
Red Skelton
Biography
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.
Acting (58 movies)

Ocean's Eleven
1960

Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
1985

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
1965

Rudolph's Shiny New Year
1977

The Hollywood Clowns
1979

The People's Command Performance: '77
1977

Three Little Words
1950

Lovely to Look At
1952

Texas Carnival
1951

Ziegfeld Follies
1945

Neptune's Daughter
1949

The Fuller Brush Man
1948

Du Barry Was a Lady
1943

Thousands Cheer
1943

Ship Ahoy
1942

Bathing Beauty
1944

Lady Be Good
1941

The Dean Martin Christmas Show
1968

Having Wonderful Time
1938

Clown Alley
1966

Susan Slept Here
1954

Excuse My Dust
1951

Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day
1941

Whistling in the Dark
1941

Whistling in Brooklyn
1943

Whistling in Dixie
1942

Flight Command
1940

The Clown
1953

Maisie Gets Her Man
1942

The Yellow Cab Man
1950

Panama Hattie
1942

Merton of the Movies
1947

The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
1941

I Dood It
1943

The Great Diamond Robbery
1954

Half a Hero
1953

Swing Out, Sweet Land
1970

A Southern Yankee
1948

Watch the Birdie
1950

The Show-Off
1946

The Fuller Brush Girl
1950

Seeing Red
1939

Public Pigeon No. 1
1957

That's Entertainment!
1974

Red Skelton Christmas Classics
1955

Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders, and Ad Libs
2001

Around the World in Eighty Days
1956

The Big Parade of Comedy
1964

America on Parade
1976

That's Entertainment, Part II
1976

Twenty Years After
1944

That's Dancing!
1985

Inside the Dream Factory
1995

Honor America Day
1970

A Tribute to Houdini
1987

Pioneers of Primetime
2005

Red Skelton: America's Greatest Clown
2005

The Country Husband
1956
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Clown Alley | 1966 | Writer |
| America on Parade | 1976 | Writer |