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People who are dead and frequently forgotten

Benjamin Grimm May 16 2008 07:16 AM

Remember the People Who Are Still Alive thread? It had a successful run, from October 15, 2005 through January 31, 2007. It started with "Grandpa" Al Lewis and ended with Laugh-In's Dick Martin. Well, last night I had a dream in which someone mentioned Flip Wilson. Flip Wilson Flip Wilson! I haven't thought about him in years! I remember I loved his variety show; I thought it was hilarious. I was about ten years old at the time, but he was a favorite of mine. (I don't know how funny I'd find him today, or if I would have found him as funny back then if I was more mature, but that's beside the point.) Flip Wilson has been out of the spotlight for at least twenty years, and has been dead for almost ten. (He died just short of his 65th birthday in November 1998.) So here's to Flip Wilson! And to his most famous character, Geraldine Jones, who had the following catch phrases: "What you see is what you get!" "The devil made me do it!" "Don't you touch me! Don't you ever touch me!" Please feel free to use this thread to allow us to briefly remember those who have passed from this earth, whose fame hasn't really lasted beyond their deaths. (This thread wouldn't be the place to remember Abraham Lincoln or Elvis Presley, for example. And sorry Steve, no Babe Ruth either.)

AG/DC May 16 2008 07:19 AM

Steve will turn your paradigm on it's ear. Just you wait.

Benjamin Grimm May 16 2008 07:31 AM

I have no doubt.

RealityChuck May 16 2008 08:53 AM

[url=http://greatbutforgotten.blogspot.com/2008/02/mrs-eden-southworth-curse-of-clifton.html]Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth[/url], America's most popular and most critically acclaimed novelist of the 19th century. She quickly went out of style. Winston Churchill -- another best selling novelist. His books are out of print and some limey gets all the publicity. Raymond Scott -- you've heard his music, but have never heard of him. Listen to [url=http://raymondscott.com/MENsndf.html]Powerhouse[/url], and you can hear other of his songs all throughout Warner Brothers cartoons of the 40s and 50s. [url=http://www.harrywarren.org]Harry Warren[/url] -- same comment as Scott. When a musical of his songs hit Broadway, they didn't even credit him properly.[/url]

Kong76 May 16 2008 10:33 AM

Here's a good description of The Flip Wilson Show from tvdvdworld or something like that: The Flip Wilson Show, a variety show that was aired on NBC from September 17, 1970 to June 27, 1974. Flip Wilson starred in this show which became one of the first American television programs starring a black person in the title role to become successful with white audience. It was the first successful network variety series starring an African American. During its first two seasons, its Nielsen ratings made it the nation's second most watched show. Wilson was famous for creating the character Geraldine Jones, a sassy, modern woman who had a boyfriend named Killer. He also created the title role as Reverend Leroy (the minister of the Church of What's Happening Now!). New parishioners were wary of coming to the church as it was hinted that Reverend Leroy was con artist. Flip popularized such catch phrases as "What you see is what you get," and "The devil made me do it!". Additional to skits, Flip Wilson invite many popular singers to provide entertainment such as The Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, The Pointer Sisters, Charley Pride, and Roberta Flack appeared on the show, as well as contemporary white entertainers. While The Flip Wilson Show first shared a studio with other television series, Wilson's popularity allowed him to get his own set of soundstages, starting in the fall 1972 season. As the seasons went on, the show's ratings slipped. With this result Wilson's repeated demands for higher raises in his salary, caused the series to become over-budget, and led to its cancellation.

sharpie May 16 2008 10:47 AM

When I was a teenager I came into possession of an album called "Nuts To You" by Doug Clark & His Hot Nuts. It was a 50's-early 60's raunchy (tame by today's standards) album which, I suppose, is a precursor to 2 Live Crew and such. I lost the album somewhere along the way and hadn't thought about them in a long time. Last week I was in a massive traffic diversion in the middle of Pennsylvania while driving my daughter back from college in the rain. A few cars ahead of us is a small truck (sort of like an ice cream truck) which said "Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts" on the side. I couldn't believe they still existed. Turns out they don't. Clark died a few years ago and I guess someone still drives the truck around. Here's their wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Clark_and_the_Hot_Nuts

DocTee May 16 2008 10:50 AM

Baby Let Me Bang Your Box was the theme song for soft-core porn star Robin Byrd back in the 80s. (Saturdays at 1130 on Channel "J", followed by Midnight Blue)...Ah, good times.

Willets Point May 16 2008 11:01 AM Re: People who are dead and frequently forgotten

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Remember the People Who Are Still Alive thread? It had a successful run, from October 15, 2005 through January 31, 2007. It started with "Grandpa" Al Lewis and ended with Laugh-In's Dick Martin. That was the thread that killed Rosa Parks.

batmagadanleadoff May 16 2008 11:33 AM

Flip Wilson was once the big thing.

TheOldMole May 16 2008 07:24 PM

Some years ago I heard an interview with a psychic/channeler. The intervierwer asked him who he channeled, and he said lately he'd been channeling Sal Mineo. Why on earth? Well, he explained, guys like Sal Mineo who were used to the spotlight in life, but had pretty much been forgotten after death, had a real longing for recognition and as such were easy to channel. I was waiting for the interviewer to ask the channeler if Sal had revealed who murdered him, but the question never came.

Benjamin Grimm May 16 2008 08:24 PM

There you go! I created this thread for people like Sal Mineo! If he contacts Sal Mineo again, have him ask Sal to send Flip Wilson my best wishes.

SteveJRogers May 16 2008 09:29 PM

You know, I'm not so sure Flip is all that forgotten yet. I heard him referenced on a 30 Rock episodde last year, so he is still a well regarded name

SteveJRogers May 17 2008 09:12 AM Re: People who are dead and frequently forgotten

="Benjamin Grimm"](And sorry Steve, no Babe Ruth either.) Heh, interestingly I heard some caller on a sports radio show this morning complain about the lack of stuff out there in terms of talk and whatnot on, get this, Hank Greenberg (guess he missed that HBO documentary done a while back) and Joe DiMaggio! And with DiMaggio he was talking about the Yankee broadcasts.

SteveJRogers May 17 2008 07:19 PM

The three men profiled in this great Ken Burns documentary about the start of radio: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sarnoff]General David Sarnoff[/url] who was the founder of the National Broadcasting Company. It has been a while since I took the NBC studio tour, but the last time I did, right outside where the old WNBC Radio studios are his picture hangs, along with Bob Hope. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_DeForest]Lee De Forest[/url] who came up with the Audion tube that makes the radio work. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Armstrong]Edwin Armstrong[/url] who invented the FM frequency.

soupcan May 17 2008 07:39 PM

DocTee wrote: Baby Let Me Bang Your Box was the theme song for soft-core porn star Robin Byrd back in the 80s. (Saturdays at 1130 on Channel "J", followed by Midnight Blue)...Ah, good times. Robyn Byrd is dead?!?

TheOldMole May 17 2008 09:52 PM

http://www.robinbyrd.com/

DocTee May 17 2008 10:16 PM

]Robyn Byrd is dead?!? No but her theme song was apparently penned by Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts. I remember hearing a rumor that Byrd and Barry Manilow were an item.