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Red Skelton
Red Skelton, 1944
Birth name	Richard Bernard Skelton
Born	(1913-07-18)July 18, 1913 Vincennes, Indiana, U.S.
Died	September 17, 1997(1997-09-17) (aged 84) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Medium	Radio Television Film Live performances
Years active	1937–1981
Spouse	Edna Marie Stilwell (1931-1943) Georgia Davis (1945-1971) Lothian Toland (1973-1997)
Template:Infobox comedian awards

Red Skelton (July 18, 1913–September 17, 1997) was an American comedian who was best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing another career as a painter. Skelton is quoted as saying, "I just want to be known as a clown, because to me that's the height of my profession. It means you can do everything -- sing, dance and above all, make people laugh.

Biography

Early years

Born in Vincennes, Indiana, Richard Skelton was the fourth son of Ida Mae and Joseph E. Skelton (1878–1913). Joseph, a grocer, died two months before his last child was born; he had once been a clown with the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. In Skelton's lifetime there was some dispute about the year of his birth. Biographer Arthur Marx reported (from second hand information) that Skelton may have been born as early as 1906, and the year 1910 was sometimes cited as the year of his birth. In a People Magazine article in 1979, Skelton admitted that he fudged about his age, and was quoted as saying he was "in his seventies."

Because of the loss of his father, young Richard went to work at an early age, selling newspapers to help his family when he was seven. He quickly learned the newsboy's patter and would keep it up until a prospective buyer bought a copy of the paper just to quiet young Skelton. In 1923, a man came up to the young newsboy, purchased every paper he had and asked him if he wanted to see the show in town, giving him a ticket. The man, comedian Ed Wynn, was part of the show and later took young Skelton backstage. It was then that he realized what he wanted to do with his life. Skelton learned that he could make people laugh at an early age. When Skelton was ten, he auditioned to be part of a medicine show. When he accidentally fell from the stage, breaking bottles of medicine as he fell, people laughed. The young boy realized he could earn a living with his ability. By age 14, he had left school and was already a veteran performer, working in local vaudeville and on a showboat, "The Cotton Blossom", that traveled the Ohio and Missouri rivers. Young Skelton was interested in all forms of acting. He won a dramatic role with a stock theater company, but was unable to deliver his lines in a serious manner; the audience laughed instead. Ida Skelton, who held two jobs to support her family after the death of her husband, never said that her youngest son had run away from home, but that "his destiny had caught up with him at an early age". At age 15, he was on the vaudeville circuit and the next year spent some time with the same circus his father had also been a clown with. Skelton later copied his father's makeup for his television character, "Freddie the Freeloader". While performing in Kansas City in 1931, Skelton married his first wife, Edna Stillwell, who was an usher at the theater.

Skelton and his wife put together an act and began to get bookings for it at some of the smaller vaudeville theaters. They somehow made their way to the Lido Club in Montreal. Despite the language barrier, the act was a success, and brought the couple theater dates throughout Canada. While in Montreal, Skelton and Edna devised the well-known "Doughnut Dunkers" routine, with Skelton's visual impressions of how different people ate doughnuts. The problem with doing this type of act was that Skelton had to eat nine doughnuts at every performance. He was performing five times a day and eating 45 doughnuts. Skelton gained almost 35 pounds rapidly and had to shelve the routine for a while until he lost the weight.

Film

Skelton's first contact with Hollywood came in the form of a failed 1932 screen test. In 1937 he made his film debut for RKO Radio Pictures in the supporting role of a camp counselor in Having Wonderful Time. Two short subjects made earlier for Vitaphone were released in 1939: Seeing Red and The Bashful Buckaroo. After screen star Mickey Rooney had seen Skelton perform his "Doughnut Dunkers" act, Rooney contacted Skelton, urging him to try for work in films. Rooney also spoke favorably about Skelton to his film employer, MGM.

Skelton was hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to lend comic relief to its Dr. Kildare medical dramas, but soon he was starring in comedy features (as inept radio detective "The Fox") and in Technicolor musicals. When Skelton signed his long-term contract with MGM in 1940, he insisted on a clause that permitted him to remain working in radio and on television (which was in its infancy). Studio chief Louis B. Mayer agreed to the terms, only to regret it later when television became a threat to motion pictures.

