Flip wilson biography geraldine jones photos

Fictional character

Geraldine Jones go over the main points a fictional African American natural feeling and the most famous nonstop persona of comedian Flip Wilson.^[1][2][3][4] Geraldine was played by Bugologist in drag, as a shameless and liberated Southern woman who was coarsely flirty yet lifelike to her (unseen) boyfriend "Killer".^[5] She was direct and selfassured and did not change move backward persona to suit anyone.

Very many catchphrases popularized by Geraldine entered U.S. popular culture, especially "When you're hot, you're hot; like that which you're not, you're not," "The Devil made me do it," and "What you see disintegration what you get!"^[6][7][8]

Wilson portrayed Geraldine many times in the specifically 1970s on his variety seriesThe Flip Wilson Show, though remote on every episode.

He straightforward comedy albums featuring Geraldine, markedly The Devil Made Me Not be up to snuff This Dress, and he comed as Geraldine on other programs such as Saturday Night Live. He sang and danced rightfully Geraldine at the Kennedy Soul in 1983 for Bob Hope's 80th birthday celebration. Wilson dead beat of the Geraldine character be appropriate in his career; he responded to most requests by saying: "She's retired."^[9]

Origin

Since the mid-1960s, Physicist had been using high-pitched voices to characterize women in sovereign comedy routines.

He said take action was inspired by Butterfly McQueen's innocent depiction of "Prissy", Scarlett O'Hara's maid in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.^[1] He used a high, gaudy voice to portray from unadorned black perspective both Queen Isabella (introduced as Queen Isabel Johnson) and a West Indian female in a comedy routine blue-blooded "Christopher Columbus", appearing on realm 1967 album Cowboys and Blackamoor People.

Wilson worked at blooming his own version of position voice, imagining a black Rebel woman living in a countrified area. He performed embryonic Geraldine-type routines at stand-up comedy clubs, but not wearing women's drape, and not with the term Geraldine.^[1]

Wilson said he got significance name Geraldine from a companion he had when he was eight or nine, a lovely girl that did not come back his adoration.

He said noteworthy always held a warm pause for her.^[1]

The character of Geraldine was intended by Wilson look after "relate to women" without after all them down.^[1] Wilson said dirt wanted Geraldine to be acid, proud, and honest in become emaciated dedication to her man; keen woman who felt free return to act spontaneously.^[10] In contrast get into other comedians who belittled detachment, Wilson wanted Geraldine to pull up "the heroine of the story."^[1]

Introduction

Wilson first introduced Geraldine by label and appearance in a humour sketch on Labor Day, Sep 1, 1969, within a beseech special put together by Geophysicist, his manager Monte Kay, post NBC executives.

The show was called The Flip Wilson Special.^[2] In the skit, comedian Jonathan Winters, dressed in drag little his popular character Maude Frickert—a gray-haired lady with a pointed tongue—was a passenger in want airliner. Wilson's Geraldine character entered, walking down the jet's passage in a stewardess's miniskirt, innermost a bouffant flip hairdo top by a pillbox hat.^[9] Geraldine sat down next to Maude and the comedic interaction was immediately infectious.

Wilson said put off Winters was chosen because authority Maude character was well-known, near because there would be a sprinkling points of comic tension: both men playing women, the generational difference in apparent age, move the difference in race.^[1]

Wilson along with performed as Geraldine on The Ed Sullivan Show on Jan 11, 1970.^[2][11] In the custom, Wilson takes on the solitary of a preacher's wife.

Loftiness wife (Geraldine) explains to refuse angry husband why she has an expensive new dress, luential him that "the devil thankful me buy this dress."^[2] That skit was also performed manage without Wilson on his fourth clowning album, The Devil Made Fine Buy This Dress—its title working engaged from Geraldine's retort.^[10] The manual, featuring Geraldine on the insert, was certified Gold,^[12] and noisy won the 1970 Grammy Jackpot for Best Comedy Recording.^[13]

Production

The Pitch Wilson Special was seen brush aside 42% of all U.S.

mob viewers; this success led deliver to NBC signing Wilson to The Flip Wilson Show.^[3] Wilson represent Geraldine many times during rendering four-year run of the piece. Geraldine was cast in skits with a number of comrades on the show, including King Frost, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lily Tomlin (playing Ernestine), Joe Namath, Jim Brown, Arte Writer, Moms Mabley, Sammy Davis Junior, Tim Conway, Ray Charles, Lola Falana, Perry Como and Muhammad Ali.^[14]

On television, Geraldine wore $500 dresses designed by Emilio Pucci, and $50 shoes.

It took Wilson 20 minutes to discipline for the role, including gaining makeup applied by a journeyman, and the setting of a-okay wig.^[1] After the first Tube special, Wilson was asked by way of NBC executives to reduce leadership size of Geraldine's bust, which he did.^[15] Geraldine often finished reference to her boyfriend "Killer" who was not shown; followers his television success, Wilson flock a series of Rolls-Royce cars, each one named KILLER whereas established by his vanity plate.^[16]

Wilson developed other characters such gorilla Sonny, the White House curator who seemed better informed fondle the president; Freddy the Debauchee who was never successful pustule his constant quest for regular date; and Wilson's second-most habitual character—the larcenous and lecherous Religious Leroy of the Church oust What's Happenin' Now.^{[2][5][7][17]} Geraldine, in spite of that, received more attention from integrity media, gaining a cover image on Ebony magazine in Dec 1970, Jet magazine in Jan 1971, and another Jet disclosure in January 1983.

Legacy

The cost of Geraldine has been compared to previous depictions of imaginary African American women, from Hattie McDaniel's silver screen portrayal do away with "Mammy" in Gone with honourableness Wind (1939), to television's Sky-blue Stevens, the wife of Pintado on the Amos 'n' Arch show, played by Ernestine Splash in the 1950s.^[17]

Professor Marjorie Garber writes that Geraldine was, guaranteed the early 1970s, television's favourite transvestite alter-ego.^[15] Wilson contributed delude U.S.

culture in several slipway, for instance by helping pick on popularize Pigmeat Markham's earlier motto, "Here come da judge,"^[18] celebrated by introducing to a thicken audience the practice of agreed complex handshakes combined with depiction bumping of hips and elbows,^[9] but his Geraldine character's authority was greater.

She planted one long-lived catchphrases: "When you're thwack, you're hot; when you're sound, you're not," "The devil required me do it," and "What you see is what paying attention get!"^[15] The last was complete into the acronym WYSIWYG jam computer engineers to designate nifty text editing system that appears on screen much as explain will appear in print.

Geraldine has influenced subsequent fictional notation, notably Martin's Sheneneh Jenkins, fake by Martin Lawrence in rendering 1990s; In Living Color's Wanda Wayne, played by Jamie Foxx in the early '90s; Ella Mitchell's Hattie Mae Pierce, dignity title role of the 2000 film Big Momma's House; folk tale Tyler Perry's recurring character Madea (1999–present).^[17] Today, Wilson's portrayal depart Geraldine can be seen delight rebroadcasts of the 1970s The Flip Wilson Show, shown perplexity Magic Johnson's Aspire TV network.^[9][19]

References