Revolution Televised.pdf

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What You See Is What You Get 77 Flip Wilson created Geraldine to counteract negative female representations by other black comics. The secret of my success with Geraldine is that she’s not a put-down of women. . . . She’s smart, she’s trustful, she’s loyal, she’s sassy. Most drag impersonations are a drag. But women can like Geraldine, men can like Geraldine, everyone can like Geraldine. 65 In one episode Geraldine takes on Muhammad Ali. She flirts with him endlessly and has the normally overpowering Ali wrapped around her finger. She interrupts the loquacious Ali constantly until
78 What You See Is What You Get he admits, “I thought I could talk, but I met my match.” She persuades Ali to speak to Killer on a phone in her purse and then makes fun of him for believing that there were actually such things as “pocketbook telephones.” In a day before cell phones, the joke works quite well. When Ali discusses his upcoming fight with Joe Frazier, Geraldine pulls him aside and says, “Come over here; I don’t want them to hear this, is between me and you.” Geraldine encourages Ali to win his fight but says, “Don’t hurt him, because he is one of us.” Geraldine reiterates the point several times by repeating the line “He is one of us” (emphasis added). Through Geraldine, Wilson was allowed to acknowledge the importance of black unity within an African American community at that historical moment, a black community that was separate from the wider U.S. community that he entertained on a weekly basis. Outside of character interpretations, Wilson also presented readings of key moments in history from a black perspective. The following is a sketch with Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella. columbus: If I don’t discover America, there’s not gonna be a Benjamin Franklin, or a “Star-Spangled Banner,” or a land of the free, or a home of the brave—and no Ray Charles. queen isabella: (Responds screaming) Chris, go on! Find Ray Charles! He goin’ to America on that boat. What you say! Wilson’s endeavors to bring these aspects of black life to the small screen caused some embarrassment to the black middle-class sensibilities of a segment of the audience. However, this was familiar imagery to an African American audience, raised on the comedy of vaudeville and the Chitlin’ Circuit. 66 Flip Wilson presented a contradictory figure, especially as it pertained to African American notions of uplift. On the one hand, the characters that Wilson presented caused concern; some African American critics viewed these as demeaning and minstrelesque. On the other hand, as host of a popular network variety show, he was a symbol of African American success, middle- and upper-class respectability, and the tenets of integration and uplift. He performed as effortlessly with such African American celebrities as Bill Cosby, Ray Charles, Jim Brown, Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, and Lena Horne as he did with his many famous white guests, who included John Wayne, Cher, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby,
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Revolution Televised
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Revolution Televised Prime Time and
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This book is dedicated to Ailsa Jea
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Contents Acknowledgments ix Introdu
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Acknowledgments Revolution Televise
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Introduction Dy-no-mite! What’s h
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Introduction xiii texts were chosen
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Introduction xv in black television
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1. Reading the Roots of Resistance
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 3 t
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 5 p
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 7 t
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 9 s
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 11
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Was the Revolution Televised? 25 Bl
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Page 48 and 49: Was the Revolution Televised? 31 ta
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Page 54 and 55: Was the Revolution Televised? 37 fo
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Page 64 and 65: Was the Revolution Televised? 47 wo
Page 66 and 67: Was the Revolution Televised? 49 On
Page 68 and 69: Was the Revolution Televised? 51 li
Page 70 and 71: Was the Revolution Televised? 53 ca
Page 72 and 73: What You See Is What You Get 55 ces
Page 74 and 75: What You See Is What You Get 57 VCR
Page 76 and 77: What You See Is What You Get 59 tur
Page 78 and 79: What You See Is What You Get 61 Wit
Page 80 and 81: What You See Is What You Get 63 bac
Page 82 and 83: What You See Is What You Get 65 MTV
Page 84 and 85: What You See Is What You Get 67 and
Page 86 and 87: What You See Is What You Get 69 asp
Page 88 and 89: What You See Is What You Get 71 str
Page 90 and 91: What You See Is What You Get 73 “
Page 92 and 93: Reverend Leroy is a critique of the
Page 96 and 97: What You See Is What You Get 79 Joh
Page 99 and 100: 82 What You See Is What You Get Whe
Page 101 and 102: 84 What You See Is What You Get wit
Page 103 and 104: 86 This Ain’t No Junk my idol, I
Page 105 and 106: 88 This Ain’t No Junk In an era i
Page 107 and 108: 90 This Ain’t No Junk bought his
Page 109 and 110: 92 This Ain’t No Junk garnered el
Page 111 and 112: 94 This Ain’t No Junk activities
