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Friends - Wilson, Flip
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Friends - Wilson, Flip
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Sheila R. Weidenfeld Files (Ford Administration)
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The original documents are located in Box 45, folder "Friends - Wilson, Flip" of the Sheila
Weidenfeld Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 45 of the Sheila Weidenfeld Files
at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
From the Desk of-
PAUL COOPER
F.6
Dear Sheila Flivism
would like
Thought you
these
But
Paul
SEALTH FORD
pustr Don't abite we "under on briend? LIBRARY
s
"MORE TRAVELS WITH FLIP" - CBS, MARCH 19, 8:30-9:30 P.M.
Bringing people together is the avowed intention of Flip Wilson
and company when they devised the innovative "Travels With Flip" and
"More Travels With Flip" television specials, the second of which will air
on March 19, 8:30-9:30 on CBS. "I consider my fans my friends," says Flip,
"and to me, traveling is just introducing one group of my friends to
another."
For the first "Travel" special, the comedian toured the United
States, stopping off in such unusual locations as Boley, Oklahoma; for
this second special, he goes that one better and seeks out the unique on
an international scale. Boarding a balloon in sunny California, Flip is
transported to points East and the exotic lands of Hong Kong and Thailand.
Once in Hong Kong, Flip met with the press and explained the
genesis of the Special. "I've always considered myself a people star,
that being a star is my job. I'm people
and I think an audience
responds to me in a very informal way and that's what we capture on film.
"I feel that I've established a friendship with my audience,"
he continues. "I don't think they meet me as a comic, but as a person,
someone they can relate to honestly. I must say, this past year,
traveling around as we have, doing these specials, has been the most
gratifying year of my life as an artist.
"What makes it so excellent is that everything is off the top
you shoot from the hip
you have to be totally honest and that's
the ultimate challenge for a performer.'
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8921 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069 (213) 659-5501
2.
Flip more than lives up to the challenge as he greets people
in the market place of Hong Kong and at the gardens in Thailand. Closer
to home, Flip makes points working out with the San Diego Chargers (he's
their quarterback for one riotious day) and learns to shoot baskets with
the Los Angeles Lakers. He also indulges in magic tricks at the famed
Magic Castle in Hollywood where, as Geraldine, he allows himself to be
sawed in half.
A boyhood fantasy comes true in Apple Valley, California, where
Flip challenges Roy Rogers to a duel. Not a pistol and sabre duel,
needless to say, but a duel nevertheless. The weapons are bowling and
pool and Flip and Roy even get to ride off into the sunset.
Since music plays a significant part in Flip's personal life
(he is co-founder of Little David Records which features such outstanding
artists as George Carlin, Kenny Rankin and Franklyn Ajaye), Flip treats
his friends -- his audience -- to the pleasure of hearing Earth, Wind and
Fire, live in concert.
There's more music of a totally different sort when Flip visits
the Montesorri School in Malibu and listens while five and six year olds
serenade him for an afternoon. He then takes to the road again, tearing
around in a go-cart race with a young girl. He finally winds up his
travels taking a small engine plane through the magnificence of the Grand
Canyon.
Says Flip, "We're not trying to be funny in everything. To me,
comedy is like music, it has different dimensions, different tones. It
can't always be hysterical. I would never try to be as funny as I think
I could be because to me there is nothing more painful than hysterics.
Laughing is a strain on the heart.
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3.
"I think that we should hit different levels. There's out-
right laughter and there's a smile or a wink or even a little chuckle.
And then there's a laugh from the heart and a laugh from the belly. I
think you should get all of those, like a fine musical performance.
And that's what I think our special has
all those different levels
of comedy."
# # #
CONTACT: PAUL COOPER
(213) 659-3870
CONTACT: PAUL COOPER
(213) 659-3870
FLIP WILSON
Biography
Everyone laughed when Flip Wilson trod the boards in a school
play at age nine. They weren't supposed to -- but he literally brought
the house down as a last-minute replacement for a little girl who had
been cast as Nurse Clara Barton.
Flip was never happier in his life than that day when he
discovered the sheer pleasure of provoking laughter from people.
Sidetracked by a near tragic childhood in which the chuckles were few
and far between, he didn't truly pursue the comedy game until he dropped
out of school at 16 and dropped into the air force. "I wasn't patriotic,"
he says now. "Just ashamed of my clothes."
His entertainments for fellow servicemen made them "flip out"
and earned him his nickname, banishing his given name Clerow to seldom
used statis.