Radio

The "Doughnut Dunkers" routine also led to Skelton's first appearance on The Rudy Vallee Show on August 12, 1937. The program had a talent show segment and those who were searching for stardom were eager to be heard on it. The show received enough fan mail after Skelton's performance to invite the comedian back two weeks after his initial appearance and again in November of that year. On October 1, 1938, Skelton replaced Red Foley as the host of Avalon Time on NBC; Edna also joined the show's cast. Skelton continued as the show's host until late 1939, when he went on to begin his MGM movie career.

Skelton's success in films meant a regular radio show offer. He went on the air with his own program, The Raleigh Cigarettes Program, on October 7, 1941. The bandleader for the show was Ozzie Nelson; his wife, Harriet, who worked under her maiden name of Hilliard, was the show's vocalist and also worked with Skelton in skits.

Skelton introduced the first two of his many characters during the show's first season. Clem Kadiddlehopper was based on a Vincennes neighbor named Carl Hopper, who was hard of hearing. Skelton's voice pattern for Clem was very much like that of the later cartoon character, Bullwinkle. They were sufficently similar to cause Skelton to contemplate filing a lawsuit against Bill Scott, who voiced the cartoon moose. The Mean Widdle Kid, or "Junior", was a young boy full of mischief, who typically did things he was told not to do. "Junior" would say things like, "If I dood it, I gets a whipping.", followed moments later by the statement, "I dood it!" Skelton starred in a 1942 movie of the same name, but did not play "Junior" in the film. When MGM decided to use the phrase for the movie, they did so without the permission of either Skelton or his Raleigh cigarettes sponsor; Skelton asked for $25,000 from the studio in damages. The phrase was such a part of national culture at the time, when General Doolittle conducted the bombing of Tokyo in 1942, many newspapers used the phrase, "Doolittle Dood It" as a headline. In 1943, after a talk with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Skelton started collecting funds on his radio show for a bomber to be given to the Soviet Army to help fight World War II. Asking children to send in their spare change, Skelton raised enough money for the plane in two weeks. He named the bomber "I Dood It!" In 1993, the pilot of the plane was able to meet Skelton and thank him for the bomber.

The Skelton divorce meant that Red had lost his married man's deferrment; he was once again classified as 1-A for service. He was drafted into the Army in early 1944. Skelton's last Raleigh radio show was on June 6, 1944, the day before he was formally inducted. Without its star, the radio show was discontinued, and the opportunity presented itself for the Nelsons to begin a radio show of their own, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Skelton suffered a nervous breakdown while in the Army and was discharged on September 18, 1945. His sponsor was eager to have him back on the air, and Skelton's program began anew on NBC on December 4, 1945.

On April 22, 1947, Red was censored by NBC 2 minutes into his radio show. Red and his announcer Rod O'Connor were about to talk about Fred Allen being censored during Allen's NBC show the previous week. NBC silenced Red and Rod for 15 seconds. Comedian Bob Hope was also given the same treatment once he began referring to the censoring of Allen. Skelton forged on with his lines for his studio audience's benefit. The material Skelton insisted on using had been edited from the script by the network before the broadcast. Skelton's words after he was back on the air were, "Well, we have now joined the parade of stars." Skelton had been briefly censored the previous month for the use of the word "diaper". After the April incidents, NBC indicated it would no longer pull the plug for similar reasons.

Skelton himself was referenced in a Popeye cartoon in which the title character enters a haunted house and encounters a "red skeleton." The Three Stooges also referenced Skelton in Creeps (1956): Shemp: "Who are you?" Talking Skeleton: "Me? I’m Red." Shemp: "Oh, Red Skeleton."

It was during this period that Red divorced his first wife, Edna, and married his second wife Georgia. According to the director George Sydney, he met Georgia while visiting the set of The Harvey Girls (1945) where Georgia, also nicknamed Red, played one of the "bad" girls working at the Alhambra bar. Edna continued in her role as Red's manager until the 1960s.

In March 1944, Skelton was drafted so his popular series was discontinued on June 6. In addition to his own duties and responsibilities, he was often summoned to entertain officers late at night. The perpetual motion and lack of rest resulted in a nervous breakdown in Italy. That fall, he moved to CBS, where the show ran until May 1953.

