FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR, THE: 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTENING (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about a Philadelphia teenager living with his wealthy uncle’s family in California.
Uncle Phil puts Nicky to bed on Christmas Eve of 1998, and Nicky asks to be told about his four middle names. Uncle Phil recounts how he came to have so many middle names, which began the night before he was christened, on Christmas Eve 1993. At that time everyone is preparing for their Christmas holiday; Will, Hillary, Carlton, Ashley, and Uncle Phil argue amongst themselves over who got Nicky the best present for his christening. This leads to a “gift-off” between them; Will reveals to Geoffrey that he got Nicky a hand-puppet, although Geoffrey points out that the others got Nicky quite expensive and lavish gifts compared to his. Realizing this, Will feels disappointed in himself for not measuring up to everyone else. In order to avoid embarrassment, Will claims to Jazz that he arranged to have the band Boyz II Men sing at the christening. Vivian overhears this and spreads the news to everyone else, landing him in a predicament.
As luck would have it, Boyz II Men are in town recording a radio special, and Will sneaks into their recording session. He is caught and nearly thrown out and he protests, claiming that he used to know them in Philadelphia. This deception seems to work, much to his surprise, as it turns out that he stole a girlfriend from one of them years ago. This earns him their ire and they throw him out, telling him not to return. Meanwhile, Ashley becomes concerned that the family is overworking Geoffrey during the Christmas season and that they should get him a present as a sign of thanks. Vy arrives and Will is excited to see her. He tries to tell her about his situation, but she is too excited over the expected appearance of Boyz II Men to listen. However, Will finds unexpected inspiration from a comment by Carlton. Helen arrives, and a conflict arises between her and Vy when they discover that they have worn identical outfits. They argument worsens when they claim that each of them has been individually asked by Vivian to serve as Nicky’s godmother. Vivian claims that it was an accident, but this does little to placate them. They are interrupted by Carlton, who announces that his Santa costume has been stolen.
Will dresses up in the Santa costume and re-infiltrates the recording studio, which proves to be unexpectedly simple. He manages to convince Boyz II Men to sing at the christening, but the costume’s beard accidentally slips, revealing his true identity. They chase after him but Will manages to get away. The christening begins that night, with Helen and Vy continuing to snipe at each other. Vivian, fed up with their behavior, tells them that she has decided to name Geoffrey as Nicky’s godparent, leaving him speechless with appreciation. Will arrives, and decides that he must confess his deception in front of the entire congregation. However, before he can finish his confession, Boyz II Men enter the church singing “Silent Night.” Uncle Phil finishes telling Nicky the story, explaining that his four middle names are each derived from the members of Boyz II Men. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:22:40
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 122577
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Comedy; TV - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1990-1996
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Quincy Jones … Executive Producer
- Gary H. Miller … Executive Producer
- Benny Medina … Co-Executive Producer
- Jeff Pollack … Co-Executive Producer
- Leslie Ray … Co-Executive Producer
- David Steven Simon … Co-Executive Producer
- Bill Boulware … Supervising Producer
- Maiya Williams … Producer, Writer
- Werner Walian … Producer
- Barry Gurstein … Co-Producer
- Dave Pitlik … Co-Producer
- Mara Lopez … Associate Producer
- Shelley Jensen … Director
- Andy Borowitz … Created by
- Susan Borowitz … Created by
- Eddie Gorodetsky … Writer
- QDIII … Music by
- Will Smith … Cast, Will Smith
- James Avery … Cast, Philip Banks
- Daphne Maxwell Reid … Cast, Vivian Banks
- Alfonso Ribeiro … Cast, Carlton Banks
- Karyn Parsons … Cast, Hilary Banks
- Tatyana M. Ali … Cast, Ashley Banks
- Joseph Marcell … Cast, Geoffrey
- Boyz II Men … Cast, Themselves
- Jeffrey A. Townes … Cast, Jazz
- Vernée Watson Johnson … Cast, Vy
- Jenifer Lewis … Cast, Helen
- Sullivan Walker … Cast, Reverend Boyd
- Charles Alston … Cast, Charlie
- Gregory Wheeler … Cast, 5-Year-Old-Nicky