Up Up and Away

By Darla McCammon
Art In Action

As a self-taught artist, Skelton’s life was not without difficulty. His second wife, Georgia, and he, had two children, a boy and a girl. Unfortunately, the son passed away from leukemia.

This was a difficult time, but starting in 1938 Skelton’s acting experience and art began to pay off. He was so successful in vaudeville that he was given some opportunities to use his talent in the movies.

His art also began to sell. —and his music His careers all began expanding. Starting with the movie Having a wonderful time, Skelton appeared in over 30 highly rated MGM movies. In 1941 he was given his own very popular radio show which lasted until he was drafted into the military in the spring of 1944.

The radio show had to be discontinued when he was shipped out to serve as an army entertainer for the troops. This was a hectic and stressful job in which he would often be on call for many last-minute presentations to help the troops. This chaotic call to perform and still maintain his regular duties led to a nervous breakdown. Skelton then spent three months in a military hospital to recover. He was discharged from the service and returned to the United States where he once again, picked up his duties in producing his popular show broadcast by radio.

By December 1951, his radio show had captured the attention of CBS. They convinced Skelton to switch his technology to the growing audience to be found on television. Their persuasion was a correct one. His show was a big hit almost immediately.

Skelton brought most of his radio characters to life on television and captured the imagination and popularity of America. Meantime he continued to paint, (see photo provided: Up Up and Away) write stories, and create music with little fanfare of his incredible talents in these other cultural abilities.

The Red Skelton Show endured for nearly two decades, running from 1951 through 1970 when CBS chose to cancel production.

Skelton had revived popular characters from his radio show into the new television series including Clem Kadiddlehopper, Gertrude, the slow on the uptake, farm hand, and Heathcliffe, nex the cross-eyed seagulls; The Mean Widdle Kid, whose most well-known expression of “I Dood it!” became a national slogan; and San Fernando Red, the likable con-man.

His most famous character, Freddy the Freeloader, debuted on The Red Skelton television show and finished fourth in the ratings in its first year and won Emmy Awards for both Best Comedy Show (1953) and Outstanding Writing Achievement (1961). In 1988, the Screen Actors Guild presented Red with a Lifetime Achievement Award and in the following year Red was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame.

Following the cancellation of The Red Skelton Show, Red returned to live performances playing nightclubs, casinos, resorts, and such venues as Carnegie Hall.

Some of Skelton’s lesser known accomplishments include writing hundreds of short stories and essays and creating over 5,000 musical compositions, some of which were recorded by Van Cliburn, David Rose, and Arthur Fiedler. In addition, some of Red’s auctioned clown paintings have sold for up to $80,000. Red Skelton died of pneumonia on Sept. 17, 1997, at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Events

Warsaw High School Art Showcase by Lakeland Art Association — May 12-13

LAA Garage Sale/fundraiser — June 3

Kids Tent Winona Art Fair — June 4

Juried Show entrees accepted at LAA Speakeasy is a new and entertaining event at LAA. Join artists 7 p.m.  June 13.

Free New classes and workshops are now forming. Email for more info and prospectus to: [email protected].

Contact Darla McCammon at (574) 527-4044 or [email protected] for more information.