Wisdom Through the Ages

American pantomimist, radio and television comedian, host, and star performer: Richard Bernard Skelton. If you were fortunate enough to listen to The Red Skelton Show, you were among the thousands mesmerized by the antics of this funny, boyish, teddy-bear-like, lovable, open, sincere, and often loony human being.

Skelton solidified his fame with the debut of his national NBC radio show in 1941. During WWII, he 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.

From 1937 to 1971, Skelton was a top star on both radio and television. His career began in his teens as a circus clown, which paved the way for ventures into vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, television, nightclubs, and casinos. Skelton was also an accomplished painter. In the early 1960s, he became the first CBS television host to tape his weekly programs in color.

Unlike other variety series, The Red Skelton Show did not rely solely on guest stars. Skelton himself provided abundant laughter, often delivering nuggets of wisdom through his delightful jokes and quotes:

“I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap.”

“If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.”

“Television: A medium—so called because it is neither rare nor well done.”

“If I make a fool of myself, who cares? I’m not frightened by anyone’s perception of me.”

Born in Vincennes, Indiana, Skelton was the son of Joe Skelton, a Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus clown who died in 1913, shortly before Red’s birth. At age 10, young Red was selling newspapers outside the Pantheon Theatre in Vincennes when entertainer Ed Wynn noticed him. Wynn bought all of Red’s newspapers, then took him backstage to meet the show’s performers. This experience ignited Red Skelton’s lifelong passion for entertaining.

By age 15, Skelton began performing full-time, working in medicine shows, vaudeville, burlesque, showboats, minstrel shows, and the same circus where his father once worked.

Skelton often shared humorous reflections on life:

“Dieting: A system of starving yourself to death so you can live a little longer.”

“I eat a lot of fruit, and my doctor said I could have one beer a day. So, I fill the tub with beer and get in, eating a banana as I bathe.”

While performing in Kansas City in 1930, Skelton met and married his first wife, Edna Stillwell. Though they divorced in 1943, she continued as one of his principal writers. He married Georgia Davis in 1945. Tragically, their son Richard died of leukemia as a child, devastating the family. Georgia and Red divorced later, but she managed his career until the 1960s. In 1976, Georgia committed suicide on the anniversary of their son’s death. Heartbroken, Red abstained from performing for over a decade, finding solace in painting clowns.

Skelton’s “Pledge of Allegiance,” where he explained the meaning of every word, became a patriotic classic after airing in 1969 and remains a favorite on patriotic holidays.

Despite personal tragedy, Skelton never lost his humor or love for entertaining:

“Old age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.”

“There are three signs of old age: loss of memory ... I forget the other two.”

Near the end of his life, Skelton wrote a short story daily and self-published his favorites. He also composed music, selling pieces to background music services such as Muzak. Among his notable works was the patriotic Red’s White and Blue March.

Skelton supported numerous children’s charities, including the Shriner’s Crippled Children’s Hospital and the Red Skelton Foundation in Vincennes, which aids needy children.

“Live by this credo: have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Laughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations,” he once said.

At the end of every performance, Skelton turned serious, expressing heartfelt gratitude to his audience. His signature closing line became:

“Good night, and may God bless.”

In his later years, Skelton summed up his philosophy:

“If by chance someday you’re not feeling well, and you should remember some silly thing I’ve said or done that brings a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled.”