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Not with My Pig, You Don't is the 4th episode of Season 1 of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Synopsis[]
A visit from Grandma and Grandpa Banks (Virginia Capers, Gilbert Lewis) enables Will to liven up Uncle Philip's dull image for a reporter profiling the community leader.
Plot[]
The family is in the living room at night wandering when Philip is coming home. They begin to worrying, as he is late but Vivian tells them to remain calm and not jump to conclusions. Will, who is busy reading a magazine, loudly interrupts and mentions Bill Cosby having a street-wise niece appearing on his show. Philip then walks in, with a relieved Ashley walking up to him for a hug. Philip apologizes for not calling, as he wanted to rush home and tell everyone the great news. The community leaders will be presenting to him the Urban Spirit Award due him helping their brothers and sisters on the streets. He then reveals to them that a reporter will be arriving to interview him, therefore he asks for everyone to look their best for the interview and the awards banquet. Vivian asks him if he called his parents. He says they are taking the next flight to California, which excites Ashley.
In the kitchen, Will and Ashley are dancing to the radio, when afterwards, Phillip's parents, Hattie and Joe Banks, walk in the door. Ashley runs up to them and gives them a nice warm hug, along with Hilary and Carlton. Ashley then introduces Will to them. Will, having been previously told that his uncle is from Baltimore, asks them how their flight from there was but she tells him that Zeke (Philip's old name) was born and raised on a farm in North Carolina, then moved to Baltimore when he was 16 years old. Will becomes humored after hearing all of this. Philip and Vivian then walk in and hug Hattie and Joe. The family then heads into the living room. Hattie calls for Geoffrey and gives him a list of groceries she'll be needing for supper. After telling everyone what she is cooking, Will begins to taste it already and gives Hattie a hug. The family then offers Hattie and Joe a look at their swimming pool. Hattie then tells everyone a story about how Zeke always loved their swimming hole back home and played in it with his pet pig named Melvin. Eager to learn more, Will walks back into the kitchen with Hattie.
That night, Hattie is in the kitchen singing Wade in the Water. Will, who happens to be up way past curfew, tries to sneak in behind her but is blind-fully caught by Hattie. Will begs her to not tell his uncle, telling her he was just a little bit past his curfew. She tells him to not do it again. Will then asks her why's she up. She tells him she had to get up and get breakfast started. She then offers Will a game of cards. As the two play, Hattie shares stories about his uncle's childhood. She tells him about his success as the first black president of the Young Farmers of America. She takes him back to the time when there were only white restrooms and shares a little story of how Zeke drunk too much lemonade and how he decided to stand his ground against the whites.
The next day, Will is out with Phillip's parents at Disneyland, while the family is preparing for the interview by going over what each person is to say. A reporter Named Melissa Klein walks in and the interview promptly begins. After that, Will returns home with Phillip's parents. Looking at the time, Hattie and Joe decide to go to bed. Afterwards, the reporter walks in and gets on the phone. She decides to kill the story about Philip, saying his life dull. Will, who overheard the conversation, assures her that his uncle is much more than what she thinks. He tells her the stories about Philip's past "barnyard life" he heard from Hattie.
Once the story is printed in the newspaper, a stack of them are ordered by Philip. Geoffrey and Vivian look at them and are bewildered by how they got a hold of the pig stories. Philip then comes into the kitchen, eager to look at the paper. Geoffrey reluctantly begins reading the headline, then stops. Philips takes the paper and reads it for himself. As he reads down the page, he realizes they printed the stories of his real childhood and his pet pig in the paper. Will then walks in with a stack of newspapers. After asking who is responsible for this, Will tattles on himself. Vivian and Geoffrey leave, telling Will to run. Confused, Will asks what he did wrong. As Philip begins to scold Will for his stunt but Hattie walks in and hears him talk down about his childhood. An upset Hattie reminds her son of how good he had it back then, despite not having much and that he has nothing to be ashamed of. He explains to her that he isn't ashamed but is just trying to project the perfect image for his associates. Hattie, believes that counts as being ashamed, then leaves the room with a crushed heart.
