Recently, I was able to release an episode on a topic I have been wanting to cover since I started my podcast 3 years ago - the incredibly hilarious, groundbreaking, and timeless comedy show - "In Living Color." When I started doing research for the show, I stumbled upon a YouTube Channel called Jane for Short. The woman behind the channel, whose nickname is Jane, created several documentaries all about the Wayans Family and their journey to creating the show. You can find the Jane for Short YouTube channel here.
With that said, here are 5 things you may not have known about the show or the talented family:
#1: The Wayans family includes 10 CHILDREN! You heard me, 10 CHILDREN! Growing up, the family didn't have much money. Keenan Ivory Wayans and his siblings all grew up in the projects and sometimes they didn't have much, if anything, to eat. The kids never really considered themselves poor though. Thankfully they used humor and comedy to get themselves through hard times. You can watch a brief clip from an old episode of Oprah where they talk about the hardships growing up here.
#2: "In Living Color" is often compared to SNL but in many ways, the shows are completely different. SNL runs (it is still on TV) for 90 minutes and In Living Color ran for about 30 minutes. The skits on "In Living Color" were only a few minutes in length. This contrast worked quite well as "In Living Color" could really hold an audience's attention and could pack a lot of laughs into just one skit.
#3: Keenan Ivory Wayans was a firm believer in not just handing out stuff (i.e. roles on TV or in movies) to his siblings or close friends, they had to earn it. Keenan put his brothers through what he called "Comedy Camp" where they were forced to watch 100s of classic comedy movies, and stand-up comedy routines and they were required to report on what they learned. Auditions for a spot on "In Living Color" were also very extensive and included an audition, doing a standup routine at a comedy club, and more!
#4: "In Living Color" really saved the FOX network from going under. Ratings were strong right out of the gate. Jane commented that her parents were notified when the show was on when they were out playing. Everyone came inside from what they were doing to watch the show. Now that is powerful!
#5: Finally, one thing that I learned (which I thought was hilarious) is that Shawn Wayans was not actually playing/dj'ing any music when he was on the show during the opening/closing credits or dance breaks. He would listen to the music beforehand and would dance around to the beat, making it seem as though he had put together the music. So, the turntables, headphones, etc. were just props!
You can check out episode #70, all about In Living Color with my amazing guest, Jane here.
PS - I took polls on both Twitter and Instagram asking which characters from "In Living Color" were people's favorites - here are the results:
Twitter:
Homey the Clown: 67%
Men on: 33%
Fire Marshall Bill & Calhoun Tubbs: 0%
Instagram:
Fire Marshall Bill: 50%
Homey the Clown: 25%
Calhoun Tubbs: 25%
Men On: 0%
