Customer Reviews

In Living Color - Season 1

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"In Living Color" was so fresh, energetic, and hilarious when it first hit the Fox airwaves that you wondered how it could possibly keep up that level of entertainment. Well, it couldn't, exactly, but those first few shows, and many moments during the rest of the season, were insanely funny and groundbreaking.

Like all good sketch comedy, "In Living Color" immediately set out to create its own collection of recurring crazies (rather than the current SNL-method of mostly relying on celeb impressions), and look at how many still resonate: Fire Marshal Bill, the Men on Film, Anton, Homey...and so on. The show's genius is that it went for laughs anywhere it could - it could be richly satirical or downright silly and scatalogical, often in the same sketch. It basically counted on the intelligence and variety of its audience in a way that we haven't seen since, except maybe with "The Daily Show." "In Living Color" was edgy to the point of discomfort sometimes, but we wanted that too - everything else felt saccharine and safe next to "ILC," and we were ready to push some boundaries.

Eventually "In Living Color" would degenerate into low-minded skits based on grotesque impressions, gross-outs, and cruelty. But for one brief shining moment - captured on this DVD set - we all wanted to live In Living Color.

Wow, after all these years, the first season of In Living Color is being released on DVD. I'm so excited to see Men on Film/Football/Vacation, Homey D. Clown, and the rest of one of the greatest comedy shows of all time. It's where Jim Carrey got famous, and we all learned the best ways to insult someone's Mama. For anyone who loves to laugh for long periods of time, this is definitely a buy for you. Am I going to miss out on this set? I don't think so... Homey don't play dat...

I remember the laughter more than anything, and until right now just memories and wishes for this progam to come home where it belongs, on DVD. There has been no sketch comedy since In Living Color that could even come close to matching it in orginality, content/material, or realness. Anyone who grew-up within any generation that would have allowed them to see it was a lucky one; television is not as good now as it was then, and bringing back what most would call the quintenssential comedy, it is obvious. I can not express the joy of knowing that I can finally own the greatest comedies to ever be displayed on a televison screen. I encourage everyone who is able to add this to there collection. it's like needing water, everyone should be thirty for this.

When I first bought this DVD, there were two types of people. Those who looked at it and said "What's this?" and those who looked at it and with a wild gleam in their eyes said "Where the hell did you find this?!" You either loved In Living Color or you'd never heard of it before.

ILC was so ahead of its time with humor, it's political incorrectness (now typical of famous comedians like Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, etc.) and all around innovativeness. It also introduced us to some of the funniest men in TV/movies (Damon Wayans, who stole every skit he was in, David Alan Grier and James "Jim" Carrey). Later on it would also feature Jamiee Foxx and Chris Rock. But that was in the later post-Wayans years when the show sucked.

ILC was brillaint and for anyone who watched the show (and therefore loved the show) Seasons 1, and the even funnier Season 2 are a must-have. Oh, and there's a skit in Season 1 where a little black girl is talking about her wish-list for the future and one of the things on the list is hoping that Nelson Mandela is freed from jail. Wow. Yeah, this is old school and things have changed but good humor never goes out of style. The outfits of the flygirls though, that does. Yikes!

This is a must have collection. There never has nor will ever be a show that was so original and funny. I am thrilled to be able to watch it over and over. Sunday nights were never the same when In Living Color left the air.

Alot of sketches have been edited or deleted, like the Tommy Davidson Mc Hammer sketch. If Fox is going to advertise that they are offering Season 1, you'd think that it would be as it was, in full. Don't get me wrong, what they do give is still one of the funniest shows that ever aired, just wish it was unedited. This is something they should state on the DVD jacket.

Like many other reviewers, this show takes me back to my early teenage years, when everyone would come to school Monday morning doing their best "Homey don't play dat!" (or whatever was the funniest catch phrase the night before). All of the classics are here, but to me Damon Wayans totally stole the show with his original characters like Blaine from Men on..., Anton the homeless guy, Whiz from the Homeboy Shopping Network, Homey D. Clown and his dead-on impressions of Richard Pryor and Louis Farrakan. The rest of the cast was funny too. I'm a big fan of the original characters created on the show like Benita ("I ain't one to gossip..."), the "You Go Girl!" show and the made-up series of Famous Blacks in History (like the guy who invented self-service gas "git it yo damn self"). But their parodies of celebrities were hilarious too, Sugar Ray Leonard (Tommy Davidons), Ted Turner and Chuck Woolery (Jim Carrey) and Oprah and Grace Jones (Kim Wayans) were among the best.
The special features are practically non-existant this season, hopefully future releases will be better. Truly a must-have set for the fan though!

