Flip

Not only a groundbreaking variety offer for the early '70s, this blast from many of our pasts preserves appearances of guest stars that later made it big, in addition to showcasing the Geraldine routines of Wilson he honed in clubs and on Tonight show guest hosting gigs. This sort of thing is cable's promise: since most new stuff seems to be utter garbage, the multiplicity of pay channels can (potentially) mine the past for all the programming that ever bested the latest levels of drivel.

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."

After the Flip Wilson show left the air, having been a top favorite for a full four years, it was quickly forgotten.

TV Land fortunately has revived the series, and what a pleasure it is to tune in weekly for these delightful shows. The skits are genuinely funny, with hilarious lines concocted by a stable of great comic writers.

Flip himself is wonderful to watch. He appears so innocent and good natured, and delivers his material effortlessly. He is a "natural" in the comic arena.

The finest of guest stars clamored for a spot on his series, and Wilson appears cool and comfortable with all of them.

So what happened that he was so quickly forgotten? The same reason the series is soon out of mind till the next show during this revival. It's like a nice desert: great while being consumed, which lasts for a short time only.

The private life of Flip is an intriguing thought, since he apparently was an intensely private person. Then again, maybe that's all there was to him, and what we saw was what we got.

When I was a kid, my brothers and I never missed Flip Wilson's show. We didn't know it was pioneering. We didn't know Flip Wilson was breaking through barriers. We just knew it was funny funny funny. Flip's catch phrases were frequently quoted in our all-white household. I was surprised on viewing the show all these years later just how brilliant it was, and just how many times I still laughed out loud. The theater in the round was such a fantastic idea, one that no shows dare to try now. This may be the best of all those variety shows from the 70s, per its hilarious (and sometimes even touching) skits, great LIVE (no Pro Tools!) musical performances (Flip was never afraid to sing a duet with anyone, including country music standards) and amazing lineup of guest stars (his friendship with Bobby Darin is oh-so-evident on the show - they adored each other). And this final note: many years later, when Flip Wilson came to our tiny town to do a charity golf event, we were beside ourselves! It was like royalty was coming to town.

One The Funniest Shows I have ever seen. I now watch The Re runs on TV Land and love it when the infamous Gereldean says "What you see is What you Get!"