Before heading forward to come across what the fantastic Red Skelton paintings and its themes are, let’s have a look at who Red Skelton was. Born on 18th July 1913 at Vincennes, Indiana in USA, Red Skelton was a highly talented American humorist establishing a niche in the radio & television shows, paintings and entertainment. Red Skelton was a renowned TV host, comedian and a painter spelling a spellbinding magic of his embodiment and facial expressions over his audiences who watched him curiously when hosting either any television show or creating entrancing pictures on a canvas. Experiencing many ups and downs in his life, Red Skelton had concluded that a man is just like a clown entertaining the people around him without revealing his personal trauma.

His life spanning eighty four years had much contributed in excelling the arts and entertainment in America with many of his outstanding works which even today are missed a lot. Red Skelton paintings are the live examples of his extraordinary artistic dexterity and fantastic painting themes which are preferred all over the world. Red Skelton had bid a farewell to the entire world on 17th September, 1997 in Palm Springs, California shocking everyone in the world. Red Skelton was a great humorist capable of entertaining the people of all ages, be it an adult or a small child. He still is known as the “Sentimental Clown”, great actor, comedian, and world’s one of the top painters as well creating a wide range of catchy paintings, preferred as the Red Skelton paintings all over the world.

Red Skelton had started his career as a radio jockey and television anchor in 1937 and remained in this profession up to 1971 entertaining the American audiences. First brake was given to Red Skelton when he was a teenager. He was asked to perform as a clown or joker at a circus entertaining there’s all the audiences which ostensibly heralded his career in the field of entertainment earning a great applause of all the people in the USA. Be it a young girl or an old man, his captivating voice, mesmerizing expression and a dashing personality would have hypnotized everyone with a great vigor. Red Skelton had an exceptional dexterity of getting even a paranoid and stressed one burst into vigorous laughter with his comic gesticulations, sarcastical remarks and captivating voice.

Red Skelton had adhered to the show business profession and established an unchallenged niche as an exceptional embodiment of a great artistic caliber acting in a movie, and hosting many widely preferred television shows and radio programs. Red Skelton used to be invited by the clubs, casinos and Broadway as well to present many of his interesting programs such as vaudeville shows, much popular in the 19th Century.
Apart from entertaining as a clown, TV host and a humorist, Red Skelton had created innumerable stunning oil paintings, sceneries and beautiful pictures as well which itself was an unique artistic skill, no any actor during that period was supposed to have or be bestowed with, by the nature.Being a popular comedian, actor and painter, Red Skelton had an exceptional skill to bring a smile on the face even of the rudest ones or those who are supposed to be a hard nut to crack.

Red Skelton’s debut movie and radio heralded his career as a host

Red Skelton played his debut role in a film, Having Wonderful Time produced for RKO Radio Pictures in 1938. In this film Red Skelton had played a supporting role as a camp counselor which earned him fame and a great admiration all over the world. Following a great fame Red Skelton had earned in the USA he was hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a remedial treatment but he couldn’t stay there for long and was invited by “The Fox”, a prominent radio channel of America, to perform as a radio detective and music entertainer. Serving the radio as a radio detective, Mr. Skelton became a radio-star in America. Ascending onto a higher level of success, Mr. Skelton came across an offer, put forth by MGM to sign a contract for entertainment, which, though he accepted, he continued serving the radio and television which he has been working for, for long. MGM didn’t express any objection over Red Skelton’s continuing with the radio and television (which yet had not become popular in America).

NBC and Red Skelton

It was The Rudy Vallee Show presented by Red Skelton in 1937 which provided him a golden opportunity to work regularly for NBC in 1939. Red Skelton entertained the audiences through Avalon Time sponsored by Avalon Cigarette manufacturers, broadcast on NBC. It was 7th October 1941 when Red Skelton premiered a self conceptualized radio program, “The Raleigh Cigarette Program”, introducing many new characters such as punch-drunk boxer “Cauliflower McPugg”, inebriated “Willy Lump-Lump” and “Mean Widdle Kid’ Junior”. Some of the highly preferred phrases used with such newly introduced comic characters became so popular that they started being used in Red Skelton cartoons as well. It was an immense craze for Red Skelton among the Americans which made for them even the cartoons incomplete with a few enormously enjoyed phrases revolving around Red Skelton. Creeps featuring three cartoon characters reveal how popular Red Skelton had become in America so far as the comedy was concerned.

Prominent all over the world as an actor, comedian and painter, Red Skelton was invited by the NBC television to present impressive TV shows. Impressing with his captivating voice, Red Skelton caused a live impact over the audiences with his hypnotic personality, facial expressions and many of fascinating gestures.Television made him a part of each home in America making everyone addict to watch Red Skelton’s television shows crazily. One of the highly impressive characters played by Red Skelton was “Freddie the Freeloader”.

