Podcast – Red Skelton

Red Skelton
This episode tells the story of the legendary comedian, actor and television show host,Red Skelton. Red was born in Vincennes, Indiana. His birthplace, a museum dedicated to his life and an historical marker honoring him are all located near his birthplace.
From the Book
Southwest Indiana Day Trips

Transcript:

Red Skelton

This episode tells the story of the legendary comedian, actor and television show host,Red Skelton. Red was born in Vincennes, Indiana. His birthplace, a museum dedicated to his life and an historical marker honoring him are all located near his birthplace.

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Red Skelton Birthplace
Richard Bernard Skelton was born July 18, 1913, inside his Vincennes home, which is located directly across from the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center & Museum of American Comedy. His birthplace has been purchased by the Red Skelton Foundation to preserve an important part of his life, but additional funds are needed to restore the home. Donors who would like to be a part of preserving and presenting the Red Skelton life story may contact:
Dr. Phillip Summers, President Emeritus of Vincennes University and Coordinator for the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center Project at 812.888.4850 or Fax, 812.888.5942
Address
Red Skelton Birthplace
111 W. Lyndale Avenue
Vincennes, IN 47591

Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy
Red Skelton Museum
This fabulous museum includes five-minute video clips of Red Skelton’s characters along with the props and costumes he wore while performing the skits. The museum spans Skelton’s entire vaudeville, radio, movie, and television career. Several pieces of Skelton’s art are also on display as well as some of his books and music he composed. The man was an artist in many ways.
Several pieces of Skelton’s art are also on display as well as some of his books and music he composed.
Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy
20 W Red Skelton Blvd
Vincennes, IN 47591
(812) 888-4184

Historical Marker
Title of Marker
Red Skelton “One of America’s Clowns”
Location:
111 West Lyndale Avenue, Vincennes (Knox County, Indiana) 47591
Installed
2017 Indiana Historical Bureau and Red Skelton Museum Foundation, Inc.
ID#: 42.2017.1
Text
Side One
“One of America’s Clowns”
Comedian Richard “Red” Skelton was born here in 1913. As a teenager, performed locally in minstrel shows and as a clown in circus. By 1930s he performed on vaudeville stages; became famous for skits such as “dunking donuts.” MGM signed Skelton to a film contract in 1940, advancing his comedy career. He solidified fame in 1941 with debut of his national NBC radio show.
Side Two
Red Skelton
During WWII, Skelton served in the U.S. Army and performed numerous comedy shows for troops. In 1951, he helped popularize television with The Red Skelton Show, which aired for 20 years and won multiple Emmy Awards. Skelton was remembered for on-screen characters like Freddie the Freeloader and for his iconic interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance. He died 1997.

Red Skelton (July 18, 1913 – September 17, 1997)
The son of Ida Mae Fields and Joseph Elmer Skelton, Richard Bernard Skelton was native to Vincennes, Indiana. His grocer father had been a clown in the Peru based Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, the second largest circus in the United States during its heyday in the early Twentieth Century. Joseph died shortly before Red’s birth. The family was poor, and Red began selling newspapers at an early age to make money for the family. Local legend suggests that Red’s interest in show business stemmed from an incident involving Ed Wynn, a popular comedian at the time, who was performing in Vincennes. Wynn purchased every paper the boy had, and then took him on a tour of the show, even taking him backstage to introduce him to the performers. Red had to ability to make people laugh an extremely young age. He began performing skits at minstrel shows and a showboat, the Cotton Blossom.
Beginning of a Career
Skelton quit school at age thirteen and ran off to pursue a show business career. His mother let him go with her blessing. He started performing in burlesque shows and then graduated to vaudeville. He met Edna Stillwell at a dance marathon. The two would marry and have one child. Edna became his writer. Skelton gained fame and gained an invitation to perform at one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s luncheons. By 1938, he obtained his first movie contract. His movie career lasted until 1956.
Radio
His first radio appearance was on the Rudy Vallée’s The Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour in 1937. He appeared with fellow Hoosier Joe Cook. Their performance led to two repeat performances later that year. He would get his on radio show, The Raleigh Cigarette Program, in 1941. Red developed many of the characters he would continue to use during his later television career. Clem Kadiddlehopper, The Mean Widdle Kid and others came to life under the Red’s talented craft.
Divorce and Drafting into the Army
His marriage to Edna ended in divorce and his married man deferment disappeared. Now classified 1-A, the army drafted him in March 1944, during the Second World War. This forced the network to cancel his popular radio show. The army placed him in the entertainment corps. He would perform ten to twelve acts a day to entertain the troops. The strain caused his health to decline. He spent time at a military hospital recovering form exhaustion and mental breakdown. The strain left him with a stuttering problem. While recovering he befriended a soldier that was expected to die. Red started trying to make the man laugh. He succeeded. The man recovered, and in the process, Red’s stuttering problem disappeared.
Return to Radio and then Television
The army discharged him in 1945 and he returned to radio. He added more characters to his repertoire, including Cauliflower McPugg, Deadeye and San Fernando Red. The new medium of television started becoming popular. Red landed a television contract in 1954. For a few years, Red worked in television, radio and movies simultaneously. The workload became too great and his last movie was a flop. His Red Skelton Show on television would run until 1970. In spite of good ratings, CBS cancelled the show.
Later Career
Skelton returned to the stage in the latter years of his career. He performed live performances in theaters, nightclubs and at college campuses. He also appeared in numerous television specials.
Red Skelton Art and Short Stories
Red began painting clowns in 1943. He did not show his work, considering it a hobby. His second wife, Georgia, persuaded him to show his art during one of his performances in 1964. He sold several paintings as well as reproductions and prints. Some estimate that Skelton made more money from his paintings than he did with his television shows. He also wrote one short story a day for many years. In addition, he penned many songs and symphonies. An avid gardener, he designed his own Japanese and Italian gardens.
Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy
The Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy is a testament to the humor, art and music of Red Skelton. This fabulous museum includes five-minute video clips of Red Skelton’s characters along with the props and costumes he wore while performing the skits. The museum spans Skelton’s entire vaudeville, radio, movie and television career. Several pieces of Skelton’s art are also on display as well as some of his books and music he composed.
After his death he was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

The episode is based upon my book, South Central Indiana Road Trips, available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book is the first book in the 9 volume Road Trip Indiana Series. The books include all the historical markers, as of 2022, in Indiana with the text and back story. The books also include a nearly complete listing of virtually every tourism destination in the state. The destinations include parks, museums, drive in theaters, bowling alleys, wineries and much, much more. I encourage you to visit the web site and subscribe to it.
You can find my books locally at the Walnut Street Variety Shop in Batesville, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.