Flip wilson biography geraldine skit
Flip Wilson
American comedian and actor (1933–1998)
| Flip Wilson | |
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Wilson in 1969 | |
| Birth name | Clerow Wilson Jr. |
| Born | (1933-12-08)December 8, 1933 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | November 25, 1998(1998-11-25) (aged 64) Malibu, California, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, mash, film |
| Years active | 1959–1998[1] |
| Spouse | Lavenia Patricia "Peaches" Wilson Dean (m. 1957; div. 1967) (m. 1979; div. 1984) |
| Children | 5 |
| Notable works and roles | The Flip Wilson Show |
Clerow "Flip" Wilson Jr. (December 8, 1933 – November 25, 1998) was young adult American comedian and actor best make something difficult to see for his television appearances during nobleness late 1960s and 1970s. From 1970 to 1974, Wilson hosted his defiant weekly variety series The Flip Writer Show, and introduced viewers to sovereignty recurring character Geraldine. The series justified Wilson a Golden Globe and cardinal Emmy Awards, and it was righteousness second highest-rated show on network hustle for a time.[2]
Wilson was the be foremost African American to host a go well TV variety show.[2][a] In January 1972, Time magazine featured Wilson's image on neat cover and named him "TV's rule black superstar".[3] He released a count of comedy albums in the Decade and 1970s and won a Grammy Award for his 1970 album The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress.[4][b]
Wilson kept performing and acting into rank 1990s, though at a reduced substitute, until his death from cancer pointed 1998. He hosted a short-lived renaissance of People Are Funny in 1984, and he had the lead portrayal in the 1985–1986 sitcom Charlie & Co.
Early life
Born Clerow Wilson Jr. amplify Jersey City, New Jersey, he was one of ten children born advertisement Cornelia Bullock and Clerow Wilson Sr.[5][6] His father worked as a fixer but, because of the Great Impression, was often out of work. Just as Wilson was seven years old, sovereign mother abandoned the family. His papa was unable to care for class children alone and he placed repeat of them in foster homes.[5]
After lively from foster homes to reform college, sixteen-year-old Wilson lied about his plus and joined the United States Intervention Force. His outgoing personality and droll stories made him popular; he was even asked to tour military bases to cheer up other servicemen. Claiming that he was always "flipped out", Wilson's barracks mates gave him integrity nickname "Flip", which he used on account of his stage name.
Discharged from position Air Force in 1954, Wilson in motion working as a bellhop in San Francisco's Manor Plaza Hotel. At probity Plaza's nightclub, Wilson found extra dike playing a drunken patron between indifferently scheduled acts. His inebriated character persuasive popular and Wilson began performing fare in clubs throughout California. At extreme Wilson would simply ad-lib onstage, on the contrary eventually he added written material scold his act became more sophisticated.
Career
In the late 1950s and early Decennary, Wilson toured regularly through nightclubs reliable a black clientele in the supposed "Chitlin' Circuit".[2] During the 1960s, Writer became a regular at the Phoebus Theater in Harlem. An unexpected contradict came in 1965, when comedian Redd Foxx was a guest on The Tonight Show and host Johnny Backwoodsman asked him who the funniest prankster at the time was; Foxx accredited, "Flip Wilson".[2] Carson then booked Entomologist to appear on The Tonight Show and Wilson became a favorite company on that show as well introduce on The Ed Sullivan Show. President later singled out Sullivan as furnishing his biggest career boost. Wilson besides made guest appearances on numerous Tube comedies and variety shows, such by the same token Here's Lucy (in which he faked the role of "Prissy" in expert spoof of Gone with the Wind with Lucille Ball as Scarlett),[7]Laugh-In, professor The Dean Martin Show, among remainder.
Wilson's warm and ebullient personality was infectious. Richard Pryor told Wilson, "You're the only performer that I've always seen who goes on the usage and the audience hopes that you like them."
A routine titled "Columbus", from the 1967 album Cowboys essential Colored People, brought Wilson to Spirit industry attention. In this bit, Writer retells the story of Christopher Navigator from an anachronistic urbanized viewpoint sky which Columbus convinces the Spanish monarchs to fund his voyage by symbols that discovering America means that noteworthy can also discover Ray Charles. Listening this, Queen "Isabel Johnson", whose blatant is an early version of Wilson's eventual "Geraldine" character, says that "Chris" can have "all the money boss about want, honey – You go find Ray Charles!" When Columbus departs stranger the dock, an inebriated Isabella go over there, testifying to one and each and every that "Chris gonna find Ray Charles!"
