Posted on 01/26/2019 3:38:48 PM PST by crz
RED SKELTON; in my opinion the greatest comedian of my lifetime and every one elses.
THE ONLY MAN WHO COULD EVER MAKE ME LAUGH JUST BY STANDING THERE!
So true.
He could do, and did, entire shows all by himself with no props other than his hats and some makeup.
Little does anyone know, as he stated on the Carson show, he did medicine shows when he first started out.
My father, an amazing comedic magician who also came up through vaudeville/burlesque, once had a smack-down fist fight with Red over a stripper they both had the hots for. Both got so beat they agreed the girl wasn’t worth all that effort and went for a drink. And I never knew him to drink, so I do not doubt his story. It does show Red was no wuss.
That is the great thing about men: they can be at each others throats ine minute, and then 5 minutes later buy each other a beer. Women would get rid of a crapton of stress if they could learn this trick.
CC
Before my Dad passed away I bought him some old Red Skelton show VHS tape sets. These were hilarious to watch for several reasons. They contained the original TV commercials, too. I think most of these shows were carried on live TV so were not particularly polished which added to their appeal. Red sometimes would lose control during a skit and start laughing at himself. Sometimes he’d look off-stage in some futile attempt to regain composure. And while this would be happening the live audience would be eating it all up laughing along with him. Nothing like that on TV today.
Tim and Harvey on Carrol are the go to on gut busting. Still unsurpassed!
Too right and not a trick - the reason we are all still here.
Ya he would always laugh at his stuff. He explained one time that he couldnt see the reason that he should be the only one in the crowd not laughing at his comedy..so he laughed.
He was a good painter as well as wrote a lot of his own material. He also wrote songs and a lot of poems and children stuff.
Those old guys could tell the funniest stories, and not a lick of vulgarity in them.
It’s stunning how poorly the current crop of actors and so-called comedians grasp humor.
Skelton was a national treasure.
So was Carson and a multitude of others.
The guys who did the old circuits, vaudeville and the like, they knew their stuff. They had minds that were very quick and a little story for almost every situation.
Man how I miss those days.
The writing and performances on the Carol Burnett show were top notch.
I used to get a kick out of the situations they’d put Lyle Wagonner through. He was a trooper, never took himself too seriously, and funny as could be too.
Tim, Harvey, Lyle, Vicky, and Carol, they were so good. I hate to see shows like that end, because you know there won’t be a replacement, ever, that truly brings the same flavor along.
“Boy, a flock of them flew over that time...”
I was in the audience
I was in the audience
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