After a four year tour of duty, Flip turned to bell-hopping
at the Manor Plaza Hotel in San Francisco. It was here he actually
caught the showbusiness bug after talking the manager into letting him
play a comedy drunk while the main act made a wardrobe change.
A string of one-night stands followed, well laced with popcorn
breakfasts and peanut dinners, which paved the way for better dates.
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8921 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069 (213) 659-5501
FLIP WILSON - Biography
2.
Eventually, Flip met his present manager, Monte Kay: "Great, great,
the first guy who didn't promise me anything. I'd been in the business
12 years and was making less than $700 a year. He said he wouldn't
take any money until I was making $750 a week."
With Kay, Flip taped a 1968 special for NBC that never aired
and one the following year with Jonathan Winters that was a success.
In 1969, Flip had his own show. Three years later he'd won two Emmys.
Now something of a magnate, Flip owns a recording company, Little David,
named for his son, Clerow Productions and Street Corner Productions.
Flip plans to make his motion picture debut sometime in the near future.
An introspective man, he is also funny, patient and generous.
Over the past six years, Flip has spent every weekend making personal
appearances for charities and earlier this year, Flip was given the
humanitarian award by the American Cancer Association for his outstanding
work on their behalf. 1975 also saw him as an honored guest of President
and Mrs. Ford at the White House in recognition of his efforts on behalf
of various charities.
Flip lives with his four children -- David, Kevin, Tammy and
Stacey -- who he describes as his best friends, in a large home at
Malibu Beach. An avid golfer, Flip plays at least 27 holes a day, and
jogs around courses in a custom built "Rolls Royce" golf cart with its
own television set, bar, paneled interior and specialized roof. On
weekends, Flip can be found at charity golf tournaments across the
country, teeing off with such luminaries as Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus
and the President of the United States.
During the last two years, Flip has concentrated his professional
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FLIP WILSON - Biography
3.
energies on producing specials for CBS Television. 1975 netted him
four specials which included the innovative TRAVELS WITH FLIP, a semi-
documentary approach to entertainment which took Flip across America
to meet with people from every walk of life. Explains Flip, "I consider
my fans my friends, and TRAVELS was designed so I could introduce one
group of my friends to another group." The Special took him to Boley,
Oklahoma (as well as San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Atlanta),
an historical landmark city, formed by blacks at the turn of the century.
Flip is the city's unofficial mayor and grand marshal of their annual
rodeo.
The first TRAVELS WITH FLIP proved to be such a popular and
critical success that the procedure was repeated for MORE TRAVELS WITH
FLIP, which took the comedian to the Near East of the Philippines and
United States. Flip also stayed nearer to home playing basketball with
the Los Angeles Lakers and football with the San Diego Chargers.
This propensity for athletic adventure is something of a new
avenue for Flip, who has spent 1975 and part of 1976 "being a good sport."
For the specials he has jumped horses, ropped cows, surfed in Hawaii,
learned the ancient art of Thailand boxing, thrown baseballs with the
Atlanta Braves, in addition to those sessions with the Lakers and
Chargers. For Flip's upcoming CBS special "FLIP'S SUN VALLEY OLYMPIAD,"
the fearless comedian will take to winter sports for the first time --
skiing and skating with Olympic champions.
1975 also found Flip venturing into the singing profession
for the first time, with a remarkable song called "Berries in Salanis"
which received top airplay throughout the Southwest.
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FLIP WILSON Biography
4.
What is humor to one of the funniest men this country has
ever produced? "Funny is -- there are different kinds of humor, but
none can be analysed. First, you laugh; then you think, why did I
laugh? It's not the other way around. If you laugh you always feel
good.
"When I was young, I watched TV. There were many acts I liked
and I always thought I would like those people if I knew them -- Dean
Martin, Perry Como, Jackie Gleason, Pearl Bailey, Groucho Marx. They
are friends. That's what I wanted to be, a good friend. Many times I
do bad jokes in order to establish a rapport with my audience. I've
built bad jokes into my act just to let people know I'm not perfect.
People don't relate to people who are perfect.
"I think the audience must know you as a person and I think it's
nice to be a friend each week. It's not hard to be nice. It's no problem
to be truthful. They can wake you up at night and they'11 get the truth."
# # #
"More Travels With Flip"
CBS-TV, March 19, 8:30-9:30 P.M.