Television

When Skelton began his television show, two rituals were rapidly established. The first was at the end of his opening monologue; two men backstage would grab his ankles from behind the set curtain, hauling him offstage face first. The comedic hard knocks took their toll; before Skelton had reached the age of 40, he needed leg braces and a cane for the cartilage that was destroyed in both of his knees. The second came at the end of every program, with Skelton's words of, "Good night and may God bless."

A hit instrumental for Rose, called "Holiday for Strings", was used as Skelton's TV theme song.

During the 1951–52 season, Skelton broadcast live from a converted NBC radio studio. When he complained about the pressures of doing a live show, NBC agreed to film his shows in the 1952–53 season at Eagle Lion Studios, next to the Sam Goldwyn Studio, on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. Later the show was moved to the new NBC television studios in Burbank.

Declining ratings prompted NBC (and sponsor Procter & Gamble) to cancel his show in the spring of 1953. Beginning with the 1953–54 season, Skelton switched to CBS, where he remained until 1970.

Biographer Arthur Marx documented Skelton's personal problems, including heavy drinking. An appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show began a turnaround for Skelton's television career. He curtailed his drinking and his ratings at CBS began to improve, especially after he began appearing on Tuesday nights for co-sponsors Johnson's Wax and Pet Milk Company.

Many of Skelton's television shows have survived due to kinescopes, films and videotapes and have been featured in recent years on PBS television stations. In addition, a number of excerpts from Skelton's programs have been released in VHS and DVD formats. In 1980, Skelton was taken to court by 13 of his former writers over a story that his will called for the destruction of recordings of all his old television shows upon his death. Skelton contended his remarks were made at a time when he was very unhappy with the television industry and were taken out of context. Skelton said at the time, "Would you burn the only monument you've built in over 20 years?"

Skelton's comedic sketches became legendary. Sometimes during sketches, Skelton would break up or cause his guest stars to laugh, not only on the live telecasts but on taped programs as well. Actress Theona Bryant, a regular to the show remarked, "When you can recite Juliet's Romeo dialogue in southern belle drawl into the laughing face of Red Skeleton, you're ready to be a star."

Skelton began taping his television shows at the old Charlie Chaplin Studios in the late 1950s. By 1960, he purchased the studios, with plans to continue using the facility for his television show and for making films. In the early 1960s, Skelton became the first CBS host to tape his weekly programs in color. He tried to encourage CBS to do other shows in color at the facility, although most were taped in black-and-white at Television City near the Farmers Market in Los Angeles. However, CBS president William S. Paley had generally given up on color television after the network's unsuccessful efforts to receive Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for CBS' "color wheel" system (developed by inventor Peter Goldmark) in the early 1950s. In 1962, he sold the property to CBS.

Although CBS occasionally would use NBC facilities or its own small color studio for specials, the network avoided color programming—except for telecasts of The Wizard of Oz and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella—until the fall of 1965, when both NBC and ABC began televising most of their programs in RCA's compatible color process. By that time, Skelton had abandoned his own studio and moved to the network's Television City facilities, where he resumed programs until he left the network. In the fall of 1962, CBS expanded his program to a full hour, retitling it The Red Skelton Hour.

At the height of Skelton's popularity, his son was diagnosed with leukemia. In 1957, this was a virtual death sentence for any child. The illness and subsequent death of Richard Skelton at age 9 left his devastated father unable to perform for much of the 1957–58 television season. The show continued with guest hosts that included a young Johnny Carson, who had served as one of Skelton's writers a few years earlier. CBS management was exceptionally understanding of Red's situation, and no talk of cancellation was ever entertained by Paley.

That routine was released as a single by Columbia Records after Skelton performed it on his TV series in 1969. Skelton frequently employed the art of pantomime for his characters, using few props.

In Groucho and Me, Groucho Marx called Skelton "the most unacclaimed clown in show business", and "the logical successor to Chaplin", largely because of his ability to play a multitude of characters with minimal use of dialog and props. "With one prop, a soft battered hat," Groucho wrote, describing a performance he had witnessed, "he successfully converted himself into an idiot boy, a peevish old lady, a teetering-tottering drunk, an overstuffed clubwoman, a tramp, and any other character that seemed to suit his fancy. No grotesque make-up, no funny clothes, just Red." He added that Skelton also "plays a dramatic scene about as effectively as any of the dramatic actors."

