Trivia of Red Skelton

 Trivia of Red Skelton (18 July 1913 - 17 September 1997)

*Claimed his middle name was really "Red" and that he had made up the middle name Bernard, from the name of a local store, Bernard Clothiers, to satisfy a schoolteacher who would not believe his middle name was "Red". His full name was Richard Red Skelton.

*Skelton's early interest in becoming an entertainer stemmed from an incident that took place in Vincennes around 1923, when a stranger, supposedly the comedian Ed Wynn, approached Skelton, who was the newsboy selling papers outside a Vincennes theater. When the man asked Skelton what events were going on in town, Skelton suggested he see the new show in town. The man purchased every paper Skelton had, providing enough money for the boy to purchase a ticket for himself. The stranger turned out to be one of the show's stars, who later took the boy backstage to introduce him to the other performers. The experience prompted Skelton, who had already shown comedic tendencies, to pursue a career as a performer.

*Made his film debut in 1938 alongside Ginger Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in Having Wonderful Time.Skelton is credited as Richard (Red) Skelton. It includes the iconic “Doughnut Dunkers” routine that he developed with his wife, Edna.Skelton's part in this film was originally much larger. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. wrote in his memoir, "...the big bosses at the studio were unable to appreciate Skelton's broad, slapstick style and cut his part down to the barest minimum needed to hold the slender plot together."

*Starred as Wally "The Fox" Benton in three films : Whistling in The Dark (1941), Whistling in The Dixie (1942), and Whistling in Brooklyn (1943).

*He was a prolific writer of music. By the time of his death, he had composed over 8,000 songs and symphonies.Some of his music was sold to Muzak ( a company that specialized in providing background music to stores and other businesses).

*Skelton began producing artwork in 1943, but kept his works private for many years.His art dealer said he believed that Skelton made more money on his paintings than from his television work.At the time of his death, Skelton had produced over 1,000 oil paintings of clowns. When asked why his artwork focused on clowns, he said at first, "I don't know why it's always clowns." He continued after thinking a moment by saying "No, that's not true—I do know why. I just don't feel like thinking about it ..."

*In 1960, he purchased the old Charles Chaplin Studios on La Brea Avenue, where he produced his weekly television shows (Red Skelton Show). He established Red-Eo-Tape (Red-Tape) Video Productions. His three RCA TK-41 camera mobile units became the first live color production company in Hollywood.

*A bridge was opened in 1963 and named after him "Red Skelton Memorial Bridge" , that spans the Wabash River separating Indiana and Illinois on US 50, just outside Skelton's hometown of Vincennes, Indiana.