''The Apollo Comedy Hour'' is a

sketch-comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and i ...

that aired in first-run syndication from 1992-1995. The series was filmed the legendary Apollo Theater in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, New York. It was produced by the same people who produced ''

It's Showtime at the Apollo English auxiliary verbs are a small set of English verbs, which include the English modal verbs and a few others. Although definitions vary, as generally conceived an auxiliary lacks inherent semantic meaning but instead modifies the meaning of an ...

''.

Format

Like a similar syndicated show from around the same time period, ''

Uptown Comedy Club ''Uptown Comedy Club'', is a sketch-comedy show filmed in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City that aired in first-run syndication for two seasons, from 1992 until 1994. The series was produced by Bob Banner. Repeats of the series ...

'' and the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

series ''

In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in ...

'', ''Apollo Comedy Hour'' featured a cast of young hopeful comedians, guest stars and a new musical act for each episode.

Cast

The cast was primarily

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

and

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

, with sketches primarily written around their personal experiences and observations. Series regulars included

Paula Jai Parker Paula Jai Parker is an American actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in the films ''Friday'' (1995), '' Sprung'' (1997), '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1998), ''Phone Booth'' (2002), '' Hustle & Flow'' (2005), and '' Idlewild'' (20 ...

Grace Garland Grace Garland (born in New York City) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in the early 1980s playing Vera Vanderbilt on the TV series ''All My Children''. She later went on to become a series regular on ''The Apollo Com ...

Lisa Nicole Carson Lisa Nicole Carson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Carla in '' ER'' (1996–2001), and Renee Raddick in '' Ally McBeal'' (1997–2002). Carson has also starred in films, most notably as Marti in '' Jason's Lyric'' (1994) ...

Debra Wilson Debra Wilson, also known as Debra Wilson Skelton or Debra Skelton, is an American actress and comedian. She is known for being the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series '' Mad TV'', having appeared on the show's fir ...

, and Ian Edwards. Randl Ask and later Ilan Kwittken were the only white cast members. The show was hosted by Phyllis Stickney. Mary Flowers served as music talent executive. Meanwhile,

Patrice O'Neal Patrice Lumumba Malcolm O'Neal (December 7, 1969 – November 29, 2011) was an American comedian and actor. He was known for his stand-up comedy career and his regular guest appearances on the talk show ''Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn'' and the ...

's first television appearance was on ''The Apollo Comedy Hour''. Other performers featured included Derrick Fox, Yusuf Lamont, Kool Bubba Ice, Gil T, A.G. White, Deirdre Boddie-Henderson, Mike Yard,

John Henton John Henton (born November 23, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. Henton is best known for his roles as Overton Wakefield Jones on the FOX sitcom '' Living Single'' and as Milsap Morris on the ABC/ UPN sitcom '' The Hughleys''. Life and ...

, Charles Walden, Damon Rozier, Freddie Ricks, Darryl Littleton, Daran Howard, Tony Woods, and

Alonzo Bodden Alonzo Bodden (; born June 13, 1962) is an American comedian and actor known for winning the grand prize in the third season of the reality-television series ''Last Comic Standing''. He had been the runner-up in the previous season. In 2007, h ...

Stations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Apollo Comedy Hour, The 1992 American television series debuts 1995 American television series endings 1990s American black television series 1990s American sketch comedy television series 1990s American stand-up comedy television series 1990s American variety television series First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Hip hop television English-language television shows Television series by Tribune Entertainment