One of the last known on-camera interviews with Skelton was conducted by Steven F. Zambo. A small portion of this interview can be seen in the 2005 PBS special, The Pioneers of Primetime.

Off the air

Skelton maintained his high television ratings on CBS. However, demographics showed he no longer appealed to younger viewers, and his contracted annual salary raises grew disproportionately due to inflation. Though CBS had earlier decided to keep Gunsmoke, another long-time favorite that appealed almost exclusively to older audiences, between the 1970 and 1971 seasons the network eliminated traditional weekly variety shows hosted by veterans such as Skelton, Jackie Gleason, and Ed Sullivan, because programmers felt they were alienating younger audiences and depressing ratings (see rural purge for more information on this topic). CBS continued with Carol Burnett's highly popular show until 1978, and aired variety programs hosted by younger entertainers such as Sonny and Cher. Years later, Burnett told reporters that network variety shows had become too expensive to bring back. Performing in Las Vegas when he got the news of his CBS cancellation, Skelton said, "My heart has been broken."

Skelton moved to NBC in 1970 in a half-hour Monday night version of his former show. Its cancellation after one season ended his long television career. Skelton returned to live performances after he was no longer on television, especially opting to perform on college campuses, as if to prove the networks' demographics wrong. He was just as popular with the younger generation as he had been with their parents.

Skelton was said to be bitter about CBS's cancellation for many years to follow. Ignoring the demographics and salary issues, he bitterly accused CBS of caving in to the anti-establishment, anti-war faction at the height of the Vietnam War, saying his conservative politics and traditional values caused CBS to turn against him. Skelton invited prominent Republicans, including Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and Senate Republican Leader Everett Dirksen to appear on his program. When he was presented with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Governor's Award in 1986, Skelton received a standing ovation. "I want to thank you for sitting down," Skelton said when the ovation subsided. "I thought you were pulling a CBS and walking out on me." Skelton had previously received Emmys for Best Comedy Program in 1952 and for Best Comedy Writing in 1961. Skelton was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Television Hall of Fame in 1989.

Clown and circus art

Skelton began his artwork in 1943, but kept his works private for many years. He said he was inspired to try his hand at painting after visiting a large Chicago department store who had various paintings on display. Inquiring as to the price of one which Skelton described as "a bunch of blotches", he was told, "Ten thousand wouldn't buy that one." Skelton said he told the clerk he was one of the ten thousand who would not buy the painting, instead buying his own art materials. His wife, Georgia, a former art student, persuaded Skelton to have his first public showing of his work in 1964 at the Las Vegas hotel where he was entertaining at the time. Skelton originals are priced at $80,000 and upward; Skelton once estimated the sale of his lithographs earned him $2.5 million per year.

In Death Valley Junction, California, Skelton found a kindred spirit when he saw the artwork and pantomime performances of Marta Becket. Today, circus performers painted by Marta Becket decorate the Red Skelton Room in the Amargosa Hotel, where Skelton stayed four times in Room 22. The room is dedicated to Skelton, as explained by John Mulvihill in his essay, "Lost Highway Hotel":

Marta Becket is the magic behind the Amargosa Hotel. For the past 32 years, it has provided both a home and a venue for her lifetime ambition: to perform her dance and pantomime works to paying audiences. Since 1968, she's been doing just that, twice a week, audiences or no. The hotel guest’s first encounter with Marta is through her paintings in the lobby and dining area. Once she and her husband had upgraded the structure of the hotel and theatre, she made them unique by painting their walls with shimmering frescoes (not real frescoes but the effect is the same) in a style uniquely hers. Some of the paintings are deceptively three-dimensional, like the guitar leaning against a wall that you don’t realize is a painting until you reach to pick it up. Some are evocative of carnival art from the early part of this century. All are vibrant, whimsical. If you’re lucky, your room will be graced with similar wall paintings. Room 22 is where Red Skelton used to stay. He visited once to catch Marta’s show and, like so many others, fell victim to the Amargosa’s enchantment and returned again and again. He asked Marta to illustrate his room with circus performers and though he died shortly thereafter, she did so anyway. Staying in this room, with acrobats scaling the walls and trapeze artists flying from the ceiling, is a singularly evocative experience, one I wouldn’t trade for a suite at the Waldorf-Astoria.