But with the passage of time NBC TV’s viewership came down forcing the owners of TV to get the ongoing Red Skelton shows off the air. Such a traumatic shock tormented Red Skelton extensively but another entertainment channel invited him and offered an opportunity to present his widely popular shows.


Contrary effects in the life of Red Skelton


It was shocking cancellation of many of his televisions shows by a prominent new channels of America following an untimely demise of his son which caused an enormous frustration to Red Skelton forcing him to engage himself in a world of paining. Impressing the entire USA Red Skelton had got much frustrated and agonized just after the death of his wife Georgia, a second divorced wife.

Red Skelton, though was a dynamic, diligent, sagacious and great personality, he had some labefactions of his own which he got himself rid of, only after coming to know its contrary effects over his profession. It was, Ed Sullivan show in which Red Skelton realized his drinking habit’s unfavorable effects over his personality and he left the drinking following which the rating of television shows telecast on CBS improved providing hims a niche in the field of television media.


Can we have the Red Skelton’s paintings and other works?

Yes you can. If you are one of most curious ones longing for getting yourself acquainted with Red Skelton paintings and his television shows, you can meet such of yours desire arranging the CDs, DVDs and VHS from the market. Watching the videos on Red Skelton paintings, television shows and many radio shows you will come across many fictitiously drawn fascinating sketches and paintings as well created by Red Skelton. Although Mr. Red Skelton is no more in the world, his works available in digital formats keep him alive bringing us across many of his outstandingly presented TV shows and wide range of riveting paintings.

Neither a superb comedy/acting can be imitated nor can the Red Skelton’s extraordinary paintings or picturesque designs be copied as each of the Red Skelton’s works is unique in its own self, inimitable. Even the modern comedians and actors try to mimic Red Skelton but only in vain as his god-gifted dashing personality, artistic skill, and a great caliber are unmatched in the world. What Red Skelton has left behind for us is something unique and invaluable which every American boasts of today.

Red Skelton’s saying goodbye at the last of his each show to TV audiences is one of the most impressive and heart-touching styles emulated by a few modern TV anchors. “Good night and may God bless”, still touches the heart of the TV audiences watching the Red Skelton’s previously telecast video footages, not to talk of fabulous Red Skelton paintings.

Red Skelton’s adieu for a week to the audiences at the last of each television show was one of the highly appreciated and admired signoffs of television hosts like Edward R. Murrow’s “Good night and good luck,” or Walter Cronkite’s “And that’s the way it is.” Interesting…isn’t it! As almost all the initial television shows were black & white earlier, Red Skelton had introduced the color television shows in 1960 on CBS television network crumbing the audiences in America. Ambitious to bring a revolutionary change in the media, entertainment and art, Red Skelton had purchased a film studio, La Brea Avenue (belonging to Charlie Chaplin) to set up a TV Production house, known as Van Bernard for producing many television shows and programs. He had recruited only the talented and devoted people in his Production house.


Traumatic effect

Passing through many ups and down, Red Skelton had encountered a traumatic demise of his son, Richard Skelton, who died due to leukemia in 1957. Untimely death of his son tormented Red Skelton extensively affecting many of his poplar television shows to enormously. Not mentally able to host his ongoing shows due to a mental agony, Red Skelton allowed a few new face Johnny Carson to host the CBS TV shows. In the absence of Red Skelton the televisions shows were despised by the audiences but the CBS didn’t stop the telecast of ongoing shows on a sympathetic ground as the shows were produced by the Red Skelton production house.

Following an untimely death of his son, Red Skelton encountered a turning point in his career as the television shows produced by his production house for CBS television were made off the air in 1970 hitting another blow on Red Skelton’s face. Although Red Skelton had joined NBC for a half-an-hour show to be telecast only on Monday, he himself terminated this contractual agreement with the NBC bidding a farewell to his television career. Red Skelton had already been shocked with the abrupt cancellation of his many TV shows earlier by CBS in 1970 and being much frazzled, traumatized and suspicious of its being repeated by NBC as well, he couldn’t muster the courage to work for NBC with a peaceful mind.


After his television career coming to an end, Red Skelton had joined the nightclubs and casinos to present his previously preferred shows. Much frustrated and agonized, Red Skelton turned to the painting creating many captivating designs on canvas. His cheerful facial expression and mesmerizing gestures had gone into oblivion stimulating him to silently suffer from the agony of stormy change in his life. But as Red Skelton was an exceptional invention of god, he caused a miracle even in the field of paintings. Clown faces and images started attracting the Americans earned him approximately $80,000 US dollars.

