Red Skelton
The son of a former circus clown turned grocer and a cleaning woman, Red Skelton was introduced to show business at the age of 7 by Ed Wynn, at a vaudeville show in Vincennes. At age 10, he left home to travel with a medicine show through the Midwest, and joined the vaudeville circuit at age 15. At age 17, he married Edna Marie Stilwell, an usher who became his vaudeville partner and later his chief writer and manager. He debuted on Broadway and radio in 1937 and on film in 1938. His ex-wife/manager negotiated a seven-year Hollywood contract for him in 1951, the same year The Red Skelton Hour (1951) premiered on NBC. For two decades, until 1971, his show consistently stayed in the top twenty, both on NBC and CBS. His numerous characters, including Clem Kaddiddlehopper, George Appleby, and the seagulls Gertrude and Heathcliffe delighted audiences for decades. First and foremost, he considered himself a clown, although not the greatest, and his paintings of clowns brought in a fortune after he left television. His home life was not completely happy--two divorces and a son Richard who died of leukemia at age 9--and he did not hang around with other comedians. He continued performing live until illness, and he was a longtime supporter of children's charities. Red Skelton died at age 84 of pneumonia in Rancho Mirage, California, on September 17, 1997. Red is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, California, in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Benediction.
Known For
Credits
- 2001 · Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders, and Ad Libs as Himself (Host)/Various Characters
- 1999 · Television: The First Fifty Years as Buffalo Bob Smith / Howdy Doody (archive footage)
- 1995 · Inside the Dream Factory as Self
- 1985 · That's Dancing! as From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
- 1985 · Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers as Self (archive footage)
- 1984 · Red Skelton: A Royal Command Performance as Himself
- 1981 · Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner as Freddie the Freeloader
- 1979 · The Hollywood Clowns as (archive footage)
- 1977 · The People's Command Performance: '77 as Self
- 1976 · Rudolph's Shiny New Year as Father Time / Baby Bear (voice)
- 1976 · That's Entertainment, Part II as (archive footage)
- 1976 · America on Parade as Host
- 1974 · That's Entertainment! as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1970 · Jack Benny's 20th Anniversary TV Special as Self (uncredited)
- 1970 · Honor America Day as Self
- 1970 · Swing Out, Sweet Land as Self
- 1968 · The Dean Martin Christmas Show as Self (uncredited)
- 1966 · Clown Alley as Freddie the Freeloader
- 1965 · Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes as The Neanderthal Man
- 1964 · The Big Parade of Comedy as Aubrey Filmore in 'A Southern Yankee' (archive footage)
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- 1960 · Ocean's Eleven as Self
- 1958 · Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse as Self
- 1957 · The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour as Red Skeleton
- 1957 · Public Pigeon No. 1 as Rusty Morgan
- 1956 · Around the World in Eighty Days as Drunk in Barbary Coast Saloon
- 1956 · The Dinah Shore Chevy Show as Self
- 1956 · The Steve Allen Show as Self - Cameo / Clem Kadiddlehopper
- 1956 · The Steve Allen Show as Self - Recipient
- 1955 · Red Skelton Christmas Classics as Main
- 1954 · Climax! as Rusty Morgan
- 1954 · Susan Slept Here as Oswald from North Dakota (uncredited)
- 1954 · The Great Diamond Robbery as Ambrose C. Park
- 1953 · Half a Hero as Ben Dobson
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self
- 1953 · The Clown as Dodo Delwyn
- 1952 · This Is Your Life as Self
- 1952 · Lovely to Look At as Al Marsh
- 1951 · Texas Carnival as Cornie Quinell
- 1951 · The Red Skelton Show as Host
- 1951 · Excuse My Dust as Joe Belden
- 1950 · Watch the Birdie as Rusty Cammeron
- 1950 · The Jack Benny Program as Self
- 1950 · The Fuller Brush Girl as Red Skelton - Fuller Brush Man (uncredited)
- 1950 · Three Little Words as Harry Ruby
- 1950 · The Bob Hope Show as Self
- 1950 · The Yellow Cab Man as Augustus 'Red' Pirdy
- 1950 · What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest
- 1949 · Neptune's Daughter as Jack Spratt
- 1948 · A Southern Yankee as Aubrey Filmore
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self - Comedian
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self - Guest
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self - Guest Host
- 1948 · Texaco Star Theater as Clem Kadiddlehopper
- 1948 · The Fuller Brush Man as Red Jones
- 1947 · Merton of the Movies as Merton Gill aka Clifford Armytage
- 1946 · The Show-Off as J. Aubrey Piper
- 1945 · Ziegfeld Follies as J. Newton Numbskull (segment "When Television Comes")
- 1944 · Bathing Beauty as Stephen "Steve" Sherman Elliott
- 1944 · Twenty Years After as (archive footage)
- 1943 · Whistling in Brooklyn as Wally 'The Fox' Benton
- 1943 · Thousands Cheer as Red Skelton
- 1943 · I Dood It as Joseph 'Joe' Rivington Renolds
- 1943 · Du Barry was a Lady as Louis Blore / King Louis XV
- 1942 · Whistling in Dixie as Wally Benton
- 1942 · Panama Hattie as Red
- 1942 · Maisie Gets Her Man as Herbert P. 'Hap' Hixby
- 1942 · Ship Ahoy as Merton K. Kibble
- 1941 · Lady Be Good as Joe 'Red' Willet
- 1941 · Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day as Vernon Briggs
- 1941 · Whistling in the Dark as Wally Benton
- 1941 · The People Vs. Dr. Kildare as Vernon Briggs
- 1940 · Flight Command as Lieut. 'Mugger' Martin
- 1939 · Seeing Red as Red / Doorman / Coatroom Attendant / Waiter / Emcee
- 1939 · The Broadway Buckaroo as Red
- 1938 · Having Wonderful Time as Itchy