Later that night, the family appears at the awards banquet. Hattie refuses to talk at all but Will tries to get her to forgive her son. She also refuses to eat any of the food offered at the banquet but rather just fade into the background by serving up her own food, which she brought in her bag. In an attempt to get her to forgive her son, Will reminds her of how much her son likes her famous casserole but this fails. He then tries again by saying aloud how Philip is so glad to have his loving parents there with him but Hattie fails to see that he thinks highly of them. Philip then goes to the restroom to be alone for a few minutes. Will follows him there and apologizes for messing up his image but tells him that the reporter would've trashed the article if he didn't give her the pig stories. Philip then explains to Will how good he had it, how his parents loved him so much and how hard they have worked to make sure he'd get everything they never had. He then starts worrying that his mother may never forgive him but Will assures him that as long as he explains it to her, she'll understand. Philip is then called up to give his acceptance speech. Philip begins with growing up in Baltimore, then mentions how he was born in North Carolina. Upon hearing his speech, Hattie and Joe take each other's hands and begin to smile, as Philip shows renewed pride in his roots.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Will Smith as Will Smith
- James Avery as Philip Banks
- Janet Hubert as Vivian Banks
- Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton Banks
- Karyn Parsons as Hilary Banks
- Tatyana Ali as Ashley Banks
- Joseph Marcell as Geoffrey Butler
Guest Cast[]
- Virginia Capers as Hattie Banks
- Gilbert Lewis as Joe Banks
- John Petlock as Henry Furth
- Kathy Griffin as Melissa Klein
- Helen Page Camp as Margaret Furth
- Jim Mapp as Art
- David Downing as Presenter
- Jeff Hayenga as Waiter
Quotes[]
Philip: The community leaders are recognizing me for helping our brothers and sisters on the streets. Will: The only time you're on the streets is when you're waiting for the valet to bring your car around. Philip: Is that so, son? Let me tell you something. The '63 March on Washington? I was there. The '65 demonstrations at Selma, I was there. The '65 Watts Riots, I was there, too. Will: Seems to me every place you go, trouble follows. |
Hattie: Ashley, sweetie. My, how you've grown. Hilary, sweetie. My, how you've grown. Carlton, sweetie... Hi. |
Will: So, how was the flight from Baltimore? Hattie: Baltimore? Will: That's where Uncle Phil's from, right? Hattie: He moved there when he was 16, but he was born and raised in Yamacraw. Will: Yamacraw? Hattie: North Carolina. I can't believe Zeke never mentioned his hometown. Will: Zeke?! |
Hattie: Growing up, my Zeke always did love our swimming hole. He would strip down to his birthday suit and dive right in. Will: Granny, please. It's almost dinnertime. Hattie: He just loved his skinny-dipping, him and Melvin. Will: [suddenly intrigued] Melvin? Philip: I don't think we want to hear anything– Carlton: Au contraire, Dad. The Melvin stories are priceless. Will: So, Melvin was like his best friend? Hilary: Melvin was his pig. |
Hattie: [singing] Wade in the water... wade in the water, children... wade in the water... God's gonna trouble... It's 3:00 in the morning, Will. Will: How did you see me? Hattie: Mama knows. Will: Granny, please don't tell Uncle Phil. I'm just a little bit past my curfew. Hattie: How much is a little? Will: Well, let's just say I went out after I was supposed to be in. Hattie: Don't do it again. |
Hattie: You know, then, we also had those White rest rooms? Will: Yeah. Hattie: I remember this one time we was downtown, and Zeke had had too much lemonade and suddenly he just lit out from me and split right into that White rest room. They told him to leave, but little Zeke just stood his ground. |
Philip: All right, that reporter's going to be here any minute. Does everybody remember what they're supposed to say? Hilary? Hilary: Yes, Daddy. Philip: Ashley? Ashley: Yes, Daddy. Philip: Vivian? Vivian: What is this, the von Trapp family? |
Will: After living in Bel-Air, it was great to spend time at Disneyland to get back to reality. |
