About Red Skelton
Red
Skelton, born July 18, 1913, is a man of many talents. Along with the writing of children's books,
needlepoint clowns, composing music, designing china plates, actor, and clown, he is now being acclaimed
as an important painter. Although his artistry runs the gamut of still lifes, landscapes, etc., clowns
seem to be his forte. Red Skelton originals sell from $10,000 to $100,000 up. His works are a recognized
collector's delight, revealing the man who painted them. His art work has proven its value with other
contemporary artists and their worth has no limit. They are intensely moving, winning him the "Footprints
in the Sands of Time" award ... one of the highest honors an artist can receive. Critics acclaim
them as a whimsical feeling that brightens and cheers every room.
During his lifetime, Red Skelton was the recipient of numerous honors and awards from The American legion, The American Freedom Foundation, and The United Conference of Christians and Jews. He also received the Cecil B. Demille Award for outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry.
In 1982, Red Skelton was awarded special recognition for his "Funny Faces" Television Special produced in Canada for HBO, and acclaimed as, "The most watched show on HBO that year!"
Red Skelton was inducted into the Comedy Hall of Fame and received the Screen Actors Guild's Golden Globe Award. In 1988, Red was inducted into The Television Hall of Fame by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Red's Radio characters "Clem Kaddiddlehopper," "Sheriff Dead Eye," "Willie Lump Lump," "Bolivar Shagnasty," "San Fernando Red," "George Appleby," "Cauliflower McPugg" and "Junior - The Mean Widdle Kid" were overnight sensations on Television. Another character was then added and "Freddie The Freeloader" became one of Red Skelton's best loved characters of all.
"The Red Skelton Show" was rated among the top three Network Television Shows for several years. During its 20-year run on Television, "The Red Skelton show" remained among the Top 10 in the Neilsen Ratings. On his hourly Television Show on January 14, 1969, Red introduced his version of "The Pledge of Allegiance," in which he defined the meaning of each word. His "Pledge" was widely acclaimed and published on records and in print. It won 42 awards and was twice read into the Congressional Record.
As if the accomplishments listed above weren't enough for any one man, Red Skelton's numerous other talents brought him equal fame as well. An accomplished musician and prolific composer, Red wrote nearly 2,500 musical selections, many recorded by Arthur Fiedler, David Rose, and by The London Philharmonic Orchestra. He composed 13 symphonies, which have been performed by The Las Vegas Symphony, Anthony Movella, Thomas Mancini, and by The Palm Springs Desert Symphony Orchestra.
Red Skelton authored countless short stories and published full length books. He wrote and illustrated children's coloring books.
After leaving Television in 1971, Red performed on stage as many as 100 times annually in theaters across America. He lectured on Political Science at colleges and appeared in a Command Performance honoring the Queen Of England.
During his lifetime, Red Skelton was one of the few entertainers still living who had the honor of being a guest and entertainer of eight U.S. Presidents: Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush. He also received a private audience with three Popes: Pope Pius XII, Pope John and Pope Paul. Red Skelton was himself a thirty-third Degree Mason, and in 1995 he received the highly coveted and seldom awarded Gorgas Medal.
Red Skelton passed away on September 17, 1997. On October 21, 1998, more than one thousand members and guests of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences turned out in Hollywood to remember and pay a Special Tribute to Red Skelton.
