X-Nico

4 unusual facts about Flip Wilson


Flip Wilson

The phrase "What you see is what you get" was often used by Wilson's Geraldine character and inspired researchers at PARC and elsewhere to create the acronym WYSIWYG.

In this bit, Wilson retells the story of Christopher Columbus from an anachronistic urbanized viewpoint, in which Columbus convinces the Spanish monarchs to fund his voyage by noting that discovering America means that he can also discover Ray Charles.

Hearing this, Queen "Isabel Johnson", whose voice is an early version of Wilson's eventual "Geraldine" character, says that "Chris" can have "all the money you want, honey — You go find Ray Charles!" When Columbus departs from the dock, an inebriated Isabella is there, testifying to one and all that "Chris gonna find Ray Charles!"

WYSIWYG

The phrase "What you see is what you get", from which the acronym derives, was a catchphrase popularized by Flip Wilson's drag persona "Geraldine" (from Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in the late 1960s and then on The Flip Wilson Show until 1974).


Beats + Pieces

The song features samples from sources ranging from James Brown, Kurtis Blow and American comedian Flip Wilson.

Bruce Stark

It combined actual voices with his animated caricatures of Jack Benny, George Burns, Phyllis Diller, George Jessel, Jack E. Leonard, Groucho Marx, the Smothers Brothers, Flip Wilson and Henny Youngman.

Jerry Merrick

Following this he moved his family away from New York City and teamed up briefly with fellow Mercury artist Kenny Rankin to appear on The Tonight Show, and open for Flip Wilson in various venues throughout the US.

Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame

This Night Club was one of the premiere Clubs in the mid-west for R&B artist and minority comedians like Red Fox, Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor and Moms Mabley.


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