Comedy (1939 - 53)
 In
every generation, there are singularly outrageous comedians,
and for the middle of the 20th century, Red Skelton
was probably the "top banana" of all. He remained
true to the clown tradition of making 'em laugh, anyway
possible and as often as possible. Although known for
his physical comedy, he was a master character actor and
mime, and had a joke book that was reputed to have 180
thousand jokes.
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2010 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited. Red said he worked his way up to radio
by doing "everything but opera." He got
on radio with Avalon Time and soon his Raleigh Program,
began in '41, took him to the top. All through the
WWII years he kept America laughing, except for
a '44 stint as a drafted private who made it his
job to entertain the troops.
 Skelton
was at the top of the radio top five ratings for many
years, right along with Jack
Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly,
and Bob Hope. A list of character Red created would be
a yard long, but a couple of major ones are the mean little
Junior, Willie Lump Lump and goofy Clem Kadiddlehopper.
His rapid-fire jokes and gags, along with physical comedy and extreme characters at the drop of a hat were rarely
equaled.
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2010 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited. In the late 40's and early 50's Skelton's
show slowed its pace a little as Red developed his
masterful storytelling skills in longer sketches
of American life. Thankfully Red continued on TV.
Throughout his career, he kept to his roots, remaining
a true clown with a genuine love for all the oddball
characters he did. His audience felt Red's comedy came from his heart, and they loved him for it.
(Please note some of these episodes are
missing introductions.)
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