Personal life

On June 1, 1931, Skelton married Edna Marie Stillwell (1915-1982), a joke writer, business manager, and former usher at Kansas City's old Pantage Theater. Skelton was one month away from his 18th birthday, and Edna was 16. The two met when she approached Skelton after a show and told him she didn't like his material; Skelton asked her if she could do better. They married a short time later, with Edna taking on the tasks of managing her husband and writing for him, as well as becoming part of his act. She was also part of the cast for Skelton's Avalon Time radio program under her maiden name of Enda Stillwell. In 1942, Edna announced that she was leaving the couple's home but would continue to manage Skelton's career and write material for him. Skelton did not realize she was serious until Edna issued a statement about the impending divorce through NBC, Skelton's radio employer. They divorced in 1943. Stillwell remained an advisor on his career after their marriage ended. It was his ex-wife/manager Edna who negotiated a seven-year Hollywood contract for him in 1951, also the same year "The Red Skelton Show" premiered on NBC.

By 1944, Skelton was engaged to actress Muriel Morris, who was also known as Muriel Chase; the couple had obtained a marriage license and told the press they intended to marry within a few days. At the last minute, the actress decided not to marry Skelton, initially saying she intended to marry a wealthy businessman in Mexico City. She later recanted the story about marrying the businessman, but continued to say that her relationship with Skelton was over. The actress further denied that the reason for the breakup was Skelton's former wife's continuing to manage her ex-husband's career. Edna Skelton stated that she had no intention of either getting in the middle of the relationship or reconciling with her ex-husband.

Skelton, who was drafted in early 1944 and joined the Army on May 25 of that year, was on furlough for a throat ailment when he married Georgia Maurine Davis in Beverly Hills, California on March 9, 1945. He entered the hospital later that day to have his tonsils removed. As part of the entertainment corps, Skelton entertained troops in both the United States and in Europe, often performing 10-12 shows per day. The pressure of his workload caused him to suffer exhaustion and a nervous breakdown; he was released from his Army duties in September 1945. They had two children, Richard Jr., and Valentina Marie Skelton (b.1947). Skelton suffered a life-threatening asthma attack on December 30, 1957. He was taken to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, where his doctors said that if there were ten steps to death, Red Skelton had taken nine of them when he arrived there. Initially hospitalized for an undetermined length of time, Skelton later said he was working on some notes for television and the next thing he remembered, he was in a hospital bed. He did not know how serious his illness was until he was able to read some newspapers. Skelton's illness and recovery kept him off the air for a month.

Richard Skelton Jr.'s death on May 10, 1958 from leukemia, just 10 days before his 10th birthday, was a major blow to the entire family. The day the young boy was buried, Skelton was scheduled to do his weekly television show. Though there were some recordings of some older Skelton shows available which the network could have run, Skelton asked that guest performers be used instead. Family friend Arthur Marx, Groucho's son, whose unauthorized biography of Skelton came out in 1979, wrote, "Red treated his son's room in their Palm Springs house like a little museum. ...He had it cordoned off with a velvet rope so nobody could go in there." Another family friend, actress Arlene Dahl, who co-starred with Skelton in three films, remarked, "The death of his child really did Red in. He idolized that boy." After Richard's diagnosis, Skelton took his family on an extended trip, so the boy could see as much of the world as possible. When they arrived in London, there were press accusations that Skelton's trip was more about publicity than his seriously ill son. There were also newspaper reports about young Richard's illness being fatal which were seen by the young boy. The devastated father cut the family's trip short and returned to the United States after the British press stories.

Richard Jr.'s death profoundly affected Red and Georgia. In 1966, Georgia Skelton wounded herself in an accidental shooting at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas while her husband was performing in the main showroom. The couple's daughter, Valentina, heard the gunshot and found her mother who was both surprised and confused about what had happened. The Skeltons kept handguns in both of their California homes because of prowlers. Georgia did not feel safe without a gun and the couple brought it to Las Vegas with them. The gun was kept loaded on a bedside table and Mrs. Skelton may have accidentally brushed against it there while reaching for something else. The Clark County Sheriff declared the shooting to be accidental.

In 1971, Red and Georgia divorced. Skelton, now 60, married a secretary 25 years his junior, Lothian Toland (daughter of famed film cinematographer Gregg Toland). They were married on October 7, 1973 in San Francisco, California, and remained married until Red Skelton's death in 1997. On May 10, 1976, his ex-wife Georgia committed suicide by gunshot on the 18th anniversary of her son's death. She was 54 and had been in poor health for some time. Deeply affected by the loss of his ex-wife, Red abstained from performing for the next decade, finding solace in painting clowns.

