The Devil Made Me Do It (Remembering Flip Wilson)
Posted: Saturday, February 09, 2008
by David Tanguay
I was released from the military in Sept. of 1969, I went straight to work however, those days were turbulent times. One of the many great comedians of that day, Flip Wilson had a way of cheering an audience on. He had a way of making us laugh even during troublesome times.
''Clerow [Flip] Wilson Jr.'' (December 8 1933 November 25, 1998) was a United States American comedy comedian and actor. Born in 1933 in New Jersey, he was one of eighteen children in an impoverished household. After years of bouncing from foster homes to reform school, sixteen-year-old Wilson lied about his age and joined the United States Air Force. His outgoing personality and funny 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 his famous nickname. Discharged in 1954, Wilson started working as a bellhop in San Francisco's Manor Plaza Hotel.
Flip Wilson
At the Plaza's nightclub, Wilson found extra work playing a drunken patron in between regularly scheduled acts. His inebriated character proved popular and Wilson began performing it in clubs throughout California. He managed to get jobs at various comedy clubs using his nickname, Flip. At first, Wilson would simply ad-lib on-stage, but in time, he added written material and his act became more sophisticated. He eventually became a regular at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem and was a favorite guest on The Tonight Show, Laugh-In, and The Ed Sullivan Show. Finally, Wilson got his own television program, The Flip Wilson Show, debuting on NBC in 1970. He played host to many African American entertainers and performed in comedy sketches. His characters included Reverend Leroy, pastor of the Church of What's Happening Now; and Geraldine, whose line " The devil made me do it" became a national expression. The show aired through 1974, gaining high ratings and great popularity. Wilson won a Golden Globe award for best actor in a television series, and the show won eighteen Emmys in the 1972 and 1973 seasons.
He made many guest appearances on other TV comedies and variety shows, such as ''Here's Lucy'' starring Lucille Ball and ''The Dean Martin Show'' among others. Ed Sullivan gave Wilson numerous guest shots on his popular Sunday night show and Wilson would single out Sullivan as providing his biggest career boost. Wilson acted in TV and theatrical movies including ''Uptown Saturday Night'' and ''The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh''.
After his show closed, Wilson attempted to make movies and appear in other television programs, but nothing worked out. His name faded from show business, and he died of cancer in California at the age of sixty-four.
"What You See Is What You Get"
This popular phrase was often used by Flip's Geraldine character and inspired researchers at PARC (company) PARC and elsewhere to create the acronym WYSIWYG.
Flip Wilson playing Geraldine
(Information in this article is provided as a courtesy of goggle search)
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)hi david, good tribute to old flip. i loved him. i'd watch him with my dad on ed sullivan. i guess, and then when he had his show. he provided me with a time i could share with my dad. thanks for the pleasant memories, my best, suePlease log in to respond to this comment.Thank you Susan, Old Flip had a way of making you laugh. he was a natural, stars of today just can't measure up to the stars of yesterday.Please log in to respond to this comment.
David, How could I forget Flip Wilson? Thanks for the memories.Please log in to respond to this comment.Yeah James, our generation was blessed with the best. When it came to entertainers.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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