Flip Wilson Movies
Whether saucily sashaying across the stage in a wig, high heels, and dress proclaiming, "What you see is what you get!" or piously exclaiming, "The Devil made me do it," Flip Wilson was one of America's funniest comics of the late '60s and early '70s. With a top-rated comedy/variety show, he was also one of the first black television superstars.Born Clerow Wilson, he was one of 24 children. Because his family was extremely poor, Wilson spent much of his youth in foster homes and reform schools until, at age 16, he lied about his age and joined the Air Force. 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. 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. At first Wilson would simply ad-lib on-stage, but in time, he added written material and his act became more sophisticated. As a standup comedian, Wilson started out working small blacks-only clubs and gradually worked his way up to such major theaters as the Apollo and the Regal. In 1965, Redd Foxx plugged Wilson's act to Johnny Carson, saying he considered the young comic the funniest one around. Carson booked Wilson and soon he was appearing frequently on other shows, including Ed Sullivan. Wilson also recorded several best-selling comedy albums. He launched The Flip Wilson Show in 1970 and for its first two years the show was number two in the Nielsen ratings. The show ran through 1974. That year Wilson made his screen debut in Sidney Poitier's Uptown Saturday Night. Wilson appeared in two more films and gave up his acting career, though he did reappear for a season in the short-lived People Are Funny and the domestic sitcom Charlie & Co. (1984-1985). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Though Drew (Drew Carey) is gratified that Bonnie (Caroline Rhea) wants to date him exclusively, he's confused by her unwillingness to be seen in public. Only after planning an intimate gourmet meal for two does Drew find out the reason for Bonnie's reticence: She happens to have a husband named Steve (Eric Roberts). Thus it is that Drew uses the meal he'd intended for Bonnie in a noble effort to mend her tattered marriage. Elsewhere: Can it be that Oswald (Diedrich Bader) has been "outed" by his opponent in a recent boxing match? And here's a better question: Why does this episode feature cameo appearances by Dick Clark, Flip Wilson, and "H.R. Pufnstuf"???? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A PBS "American Playhouse" production, this is an amusing TV outing revealing the life of Zora Neale Hurston, a black writer known for her folklore and stories from the rural South of the 1930s and 1940s. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Jr., (more)
- 1983
This 1983 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Flip Wilson and features musical guest Stevie Nicks. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Flip Wilson, Stevie Nicks, (more)
- 1979
- PG
The "fish" in the title of this picture refers to the astrological sign Pisces. Not all of Pittsburgh is due to be saved, but the members of a third-rate NBA basketball team could sure use some salvation. When all the team members except for Moses Guthrie (Julius Erving) quit, astrologer Mona Mondieu (Stockard Channing) and streetwise Tyrone Millman (James Bond III) come to the rescue. The supporting cast includes Jonathan Winters in a dual role, as well as real-life basketball champs Meadowlark Lemon and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Jonathan Winters, (more)
- 1979
- PG
The short-lived roller-disco craze of the late 1970s served as inspiration for this dated comedy, which follows the patrons of a popular roller-disco palace as they prepare for a major race. Naturally, the climactic showdown features a wholesome, upright hero (Greg Bradford) facing the fearsome challenge of a leather-clad villain (a pre-fame Patrick Swayze). ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, (more)
This tuneful children's adventure offers another retelling of the classic tale of a marionette who achieves his dream of becoming a real live boy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Uptown Saturday Night is a delightful comedy directed by and starring Sidney Poitier. Steve Jackson (Sidney Poitier) is a factory worker. One evening, when boredom gets the best of him, Steve and his pal Wardell (Bill Cosby) decide to go to an underground gambling club to have some fun. While they are there the place is held-up and Steve's wallet is stolen. When Steve and Wardell learn that the wallet contains a winning lottery ticket, the friends go on a desperate search to find it. Shape Eye Washington (Richard Prior), an incompetent private eye, is enlisted to aid them in their search through the criminal underworld where they come up against Geechie Dan Beauford (Harry Belafonte) the mobster who runs the town. Belafonte, in a hilarious parody of Marlon Brando in The Godfather, steals the show. The movie was a huge success and led to two sequels, Let's Do It Again and A Piece of the Action, both also directed by Poitier. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, (more)
- 1974
Milton Berle hosts this 1974 program, a look back at comedy appearances on his variety show plus material from contemporary comics. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milton Berle
- 1972
- R
The title of this Bob Hope vehicle Cancel My Reservation is a multiple pun, referring to elements in the story. The ever-youthful Hope plays Dan Bartlett, a late-night TV talk show host. Frazzled, he takes a much-needed vacation in Arizona. There, he stumbles upon a murder and a conspiracy by local rancher, John Ed (Ralph Bellamy) to defraud a local Native American group of part of its reservation. Dan is a suspect in the murder, and must investigate in order to clear his name. Though the story is rather light, celebrities of all sorts have either small parts or cameos in this film, and much of the film's entertainment value comes from spotting them. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
