Christmas at the Museum

Thanksgiving

"The Thanksgiving Turkey" 1952/11/23

 

The First Thanksgiving 1956/11/20 

Freddie's Thanksgiving 1957/11/26

Freddie and the Turkey Dinner 1958/11/25

Freddie and the Turkey Dinner 1958/11/25

Silent Spot 1967/11/28

Edna Borzage, Johnny Weissmuller, Red, wife Georgia

Red Skelton Hour TimeLife DVD release 2016

TimeLife has release a collection of edited episodes of the Red Skelton Hour. The Red Skelton Hour in Color is a 10 disc set. The episodes are not complete. In most cases some musical numbers are edited out. In one case a silent spot is edited out. - MK

1966-1967 Opening

Disc1 - 1966/01/04 Forsooth, GS: Milton Berle; [Red and Berle are torture chamber salesmen. They end up entertaining knights in the field.] 1969/10/28 Deadeye, GS: John Wayne; [Celebrating John Wayne's 50 years in movies] 1967/10/31 Freddie, GS: Jackie Coogan, Tim Conway, Nancy Ames; [Freddie becomes a hippie] 1968/09/24 Clem GS: Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Ed Sullivan. [Karloff and Price thinks that Clem is a robot. Boris and Vincent sing.] Bonus interviews: Bobby Rydell; Vicki Lawrence

Disc 2 - 1966/09/20 Clem, GS: Mickey Rooney, Simon & Garfunkel [Rooney is gambler that is cursed to see Clem's face on people he meet.] 1967/02/14 Forsooth GS: George Gobel [Christopher Columbus] 1968/01/23 Clem GS: Phyllis Diller, Lou Rowls; [Diller is a old movie star trying to make a come back.] Deadeye, 1968/10/15 GS: Martha Raye [Raye tries to get rid of Deadeye.]

Disc 3 - 1966/12/13 Deadeye, GS: Robert Goulet; [Deadeye wants to be in a western movie.] 1966/03/01 Willie Lump Lump, GS: John Wayne; [Red performs his classic Dunking Donuts and Topsy Turvy skit.] 1969/01/14 Appleby, GS: Audrey Meadows; [Appleby and Clara go through their past and future anniversaries. Red recites The Pledge of Allegiance.] 1969/03/18 Bolivar, Deadeye, Willie Lump Lump, GS: Merv Griffin [Bolivar get guest for Merv Griffin's show.]

Disc 4 - 1968/03/12 Appleby, GS: Mike Connors; [Appleby believes that Clara is trying to kill him for insurance money.] 1967/10/10 Appleby, GS: Fernando Lamas, The 5th Dimension; [Appleby helps a "I Spy" type spy.] 1967/11/21 Bolivar, McPugg, Appleby, GS: Polly Bergen, Pat Carroll [An old man reviews his relatives to see who should inherit his money.]

Disc 5 - 1968/02/13 Deadeye, GS: Burl Ives, Lulu; [Deadeye looks for a crook in a ghost gold mine.] 1967/10/3 Forsooth, GS: Bert Lahr; [Forsooth fights a dragon.] 1968/04/30 Appleby, GS: Nipsey Russell, The Association [Appleby gets a exterminated for insurance.]


  Disc 6 - 1969/09/23 Pop, GS: Peter Graves; [Pop stowaway on a trip to Jupiter.] 1967/12/05 Freddie GS: George Gobel, Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons [Freddie tries to get Gobel's memory back.] 1967/09/12 GS: Mauice Evans [Seven stages of man.]

Disc 7 - 1966/02/01 Deadeye, GS: George Gobel [Deadeye tries to a famous painter to sign a wanted poster.] 1967/02/28 Freddie, GS: Terry-Thomas; [Freddie interferes with a highway beautification project.] 1967/03/21 San Fernando GS: Richard Chamberlain [Red is on trial for tax evasion.]


Disc 8 - 1967/04/04 Clem, GS: Tennessee Ernie Ford; [Clem tries to be an Olympic chicken pucker.] 1967/09/19 Deadeye, GS: Stanley Holloway, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 [Deadeye claims to be a brother of rich Englishman.] 1968/03/05 Clem, GS: Liberace [Liberace is Clem's brother.]
                          
Disc 9 - 1967/03/07 Appleby, GS: Mickey Rooney, Martha Raye; [George meets a rich friends that miss vaudeville days.] 1967/05/09 Appleby, GS: Nipsey Russell [Nipsey and George team up as a comedy team to get on TV.] 1967/10/17 Freddie, GS: Terry-Thomas, Nancy Wilson [Freddie is in a department store fashion show.]

Disc 10 - 1968/10/08 McPugg, Bolivar, GS: Maurice Evans, Shirley Bassey [McPugg learns to play the violin but Bolivar wants him to be a boxer.] Documentary: America's Clown.



A memory book is included with the 10 disc set. Many photos in the book are from the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy.

Red Skelton 1/2 hour Christmas episodes.

Red Skelton did many episodes about Christmas.

1951 - "Clean Politics"

In 1951 Skelton was in the Christmas spirit early. He did a bit as Clem selling Christmas tree. This was based on a radio skit. Then he did a bit as Willie Lump Lump trimming a tree.

1951 - The Skeltons at Home

                   
On Christmas week, he did a special episode with his family and friends. Cast member Shirley Mitchell welcomed guest to Skelton's home. Guest were humor writer Gene Folwer and wife, David Rose and wife and Skelton's business manager Bo Roos. Skelton's character stopped by for a quick visit. The show ended with a boys choir.

"The Christmas Show" 1952 has not been released on DVD. I have seen the script. The outline of the show has Red Visits Santa, Different People Buying Toys, Freddie, Dressing the Window, Clem in the Post Office and Red's Closing Christmas Speech.  

 In 1953 another visit with the Skelton family. They wonder how Freddie is celebrating Christmas. He gets a gift of a turkey from the police and dresses up as Santa to give himself a gift. Ends with a boys choir and Red sings "Oh Come All Ye Faithful".

1954 has Red telling the story of the "The Unwanted Christmas Tree" to his family. Red is Chester, an assistant tree salesman. He gets an unwanted tree to a poor boys club. Magic happens when the boys welcome the tree.

Red Skelton adapted the short story "The Cop and the Anthem" by O. Henry for Freddie the Freeloader. The story is about a hobo that plans to spend the winter in a warm jail. He tries many ways to get arrested but fails. Ends up getting inspired to better himself after just before he gets arrested. This episode first aired in 1955, then repeated in 1956 and 1960.



Freddie is featured in the 1957 Christmas episode "The Third Wish". All I know (not on DVD) is that Freddie is repairing toys for children and gets help from a Genie. The Genie is played by child actor Richard Eyer. This episode aired before Eyer played the Genie in the film "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad". This episode was repeated in 1958.

"Clem the Mailman" was the 1959 episode. Clem is a mailman during Christmas time. He gets involved with a jewel thief trying to smuggle gems in candy.



1961 was the last season of the half hour episodes. Red did an all mime Christmas episode. Freddie finds a Raggedy Ann doll in a park played by Cara Williams. Williams was appearing in a TV comedy show "Pete and Gladys" at the time. It comes to life and they visit Santa and go ice skating. "Freddie and the Yuletide Doll" was repeated in the hour episodes in 1962, 1963 and 1964.

More about the hour Christmas shows in another post.