Biographie

One of Red's writers filled in for him one night when he took a serious fall, injuring himself. That writer's name was Johnny Carson.

On May 10, 1976, his ex-wife Georgia Davis committed suicide by gunshot on the 18th anniversary of their son's Richard Freeman Skelton's death.

It's been said that Skelton was deeply offended by "blue humor," but this isn't entirely true. In fact, Red Skelton could be as ribald as anyone, as evidenced by the now-infamous tapes of Martha Raye and Skelton trading dirty jokes during a rehearsal. What truly offended Skelton was that, as time went on, comedians started to use language and shock value to entertain audiences as opposed to genuine wit and pathos, which Skelton considered essential to a comedian's work.

Served in the United States Army during World War II (1944-1945). His date of induction to the U.S. Army was Wednesday 7 June 1944. (Associated Press, "Red Skelton Inducted", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 9 June 1944, Volume 50, page 9.). The pressures of entertaining troops, and fulfilling his duties as a soldier, resulted in Skelton's hospitalization for a nervous breakdown in 1945.

In 1960, he purchased the old Charles Chaplin Studios on La Brea Avenue, where he produced his weekly television shows. He established Red-Eo-Tape (Red-Tape) Video Productions. His three RCA TK-41 camera mobile units became the first live color production company in Hollywood.

My mother told me something I've never forgotten: 'Don't take life too seriously, son, you don't come out of it alive anyway.

His traditional TV sign-off: "Good night, and may God bless."

All men make mistakes, but married men find out about them sooner.

When Harry Cohn, the notorious - and much despised - head of Columbia Pictures died, seeing the crowd at his funeral prompted this famous Skelton riposte: "It just goes to show you, Harry was right -- If you give the public what they want, they'll always show up."

As a longtime painter, I carry around snapshots of my favorite paintings the way other old geezers my age carry around pictures of their grandkids. Grandchildren are wonderful, but a good painting can help support you in your old age.