BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

Hugh Gaddy · Tuesday, December 8th 2009 at 1:54AM · 529 views

Flip Wilson

Born Clerow Wilson On December 8, 1933, In Jersey City, New Jersey, Comedian, Flip Wilson, Was Given His Nickname By His Air Force Buddies Who Said He "Flipped Them Out" With His Humor. Flip Wilson Made History By Becoming Television's First, Bona Fide, Black Superstar. His Television Comedy Program, The Flip Wilson Show, Ran From 1970 - 1974, And Received Consistently High Ratings. He Was Noted For His "Intellectual" Humor And His Knack For Creating Memorable Characters Earned Him Four Television Champion Awards. His Signature Phrases, "The Devil Made Me Do It" And "What You See Is What You Get," Became Part Of The Nation's Vocabulary. At The Same Time, His Characters Geraldine Jones (Along With Her Jealous Boyfriend, "Killer") And Reverend Leroy Of The "What's Happening Now" Church, Became Household Names. Wilson Also Used His Television Show To Give Weekly Exposure To Other African American Celebrities, Including: Ray Charles, Bill Cosby, Aretha Franklin, Jim Brown, Redd Foxx, Stevie Wonder, Richard Pryor, The Jackson 5, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Muhammad Ali, Louis Armstrong And Ella Fitzgerald. On March 23 1971, The Comedian, Actor And Television Star, Received International Broadcasting's Man Of The Year Award. The Following Year He Appeared On The Cover Of TIME Magazine. He Died November 28, 1998, Of Liver Cancer. He Was 64 Years Old. FLIP WILSON SKIT WITH REDD FOXX & JOAN RIVERS "In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.

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BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

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