Revolution Televised.pdf

Notes to Chapter 3 207
find as much humor in the Reverend Leroy. Without the cultural context,
they were unable to derive a similar pleasure in reading the text.
63. Watkins, “Flip Wilson, 64, Over-the-Top Comic,” 18.
64. Mark Lorando, “You Devil, You,” T9. Wilson would also say that
Geraldine was based on a childhood “friend.” As he relates, “Geraldine
was a cute little girl who always went around in these saucy little dresses,
lots of makeup and long colorful fingernails. Her false fingernails had just
come out and Geraldine said, ‘I’ll be your girlfriend if you’ll get me some
of those false fingernails from the store.’ But I didn’t have any money. We
went down to the Woolworth’s, and we went by and she pointed to them.
Then I had to walk her back home because she was a lady. Then I went
back, and I stole those false fingernails. And I came back to Geraldine’s
house with them, and they were the wrong size. And so Geraldine gave
those to her sister. And I went back and I got the size next to those. When
I got back, Geraldine and her sister had shown them to the girl next door
who was their friend. And she sent me back again. And I got caught. And
Geraldine never had anything to do with me after that. So she was the girl
I could never have.” David Martindale, “Flip Wilson Clicked at the Right
Time,” 4.
65. Corwin, “TV Comedian Flip Wilson Dies at 64,” 3.
66. Except that Wilson already kept his material essentially clean.
67. Jesse Jackson quoted in “Comedian Flip Wilson Dies at Age 64,”
B06.
68. Davis quoted in Leo Standora, “TV Funnyman Flip Wilson Is Dead
at 64,” 15.
69. This deal also explains why the show disappeared from television
after the 1970s. It was brought back to TV Land when Flip Wilson sold
the rights for one airing of the show at ten million dollars.
70. “Flip Scores Big in New Television Season,” 56.
71. Jeff Wong, “Comedian Brought Black Voice to TV,” A16.
72. Braxton, “Flip Side,” 1.
73. Ibid., 1.
74. Bruce Britt, “Leaping Barriers with Laughter,” F01.
75. Flip Wilson can be compared to Clay, the main character of film
The Dutchman (1967), based on Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones’s play of that
title. Although very angry and resentful toward racist white society, which
had no understanding of what it was to be a black person in America,
Clay keeps all of this inside and maintains a middle-class, upright exterior.
Unlike Clay, who by the end of the film releases what he has held in for
so long, Flip is not given the opportunity. However, unlike the character
of Clay, who is murdered by a white woman, the symbol of white society,
Flip lived and thrived.
76. Davidson, “Likability,” 23.