The clown painting by Red Skelton served him as elixir encouraging him to live with a great honor and pride. Making everyone earlier burst into a great laughter and getting everyone attracted with his smiling face, Red Skelton had now became a center of attraction once again for all and sundry, this time for his stunning clown paintings. Engrossed in his painting, Red Skelton had now become one of the America’s prominent painters delineating many catchy pictures on canvass. The art-loving Americans had started looking for Red Skelton paintings out of a wide range of designs and pictures mooted as the exceptional painting ideas by Red Skelton.

Recovered from a mental shock and agony of his son’s death, Red Skelton required an emotional support which no anyone could provide him, except someone being too close and caring like a good life-partner. And Red Skelton found himself lucky in it when he came across a young angel-like lady, Lothian Toland and decided to marry her in 1983. It was third marriage of Red Skelton. Faithful and devoted to Red Skelton, Toland had conserved all of his works including the videos of many of his rare television shows and extraordinarily created marvelous Red Skelton paintings as well.

Coming across the most interesting artistic works including Red Skelton paintings, movie and television shows you must have overlooked his writing skill. Let this article make it clear to you that Red Skelton was not only a good painter and television host but a good short story writer as well. The arts running into his bloodstreams had encouraged him a lot to compose a patriotic song as well, “Red’s White and Blue March”.


Marriages of Red Skelton



  • First marriage– Mr. Red Skelton had married Edna Marie Stillwell on 1st June, 1931 who also was a talented personality serving as a manager at Kansas City. She was an efficient writer as well. Marrying as teenagers both Red Skelton and Edna got separated in 1943 by taking a divorce. Despite getting separated Edna earned a contract for her ex-husband in 1951 which provided him a brake offering a chance to host “The Red Skelton Show” premiered on NBC TV.
  • Second marriage- Despite being faithful to his works, Red Skelton had failed to maintain his relationship with his first wife Edna whom he had divorced in 1943. In the meantime another young and beautiful lady Georgia entered his life and he got married with her. Red Skelton and Georgia had come across each other at Sydney in 1945 during a stage performance of a drama The Harvey Girls.

    Red Skelton married Georgia Maurine on 9th March 1945 and was blessed with two children, Richard Jr., and Valentina Marie Skelton. It was the shocking death of his son Richard Skelton on 10th May, 1958 which badly affected the career of Red Skelton. Remaining for more than one decade together Red Skelton and Georgia had taken divorce with mutual consent in 1971.

  • Third marriage-
    Remaining lonely for two and a half years, Red Skelton had married another lady, 25 years younger than him, third time in his life on 19th October, 1973. Red Skelton was 60 while his new wife Lothian was 35. Lothian was the daughter of a renowned film cinematographer, Gregg Yoland who remained devoted to Red Skelton extending her full support in his all the artistic works.

    In the meantime the cruel destiny parted Red Skelton on 10th May, 1976 with his second ex-wife Georgia when she committed suicide in a great frustration by gunning her down on her son’s death anniversary. Divorced Georgia was 55 when she left the world mostly affecting her ex-husband Red Skelton who lover her a lot.

Death

Finding himself just like a clown, Red Skelton took the last of his breath at Anza, California at Eisenhower Medical Center, on 17th September, 1997 at the age of 84. He was survived by his third wife Lothian, one daughter Valentina Marie Skelton-Alonso (born from his second wife Georgia), and a granddaughter Sabrina Maureen Alonso.

Red Skelton Paintings

It was the unexpected cancellation of many of his television shows by a prominent TV channel of America following a mental agony which Red Skelton had suffered from due to untimely demise of his son. Such selfish behavior on a part of TV channel caused enormous frustration and mental shock to Red Skelton forcing him to engage himself in another silent world of paining. Impressing the entire country with his humorous gestures and captivating voice, Skelton had got so frustrated and agonized that he devoted his maximum time only on painting and creating many pictures revealing in some way his personal traumatic life. The painting works got much popular earning him not only a great amount of money but fame as well. His painting works were in great demand all over American as the Red Skelton paintings.

The painting works had re-energized Red Skelton stimulating him to marry Lothian. The theme in his all the paintings revolved around specific topics touching the human heart. But after finding her ex-wife Georgia ending her life on an agonizing death anniversary of her son, Red Skelton considered a man (himself) just like a clown who is supposed to make everyone burst into a laugher, while he himself passes through a writhing pain without anyone around to utter even a single word of sympathy. It is the only reason that maximum number of the Red Skelton paintings shows the faces of clowns, still preferred as the “friend”, “bye bye birdie” and many more.