The Flip Wilson Show

The Flip Wilson Show title cards for Episode #5

Jim Henson with Jack Benny and Flip Wilson on the Sept. 14, 1972 show

The Flip Wilson Show was hosted by comedian Flip Wilson and ran from 1970 to 1974 on NBC, as one of the many variety shows in the 1970s.

The Muppets appeared on four episodes, including three specifically with Sesame Street characters or actors. The show was an hour in length, but later cable syndication airings (beginning with TV Land in 1997) trimmed it to a half hour. These same versions were used for DVD releases (with the exception of one 2007 set), with the result that many of the Muppet scenes (and other bits and guests) were cut entirely.

Tim Kiley directed the series (including all of the Muppet episodes) while writers included Herbert Baker (later co-writer of John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together) and future Muppet Show writer Don Hinkley.

Two episodes featuring the Muppets (the premiere episode, and the November 11, 1971 broadcast) were included on the 2021 DVD set, The Best of The Flip Wilson Show.

Appearances

Image	Description
	Episode #1, September 17, 1970 Flip meets Oscar the Grouch, in his first green appearance, performing a duet of "I Love Trash." (This scene was cut from syndication). Later in the episode, a tie-clad Big Bird appeared stumbling over trash cans before presenting himself. He's encountered an unusually long word, leading to a performance of "ABC-DEF-GHI" (as superimposed letters appear) and dancing with Flip (who tells him the word can mean anything he wants it to mean). Flip ends up falling when the music is done. Big Bird says to him: "Are you alright, Mr. Wilson?!", to which Flip says: "This equal opportunity is killing me!". Kermit Love flew in from New York to Los Angeles as the puppet handler for this appearance and the October 15 episode. In fact, the later episode was actually taped first, followed by the briefer Muppet material for the premiere, within a two week period in August. The street set is recognizably the same in both episodes (and the stage itself was painted a different color for these scenes, apparent when compared with the other skits in the premiere).
	Episode #5, October 15, 1970 The premise has Flip and guests Raymond Burr and Stanley Myron Handelman trying to find their way to Sesame Street (while the refrain from the theme song is played multiple times). Loretta Long is greeted by Flip as herself, although he notes she plays Susan and "helps run the place." Long guides them (although Stanley is more interested in finding good deli food), along with singing group Sunday's Child (who croon more of the theme). Flip and the guests realize that they have been circling the stage the whole time and not gone anywhere, but Long states, "any street can be Sesame Street". Big Bird makes his entrance, stumbling over trash cans. Long then leads everyone in a rendition of "Counting Song (1-20)". Big Bird comes back later to perform "Step in Time" with Flip. Also later in the episode, Flip introduces the audience to Oscar. The episode ends with a performance of Alphabet Song. This episode was taped before the September episode. In his book The Wisdom of Big Bird, Caroll Spinney describes a rare event connected to this appearance: Big Bird's unexpected on-screen fall during his entrance. The first draft, final draft, and revised scripts are all available in the Hal Goodman papers, UCLA Library Special Collections, Performing Arts. Big Bird's unexpected fall as he enters the stage in Episode #5 Big Bird -- still googly eyed like Cookie Monster in Episode #5
	Episode #35, November 11, 1971 At the top of the show, Kermit pretends to be an enchanted Flip Wilson in order to be kissed by Diahann Carroll. Later, Flip gives faces to two blank Muppets (performed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz) in a bit similar to Gordon's interaction with the Anything Muppets in the first episode of Sesame Street. As in that episode, the group sings "Consider Yourself." In a bar scene, Dom Deluise and Flip portray drunks who meet an Oz-performed character they call Marcus (as Flip thinks he looks like Marcus Welby), helping him get over his case of the hiccups. The Muppets follow it with a performance of Java. Both the "Java" and bar skits were cut from syndication. Dom DeLuise, the drunk Muppet, and Flip
	Episode #53, September 14, 1972 Bert and Ernie perform "Clink, Clank" -- Bert sings, while Ernie and Flip do the sound effects. Other skits in this episode (cut from syndication) were "Dancing Frogs" and "Ballroom." At the end of the episode, while sharing the stage with guest Jack Benny, Flip invites Jim Henson to come out in person, which he does briefly and silently. The episode was taped in August, 1972 but aired as the third season premiere. Don Hinkley was one of the episode's writers.