I came across the end of a film last Friday as I channeled surfed.  It had
the characters of the film tell the parable of the frog and the scorpion
behind the closing credits.  Title: "Chamelion Street" (1989)--"William B.
Harris Jr., Angela Leslie.  An astonishing, master impersonator, from fact.
 Consistently intriguing. (R)"  From the little bit I saw, the main
character is a black con man of some sort.  Given the date, this would
precede "The Crying Game."
 
Jesse Kalin, Vassar