Philip: You destroyed my image. Will: I didn't destroy nothing. Philip: Of course you did. Look at that story. I have to walk into that banquet room tonight filled with people who'll think I'm nothing but a hog-handling hick from Yamacraw! Hattie: But that is where you come from, Zeke. Philip: Mama. I was just having a few words with Will. Hattie: And I'm having a few words with you. What have you got to be ashamed of? We always put food on the table and clothes on your back. Philip: Mama, I'm not ashamed. There are just certain aspects of my life I don't wish emphasized. Hattie: Where I come from they call that being ashamed, Mr. Big Shot. |
Will: What are you doing in here, Uncle Phil? Philip: Is this for your own information, or will this be in USA Today? Will: Come on, I'm sorry I made you mad. The reporter was gonna trash the article until I gave her those pig stories. Philip: Yes. Everyone loves those amusing little agricultural anecdotes. I guess it never occurred to you that they'd make me look like a fool. Will: Uncle Phil, your plaid golf shorts make you look like a fool. Those stories make you look great. You did a lot for Black people that I didn't even know. Philip: I raised a pig for the Young Farmers Association. Puts me right up there with Martin Luther King. Will: You were the first Black president. That's something. And what about the Whites only rest room? Philip: In case my mother didn't make it painfully clear, I wasn't trying to prove a point. I went in there because I really had to go. Bathroom Attendant: I see a whole lot of that. Will: I mean, look, Uncle Phil, it's just like Rosa Parks. When she sat in the front of the bus, she wasn't doing it to prove a point either. She did it 'cause her feet hurt. They told her to leave, and she didn't. Neither did you. Philip: I must be kidding myself. I had it all planned out. There was my family, all lined up to meet the press. There I was, with my perfect image. Philip Banks pulled himself up from the streets with his own bootstraps. The only problem was, I didn't have it that hard. I had two parents who loved me and were always there for me and worked hard to make sure I'd have everything they never had. Will: I mean, why are you worried so much about your image? The truth sounds real good to me. Philip: I don't think my mother will ever forgive me. Will: Man, you must be tripping. Granny's great. Just explain it to her. Philip: Will, there's something you have to learn. Sometimes... parents just don't understand. |
Philip: I grew up on the streets of Baltimore. But I was born on a farm in Yamacraw, North Carolina. I was one of the lucky ones. I had two wonderful parents who worked hard every day of their lives. They couldn't give me a lot of material things but they gave me morals, courage and most important of all, love. I just hope I can give the next generation what my parents gave me. |
Trivia[]
- The kitchen in this episode is very different than it is in the rest of the season's run.
- Running Gag: Hattie beating Will at a game of cards.
- This is actually the sixth episode to be produced, but the fourth to be broadcast.
- Past airings on TBS and ABC Family cut the scene where the family was worried about Philip being late.
- It is established that in 1963, Philip went to Princeton University, which is located in New Jersey.
- This is the second time Will breaks the fourth wall and speaks to the camera.
- Another Fresh Prince episode with a title similar to this one is "Not With My Cousin You Don't."
- ALLUSIONS
- Philip is said to have won a case called Quincy vs. Jones. Quincy Jones is the executive producer for the show
- The episode's title is a pun on the 1966 movie, Not With My Wife, You Don't, starring Tony Curtis and Virna Lisi.
- During Will's talk with Uncle Phil in the bathroom, when telling him that Hattie will forgive him for being ashamed of his roots, Uncle Phil tells him that there is something he needs to learn, which is "parents just don't understand." This is a reference to the song of the same name by D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
- Will reads in TV Guide magazine that Bill Cosby is getting a streetwise niece to come on the show. This is a reference to Erika Alexander who joined the cast of The Cosby Show as Cousin Pam the same year that this episode aired.
- ERRORS
- When Philip talks about the award, Hilary is excited that she's getting two new dresses for the interview and the awards banquet. However, Hilary isn't wearing a new dress during the interview; she's not even wearing a dress at all. Despite the fact that the Banks' don't get their picture taken during the interview, Hilary didn't know that until the reporter arrived.
Photos[]
