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THE
FOLLOWING WAS RETYPED from the Oct/Nov 97 issue of "Clown
Alley"
Noble Red Skelton
was born into a circus family on July 18, 1913 in Vincennes,
Indiana two months after the death of his father who had been a
clown with the Haggenbach and Wallace traveling shows. Red was
raised by his mother in the love of the circus people who were to
become his first real family, leaving an imprint on him that he
would carry throughout his life, bringing happiness and laughter
to millions.
At age 10, Red
joined up with a traveling medicine show. From there, minstrel and
tent shows, circuses, burlesques, Mississippi show boats,
vaudeville, radio, motion pictures and television were to become
his home. It was as a star in in over 48 motion pictures and
television that Red was to achieve his greatest public acclaim.
His TV career spanned a record twenty consecutive years and his
shows were always rated among the top ten in the United Sates.
Red's lesser
known but equally outstanding accomplishments include the writing
of nearly 5,000 musical compositions, including 64 symphonies,
many of which have been played and recorded by Arthur Fiedler, Van
Clyburn, David Rose, the Las Vegas Symphony, the Palm Springs
Desert Symphony, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Noble Red has
authored more than 4,000 short stories and full length books. His
Skelton's "Pledge of Allegiance (above) has won 42 awards and
has twice been read into the Congressional Record.
In addition to
being an accomplished entertainer, Noble Red is acclaimed as one
of his century's greatest painters. His original oil paintings are
displayed exclusively at Center Art Galleries, Honolulu, Hawaii,
where they have been received with great acclaim by art critics
and collectors from all over the world.
Evocative of a
bygone era, Red's clowns are welcome guests in homes worldwide,
where you are continually reminded that the appeal of these fine
character studies knows no bounds. Collectors include the rich and
famous and those for whom the ownership of a painting by Red
Skelton is the fulfillment of a lifetime dream. Past ISCA
President John Whipple has a number of original paintings.
While all artists
attempt to capture emotions in their works, Red has succeeded in
doing so to a degree unique in contemporary history. We are all
reminded of happier days, no matter which generation of fans we
belong to. It hardly matters if we first saw Red perform, in the
vaudeville of the thirties, in the films of the forties and
fifties, on night club stages in the sixties, college stages of
the seventies, or on HBO in the eighties, Red has been part of all
of the lives of we ISCA clowns, and his painting and graphics
allow us to be sure that he will be our guest in our homes for
years to come.
Picasso once said
that he had spent his entire life trying to recapture the
innocence and sensitivity of a child.
Red
Skelton never lost it.
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