| Red Skelton Tribute |
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A Small Bio on One of America's Clowns . . .
Richard "Red" Skelton was a star of "one of the longest running variety series on television [and] also one
of the first . . . to make a successful transition from radio to television" (Gibberman). With some of the
craziest characters on television, from Sheriff Dead Eye to the lovable Clem Kadiddlehopper, Red Skelton
became an American icon during the 50's, 60's and 70's. Skelton's use of slapstick comedy and
pantimime was his greatest gifts, brought on by his vaudeville training, which began when he was fifteen.
Family was incredibly important to Skelton. His father had passed away two months before his birth, but
Skelton honored him with a poem titled The Circus. He met his first wife, Edna Stillwell, in 1930 and they
were married a year later. During the thirteen years of their marriage, Edna worked as Skelton's writer and
manager. He still credited her with his success even later in life. It was with his second wife, Georgia
Davis (1945), that Skelton had two children, Richie and Valentina. During shows he would use his family
as part of his jokes. Unfortuantely, Richie died in his youth from leukemia (Raymond).
Prior to the show, he worked on "over 40 movies with MGM during the 1940's and 1950's" (Raymond).
During its 30 year run, his television show switched hands between NBC and CBS, before it was eventually
cancelled in 1971. It won an Emmy Award for Best Comedy Show in 1953 and another in 1961 for
Outstanding Writing. In 1989, Skelton "was inducted into the Clown Hall of Fame" (Raymond).
Apart from his comedy show, Skelton was an artist (his lithographs of clowns fetching an impressive $2
million per year), wrote children's stories, and composed music. He also established the Red Skelton
Foundation in his hometown of Vincennes, Indiana to help needy children (Raymond).
My Opinion
I was introduced to Mr. Skelton a few years ago and instantly fell in love with his wonderful brand of
comedy. It was so refreshing to have a comedian that has real talent and doesn't have to resort to cussing
every few words to get a laugh. Anyone can get up on a stage and curse someone out, but it takes a great
comedian not to stoup to that level. Personally it makes me feel dumber when I watch stuff like that. That's
not to say that Red's comedy is all family friendly, but his more adult jokes are executed in a subtle way that
adults will understand them, while the kids won't. Many people have criticized him for laughing at his own
jokes, but for me that makes the jokes funnier. It shows that he is enjoying what he is doing, which is a top
priority in my opinion.
Another thing that I love about Red is his ability to tell it like it is. A famous Skelton clip is his "Pledge of
Allegiance", a speech that everyone should watch. It is amazing how a prediction made back in the 50's
turned out to be true!
Bio References
Richard "Red" Skelton was a star of "one of the longest running variety series on television [and] also one
of the first . . . to make a successful transition from radio to television" (Gibberman). With some of the
craziest characters on television, from Sheriff Dead Eye to the lovable Clem Kadiddlehopper, Red Skelton
became an American icon during the 50's, 60's and 70's. Skelton's use of slapstick comedy and
pantimime was his greatest gifts, brought on by his vaudeville training, which began when he was fifteen.
Family was incredibly important to Skelton. His father had passed away two months before his birth, but
Skelton honored him with a poem titled The Circus. He met his first wife, Edna Stillwell, in 1930 and they
were married a year later. During the thirteen years of their marriage, Edna worked as Skelton's writer and
manager. He still credited her with his success even later in life. It was with his second wife, Georgia
Davis (1945), that Skelton had two children, Richie and Valentina. During shows he would use his family
as part of his jokes. Unfortuantely, Richie died in his youth from leukemia (Raymond).
Prior to the show, he worked on "over 40 movies with MGM during the 1940's and 1950's" (Raymond).
During its 30 year run, his television show switched hands between NBC and CBS, before it was eventually
cancelled in 1971. It won an Emmy Award for Best Comedy Show in 1953 and another in 1961 for
Outstanding Writing. In 1989, Skelton "was inducted into the Clown Hall of Fame" (Raymond).
Apart from his comedy show, Skelton was an artist (his lithographs of clowns fetching an impressive $2
million per year), wrote children's stories, and composed music. He also established the Red Skelton
Foundation in his hometown of Vincennes, Indiana to help needy children (Raymond).
My Opinion
I was introduced to Mr. Skelton a few years ago and instantly fell in love with his wonderful brand of
comedy. It was so refreshing to have a comedian that has real talent and doesn't have to resort to cussing
every few words to get a laugh. Anyone can get up on a stage and curse someone out, but it takes a great
comedian not to stoup to that level. Personally it makes me feel dumber when I watch stuff like that. That's
not to say that Red's comedy is all family friendly, but his more adult jokes are executed in a subtle way that
adults will understand them, while the kids won't. Many people have criticized him for laughing at his own
jokes, but for me that makes the jokes funnier. It shows that he is enjoying what he is doing, which is a top
priority in my opinion.
Another thing that I love about Red is his ability to tell it like it is. A famous Skelton clip is his "Pledge of
Allegiance", a speech that everyone should watch. It is amazing how a prediction made back in the 50's
turned out to be true!
Bio References
- Gibberman, Susan. “The Red Skelton Show.” The Museums of Broadcast Communications.
- Raymond, Tom. “Biography of Red Skelton, America’s Favorite Clown—Good Night, and God
Bless.” Clown Ministry. <http://www.clown-ministry.com/>
| In Memory of the late Richard "Red" Skelton July 18th, 1913 - September 17th, 1997 You will be forever missed |
| All Screencaps were made my me from Episode DVDs. Images copyright of the individual video producers and the Red Skelton Estate. |
