Leroy "Twist" Carey Movies
Worried that Fox's overexposure of existing In Living Color episodes would weaken the series' appeal in rerun syndication, creator Keenen Ivory Wayans exited the show halfway through Season Four, followed in rapid succession by his brothers Damon, Shawn and Kim Wayans. Though sibling Marlon Wayans would continue to appear during season five, by mid-season none of the Wayans were left -- leaving Jim Carrey as the top-billed star of the property, and Jamie Foxx (whose main recurring character by this time was oversexed and spectacularly ugly Wanda Wayne) as the principal supporting comic. Amidst all this turnover, season five ushered in several talented new regulars, among them Chris Rock, Anne-Marie Johnson, Jay Leggett, Carol Rosenthal, Marc Wilmore, and Reggie McFadden. Among the best individual sketches seen during In Living Color's fifth and final season are "Russell Simmons Def Strawberry Jam," "Ike Turner and Hootch," "Anorexic Sumo Wrestler," "Circus of the Stars," "Sam Kinison: Live From Hell," "Wile E. Coyote on Trial," "Mary Tyler Mo," "East Hollywood Squares," "66th Annual Infomercial Awards," and "Prison Cable Network." ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlon Wayans, Jim Carrey, (more)
The fourth season of the Wayans Brothers' cutting-edge comedy sketch series In Living Color marks the first appearance of Marlon Wayans, holding his own with siblings Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans,Kim Wayans, and Shawn Wayans just as though he'd been a "regular" all along. Also making their series debuts this season are new regulars Alexandra Wentworth and Twist (aka Leroy Casey), while Steve Park has left the series for new career opportunities. And though Damon Wayans is no longer appearing regularly, he can still be seen making guest appearances in such familiar guises as Anton the Wino. While much of the series is the mixture as before, there is one significant format change, one that had been test-marketed during season three. From now on, each episode begins with a devastating spoof of a popular music video, with the regulars cutting up as faux celebrities. Longtime In Living Color fans should get a pretty good idea of what's in store for them this season by merely perusing the titles of the sketches, including "Rodney King and Reginald Denny Speak Out", "Basic Instank", "Head Detective," "Homey D Clown Meets His Son," "The Dysfunctional Home Christmas Show," "Boyz 2 Wimps," "Straight Pride Parade," and "Thema and Louise Jefferson." Also, mention must be made of the ever-increasing appearances by series regular Jamie Foxx in the recurring role of ugly, libidinous good-time girl Wanda Wayne, a character he would carry over with great success into his popular standup routine. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, (more)
- 1990
The brainchild of comic actor Keenen Ivory Wayans, the Fox comedy variety series In Living Color has been described variously as the "black Laugh-In" and the "black Saturday Night Live." Whatever the case, the series garnered big laughs and bigger ratings by applying a hip, cutting-edge, Afrocentric slant on modern American culture, with freewheeling spoofs and satires of popular films, TV shows, commercials and music -- especially music. During In Living Color's first years on the air, the proceedings were dominated by Keenen Ivory Wayans and his multi-talented brothers, Damon Wayans, Kim Wayans, Shawn Wayans and (beginning with season four) Marlon Wayans. Also featured in the series' rotating repertory company were such brilliant black entertainers as David Alan Grier, T'Keyah "Crystal" Kehmah, Jamie Foxx, and Chris Rock, along with the show's "token white guy" Jim Carrey. Music was provided by some of the top R&B and rap artists in the country (Queen Latifah, Flavor Flav, and Heavy D to name but three of the many) with backup provided by the scantily-clad "Fly Girls" (one of whom was a young Jennifer Lopez). Merrily exploiting and skewering a variety of ethnic stereotypes, the series' recurring sketches and characters included "Men on Film," featuring a pair of flamboyantly gay movie critics, Blaine and Antoine ("Two snaps up"); Homey D. Clown, a dour urban kiddie entertainer ("Homey don't play that!"); SW-1 and Twist (Shawn Wayans, Leroy Casey), the show's exuberant veejays; "The Home Boys," a couple of streetwise scam artists named Wiz and Ice ("Mo' money!"), "Hey Mon," the ongoing saga of a West Indian family named the Hedleys; "The Buttmans," who looked exactly as you would expect them to look; Handi-Man, a multiple-handicapped superhero; Fire Marshall Bill (Jim Carrey), a hideously disfigured safety expert; and Wanda Wayne (played by Jamie Foxx), the ugliest, horniest gal in the 'hood. Also represented via impersonation and caricature were a number of A-list celebrities both black and white: Arsenio Hall, Oprah Winfrey, Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Kinison, Della Reese, Ray Charles, and many others. By the time In Living Color had entered its fifth season, all but one of the Wayans Brothers had left the show, following the lead of Keenen Ivory Wayans, who was unhappy with Fox's policy of censoring certain sketches and of overexposing existing episodes, thereby hurting their future profitability in syndication. Debuting April 15, 1990, In Living Color ran until August 25, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, (more)
