>> HERE HE IS THE STAR OF OUR SHOW, RED SKELTON!
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LADIES
AND GENTLEMEN.
AND GENTLEMEN. >> FOR OVER 70 YEARS, RED
SKELTON ENTERTAINED AUDIENCES
ACROSS AMERICA.
ACROSS AMERICA. WHAT FEW KNOW IS THAT HIS CAREER
BEGAN ON THE STREETS OF
VINCENNES.
VINCENNES. THE YOUNGEST OF FOUR BOYS TO A
WIDOWED MOTHER, RED SKELTON
BEGAN WORKING AT ONLY 8 YEARS
OLD AS A NEWS BOY PERFORMING FOR
PASSERSBY IN A BID TO SELL
PAPERS.
PAPERS. IT WAS ON ONE SUCH DAY WHEN
STANDING IN FRONT OF THE SAME
THEATER THAT THE PERFORMANCE
ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF A
WELL-DRESSED GENTLEMEN.
WELL-DRESSED GENTLEMEN. >> HE SAID A VERY FANCY DRESSED
MAN CAME BY AND ASKED IF HE WAS
GOING TO THE SHOW THAT NIGHT.
RED SAID NO, NO, I CAN'T.
I NEED TO SELL MY PAPERS.
THE MAN GAVE HIM $1 AND GAVE HIM
A TICKET.
A TICKET. AND THERE HE WAS, HE SAYS THAT'S
MY FRIEND!
MY FRIEND! THAT'S MY FRIEND!
AT INTERMISSION, HE BROUGHT HIM
BACK STAGE AND HELD HIM UP TO
THE BIG LEAD-WEIGHTED CURTAINS
AND HE PEEKED THROUGH THE
CURTAIN AND SAID LOOKING AT THAT
AUDIENCE, THAT'S WHAT MADE HIM
WANT TO BE IN SHOW BUSINESS.
>> FIRST IN VAUDEVILLE AND THEN
AN EMCEE FOR DANCE MARATHONS,
RED TRAVELED THE COUNTRY
PERFORMING.
PERFORMING. IT WASN'T UNTIL HE MET HIS FIRST
WIFE AND BUSINESS PARTNER EDNA
THAT RED'S POPULARITY BEGAN TO
GROW.
GROW. PERFORMING TOGETHER AT THE
DOUGHNUT DUNKERS, THE COMICAL
COUPLE MADE THEIR PREMIER IN
1937, AND IN 1941, RED HAD HIS
OWN RADIO SHOW.
HE WOULD PERFORM FOR THE LIKES
OF FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT AND
APPEAR IN OVER 40 MGM STUDIO
FILMS YET HIS PASSION REMAINED
WITH RADIO AND BIRTH PLACE OF
MANY OF HIS BELOVED CHARACTERS
INCLUDING THE ICONIC AND
LEGENDARY PHRASE.
LEGENDARY PHRASE. THE PHRASE THAT HAS BEEN SUCH A
PART OF THE NATIONAL LEXICON
THAT WHEN GENERAL DOOLITTLE DID
THE WORLD WAR BOMBING OF TOKYO,
NEWSPAPERS DOOLITTLE DO IT.
THE NATION FINALLY HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SEE SKELETON'S
CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE WITH THE
TELEVISION PREMIER OF THE RED
SKELTON SHOW ON
SEPTEMBER 30th, 1951.
>> RED SKELTON'S TV SHOW, IT RAN
20 YEARS AND IT WAS IN THE
VARIETY SHOW MAT.
IT WAS A SERIES OF STEPS THAT --
SKETCHES THAT WOULD BE PERFORMED
BY RED AND THE STARS OF THE DAY.
IT WAS A TOPICAL SHOW LIKE
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" OR
SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT SEE
TODAY, WAS THE RED SKELTON SHOW.
AS DIFFERENT THINGS WERE
OCCURRING IN THE COUNTRY AND IN
THE WORLD, RED WOULD REFLECT ON
THOSE IN A FUNNY WAY IN HIS RED
SKELTON SHOW.
SKELTON SHOW. I THINK THE THING THAT STOOD OUT
MOST ABOUT RED SKELTON DURING
HIS TELEVISION SHOW WAS HIS LOVE
FOR HIS COUNTRY AND LOVE FOR
LAUGHTER AND JUST HIS KINDNESS.