Death

Red Skelton died from pneumonia near his Anza, California home, at Eisenhower Medical Center, in Rancho Mirage, California on September 17, 1997. He was 84. Skelton was interred in the Skelton Family tomb in The Great Mausoleum's Sanctuary of Benediction, private room, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Glendale, California. He rests with his beloved son Richard Jr., who died in 1958. Skelton was survived by his widow, Lothian Toland-Skelton, his daughter, Valentina Marie Skelton-Alonso, and granddaughter Sabrina Maureen Alonso.

Fraternity

Red Skelton was a Freemason, a member of Vincennes Lodge No. 1, in Indiana. He also was a member of both the Scottish and York Rite. He was the recipient of the Gold Medal of the General Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, for Distinguished Service in the Arts and Sciences. On September 24, 1969, he received the honorary 33° in the Scottish Rite and was a Gourgas Medal recipient in 1995. Skelton was also a Shriner in Los Angeles, California. In 1961 Skelton was made an honorary brother of the Phi Alpha Tau Fraternity of Emerson College when he was awarded the Joseph E. Connor Award for excellence in the field of communications. Skelton also received an honorary degree from the college and an honorary high school diploma from Vincennes High School. He was also an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity. In 1986, Skelton received an honorary degree from Ball State University.

Legacy

The Red Skelton Bridge spans the Wabash River and provides the highway link between Illinois and Indiana, on U.S. Route 50, near his hometown of Vincennes, Indiana. Immediately after the bridge-dedication ceremony came to a close, Red proclaimed in his normal comical style to the crowd, "Okay, now everybody, off of my bridge!"

At a cost of $16.8 million, Red Skelton Performing Arts Center was built on the Vincennes University campus. It was officially dedicated on Friday, February 24, 2006. The building includes an 850-seat theater, classrooms, rehearsal rooms and dressing rooms. The grand foyer is a gallery for Red Skelton paintings, statues and film posters. In addition to Vincennes University theatrical and musical productions, the theater hosts special events, convocations and conventions. Work is underway on the Red Skelton Gallery and Education Center to house the $3 million collection of Skelton memorabilia donated by Lothian Skelton. As of June 2009, part of the museum including a gift shop is open. In September 2010, the museum and the Indiana Historical Society entered into a partnership for a permanent archive of Skelton's material. The museum received a one million dollar donation in November 2010. The Red Skelton Foundation also assists needy children in Vincennes with new clothing.

The Red Skelton Festival, June 14, 2008 in Vincennes, featured the "Parade of a Thousand Clowns," an Evening of Music, with Crystal Gayle, and clown seminars. In 2007, restoration was planned for the historic Vincennes Pantheon Theatre where Skelton performed during his youth.

In 2002, during the controversy over the phrase "under God," which had been added to U.S. Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, a recording of a monologue Skelton performed on his 1969 television show resurfaced. In the speech, he commented on the meaning of each phrase of the Pledge. At the end, he added: "Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer and that would be eliminated from schools too?" Given that advocates were arguing that the inclusion of "under God" in a pledge recited daily in U.S. public schools violated the First Amendment separation of church and state, Skelton suddenly regained popularity among religious conservatives who wanted the phrase to remain.

Filmography

Features

Short subjects

• The Broadway Buckaroo (1939)
• Seeing Red (1939)
• Radio Bugs (1944) (voice)
• Weekend in Hollywood (1947)
• The Luckiest Guy in the World (1947) (voice)
• Some of the Best (1949)