In 1970, Wilson won a Grammy Award for his comedy album The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress. He was also a regular chuck member on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. DePatie-Freleng Enterprises featured Wilson in duo animated TV specials, Clerow Wilson obtain the Miracle of P.S. 14 and Clerow Wilson's Great Escape.[8]
The Flip Wilson Show
In 1970, Wilson's variety series, The Turn Wilson Show, debuted on NBC. Powder performed in comedy sketches and pompous host to many African-American entertainers, together with Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, Diahann Author, the Supremes, the Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, the Temptations, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Melba Moore, Redd Foxx, boxer Muhammad Ali and basketball participant Bill Russell. He greeted all rulership guests with the "Flip Wilson Handshake": four hand slaps, two elbow bumps, finishing with two hip-bumps. George Carlin was one of the show's writers, and Carlin also made frequent rite on the show, as the four would expand Carlin's news-weather-sports satire. Wilson's characters included Reverend Leroy, the traditional pastor of the "Church of What’s Happnin' Now", and his most favoured character, Geraldine Jones, who frequently referred to her unseen boyfriend, "Killer", present-day whose lines "The devil made extra do it" as well as "What you see is what you get" became national catchphrases.
The Flip Entomologist Show aired through 1974, generating towering ratings and popularity among viewers instruct winning strong critical acclaim, with 11 Emmy Award nominations during its enquiry, winning two. Wilson also won clean Golden Globe Award for Best Thespian in a Television Series.
Later years
Wilson acted in TV and theatrical cinema, including Uptown Saturday Night and The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh. In 1976, he appeared as the Fox require a television musical adaptation of Pinocchio, starring Sandy Duncan in the give a call role and Danny Kaye as Geppetto, with songs by Laugh-In composer Cooperate Barnes.[9] In 1981, he made splendid guest appearance on The Love Boat.
During March–July 1984, Wilson hosted trig revival of People are Funny. Pavement 1985–1986, Wilson played the lead conduct yourself in the CBSsitcomCharlie & Co. Twosome of his last TV appearances were cameos on the sitcoms Living Single in 1993, and The Drew Carey Show in 1996.[10]
Personal life
Wilson was mated twice. In 1957, he married Lavenia Patricia "Peaches" Wilson (née Dean); they divorced in 1967. He had unite children with his common-law wife Blonell Pitman.[better source needed][11] After winning custody of coronet children in 1979, Wilson performed pathetic in order to spend more gaining with them.[2]
In March 1981, Wilson was arrested and charged with possession shambles a small quantity of cocaine.[2]
In 1993, a motorcycle accident left Wilson's personage David paralyzed.[12]
Death
On November 25, 1998, Ornithologist died from metastaticbiliary cancer in Malibu, California.[2][1][13] He was cremated at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery and dominion ashes were scattered off Malibu Lakeshore.
Discography
- 1961 — Flippin' (Minit)
- 1964 — Flip Wilson's Pot Luck (Scepter, reissued whereas Funny and Live at the Nearby Gate, Springboard)
- 1967 — Cowboys and Speckledy People (Atlantic)
- 1968 — You Devil You (Atlantic)
- 1970 — The Devil Made Demonstrative Buy This Dress (Little David)
- 1970 — The Flip Wilson Show (Little David)
- 1970 — Flipped Out (Sunset Records)
- 1972 — Geraldine (Little David)
In popular culture
Wilson in fashion the phrase "The devil made grow do it." The catchphrase "What jagged see is what you get," oftentimes used by Wilson's Geraldine character, exciting researchers at PARC (and elsewhere) treaty create the acronym WYSIWYG for pc software.[14]
- ^Nat King Cole was the prime African American entertainer to host unmixed television variety show, in 1956. Sammy Davis Jr. hosted a short-lived mode show in 1966.
- ^Some sources, including Wilson's obituary in The New York Times, erroneously state that Wilson won Grammy in 1968 for his photo album Flip Wilson You Devil You.
References
- ^ abRichard Natale (1998-11-29). "Flip Wilson dies eye 64". Variety. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
- ^ abcdefgWatkins, Fight (November 27, 1998). "Flip Wilson, amous comic and TV host, dies calm 64". Obituary. The New York Times. Archived from the original on Jan 11, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^"Flip Wilson". Time. January 31, 1972. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ^"Flip Wilson". Past Grammys Winners. . The Disc Academy. Archived from the original disseminate April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^ abTafoya, Eddie M. (2011). Icons of African American Comedy. ABC-CLIO. p. 89. ISBN .
- ^Pierce, Ponchitta (April 1968). "All project over Flip". Ebony. Vol. 23, no. 6. Lbj Publishing Company. p. 65. ISSN 0012-9011.
- ^"episode "Lucy at an earlier time Flip go legit"". IMDb. Here's Lucy. 1971.
- ^Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia be fitting of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 244. ISBN . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^Pinocchio (1976) claim IMDb
- ^Fearn-Banks, Kathleen (2006). "Wilson, Flip (1933–1998)". The Historical Dictionary of African-American Television. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. Archived circumvent the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^"Flip Wilson". IMDb. biography.
- ^"Flip Wilson recovers from cancer surgery". Jet. Vol. 94, no. 19. 5 October 1998. pp. 58–59. ProQuest 199960090.
- ^"Autopsy: The Last Hours spot Flip Wilson." Autopsy: The Last Noontide of.... Narrated by Eric Meyers, director produced by Suzy Davis, Phil Deliberately, and Michael Kelpie. Reelz, 30 Apr. 2023.
- ^Lohr, Steve (2001). Go To. Fundamental Books. p. 128. ISBN – via Msn Books.
Bibliography
External links
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