IT WAS JUST SO MUCH FUN FOR
PEOPLE TO WATCH IT AND HIS
PATRIOTISM REALLY SHOWN THROUGH.
PROBABLY ONE OF RED'S MOST
FAMOUS PATRIOTIC SKITS WAS THE
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
HE CREDITS THAT TO A FOURTH
GRADE TEACHER, MR. LASZLO.
RED RECITES IT BUT HE DESCRIBES
EACH WORD AND WHAT IT MEANS SO
THAT WHEN PEOPLE SAY THE PLEDGE
OF ALLEGIANCE, THEY ARE NOT JUST
SAYING THE WORDS BUT THEY ARE
FEELING THE MEANING OF THE
PLEDGE OF THE THE PLEDGE OF PLEF
ALLEGIANCE WAS FIRST AIRED IN
1969.
1969. I THINK PEOPLE COULD LOOK TO RED
AND SAY, OKAY, WE ARE STILL A
GREAT COUNTRY.
GREAT COUNTRY. WE ARE STILL PROUD OF WHERE WE
ARE FROM.
ARE FROM. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WAS
IMPORTANT TO RED.
>> AND JUSTICE, THE PRINCIPLE,
THE QUALITY, THE FEELING WITH
OTHERS, FOR ALL.
FOR ALL.
FOR ALL. WHICH MEANS, BOYS AND GIRLS,
IT'S AS MUCH YOUR COUNTRY AS IT
IS MINE.
IS MINE. >> AFTER THE SHOW'S CANCELLATION
IN 1971, RED SKELTON RETURNED TO
THE THEATER, PERFORMING FOR
AUDIENCES UNTIL HIS DEATH ON
SEPTEMBER 17th, 1997, AT THE
AGE OF 84.
AFTER HIS PASSING, THE ACTING
VINCENNES UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
PETITIONED TO BUILD A THEATER
AND MUSEUM IN MONDAYOR OF HONORF
SKELETON'S LEGACY.
SKELETON'S LEGACY. THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
OPENED AT THE VINCENNES
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS.
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. SEVEN YEARS ON THE
100th ANNIVERSARY OF RED'S
BIRTH, THE RED SKELTON MUSEUM
OPENED TO THE PUBLIC.
>> IT'S SHEER FUN.
IT'S SO INACTIVE AND JUST
SOMETHING FOR EVERY AGE, BUT YOU
ARE NOT JUST READING ABOUT RED
AND LOOKING AT PICTURES ABOUT
RED.
RED. YOU CAN BE A PART OF IT.
YOU CAN LISTEN TO HIS RADIO
SHOWS AND PANTOMIME WITH RED AND
YOU GET TO DO INTERACTIVE CLOUD
MAKEUP VIRTUALLY ON YOUR FACE.
THE MUSEUM'S MOTTO IS:
PRESERVING RED'S LEGACY OF
LAUGHTER.
LAUGHTER. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO HERE
BECAUSE WE KNOW NOT EVERYBODY
TODAY REMEMBERS RED SKELTON
REMEMBERS HIM BEING ON
TELEVISION BUT HIS HUMOR IS
RELATABLE TO EVERYONE.
THE THING ABOUT RED SKELTON AND
PRESERVING HIS LEGACY, YOU MAY
COME FROM POOR BEGINNINGS AND
REALLY STRUGGLE, BUT THROUGH
YOUR OWN PERSEVERANCE AND HARD
WORK, YOU CAN GO ON TO BE
SUCCESSFUL AND BRING JOY TO SO
MANY PEOPLE ALL THROUGHOUT THE
WORLD.
WORLD. >> AND IF BY CHANCE SOME DAY YOU
ARE NOT FEELING WELL AND YOU
REMEMBER SOMETHING I HAVE SAID
OR DONE AND IT BRINGS BACK A
SMILE TO YOUR FACE AND A CHUCKLE
TO YOUR THOUGHTS THEN MY PURPOSE
HAS BEEN SERVED FOR MY FELLOW
MAN.
MAN. MAY I WISH YOU ALL CONTINUED
SUCCESS AND GOD BLESS.
GOOD NIGHT.