Flip

This show was the first major variety show hosted by an African-American (NBC had tried before in the 1950's with Nat King Cole, but the racial attitudes of the time doomed it to failure). The late, great Wilson was funny. His humor came out of situations and people's personality quirks; Wilson depended little on racial humor, which is probably why his appeal was so across-the-board. One of my favorite bits was the funky handshake that was done at least once during each episode. My favorite character, outside of the sassy Geraldine, was the Rev. Cleothis Wilson, pastor of the Church of What's Happening Now. Another bit Wilson used always involved meeting a woman for something naughty: "Meet me in the booth, in the corner, in the back, in the dark." New school comedians owe a lot to Flip Wilson.

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!"

This is one of the funniest shows ever. It features excellent writing, largely due to its star, Flip Wilson, and frequent guest Richard Pryor, one of the funniest comics ever. The acting is great, and the film quality is the normal for the time. All in all a great show that will keep you laughing loud and often. Check out the TV Land reruns if you can.