Homey the Clown, "3 Snaps Up...HATED IT!!!

We forget just how affective "In Living Color" was during it's time. Keenen Ivory Wayans and co. were true visionaries; blending(at that time)the relatively new Hip-Hop culture craze with original humor. The sketches were down-right edgy but oh so funny!

You should know in advance that Jamie Foxx as well as J.Lo. were not apart of the cast during the 1st season. This DVD is great to pull out when a bunch of friends come over to visit. I'm looking forward to purchasing Season 2.

This is more like it!! Although this was only the begining, it was still a proper season for In Living Color Series. Like what was said in one of the reviews for season 4 (Keenan slowly coming out in an expensive suit, no hair, talking serious to the audience and you don't see him anymore for the series), this is the opposite. Keenan was always fired up with starting the show and introducing all the fine fly girls (each of 13 episodes) and in this season, they kept the music video parody sketches and the fly girls' dance music to original songs (3Rd Base and Kid N Play). For the begining, there were no Funky Finger Productions, no Frenchie, no Prison Cable Network, no Fire Marshall Bill, no Principle Macalfee, no Handi Man, no Head Detective, and only one Benita Butrell & Homey The Clown. The show still grew alone with the following sketches that had me screaming like a "White lady in church" when I first saw them in 1990 (and still screaming today):

1. Hey Mon Airlines
2. Cookin' With Salt N Pepa
3. Young Don King Sketch
4. Whitney Houston Rhythmless Nation
5. Benita Butrell (although one sketch)
6. The only Homey The Clown sketch on that season
7. Men On Film, Books, and Art (Hated It!!! The unheard of Zorro Snap in Z formation!!! - LOL - a total scream)
8. Lil' Miss Trouble
9. I Love Laquita
10. The Equity Card Commercial (Kiss My Butt Bitch!! Approve My Credit!! - I was dying on the floor)
11. Milli Vanilli sketch (DON"T FORGET OUR NUMBA!!!" - LMAO on the floor)
12. All Homeboy Shopping Network Sketches (MO MONEY, MO MONEY!)
13. Lil' Magic
14. MC Hammer sketch (too funny!!)
15. Oprah sketch
16. Tracy Chapman sketch (I WRITE A FAST SONG!! LOOK OUT DA WINDOW AND SEE WHATS GOIN ON!!!!)
17. Calhon Tubbs (WROTE A SONG BOUT IT, LIKE TO HEAR IT, HEAR IT GO!! - He'll be better next season. I like him better messing up events like funerals, elections, and kids' birthday parties. AAAAHAAAAAAAAA...Thank You berry much!!)
18. Anton the Wino
19. Definitly Little Richard's Play House (Keenan was very good playing Little Richard, but I think Jaime Fox was better in season 4's sketch Dirty Dick)

All the cast members (including Kim Coles - a shame she had a fight with the producers and was kicked off the show) should be proud of themselves for this season because it would show that the next two seasons would get better!! These are still a laugh today. They don't edit anything here I dont' think, besides that Bolt 45 sketch that someone in previous review spotted (I don't really remember that one too well). Oh Well. Get this season, and avoid buying seasons 3 and 4 because they do heavy editing on these dvds that is not worth your money because In Living Color comes on BET and they do not cut out any sketches or replace actual songs with generic hip hop music or techno crap. If you just tape them (seasons 3 and 4), you will save a total of about 70 something dollars (a whole lot of more saved plus you get more stuff!

I can't BELIEVE this is finally coming out on DVD. I watched this show when it first aired in the UK, can't wait to get it on DVD!! I have EVERY episode on tape, hope they follow up with the rest of the seasons!! The 'Flygirls' were my fave, plus 'Edna Louise', 'Homey Da Clown' & 'Vera Demilo' to name but a few!! A long time comin', bring it on!!