Red Skelton
Acting
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.
Pioneers of Primetime
Red Skelton: America's Greatest Clown
Red Skelton
Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders, and Ad Libs
Himself (Host)/Various Characters
Television: The First Fifty Years
Buffalo Bob Smith / Howdy Doody (archive footage)
Inside the Dream Factory
Self
A Tribute to Houdini
Self
That's Dancing!
From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Self (archive footage)
Red Skelton: A Royal Command Performance
Himself
Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner
Freddie the Freeloader
The Hollywood Clowns
(archive footage)
Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Father Time / Baby Bear (voice)
The People's Command Performance: '77
Self
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
America on Parade
Host
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage) (uncredited)
Jack Benny's 20th Anniversary TV Special
Self (uncredited)
Honor America Day
Self
Swing Out, Sweet Land
Self
The Dean Martin Christmas Show
Self (uncredited)
Clown Alley
Freddie the Freeloader
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
The Neanderthal Man
The Big Parade of Comedy
Aubrey Filmore in 'A Southern Yankee' (archive footage)
Ocean's Eleven
Self
The Man in the Funny Suit
Self
Public Pigeon No. 1
Rusty Morgan
The Country Husband
Self - Announcing Next Week's Show
Around the World in 80 Days
Drunk in Barbary Coast Saloon
Red Skelton Christmas Classics
Main
Susan Slept Here
Oswald from North Dakota (uncredited)
The Great Diamond Robbery
Ambrose C. Park
Half a Hero
Ben Dobson
The Clown
Dodo Delwyn
Lovely to Look at
Al Marsh
Texas Carnival
Cornie Quinell
Excuse My Dust
Joe Belden
Watch the Birdie
Rusty Cammeron / Pop Cammeron / Grandpop Cammeron
The Fuller Brush Girl
Red Skelton - Fuller Brush Man (uncredited)
Three Little Words
Harry Ruby
The Yellow Cab Man
Augustus 'Red' Pirdy
Neptune's Daughter
Jack Spratt
A Southern Yankee
Aubrey Filmore
The Fuller Brush Man
Red Jones
Merton of the Movies
Merton Gill aka Clifford Armytage
The Show-Off
J. Aubrey Piper
Ziegfeld Follies
J. Newton Numbskull (segment "When Television Comes")
Bathing Beauty
Steve Elliott
Twenty Years After
(archive footage)
Whistling in Brooklyn
Wally 'The Fox' Benton
Thousands Cheer
Red Skelton
I Dood It
Joseph 'Joe' Rivington Renolds
Du Barry Was a Lady
Louis Blore / King Louis XV
Whistling in Dixie
Wally Benton
Panama Hattie
Red
Maisie Gets Her Man
Herbert P. 'Hap' Hixby
Ship Ahoy
Merton K. Kibble
Lady Be Good
Joe 'Red' Willet
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day
Vernon Briggs
Whistling in the Dark
Wally Benton
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
Vernon Briggs
Flight Command
Lieut. 'Mugger' Martin
Seeing Red
Red / Doorman / Coatroom Attendant / Waiter / Emcee
The Broadway Buckaroo
Red
Having Wonderful Time
Itchy