August 22, 2012 (Wednesday)
Monday’s blog made mention of Will Rogers, one of the world’s greatest humorists, and the next day’s blog was about Jay Leno, who has been in the news lately. Since we have spoken of comedians, etc. for two days, why not do it again today? As I considered the people who have made me laugh through the years, Red Skelton’s name popped into my head. I grew up on radio, listening in the living room every afternoon to the heroes like The Lone Ranger, and gathering with the family around the radio every evening for the entertainment fare of the day. Red Skelton was on radio once a week in “prime time” (current terminology), and later on television for 20 years. He was remarkably successful in both, which gave him many opportunities for personal appearances as well as movie roles.
What I remember about him are his characters. The one that I instinctively recall without even thinking about it is “Junior,” the mean widdle kid. His famous line, repeated every week, was, “If I dood it, I det a whippin’,” and after a pause, “I dood it!” Then there was “Clem Kadiddlehopper” skipping up the lane to see his girlfriend, whom he always met with a cornball, stretched out greeting, sounding like “the village idiot,” “Well, Daisy June.” Television expanded his list of characters; people laughed at what they saw as well as heard.
Red Skelton was a religious man in his heart, and took his son, who was very ill, to visit the Pope in the Vatican. He always closed his program with “God bless,” after thanking the audience for the privilege of having entertained them. He is quoted as having said, “God’s children and their happiness are my reasons for being.” When acts of a new generation of comics grew vulgar and coarse, he expressed his concern and encouraged comedians to clean up their acts.
Perhaps because of his influence during my childhood, I chose to share jokes, and, later on, to use as much humor in sermons as seems appropriate and helpful in getting the message across.