Red Skelton, as many other comedians on radio, got started in vaudeville. He was host of the Avalon show just before
the war. During the war, he enlisted and served in a Motor Transport unit. This explains his lack of a radio
presence during this time. The Red Skelton Radio show started up just after his departure from the Army.
Red's shows folowed similar formats as other radio comedians. He had an announcer, a band, a lead singer, excellent
supporting voice actors and a combination of monologues, music and skits. Compared to other comedians he was able to
ad lib to some degree like Fred Allen. He relied on writers for his scripts like Jack Benny. One thing that set Red
Skelton apart was the characters he invented. Clem Kadiddlehopper, Dead Eye, Willie Lumplump and of course Junior
the mean little kid. Over the years he added a few more and used others less often.
In this episode we get to spend some time learning about fingerprints with Dead Eye as he pursues the bad guy, Bow-
legged Bull Roose. Near the end of the skit is a reference to Georgia governors. Apparently there was some recent
elections where the outcome for Georgia's governor was uncertin. Red Skelton had been making jokes during this time
about the confusing results in Georgia. Finally, on to a more modern scene with Junior the mean little kid, proving
that fingerprinting has more uses than identifying criminals.
thanks for listening,
Keith Heltsley
