Red Skelton

Acting

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.

Filmography Movies

Acting

MOVIE

Ocean's Eleven

6.4(0.4K)

Danny Ocean and his gang attempt to rob the five biggest casinos in Las Vegas in one night.

Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers

Not rated yet

William Shatner, Liz Taylor and many more stars blow lines, lose their pants and more in this hilarious collection of movie and TV bloopers.

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Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers

Self (archive footage)

MOVIE

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

6.8(0.2K)

In order to boost circulation of his newspaper, Lord Rawnsley announces an air race and offers £10,000 to the first person who can fly across the English Channel. But one of the participants, Percy, plots to sabotage his competitor's planes. Will Percy triumph?

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

The Neanderthal Man

MOVIE

Rudolph's Shiny New Year

6.5(0.1K)

Rudolph must find Happy, the baby new year, before the midnight of New Year's Eve.

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Rudolph's Shiny New Year

Father Time / Baby Bear (voice)

MOVIE

The Hollywood Clowns

Not rated yet

Glenn Ford narrates this hilarious look back at the greatest comedians in movie history.

The People's Command Performance: '77

Not rated yet

A celebrity lineup selected by a “specially conducted nationwide survey” entertains.

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The People's Command Performance: '77

Self

MOVIE

Three Little Words

6.3(0.0K)

Song-and-dance man Bert Kalmar can't continue his stage career after an injury, so he has to earn his money as a lyricist. By chance, he meets composer Harry Ruby and their first song is a hit. Ruby gets Kalmar to marry his former partner Jessie Brown, and Kalmar and Jessie prevent Ruby from getting married to the wrong girls. But due to the fact that Ruby has caused a backer's withdrawal for a Kalmar play, they end their professional relationship.

Lovely to Look At

5.5(0.0K)

Broadway producers Tony Naylor, Al Marsh, and Jerry Ralby are having difficulty securing funds for their latest show. Then Al learns he has inherited half of a salon in Paris from his Aunt Roberta. The three men travel to France, where they attempt to stage an extravagant fashion show to revitalize the struggling business, now run by Roberta's nieces, Stephanie and Clarisse.

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Lovely to Look At

Al Marsh