Flip
Author: Cook, Kevin
ISBN: 9780142180754
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Year first published: 25 Feb 2014
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback / softback
The first biography of the groundbreaking and much-beloved black entertainer.BR>BR>The first biography of the beloved entertainer who broke the prime-time color barrierbr>br>When i>The Flip Wilson Show/i> debuted in 1970, black faces were still rare on television and black hosts nonexistent. Then came Flip-to instant acclaim. His show dueled i>Marcus Welby, M.D./i> for the top spot in the ratings. His characters and catchphrases fixed themselves in America's consciousness, and he helped launch new talent, including Richard Pryor and George Carlin. But how did Clerow Wilson, a motherless Jersey City grade-school dropout, become the celebrity heralded on the cover of i>TIME/i> as "TV's First Black Superstar"? Drawing on interviews with family, friends, and celebrities, Kevin Cook offers an inspiring salute to a self-made star who fell from grace, but not before blazing a trail for generations of entertainers to come.
ISBN: 9780142180754
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Year first published: 25 Feb 2014
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback / softback
The first biography of the groundbreaking and much-beloved black entertainer.BR>BR>The first biography of the beloved entertainer who broke the prime-time color barrierbr>br>When i>The Flip Wilson Show/i> debuted in 1970, black faces were still rare on television and black hosts nonexistent. Then came Flip-to instant acclaim. His show dueled i>Marcus Welby, M.D./i> for the top spot in the ratings. His characters and catchphrases fixed themselves in America's consciousness, and he helped launch new talent, including Richard Pryor and George Carlin. But how did Clerow Wilson, a motherless Jersey City grade-school dropout, become the celebrity heralded on the cover of i>TIME/i> as "TV's First Black Superstar"? Drawing on interviews with family, friends, and celebrities, Kevin Cook offers an inspiring salute to a self-made star who fell from grace, but not before blazing a trail for generations of entertainers to come.