Page 113 and 114: 96 This Ain’t No Junk Aunt Esther
Page 115 and 116: 98 This Ain’t No Junk but tells h
Page 117 and 118: 100 This Ain’t No Junk where they
Page 119 and 120: 102 This Ain’t No Junk Another ep
Page 121 and 122: 104 This Ain’t No Junk it would b
Page 123 and 124: 106 This Ain’t No Junk fred: Hey
Page 125 and 126: 108 This Ain’t No Junk embarrassm
Page 127 and 128: 110 5. Respect Yourself! Black Wome
Page 129 and 130: 112 Respect Yourself! This was the
Page 131 and 132: 114 Respect Yourself! actors and bl
Page 133 and 134: 116 Respect Yourself! voice of the
Page 135 and 136: 118 Respect Yourself! may not have
Page 137 and 138: 120 Respect Yourself! white schools
Page 139 and 140: 122 Respect Yourself! races.” She
Page 141 and 142: 124 Respect Yourself! Julia’s poi
Page 143 and 144: 126 Respect Yourself! spaces. These
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128 Respect Yourself! the fact that
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130 Respect Yourself! the father, w
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132 Respect Yourself! poverty and g
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134 Respect Yourself! The character
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136 Respect Yourself! disparity in
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138 Respect Yourself! down in the m
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140 Respect Yourself! 1978), J.J. b
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142 Respect Yourself! and white con
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144 That Nigger’s Crazy at the cl
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146 That Nigger’s Crazy ’bout,
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148 That Nigger’s Crazy Crazy, Pr
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150 That Nigger’s Crazy stereotyp
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152 That Nigger’s Crazy chase: Sp
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154 That Nigger’s Crazy Pryor as
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156 That Nigger’s Crazy network r
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158 That Nigger’s Crazy The first
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160 That Nigger’s Crazy action, w
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162 That Nigger’s Crazy judge coo
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164 That Nigger’s Crazy Episode t
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166 That Nigger’s Crazy and the d
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168 That Nigger’s Crazy being dru
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170 Conclusion: Movin’ On Up Cont
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172 Conclusion States at the time,
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174 Conclusion Indeed, contemporary
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176 Conclusion Cerebral and black
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178 Conclusion and this film recogn
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180 Conclusion under the constant s
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182 Conclusion You know how I can t
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184 Conclusion Connerly to speak on
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186 Conclusion HBO to discuss socia
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188 Conclusion the interviewees are
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190 Conclusion credit montage estab
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192 Conclusion Shut the fuck up! Wh
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194 Conclusion saying every black p
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196 Notes to Chapter 1 within U.S.
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198 Notes to Chapter 1 Guerrero dis
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200 Notes to Chapter 2 47. Thomas C
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202 Notes to Chapter 2 45. Black Pa
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204 Notes to Chapter 3 Listening to
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206 Notes to Chapter 3 46. John Kie
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208 Notes to Chapter 4 4. This Ain
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210 Notes to Chapter 5 9. I specify
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212 Notes to Chapter 6 14. McPherso
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214 Notes to Conclusion 7. See Omi
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216 Notes to Conclusion where he le
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218 Bibliography Gender and Contest
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220 Bibliography Eisner, Joel, and
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222 Bibliography Hodges, Ann. “La
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224 Bibliography Mitz, Rick. The Gr
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226 Bibliography Shapiro, Joseph P.
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230 Index and TOBA, 11; and transfe
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232 Index education, 132, 133-36, 1
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234 Index 2, 21, 78, 107-8, 149, 20
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236 Index Roots, 163, 171-72 Russel
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238 Index Williams, Al, 100-101 Wil
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