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.
66 movies · 15 shows
A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride
2026·0.0
Pioneers of Primetime
2005·0.0
Red Skelton: America's Greatest Clown
2005·0.0
Elf: Christmas in Tinseltown
2004·0.0
Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders, and Ad Libs
2001·0.0
Television: The First Fifty Years
1999·0.0
Inside the Dream Factory
1995·8.0
A Tribute to Houdini
1987·6.0
That's Dancing!
1985·6.9
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
1985·2.0
Red Skelton: A Royal Command Performance
1984·10.0
Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner
1981·5.4
The Hollywood Clowns
1979·0.0
The People's Command Performance: '77
1977·0.0
Rudolph's Shiny New Year
1976·6.4
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976·7.0
America on Parade
1976·9.0
That's Entertainment!
1974·7.4
Jack Benny's 20th Anniversary TV Special
1970·7.0
Honor America Day
1970·0.0
Swing Out, Sweet Land
1970·5.7
The Dean Martin Christmas Show
1968·7.6
Clown Alley
1966·10.0
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
1965·6.8
The Big Parade of Comedy
1964·7.2
Ocean's Eleven
1960·6.4
The Man in the Funny Suit
1960·0.0
Public Pigeon No. 1
1957·6.3
The Country Husband
1956·0.0
Around the World in 80 Days
1956·6.7
Red Skelton Christmas Classics
1955·0.0
Susan Slept Here
1954·6.1
The Great Diamond Robbery
1954·10.0
Half a Hero
1953·6.5
The Clown
1953·5.6
Lovely to Look At
1952·5.5
Texas Carnival
1951·5.4
Excuse My Dust
1951·7.8
Watch the Birdie
1950·5.5
The Fuller Brush Girl
1950·6.1
Three Little Words
1950·6.3
The Yellow Cab Man
1950·6.9
Neptune's Daughter
1949·6.1
A Southern Yankee
1948·5.5
The Fuller Brush Man
1948·6.3
Merton of the Movies
1947·6.3
The Show-Off
1946·7.0
Ziegfeld Follies
1945·6.0
Bathing Beauty
1944·5.9
Twenty Years After
1944·8.0
Whistling in Brooklyn
1943·7.0
Thousands Cheer
1943·6.4
I Dood It
1943·5.0
Du Barry Was a Lady
1943·6.5
Whistling in Dixie
1942·6.2
Panama Hattie
1942·5.7
Maisie Gets Her Man
1942·6.7
Ship Ahoy
1942·6.3
Lady Be Good
1941·5.5
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day
1941·6.8
Whistling in the Dark
1941·5.9
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
1941·7.0
Flight Command
1940·5.9
Seeing Red
1939·6.3
The Broadway Buckaroo
1939·0.0
Having Wonderful Time
1938·4.9