If I walked down the city streets, playing the song “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones loudly through my cellphone speaker and told a random person to do the Carlton Dance, there’s a good chance they would begin swaying their arms from side to side. Though their renditions of the dance wouldn’t be nearly as good as the originator of it, Alfonso Riberio, it would be fun to see their faces light up as they revisit their childhood. If you have no idea what the Carlton Dance is or how to do it, I advise you to, first, slap yourself, and then sit through a marathon of the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. As for the ones who can rap the entire theme song of the 90’s television show, here are some facts about the beloved sitcom you probably didn’t know.
The Fresh Prince of Brentwood?
To begin with, that big, beautiful Bel-Air mansion that always reminded me of the White House isn’t even in Bel-Air. So where is it? The house is located in a city called Brentwood on Bristol Avenue in the San Francisco Bay Area. If the show took place where the house was actually located, the Banks family wouldn’t be too far from the Tanner family (from the sitcom Full House).
Unexpected Tears
Who can forget the most powerful scene from the show that brings tears to our eyes to this day? In the episode where Will Smith’s (Fresh Prince) absent father visits him in Bel-Air only to walk out of him again is, without question, one of the most memorable episodes of the series. Many don’t know this scene wasn’t supposed to be that emotional. Smith was supposed to brush off his father leaving him once again, as if he didn’t care. But, this is where method acting unexpectedly came into play. The actor’s real father walked out on him and this scene struck a nerve. Smith began to get emotional and go off script, resulting with an unscripted hug from his on-screen uncle, Phil (James Avery).
How the Carlton Dance Came About
Ribeiro’s famous dance was inspired by two well known celebrities, Eddie Murphy and Courtney Cox, yeah that’s right, Courtney Cox. Riberio copied some of the moves that Courtney Cox (aka Monica from the sitcom Friends) performed in the 1984 music video “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen, and he combined them with Eddie Murphy’s mockery of white people dancing.
Will and Will Are Two Different Names
The leading actor who was able to choose his character’s name, choose the name Will Smith which is his real name, right? Not really, Smith’s character’s name, Will, is short for William. The actor’s real first name is Willard. Riberio was also given the opportunity to chose his character’s name, and he chose Carlton. How he came up with Carlton, who knows? His reason for picking that name was a cautious decision as he thought about how people would remember him. Smith chose Will Smith simply because he wanted people to know him by that name . . . smart move, Will, smart move.
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Show
We can all thank the rap group, Kid ‘n Play, for this iconic sitcom. For you youngsters who aren’t familiar with the rap group, Kid ‘n Play were the Jay-Z and Kanye West of the late 80’s and early 90’s. The rappers turned down NBC’s offer to star in a sitcom. Thus, NBC moved to the next hip-hop duo on their list, the Fresh Prince (Will Smith) and Dj Jazzy Jeff. Meanwhile, Kid ‘n Play decided to star in a movie that, oddly enough, Smith turned down called House Party. One man’s rejection is another man’s big break.
All That Jazz
The scene above where Smith’s on-screen and real life friend, Jazz (Dj Jazzy Jeff) is thrown out of the mansion, usually after insulting Uncle Phil, was only shot one time. Why only one time? Was it because he had a rough landing and decided once was enough? No, filming at the mansion that was in Brentwood didn’t come cheap. To avoid forking over extra cash to shoot on-site for each episode that Jazz is thrown out, the crew recycled the clip and had Jazz wear the same clothes to keep the continuity.There were times when Jazz was thrown out of the mansion’s backdoor. Those scenes were shot on the sound stage.
When Will Met Jada
Jada Pinkett (Smith’s current wife) auditioned to be the girlfriend of the West Philadelphia Native, but was told she was too short to play opposite of the 6’2 actor. Apparently, Will has a thing for petite girls because he pursued Pinkett in real life, and the rest is history. The role of Beulah was given to an actress named Nia Long. I know you’re thinking, who the hell is Beulah? Many people don’t know that Smith’s on-screen girlfriend from fifth season of the show, who was mostly referred to as Lisa, real name was Beulah. I think the name Beulah had many joke opportunities that the show could’ve used. But, what’s done is done.
Geoffrey’s Last Name
Speaking of names that could’ve been comedy gold, Geoffrey, the butler of the Bel-Air mansion, last name was none other than Butler. The show could’ve used the name as play on words, by having everyone only refer to Geoffrey as Butler. Meanwhile, there could’ve been a running gag where his first name is never given that lead to an episode where Smith goes on a mission to find out the witty butler’s first name. The episode could’ve been called “Who is Mr. Butler?”. But because Geoffrey often had clever retorts and impeccable comedic timing, I’m willing to overlook this missed opportunity.
Long Live the Prince
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the sitcom that recently had its 25th anniversary, was given the boot after its fourth season. Initially, the show was supposed to end with Smith leaving California and heading back home to West Philadelphia for good. But the regular viewers of the show weren’t having that. The sitcom’s fan base addressed the situation, not by ranting on social media sites like people would today, but the old-fashioned way, by mailing handwritten letters to NBC to revive the show. The reaction from the upset viewers convinced the network that the show was worth staying on its prime time lineup. Two more seasons of the one of a kind sitcom were aired, and the show ended with the proper finale it deserved.
SOME COOL FACTS 