"Now this is the 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."
Right off the bat, I'll admit that I didn't watch "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" growing up, but chances are good that you did. Fresh Prince launched Will Smith on a career laden with such box-office daisy-cutters as "Bad Boys," "Independence Day," "Men In Black," "Ali," "Hitch," and "The Pursuit of Happyness," to name a few. ("Bad Boys" and "Men In Black" had sequels, but no one is quite sure why Smith jumped back on board for those, and I am especially not sure what he was thinking when he signed on for "Wild Wild West.")
Five years after he stopped heckling Carlton on a weekly basis, Smith gave an Oscar-nominated portrayal of Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali, for crying out loud! And then, just this past month, he was nominated again, and lost out to Forest Whitaker. Forest may have taken Oscar home, but he never so much as made a guest appearance on "Fresh Prince," which completely invalidates the Academy's nod. Fresh Prince ended its six-season run in 1996 - Forest, if you're out there, you missed your shot at true greatness by eleven years. Pity. You could have been in such rarefied company as Tyra Banks, Milton Berle, and Boyz 2 Men.
For all the "National Geographic" magazines I leafed through, and all the PBS I watched,
I would have ended up a wiser, more cultured young man had I tuned in to "Fresh Prince" every week. I still laugh at the running gags (yes, Phil is rotund, and yes, Carlton is short, and yes, Hilary has the IQ of sea kelp), but I'm also blown away by the social commentary, which on occasion comes to the forefront.
Every few episodes, the laughs are few and far between, but the writers and producers intended it that way. I am reminded of one episode in particular, in which Will's father, who ran away soon after his birth, returns. The scene before the credits roll, which is usually a be-all end-all gag that gets a solid two minutes of laughs from the audience, is simple and powerful. Uncle Phil envelops Will in a big, comforting hug as the camera zooms in on a wood carving on the table. There is no laughter. The credits roll in complete silence. For two minutes I completely forgot I was watching a daytime sit-com. For two minutes Will Smith was an Oscar nominee, and James Avery was an accomplished Shakespearean actor (Uncle Phil does Shakespeare, I kid thee not).
That's what endears us to Fresh Prince - it's riotously funny, universally accessible, and in a peculiar turn for a sitcom in the '90s, thought-provoking on a regular basis. As I made my way through seasons one through four, I could clearly see why Will Smith piqued Hollywood's fancy. His versatility as an actor, bolstered by great performances from Joseph Marcell and James Avery, made the show's versatility possible.
Of course, the theme endears us to Fresh Prince, too. The full version, which runs 2 minutes, 52 seconds, is on Smith's Greatest Hits album if you're interested. And a longer version saw the #3 spot on the Netherland's Top 100 in 1992.
The complete fifth season DVD of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air goes on sale
March 18.
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