The King of Comedy

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Comedy is subjective. There’s never been a comedian with “universal” appeal, for that very reason. I remember Robert Klein talking about someone from Sweden who thought the Three Stooges were hurting one another, instead of seeing the slapstick. For me, one of the greatest comedians of all time was Red Skelton. I was happy to spend the night in Skelton’s hometown of Vincennes, Indiana when I went to see JJ. On the way home, I stopped at the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy, which is located adjacent to the Red Skelton Theater on the Vincennes University campus. A short film shows Skelton’s humble beginnings in the town and his rise to superstardom. The displays take a more detailed look into his life and his career, which began in the medicine shows, moved to Vaudeville and circus performing, then to radio, on to movies, and finally to television, where he became an institution. Along the way you meet some of Skelton’s most iconic characters, such as Freddy the Freeloader, Junior the Mean Widdle Kid (and his catchphrase “I dood it!”), Clem Kadiddlehopper, and others I’d forgotten about (such as the punch-drunk boxer Cauliflower McPugg). Also on display are a number of Skelton’s paintings. As Skelton was a clown (there’s a quote from him that says, “I don’t want to be called ‘the greatest’ or ‘one of the greatest.’ I just want to be known as a clown.”), many of the paintings depict clowns. Given that there was considerable sadness in his life (Skelton’s father died before Red was born, his son died of leukemia before his tenth birthday, and his ex-wife committed suicide), a number of the paintings show sadness behind the makeup. You’ll also see video clips, hear a radio broadcast, see Skelton’s Army discharge (his middle name was Red, per the papers) and Masonic honors (he became a Mason because a Mason gave him a 95 cent tip when he was a child selling newspapers, and he never forgot the generosity). His three Emmy awards are there. And, you can do some interaction by incorporating your own interpretation of sound effects into one of his radio shows. Admission is $8 for adults, with senior/student/child discounts. It was so worth it to take the lovely trip down memory lane with the man who stood for me as the king of comedy.