Monday, July 31, 2006

Of Black Sitcoms

I usually trash Black movies. But I just realized that when it
comes to Black Sitcoms they had the best to offer. As a result of some re-reuns in our local stations The Tato has been reliving his tatoling memories. So why don't you put on your tato peels and walk down memory lane with me!



NB: Finding these pictures was a nightmare you'd be surprised how much is not on the vast internet!



GOOD TIMES







"...aint we lucky we got em.....GOOD TIMES"

J.J's lips have been a yardstick of BIG lips and his catch phrase of "DYNO-MITE!"

Based in the projects about real black situations it managed to become an all time classic.










THE JEFFERSONS

"Fish dont fry in the kitchen, grits don't burn on the grill...it took a whole lot of trying a just to get up that hill, now we're up in the big league...we be movin on up..."

A record 11 seasons! Marla Gibbs played a sassy maid that delivered memorable one-liners!

This had the makings of success for it featured a wealthy family and intertwined with the white characters like Cosby Show and Later Fresh Prince.




DIFF'RENT STROKES

"Now the world's on the move to the beat of just one drum...everybody's got a special kind of story...different strokes it takes.... different strokes to move the woooorld. Mmmmmm!"

Yup Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges and Janet Jackson.....








SANFORD AND SON


I loveed his fake heart attacks as he called out to his dead wife...and the shared one liners with that lady he hated!

theme song " ttettettetere tttettttere terre..."










227

" ..with your family around you you're never alone, when you know how to love you don't need to roam coz there aint no place like..(better believe it) there aint no place like...no place like home...I mean no place child!"

A classic as well especially the feuds between Mary and Sandra...i actually remember this scene where Mary had dented someone's parked car by accident and the 3 were observing from the distance who the owner was. And as usual Sandra was sayin how the owner was manly strong and would kill MAry with his bare hands!





FAMILY MATTERS

for the love of God I can't remember the theme song.

Who here remembers Waldo Harroldo Faldo?
BTW did you know the girl who played URkel's Love interest died in real life?
Did you ever notice how the sliced the role of their last born daughter?
It was a very nice comedy till the started over concentrating on Steve Urkel........



















THE COSBY SHOW





















A classic Gem. Bless you video libraries that had shos at the end of movies..for were we to wait for the local tv stations we may not have evr discovered this one! Many a celebrities debuted in this successful show! It set standards so high for Blacks that only Fresh Prince possibly could ever come close!



A DIFFERENT WORLD


This was a spin off from Cosby show. It wasn't too bad introduced us to the likes of Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison..heck even the likes of Jada Pinkett,Marisa Tomei, SinBad....

Many black stars had their stepping stone in this show as they did in Cosby











IN LIVING COLOR

Where do I begin where do I end? I love spoofs I love Spoofs. and they had plenty... plus numerous characters like Homey the Clown with "Homey don't play that!"

This was one definitely one of the best SITCOMS ever!







LIVING SINGLE



"..coz we are living single...oh in a 90's kinda world i'm glad ive got my girls! Keep ur head up! (what?) Keep ur head up(that's right!)...."

This was a classy show! It was almost a Black equivalent to Friends! And boy oh boy there were nasty lines from this show!











MARTIN



" YOU SO CRAZY!"


Oh this show was filthy and fowl and we loved it. WZUP wazzzup! Remember that radio show! Oh and my personal Fav was Shenene's "Oh Goooodness! One stroke of Shenene and Mama'll stroke you out!"




FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR

"now this is a story about how my life got twisted upside down and i'd like to take a minut so just sit right there..."




A personal favorite of mine-funny in all levels! I will always love this show that had steroetypicla blonde humor/opulence humor/education humor/british humor/ghetto humor..what more could you ask plus a stellar cast of guest appearances...
However the new Aunt Vivian was Boring!



carlton's dance! (someone show me how to post a .gif)






HANGIN' WITH MR COOPER

"..coooper! he's sometimes cool and he sometimes acts a fool... coooper!"

The first season was priceless with Dawnn Lewis but they underwent a cast overhaul that send the show on a downhill slope..but all the same it does deserve a mention.











ROC

"God bless the child that's got his own"

The theme song Roc'ed(pun intended)
It was satirical it was nasty and funny. Remember the controversial Gay Wedding that had Kenyans shell-shocked!

It holds a record for shooting an entire season live!








THE WAYANS BROS.

Some found it silly...and especially season one was horrendous but...I loved it all the same. It improved with time...







Gregory Hines Show

I'm telling you getting photos is a nighmare. Currently its doin re-runs here but all the same I found it funny!

Such a shame that he passed away...remember his duet with Luther Vandross "...there's nothing better than love.."










JAMIE FOXX SHOW

For some reason we watched it...I found him funnier as the retarded neighbour in Roc.







THE PARKERS

I love Mo'niques attitude..a bit newer a spin off from the crappy MOESHA that shall not even get a mention. But it had its funny moments....But i better stop here before I mention MY WIFE and KIDS and ONE on ONE and BERNIE MAC SHOW










Last but not least

OUT ALL NIGHT

Starring Morris Chestnut, Vivica A. Fox, Duane MArtin and Patti Labelle

Damn it I could not get a single photo online! Others not mentioned cause they were not too funny "PARENTHOOD" "IN THE HOUSE" and "MALCOLM AND EDDIE"

18 comments:

egm said...