LOGISTICS
Putting together a caravan of filmmakers to follow Flip Wilson
on travels around the world for his upcoming CBS television special to
air March 19, 8:30-9:30, was no small feat in and of itself. More than
50 people had to be transported from Los Angeles, California to Bangkok,
Thailand and Hong Kong to San Diego to the Grand Canyon to the desert --
all at the same time, and as a working unit.
Lee Mendelson, a documentary filmmaker who has pioneered
television specials which find celebrities in the far flung corners of
the world, was the impetus for the CBS "Travels With Flip" specials.
"The whole thing came about in a conversation with Lee," says Flip. "I
realized that I've always loved traveling and always loved meeting people
and I also realized that people respond to me in a very informal way
like a friend. There were hundreds of times when I've met people and
I've said, I wish I had a camera with me
and this idea to do just that
kept going around in my head for more than five years. And then I finally
mentioned it to Lee and he responded immediately."
That initial response resulted in "Travels With Flip, Part I,"
which took the comedian to Hawaii, Boley, Oklahoma, Atlanta, Georgia and
San Francisco. The audience response was so overwhelmingly favorable,
that Flip and Lee decided to expand the format to include other parts of
the world as well.
"This is another 'Travels With Flip' special, and it involves
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8921 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069 (213) 659-5501
LOGISTICS
2.
me meeting people at random in different places and recording those
experiences.'
But throughout it all, Flip is no idle observer of the passing
scene, indeed not. He gets right in there and becomes the number one
participant. A great deal of the 'Travels' special is sheer wish
fulfillment: he plays football with the San Diego Chargers, basketball
with the Los Angeles Lakers, flies a small plane through the Grand
Canyon and plays pool and bowls with Roy Rogers. All the while more
than eight cameramen kept the film rolling, recording the entire
celebration.
Getting the footage on film, though was only half the battle
-- the editing room itself represented a formidable task. More than 24
hours of film had to be edited down into a workable hour and everyone
agonized over what sequences to cut and what to leave in.
"So many things had to go," says Flip. "In Hong Kong we went
to the Shaw studios where so many excellent films are made and to the
race track, but we just didn't have time to include them. Maybe next
time."
In some ways "Travels With Flip" and now "More Travels With
Flip" have taken on a life of their own. "We tried to keep ourselves
open to all experiences and see what would happen. In the beginning I
set off in a balloon, rather like Dorothy on her adventure from Oz.
That's what this whole thing has been for all of us -- a great, fantasy
adventure, and I'm grateful to my fans for making it possible."
# # #
CONTACT: PAUL COOPER
(213) 659-3870
"More Travels With Flip"
CBS-TV, March 19, 8:30-9:30 P.M.
GERALDINE
If you think the world is barely able to handle one Geraldine
Jones wait until you see the new Flip Wilson special "More Travels With
Flip" to air March 19, 8:30-9:30 on CBS. In that one hour comedy
adventure, we are treated to the rare experience of facing two Geraldines
or at least two halves of one Geraldine when the magicians at the famed
Magic Castle in Los Angeles saw the superstar in two.
"That really liberated Geraldine," says Flip. "She won't ever
be the same again."
"It was difficult fitting her in," explains Flip, "because one
of the things these 'Travel' specials do is create a one-to-one situation
with the audience, where it becomes almost impossible to hide behind a
character.
"I consider my audience my friend and I think people relate to
me in a very personal way. I figured they could relate to Geraldine
in the same way, but could we all handle it? In the first special,
Geraldine sold hats at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, but the
experience was a little too much for both the customers and the store.
We figure we're on safer ground with Geraldine in the Magic Castle.
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8921 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069 (213) 659-5501
GERALDINE
2.
After all, if she gets too outrageous, too out of hand, some magician
can always make her disappear."
Flip is totally devoted to his characters, who he creates
himself and who he writes for exclusively. "All my characters are my
own creations," he explains. "I have to create myself and judge the
thing as a whole.
"Who are my inspirations? Mae West was one dimension, she's
immortal
and W.C. Fields was another. I think Mae West influenced
Geraldine a great deal and I also evaluated Jerry Lewis to see why he
was unique. I love his mobility, his clownishness. And I have a great
deal of respect for Bob Hope.
"I think the thing that made these people immortal, was that
in any situation they never admitted defeat. They were always in control.
So in recognizing the value of each of their qualities, I decided what
I could use to create my own characters and my own style."
