Red Skelton

"If some day you're not feeling well, you should remember some little thing I have said or done and if it brings a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart then my purpose as a clown has been fulfilled." -- Red Skelton.

Red Skelton. Just the name brings a smile to my face, not just any smile, but a special smile of innocence, sheer joy and warmth. The innocence of a child, of looking up to their bigger-than-life heroes, and of them never letting us down. Even as a youngster, I recognized something very special and unique about him. Even at 44, I'm still in awe of Red Skelton. I don't believe I have ever seen anyone since, that captures that same magic, that same way.

For those of you that are too young, Red Skelton was a comic from the old vaudeville days, who made the successful transition to radio, film, stage and, where I got to know him, television. I remember watching this giggling bundle of energy in the mid-to-late 60s on CBS when I was barely old enough to know what anything was, but I did know laughter. His characters were so true and with a quality I've never quite seen a comic do before - pathos (Def. a quality, as of an experience or a work of art, that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow). Even as a young child, I was drawn to his gentleness. During a typical Red Skelton show, I laughed, and in the next instance, felt sadness. Then I felt warmth and joy, and longing when he ended every show with 'Good night.... and god bless". It was a unique gift, every week from him to me, and to the millions of others. He truely made the world a better place for many of us.

In the 60s, Red's humour became quite a contrast to the Lenny Bruces and Mort Sahls with their thinking man's brand of comedy. They made inroads to a new style of humour and help establish a more intellectual and rebellious path for future comedians. Where Red's humour was sweet, sad and gentle, perhaps reminiscent of a time long forgotten, the humourists of the beat generation were brash, defiant and unrelenting. While Red massaged your soft spot, your humanity and your vulnerabilities, the others tore them wide open to find 'the funny'. Red Skelton showed you the humour in hardship, Lenny Bruce examined the humour in hardship. It was Perry Como against the Beatles, all over again.

To me, Red Skelton told me that it's ok to laugh at yourself, that we are all human and there is goodness in everyone. His lovable character, Freddie the Freeloader, essentially a homeless person, amplified this so elegently. Even in the depths of bleakness and despair, there is humour and where there is humour - there is hope. As a child, I couldn't comprehend this but I could smile at it. As a grown-up, I cherish it.

If you get the chance, do a google image search on 'Red Skelton' and take a close look at his images. I defy you not to smile. You will also see several of his clown portraits. Yes, he was quite an accomplished painter as well. If you look closely at the clowns' faces, you will see something wonderful - sadness, happiness, sorrow and innocence. This to me, in essence, is who Red Skelton was.

Red Skelton was my childhood hero, who helped to shape my view on life, humour and humanity. His lessons on warmth and gentleness has stayed with me from childhood to adulthood. Red Skelton died in 1997, and with it, an end of an era and a time that was warm, genuine and life-affirming.

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Red Skelton's bio:

http://www.clown-ministry.com/History/red-skelton-biography.html

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Red Skelton's dad, a clown, died two months before Red was born. In tribute, Red wrote a poem, and read it on his television show....

The Circus
The circus! The magical city
That appears and disappears with the bat of an eye.
A cathedral for children and adults
Made of canvas and trimmed with red wagons.

A sunburst of wheel, pink lemonade and cotton candy.
A temple housing the unity of man and beast...
All performing for the good of their fellow man
With shouts of glory.

The perfomers' only reward is the echo of the applause
And laughter of children.
It cradles them to sleep.
As the red wagons roll from city to city.

The clown hides his sorrows behind a mask --
Sometimes grotesque, sometimes sad,
but always with a whimsy that is an encouragement
That makes any deformity of life seem minute.

A lesson in humanity, where man and beast risk life
and limb for the meager reward of applause.
How sad it would be if my youth would pass away
And not see the beauty of the big red wagons,
And taste the rare vintage of pink lemonade!

Or become so blasé' that I couldn't offer a silent prayer
For the man on the flying trapeze,
Or sigh as I watch him swing to and fro.

I see my own life in motion like the pendulum
On the huge clock that ticks away life.
Oh, keep me young without prejudices.
Without haste, so that I will be young.
So that my heart will be filled with glee
Next year, when the big red wagons roll in again!

To me, a great clown said that -- my Dad.

-- Red Skelton