, racial issues, and just about anything else for relentless mocking, it was a logical progression from the sketch comedy of “Saturday Night Live” that helped pave the way for increasingly daring shows like “South Park” and “Chappelle’s Show.” While there were a few kinks to be worked out in the first season, and many of the best recurring bits were still to come (think “Handi-Man”), these first 13 episodes hold up suprisingly well 14 years after their initial release. In fact, I get a lot more of the jokes now than I did when I was 11.
With a mostly black cast, the show was a real equal opportunity offender, but it was at its best when it mocked the failings and excesses of black culture, most notably in the consistently hilarious “Homeboy Shopping Network” and “Homey The Clown” sketches. These two recurring skits represented everything “In Living Color” was that other shows of the day weren’t: courageous, subversive, and suprisingly insightful. While much shorter, the “Great Moments in Black History” series was another milestone in TV treatment of race issues, documenting the achievements of such unsung black heroes as the first black man on the moon, the inventor of the self-service gas station, and of course Don King. And while I didn’t get it when it premiered back in 1990, I now see the “Wrath of Farrakhan” for the five minutes of brilliance that it is. Introducing Louis Farrakhan to crew of the Starship Enterprise, the sketch is a visionary combination of fish-out-of-water comedy, TV satire, and sociopolitical commentary.
Of course, the show wasn’t all racial parody, as there was plenty of time devoted to plain old sublime silliness. Its satirical edge extended even farther, poking fun at lame music videos, the popular TV shows and movies of the day, and, naturally, Mike Tyson and Michael Jackson. Season one introduced us to the cartoonish bum Anton and his home-improvement show “This Old Box”; the homosexual caricatures of the “Men On” series; and the world’s hardest-working Jamaican family, the Hedleys of “Hey Mon.” And sprinkled throughout the episodes are some phony commercials that rival anything on “Saturday Night Live,” including an especially funny spot for a feminine product called “Vortex” that’s just a bit too absorbent.
Just as importantly, it was “In Living Color” that introduced the masses to the talents of Jim Carrey (known as James Carrey at the time). Furiously mugging his way through his sketches, Carrey’s outrageous physical comedy gave us such unforgettable characters as the anrogynous bodybuilder Vera De Milo, a wildly gesticulating Captain Kirk, and an overly aggressive and insufficiently skilled Karate instructor. His “Fire Marshall Bill” days were still ahead of him, but Carrey made quite an impression here.
In sum, this opening season ranks right up there with the initial bows of such justly classic shows as “South Park” and “The Simpsons.” Keenan Ivory Wayans had already demonstrated his comedic abilities with the side-splitting movie “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” and “In Living Color” only continued his winning streak. “In Living Color” was one of those rare shows that managed to balance wit, creativity, and boldness for an approach that was both offensive and intelligent. Now bring on Season 2!
Rating: 4 / 5
Man.This show is just as funny and relevant today as it was then.I dont understand why a reviewer would complain that they had too many jokes were about being black,since the show is made up of predominantly black comedians!What do you want them to make fun of?This show is great.The fly girls are hot!It doesnt matter if youre black or white.You will laugh your (…) off.
Rating: 5 / 5