Memories indeed. You know you are old when you reminisce over kina Good Times, Jeffersons, Sanford and Son and Different Strokes, and the guys you are hanging out with are like, huh? These young uns had no idea what I was talking about. To them, sitcoms were kina Fresh Prince and anything in that era and later.

Incidentally, while visiting Chicago once I was shown the projects that Good Times was based on. It was interesting seeing in real life what I'd only seen on tv during the opening credits of the show.

Spidey/Tato said...

@kadhat: right now we get back to back reruns of sanford,different strokes and jeffersons...mmm mmm mmm

good old memories za VOK kwanza

Anonymous said...

Do you do anything other then watch TV and movies?No wonder you aren't getting any strokes.Get a life!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Great review of black sitcoms from back in the day. Today perhaps shows like Everybody Hates Chris, My Wife and Kids, Eve -and that show which had Bernie Mac as a rather stressed out dad can hold a light to those shows.

Sandman said...

aaahhh! those were the days. Lakini what's with the good Times line ati ".....easy crime and rip offs...good times"?!?

CiikuMrsBabes said...

Janet Jackson = Good Times. We!

Did you know that they wrote John Amos out of the Good Times script coz he wanted more money.... we! This is a business. They dont play those people......

Family Matters theme song can be heard Here
[I hope I linked that right]

Hated in Living Color, Wayans and Martin......... And Jamie Foxx. But we all know I cant stand Mr. Publicity Whore Foxx.

SSSSANDRAAA.... I loved how JackeƩ said her name...... ha ha... Killed me!


@ anon 12.14...... ummmm.... isnt your statement the irony of "Get a life"..... I should say ... Get your own life...... DONT MESS WITH MY BOO!!!!!!

Spidey/Tato said...

@anon: LOL oh and this time i got u on webstat. better believe at nine years the only strokes i was gettin was Different Strokes ha ha ha ha...
..ati u fronting u never watched any of these...

@anon2: i actually love Everybody hates chris...hated EVE...LOVED bernie mac show and my wife and kids

@sands:thats a hot line sing it in a high pitch....

@Movie Buff:
1.confusion was janet jackson appearing on same night on Good times then Different Strokes
2.Wasnt John Amos also kicked out of West wing
3.now why would u hate on in living color
4.achana na anon..i actually penda the comments...i should have a LIFE contest with him see who wins?!

Anonymous said...

images.google.com and let me echo anon you need to get a l(w)ife dude

Girl next door said...

Most of those black sitcoms are just classic, I could be watching them in 10 or 20 years and still laugh at the jokes. I still watch reruns of Fresh Prince and The Cosbys when I'm up late. The Parkers is cool.

Anonymous said...

Agree with M.Buff, Janet was in Good Times! I still love the theme song from "Diffrent Strokes", considering I only knew the real words to the song like 4 years ago!

Agree that Family Matters was awesome until it became the Urkel show...

Like the Wayans, The Jamie Foxx Show was soooo bad, it actually was fun to watch to see how bad it was

I never really embraced the "Martin" show...but the guy who used to climb in thru the window was hilarious...and I always thought that Martin should just have kamatad Pam (I still think they had a thing for each other, hence all the insults...)

Am I the only one who thinks that "The Bernie Mac Show" totally sucks muy culo? I want the funny Bernie Mac from "Kings of Comedy", not a whining, cantankerous foster parent/uncle addressing America like thats the only place that show is watched. Shidwe!!!

Out All Night was AWESOME! Pity it didnt last long though...

Spidey/Tato said...

@cook:ngoja i attack ur mke-nyumbani posts
@GND:imagine the are actually classics im currently catchin fresh prince season 2
@hanyee; infact the best part in KINGS was when he was dissing his nephew

Damn someone remembers OUT all night-pity it went one season pekee...vivica and duane martin later did a comedy together i forget its name
yup jamie foxx wasnt all that.
i loved me martin..it was like watchin an adult progy...but enyewe pam ad martin wud have been sizzlin

spicebear said...

i love: 227, desmonds (remember that one?) living single, the cosby show, fresh prince of belaire

i detest/i'm bored/ very irritated by: the wayans, martin, the parkers (really, we get that you like the professor dude - enough already!) and the jamie foxx show.

hala, 'tato. you've become popular enough for people to come here and leave little irrelevancies even though they know it's unnecessary. ah well, it comes with the territory. or you could go the showbiz way and say that any publicity is good publicity, haha.

Adrian said...

fresh prince of bel-air is my favourite show ever!!

(though lost could end up catching up. but on 2nd though, naaaah!!)

am mdkims said...

classic ... classic ... The Girlfriend follows in this true black tradition ... truly blacks reign supreme when it comes to comedy time

Anonymous said...

I loved living single, out all night, family matters cosby show.
Cannot stand Bernie Mac it sucks big time!

Anonymous said...

I loved loved Living Single - there's never been a show like it before or since. I think 'Everybody Hates Chris' is hilarious. 'My wife and kids' was really funny until they brought on too many cuties - even the actors themselves now seem a little distracted.

Anonymous said...

This is a good review of black sitcoms! However, I do think Moesha, Parent Hood, Sister Sister, and maybe Kenan and Kel could have been mentioned just because they had some humor and quality. Regardless, I think 90s and earlier decade sitcoms beat ANY sitcom in the 21st century. The 21st century sitcoms are so throwed together and mediocre!

Anonymous said...

BTW, come check out my blog "Dominique Sphere" cause my first entry is on the 1990s!

www.dominiquesphere.blogspot.com