Flip (1970–1974)

One of the many variety shows available in the 1970s (along with Sonny and Cher, Captain and Tennille, Donny and Marie, etc). Hosted by black comic Flip Wilson, this show featured skits, ... See full summary »

Stars:

Flip Wilson, Tim Conway, George Carlin

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Flip Wilson	...	Himself - Host (96 episodes, 1970-1974)

Storyline

One of the many variety shows available in the 1970s (along with Sonny and Cher, Captain and Tennille, Donny and Marie, etc). Hosted by black comic Flip Wilson, this show featured skits, music and frequent appearances by "Geraldine Jones" (really Flip Wilson in drag).

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Plot Keywords:

variety | variety show | impersonation | comedian | stand up comedian | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Flip Wilson Show

Filming Locations:

Stage 1, NBC Studios - 3000 W. Alameda Avenue, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bob Henry Productions Inc., Clerow Productions, National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The exclamation "The devil made me do it!" by Geraldine Jones, one of Flip Wilson's many characters, was ranked #16 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 20 Top Catchphrases" (21-27 August 2005 issue).

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Quotes

Geraldine: What you see is what you get.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credit for one episode reads the role of George Wyle was played by Bernard Weissman, which was George Wyle's real name

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Connections

Featured in I Love the '70s (2003)

User Reviews

Groundbreaking Variety Show of the 70s

The 70s had a number of shows that broke new ground and changed TV. Before there was All in the Family, there was The Flip Wilson Show. It was the first variety show to be hosted by an African-American comedian and it was a major hit in its first two seasons.

I remember watching the show on Thursday nights and I thought it was very funny. It proved that Flip can handle a variety show as he interacted well with celebrities such as Redd Foxx and George Carlin and as characters he created such as Geraldine and The Reverend Leroy. To me, he was one of the best comedians to perform in drag since Monty Python debuted on British TV in 1969.

But in the fall of 1972 a new show came on the scene which would cause Flip's ratings to flop. It would be the most successful family drama of the 70s, The Waltons. Although the ratings took a tumble, the show would hang on for two more seasons until NBC canceled it in 1974.

Before NBC had "Must See TV" in the 80s and 90s, The Flip Wilson Show was a must see that was a groundbreaker. The past tense of one of Geraldine's catch phrases best described the show "What you saw was what you got."