"Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air" turns 30: 10 things you (maybe) don't know about the series with Will Smith"

When the theme song for Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air starts, there are only two types of people: those who immediately start singing it and those who lie.

It seems incredible, especially because Will Smith hasn't aged a day, but the sitcom that made Bel-Air's Fresh Prince a global star turns 30 this year: it aired in the US from September 10, 1990 to 20. March 1996 (1993 would have arrived in Italy, on Italia1), the series is pure 90s.

Graffiti, music, passion for basketball and Michael Jordan: Willy, the prince of Bel-Air embodies the spirit of the 90s with stars and stripes and has given us wonderful things like the "Carlton dance" cousin of the protagonist, played by Alfonso Riberio.

Will Smith himself is very fond of the role: last year, on the red carpet of Aladdin, he told us that in his Genius there was just a bit of Willy and, during the quarantine, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the sitcom, organized a reunion with the entire cast via Zoom.

So let's discover 10 curiosities about Willy, the prince of Bel-Air: for a review, find the episodes on Netflix and, from July 27, in a DVD box set.

# 1. William and Willard Smith

Many believe that actor Will Smith and character Willy Smith have the same name: in fact, the Hollywood star is called William, while Willy stands for Willard.

#2. Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro have chosen the names of their characters

However, it is no coincidence that the actor's name and the character's name are so similar: the authors allowed Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro to choose how to call their cousins. Ribeiro pointed out that if the series became a success, both would be called by the audience by the names of the characters.

That fox Smith then pretty much used his, while we still call it Ribeiro Carlton today.

# 3. Will Smith and the Rubik's Cube

In the episode in which Willy is interviewed to enter Princeton University, he amazes the examiner by solving the Rubik's cube that is on his desk in seconds. This is really Will Smith's ability: he demonstrated it in some talk shows and also in Gabriele Muccino's film “The Pursuit of Happiness”

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# 4. Will Smith's impromptu monologue

The points of contact between Will Smith and Willy are not limited to the name and Rubik's cube: in episode number 24 of the fourth season, entitled "Papa's Got A Brand New Excuse" ("Guess who comes home" in the Italian version) , Willy's biological father, who abandoned him as a child, returns to show up, only to disappear again.

According to the script, Willy should have ignored it, instead Will Smith, really abandoned by his father when he was very young, was so moved, that he launched into a monologue full of anger, so much so as to push his colleague James Avery, interpreter of uncle Phil, to hug him.

The improvised scene was not turned around, but held exactly like this: if you pay attention you can also hear the audience on the set moving and crying.

# 5. The diary of Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air

Karyn Parsons, the performer of Hilary Banks, recently revealed that on the set there was, for everyone, a diary in which you could write anything. It was inside a drawer of the kitchen set.

Actors and crew members wrote us poems, notes, gossip, made drawings. The diary is now in the actress's own possession.

# 6. The Banks house is in Brentwood

The home of the Banks family, Willy's wealthy relatives, who moved from Philadelphia to California by their mother's will, is actually located not in Bel-Air, but in Brentwood, another Los Angeles neighborhood. The exact address is: 251 N. Bristol Avenue.

# 7. Fans have brought back to life Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air

NBC canceled Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air at the end of season four, with Willy returning to Philadelphia. The reaction of the fans was so strong, that the network was convinced to renew the series for another two seasons. Season 5 opens with a television executive producer bringing Willy back to California, saying, "His name is Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air, not Willy, the Prince of Philadelphia."

# 8. Geoffrey's full name

The full name of Geoffrey, the butler of the Banks family, played by Joseph Marcell, is practically never mentioned in the series: it is Geoffrey Barbara Butler.

# 9. Queen Latifah has been a guest star twice

In six seasons of Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air there have been many famous guest stars: Queen Latifah has had the honor (along with Sherman Hemsley) of having appeared in the series twice, in different roles. She was Hilary's boss and a girl Willy goes out for dinner with.

# 10. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith met at auditions

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith met at the auditions of Willy, the prince of Bel-Air: he became the protagonist, she was unable to get a part, but the audition was convict. The two actors remained in contact and in 1997 they married.

All seasons of Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air on DVD

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the US airing of the first episode of Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air, which took place on September 10, 1990 on NBC, Warner Bros. Italy releases, on July 27, a box set that contains all 6 seasons of the series, for a total of 148 episodes.

In addition to the episodes, the box set, which contains 23 DVD discs, features several special contents, such as behind the scenes and the funniest mistakes.

(photo: NBC, Warner Bros.)

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