# # #
CONTACT: PAUL COOPER
(213) 659-3870
"More Travels With Flip"
CBS-TV, March 19, 8:30-9:30 P.M.
FLIP ON COMEDY
Comedy is serious business as any humorist will admit. It
requires not only great insight and compassion into human follies, but
also incredible powers of observation. It also requires perfect timing
and an absolute faith in what is being said.
Flip Wilson is one of a handful of comedians credited with
breaking new ground in the field. A totally unique humorist, Flip was
able to eliminate barriers of race, background and culture to become a
comedian for all the people, not only in America but around the world.
A tireless traveler, Flip has taken his friendly wit and gentle outlook
to such far flung corners of the world as Thailand and the Philippines
and has been greeted with the same squeals of joy that follow him at home.
Needless to say, this kind of reception has not come without
extreme effort on Flip's part. A serious man, and an insightful
thinker, Flip insists that humor is not just making people laugh and
laugh
and laugh.
"I would never be as outright funny as I think I could be,"
he explains, "because I don't believe in constant hysterics. That's
painful to me
someone said laughing is a strain on the heart and it's
true.
"To me, great comedy is like a fine musical performance
it flows, it goes up and down, it has different moods, expresses different
feelings. My goal is to hit all of those various levels during a
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8921 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069 (213) 659-5501
FLIP ON COMEDY
2.
performance, not just plain laughter.
"There's a smile, for instance, and a wink and even a subtle
chuckle. I don't think they should be overlooked. And there are all
kinds of laughs -- laughs from the heart and belly laughs too. Just
like a fine musical performance. It's important to have all of those
elements."
Like all excellent creators, Flip appreciates his peers and
learns from the masters. "I've spent years studying all the funnymen,"
Flip confesses. "I always wanted to find out what makes an individual
funny what is the one unique thing they have that no one else has.
I studied those qualities.
"Mae West, for instance, she has a dimension to her humor
that's totally her own. I borrowed some of it for Geraldine Jones.
And I evaluated Jerry Lewis
his antics, his mobility, the facial
expressions, the clownin'
that's special. And W.C. Fields. He's
someone no one else has duplicated. And I have great respect for Bob
Hope, I really do. Bob Hope is not a man who does physical things, but
his timing is the best in the business. That's what puts him apart from
others, that's what makes him unique. And the attitude of George Burns,
that's his claim to immortality.
"When I set out to be a comedian, I looked at all these people
and analyzes what they had and then to make myself a funny man --
which to me was my ideal -- I set about trying to utilize all these
qualities, all these different aspects of their characters to create
something totally unique. I figured if they used one quality to come
across, then my using two or more, should let me slide by."
# # #
CONTACT: PAUL COOPER
(213) 659-3870
"More Travels With Flip"
CBS-TV, March 19, 8:30-9:30 P.M.
SPORTS
You might not know it to look at him but there's more than a
touch of "Walter Mitty" in Flip Wilson. An avid sports afficiando, Flip
can rarely pass up a chance to work out with the pros. A novice golfer,
Flip has already chalked by hundreds of rounds on the green and for last
year's Boley, Oklahoma celebration the comedian had a go at rodeo riding.
He even threw a few balls with the Atlanta Braves. Now Flip is entering
into another world of sports, featuring football, horse racing, bowling,
pool and even basketball. The entire proceedings will be seen on "More
Travels With Flip" airing March 19, 8:30-9:30 on CBS.
"This special is letting me be whatever I want to be," says
Flip by way of an explanation for all his sports oriented antics. "It's
the fulfillment of every boy's dream. There I am playing with the best
and learning from the best."
There can be no doubt that Flip is working out with the top
pros in the various fields. For starters, Flip tries out for the San
Diego Chargers, one of the highest rated football teams in the country.
It's all smooth going, until he tells California's finest that he's to
be their quarterback -- somehow a novice calling the plays doesn't sit
right with the team.
Flip fares a little better when he takes center court with the
Los Angeles Lakers. Gale Goodrich and teammates do everything possible
to get Flip to basket the ball, but at just under 5'10", the chances
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8921 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069 (213) 659-5501
SPORTS
2.
of out shooting the 7 footer's is not very likely.
From the heights of basketball to the five foot one inch
dynamo named Willie Shoemakers, one of the greatest jockeys in the
history of horse-racing. Flip takes a few lessons track maneuverings
from the master, before taking out on his own. Fans at Santa Anita say
the turf will never be the same.
