Red Skelton on Television
Red Skelton took on his television show all the while maintaining a radio program and still starring in movies.
The Red Skelton Show was sponsored by Proctor and Gamble and aired on NBC. Since he had a contract with MGM doing movies he needed a special clause allowing him to do television. The contract stated that he couldn't do television before September 30th 1951.
Once his show started when he was at the end of his opening monologue, two people from behind the curtain grabbed him by the ankles and yanked his feet from under him dragging him under the curtain on his face.
Red Skelton's television show contained many of the same characters that were on his radio show. Sherriff Dead-eye, Clem Kadiddlehopper, Willie Lump Lump and many more. The one that became most famous appearing in 1952, that character was Freddie the Freeloader.
Here is a partial list of when the Red Skelton show aired on Television:
NBC:
September 1951 - June 1952 aired Sunday Night 10:00 -10:30pm
September 1952 - June 1953 aired Sunday Night 7:00 - 7:30pm
CBS:
September 1953 - June 1954 aired Tuesday Night 8:30 - 9:00pm
July 1954 - September 1954 aired Wednesday Night 8:00 - 9:00pm
September 1954 - December 1954 aired Tuesday Night 8:00 - 8:30pm
January 1955 - June 1961 aired Tuesday Night 9:30 - 10:00pm
September 1961 - June 1962 aired Tuesday Night 9:30 - 10:00pm
September 1962 - June 1963 aired Tuesday Night 8:30 - 9:30pm
September 1963 - June 1964 aired Tuesday Night 8:00 - 9:00pm
September 1964 - June 1970 aired Tuesday Night 8:30 - 9:30pm
NBC:
September 1970 - March 1971 aired Monday Night 7:30 -8:00pm
June 1971 - August 1971 aired Sunday Night 8:30 - 9:00pm
"Goodnight now and may God bless"
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