The Red Skelton Hour 

Long-running weekly show that spotlighted legendary comedian and beloved television clown, Red Skelton. Each show featured comedy skits, gags, and vignettes starring Skelton and guest performers.

Stars:

Red Skelton, David Rose and His Orchestra, Art Gilmore

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Red Skelton	...	Himself - Host / ... 652 episodes, 1951-2016
David Rose and His Orchestra	...	Themselves / ... 643 episodes, 1951-1971
Art Gilmore	...	Announcer / ... 524 episodes, 1954-1971

Storyline

Long-running weekly show that spotlighted legendary comedian and beloved television clown, Red Skelton. Each show featured comedy skits, gags, and vignettes starring Skelton and guest performers.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | variety show | vaudeville | sketch comedy | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Red Skelton Hour

Filming Locations:

CBS Television City - 7800 Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Television Network, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Sursum Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 30 min (1951-1962)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (1951-1955 and 1958-1965) Color (1955-1958 and 1965-1971)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Red Skelton had a reputation among comedy writers as being extremely difficult, with whom to work, since he didn't like writers in general, and resented CBS for insisting that he use them on his show. He wanted to write all the sketches himself, his reasoning being that no one knew his characters as well as he did. Sherwood Schwartz, prior to taking the position as head writer on the show, had it written into his contract with CBS that Skelton was under no circumstances allowed to discuss anything about a show's script with him before he was given it prior to taping, which often resulted in Skelton not knowing what a sketch was about, nor even what character he would be playing until shortly before airtime. That's why Skelton would often break character in the middle of a skit and turn to the audience and say something like, "Don't blame me, folks, I don't write this stuff."

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Connections

Referenced in The Dick Van Dyke Show: When a Bowling Pin Talks, Listen (1963)

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Soundtracks

Holiday for Strings
by David Rose and Sammy Gallop
WB Music Corporation (ASCAP)

User Reviews

No Sweat Transplantoing Red & Company

MUCH IN THE same tradition of his contemporaries in comedy, Red Skelton made the transition from Radio to the new world of TV with nearly a bump in the road. Notable colleagues who also blazed the trail to the "tube" were: Bob Hope, Groucho Marx and Jack Benny.*

HAVING ALREADY STOCKPILED a stable of characters in his Bull Pen, all Red need do was to go ahead and visualize what the magic of Radio accomplished using our imaginations. Hence, we were treated to the likes of Clem Kadiddlehopper, San Fernando Red, Willie Lump-Lump and Cauliflower McPug in the flesh**. Missing in action and never having made the transition to the small screen was Junior, the Mean Widdle Kid.***

THE HOUR COMEDY/VARIETY series proved to be remarkable durable, having lasted a remarkable 20 or so seasons and two network switches. We all seemed to lock in on the Tuesday evening time slot and its customary presentation of Red and his guest stars. Along with these, his regulars included master Announcer, Art Gilmore and David Rose & His Orchestra. Mr. Skelton's theme song for so long was 'Holiday For Strings'; which is of course, a composition of Maestro Rose's.

HEARKENING BACK TO those days of yesteryear, one will doubtless observe that Comedy-Variety programs were a very popular staple of the networks' scheduling. Contrasted to the recent and present times, this genre seems almost non-existent Surely there are some very capable souls out there to give us the next RED SKELTON, JACK BENNY, CAROL BURNETTE or whoever have you.

COME ON NOW, you big-shot network "suits"; do it!

NOTE: * Others worth mentioning are ABBOTT & COSTELLO, JACKIE GLEASON and EDGAR BERGEN & CHARLIE Mc CARTHY. As for SID CAESAR and MILTON BERLE, while their shows were very successful, they weren't as popular on the Radio. (Schultz says that Sid Caesar was not on the radio very much, if at all)

NOTE: ** Mr. Skelton's characterizations were popular enough that Walter Lanz's Cartoon Studios based their character HOMER PIGEON on them.

NOTE *** Although a visual version of JUNIOR did appear in Red's starring feature film, THE FULLER BRUSH MAN, it was done with a child actor in the role. Junior was a casualty of progress; as was Lou Costello's SEBASTIAN ("....I'm a Bad Boy!")