Bernard
Richard 'Red' Skelton was born
in Vincennes, Indiana on July
18, 1913. He was a popular entertainer,
comedian, writer, composer and
accomplished painter. His individual
paintings have been sold at auction
for up to $80,000. He is best
known for his clown persona 'Freddie
The Freeloader'. Red Skelton was
inducted into the Clown Hall of
Fame in 1989.
Skelton
became interested in performing
at an early age. His father, who
died shortly before his birth,
had himself been a circus clown
for the Hagenbeck & Wallace
Circus, so it was no surprise
that Skelton was facinated with
clowns. His overwhelming desire
was to be a clown and to make
people laugh. At the age of 7
he was singing for pennies on
the street to help his widowed
mother. He also sold newspapers
and took other jobs when he could.
At the age of 10 he fell in love
with show business, quit school,
and left home to join a medicine
show that was traveling through
the Midwest.
By
the age of 16 he had joined the
vaudeville circuit and was performing
stand-up and other comedy acts
on showboats, in minstrel shows,
in small night clubs, in burlesques
and in circuses including the
Hagenbeck & Wallace Circus,
where his father had performed.
In 1931 Skelton married his first
wife, who became his vaudeville
partner and later his chief writer
and manager.
By
1937 Skelton was doing his act
on Broadway and on Radio. In 1938
he made his movie debut in "Having
A Wonderful Time" as Itchy
Falkner. MGM quickly realized
his potential and gave him a contract.
Skelton appeared in over 40 MGM
movies during the 1940s and 1950s
and in 1965 he returned to the
silver screen to do a cameo in
"Those Magnificent Men In
Their Flying Machines".
The
Red Skelton Radio show aired from
1941 - 1953 during which time
his act made famous the characters
of 'Clem Kaddiddlehopper', 'George
Appleby', 'Willy Lump Lump', 'Cauliflower
McPugg', 'The Mean Widdle Kid',
'San Fernando Red', and the cross-eyed
seagulls 'Gertrude and Heathcliffe'.
These were characterizations that
he had developed as part of his
early comedy routines.
In
1951 "The Red Skelton Show"
premiered on NBC and finished
fourth in ratings in its first
year. It won the Emmy Award for
Best Comedy Show in 1953 and another
Emmy in 1961 for Outstanding Writing
Achievement. The Red Skelton Show
aired on television for the next
two decades until it was canceled
in 1971.
Skelton
continued to develop his early
characters through the many comedy
skits he did for his television
show, but his greatest acclaim
came when he added the pantomime
clown 'Freddie The Freeloader',
who became his most popular characterization
of all and the one for which he
is most remembered.
After
the cancellation of his television
show, Red Skelton had the time
he needed to devote himself to
becoming recognized as an accomplished
oil painter. He became renowned
for his oil paintings of clowns,
and lithographs of his clowns
brought in over $2.5 million a
year.
Skelton
was a composer and author, as
well. He wrote hundreds of short
stories and he composed about
8,000 songs during his lifetime.
Skelton was also a long time supporter
of children's charities including
the Shriner's Crippled Children's
Hospital and the Red Skelton Foundation
in Vincennes, Indiana which cares
for needy children.
For
his lifetime contributions to
entertainment, Skelton was awarded
an honorary Doctorate of Literature
from Emerson College of Boston,
a Doctor of Human Letters from
Vincennes University, and a doctorate
of Theater Arts at Indiana State
University. He was given the Governors
Award of the Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences at the Emmy
Awards Ceremony in 1986.