Le clown

Red Skelton does a great job in a straight role as a former vaudeville star, now an alcoholic drifting from one gig to another, and raising a son. Skelton's Dodo depicts an alcoholic quite well - he continually makes promises not to drink, to get steady work, etc. And then sabotages his own efforts, leaving Dink to clean up after him. Dink - a child forced to grow up sooner than he should - adores his father, even though he is frustrated by his behavior as well. The movie is pretty much a remake of Wallace Beery's "The Champ," but even so, the pathos stays intact. This ranks as a minimum two-hanky feature, and is well worth watching.

I used to watch The Red Skelton Show every Tuesday night at 9:30, with my dad. And every Tuesday night we'd laugh and hope that Red would perform as Freddy The Freeloader... which he often did.

I only knew Skelton as a comic on TV. When The Clown played at our neighborhood theater, I asked my mom if we could go see it. "Sure can"..says she, and that weekend we were off to the movies.

I walked into the theater fully expecting to leave with a belly ache caused by my laughter. To my great surprise, and later even greater delight, The Clown featured Skelton as a SERIOUS actor. And as a serious actor, Skelton excelled! I've never forgotten his performance.

Just a kid when I saw this movie. Red Skelton should have got a good review for his part. To have made me cry, as a kid, not bad for a comic.

Dodo Delwyn (Red Skelton) is a drunken struggling clown. He works with his adoring young son Dink. For the former Ziegfeld star, his best days are well behind him. He can't even hold onto a carnival ride job.

It's the classic veteran comedian playing a washed-up performer. Red is doing the serious well. The big turn is when he becomes the receiver. Quite frankly, I didn't know what that meant. It's a good turn. As for the other big reveal, it's a little convenient. I wonder if it would be better for her trying to track them down deliberately. Charles Bronson has an early minor role. It's good that it doesn't get overly-sentimental, but the last bit goes overboard. It doesn't need to go so far.

Tim Considine was truly outstanding playing the son of a down and out physical comedy performer. Red is the king of vices, he's a drunk, undependable who gambles away any money he makes down to his sons treasured pocket watch. Considine is the adult encouraging, sometimes chastising his dad. Into the story comes the long list mother and her next husband. Of course they want Dink (Considine) to live with them. At the same time Red's character gets an offer of a 1 hour weekly TV show "The Clown" The story line isn't new, other writers have taken on divided parentage fighting for custody. What sets The Clown apart is the individual preformacers.