References

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3. ^ Hyatt, Wesley, ed. (2004). A Critical History of Television's The Red Skelton Show, 1951–1971. McFarland & Co. p. 190. ISBN 0786417323. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
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7. ^ Adir, Karin, ed. (2001). The Great Clowns of American Television. McFarland & Company. p. 270. ISBN 0786413034. Retrieved 21 May 2011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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29. http://www.winkmartindale.com/thoughts-n-things/page180.html
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34. "Television Hall of Fame Archives". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
35. Gavin, Mike (21 June 1964). "Red Skelton's Paintings Exhibited At Las Vegas". Park City Daily News. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
36. Mulvihill, John. "Lost Highway Hotel". The Universe of David Lynch. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
37. Amargosa Hotel: Red Skelton Room
38. "Red Skelton's Former Wife, Edna, Dies". Los Angeles Times. 19 November 1982. Retrieved 19 May 2011. "Edna Skelton Pound, a comedy writer who wrote some of Red Skelton's best-known comic routines during and after their 12-year marriage, has died." (pay-per-view)
39. "Skelton's Ex-Wife Married to Director". The Pittsburgh Press. 26 November 1945. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
40. "Avalon Hour". Old Time Radio Catalog. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
41. "Mrs. Skelton Quits as Red's Wife, Stays on as Red's Agent". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 30 October 1942. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
42. ^ "Comedian Red Skelton Marries Former Model". Lewiston Morning Tribune. 10 March 1945. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
43. "Red, Muriel Make Ready for Wedding". Lewiston Morning Tribune. 8 April 1944. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
44. "Skelton Marriage Cancellation Real Mystery". The Evening Independent. 11 April 1944. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
45. "Red Skelton to Join Army May 25". New York Times. 13 May 1944. Retrieved 19 May 2011. "Red Skelton will be Private Richard Skelton on May 25." (pay per view)
46. "Red Skelton to Marry Montana Girl". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. 12 February 1945. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
47. "Red Skelton Faces Busy Time Today". The Evening Independent. 8 March 1945. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
48. "Red Skelton Jokes About His Illness". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. 9 January 1958. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
49. "Indefinite Hospital Stay Due For Red Skelton". The Bulletin. 2 January 1958. Retrieved 19 May 1958. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
50. "Red Skelton Itching to Work Soon". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 9 January 1958. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
51. Bacon, James (12 May 1958). "Red Skelton's Son Dies Thinking of Mother". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
52. ^ "Skelton Family Finds Solace In Son's Battle With Leukemia". Ocala Star-Banner. 12 May 1958. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
53. ^ "Skelton off air tonight for son's rites". Ellensburg Daily Record. 13 May 1958. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
54. "Red Skelton's Son Doesn't Go Along With Talk of Doom". St. Joseph News-Press. 1 August 1957. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
55. "Red Skelton Cuts Short World Tour, Hurt and 'Insulted' by British Press". St. Petersburg Times. 5 August 1957. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
56. "Red Skelton Defends Trip". Middlesboro Daily News. 3 August 1957. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
57. "Red Skelton's Wife Hurt". St. Petersburg Times. 20 July 1966. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
58. "Red Skelton's Wife Seriously Wounded". Sarasota Journal. 20 July 1966. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
59. ^ "Red Skelton Files For Divorce". The Press-Courier. 12 November 1971. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
60. "Red Skelton Is Married In 'Double-Ring' Rite". Toledo Blade. 9 October 1972. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
61. "Red Skelton Married To Photographer". Schenectady Gazette. 8 October 1973. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
62. "Georgia Skelton obituary". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. 12 May 1976. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
63. "Red Skelton's ex-wife dead". The Telegraph-Herald. 12 May 1976. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
64. "Skelton's ex-wife is suicide". The Daily Sentinel. 11 May 1976. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
65. Bacon, James (14 May 1958). "Torrents Of Tears Well In Red's Twinkling Eyes". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
66. "Red Skelton wins top Scottish Rite honor". The Northern Light. 1995. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
67. "Triple Honors for Red Skelton". Warsaw Times. 8 November 1961. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
68. "Red is honored". The Nevada Daily Mail. 19 September 1986. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
69. Wilson, Earl (12 September 1963). "Earl Wilson". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
70. Red Skelton Performing Arts Center
71. ^ Red Skelton Tribute Festival
72. "Red Skelton Museum Foundation, Indiana Historical Society Form Partnership". Indiana Historical Society. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
73. "Red Skelton Museum Gets One Million Dollar Donation". My Wabash Valley. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
74. "Red Skelton Foundation". Vincennes University. Retrieved 22 May 2011.

External links

• Red Skelton at IMDb
• Red Skelton at the National Radio Hall of Fame
• Red Skelton official site
• Red Skelton biography at Clown Ministry
• Red-Eo-Tape (Red Tape) Color Television
• Red Skelton at Find a Grave

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