Flip is on more familiar ground when he visits Apple Valley
and Roy Rogers. The comedian and the king of the cowboys locked heads
in a pool game and then take to the lanes for a few rounds at the
bowling alleys -- all courtesy of Roger's private abode.
By the time Flip completed his two "Travels" specials for
CBS, just about every sport in the world, from ballooning (yes, Flip
is on a balloon to the Far East in this special) to surfing in Hawaii
has been attempted for the cameras. Has all this sports activity changed
his mind about devoting himself solely to golf?
"Absolutely not," says Flip, adamantly, "golf is my game."
# # #
CONTACT: PAUL COOPER
(213) 659-3870
"More Travels With Flip"
CBS-TV. March 19, 8:30-9:30 P.M.
A LIBERATED GERALDINE
It's even money in some circles if the world is ready for one
Geraldine Jones, that most outrageous female, let alone two. But that
very test will come about on March 19, 8:30-9:30 on CBS, when Flip Wilson
and company present "More Travels With Flip." At that time, Geraldine
Jones will put herself in the hands of the world's most accomplished
magicians at Hollywood's famed Magic Castle and will -- believe it or
not -- be sawed in half.
"That really liberates her," says Flip Wilson who adds, "we
couldn't do the special without her. In our first 'Travels' program she
was a salesgirl at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, I can tell you
that store will never be the same. We concentrated very long on finding
just the right vehicle for Geraldine with this second special and the
magic show seemed perfect."
Flip created Geraldine more than six years as one of the
original characters in his repertoire that also included Reverend LeRoy.
"Part of the inspiration for Geraldine comes from Mae West," explains
Flip. "I studied her uniqueness, the dimension she brings to comedy
and was I able to use a lot of that for Geraldine."
With her off-beat and more than slightly earthy sense of humor,
Geraldine becomes the perfect foil for even the most serious situations.
The symbol of womanhood has showed up on a Navy ship and even at the
White House. "Not exactly the White House, honey," Geraldine allows,
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8921 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069 (213) 659-5501
A LIBERATED GERALDINE
2.
"but a hospital where the President and Mrs. Ford were present. You
should have seen the uniform they gave me to wear."
At the Magic Castle, only one thing is certain: if Geraldine
gets too out of hand, there will be plenty of people around with the
wherewithall to make her disappear.
# # #
CONTACT: PAUL COOPER
(213) 659-3870
CREDITS
"More Travels With Flip"
CBS-TV, March 19, 8:30-9:30 P.M.
OPENING TITLES
More
TRAVELS WITH FLIP
STARRING FLIP WILSON
with special guest stars
Roy Rogers
Willie Shoemaker
The Los Angeles Lakers
The San Diego Chargers
Illusionist, Mark Wilson
The Thailand Ensemble
and the
People of America
CLOSING CREDITS
Executive Producer
Monte Kay
Produced and Directed by
Lee Mendelson
Chuck Barbee
Written by
Flip Wilson
Lee Mendelson
Herbert Baker
Photographed by
Chuck Barbee
Terry Morrison
Sheldon Fay, Jr.
Bryan Anderson
Mark Allan
Jan d'Alquen
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8921 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069 (213) 659-5501
CREDITS
2.
Editors
Paul Preuss
Frank Cervarich, Jr.
Assistant Director
Production Manager
Luigi Alfana
Musical Director
Ken Lauber
Sound Recordists
John Barbee
Jim Mansen
David Macmillan
Richard Birnbaum
Camera Assistants
Stewart Barbee
Elizabeth King
Donna Morrison
Steve Pinsky
Tomiko Russell
Production Staff
Martha Grace
Pat LaFortune
Sound Re-recordist
Andy Wiskes
Gaffers
Richard Cronn
Bill Maley
Airplane Pilot
Martin Litton
Balloon Pilot
Ray Gallagher
A LEE MENDELSON
FILM PRODUCTION
In association with
CLEROW PRODUCTIONS
(c) 1976 Clerow Productions, Inc.
GERALD R. FORD LIBRARY
The item described r below has been transferred from this file to:
Audiovisual Unit
Book Collection
Ford Museum in Grand Rapids
Item: 5 8" x10" BW photos of Flip Wilson
Promotinal photos for the TV show "More Travels with Fie"
The item was transferred from: Weidenfuld; Box 45; friends-
Wilsm, Flip
Initials/Date let 6/86