Comedians of my Youth: Bob Hope

Comedians of my Youth: Red Skelton as Red Skelton

As a boy I was very fond of the Red Skelton Show. It was live in those days and one never knew what might happen. Skelton could go off joking on anything and he walked a thin line between what was acceptable in the highly censored and naive TV of the 'fifties. But it wasn't just the surprise moments and not just his pantomime and clownishness, things even a young child could grasp and giggle at, it was the warmth and gentleness that came from this man. Despite the mischief often in his eyes and the devil in his dimpled grin, he seemed shy and sometimes almost embarrassed that people would applaud him. I recall each December he would do a Freddy the Freeloader skit based on an O. Henry short story about a down and out man trying to get himself arrested so he has a warm place to spend Christmas. Of course, there was a twist, this being O. Henry, but the nature of the sketch encapsulated the humor amd humanity of Red.

Comedians of my Youth: ???

I can't not recall who this is. It was a comedian popular in the early 1960s, I am certain, but no name comes to mind with the face. Take a guess.

Comedians of my Youth: Garry Moore

Strictly speaking, I suppose Garry Moore wasn't a comedian. He was a TV personality. he hosted game shows and his own afternoon show ala Art Linkletter. he had a successful prime time variety show for several years and he introduced Carol Burnett to the public.

Comedians of my Youth: Jonathan Winters and some comments

Jonathan Winters was one of my favorite comics. He was overweight with a rubbery face and a quick and innovative wit. I have read he was an inspiration to Robin Williams. He was someone who could be handed a broom and sweep the audience away with a stream-of-consciousness improvisation that went from one application of a broom to another. He was a true comic genius. His personal life was not always so funny and he had many troubles.

Another genius in those days that I never missed watching was Ernie Kovaks. He died young in a car crash. These two guys were different than the other comedians of the time, doing the unexpected, experimenting, going out on a thin limb that they sometimes sawed off behind them, but they were great.

Comedians of my Youth: Red Skelton as "Clem Kiddlehopper"

    

Comedians of my Youth: Sid Caesar

Comedians of my Youth: Jackie Gleason

Comedians of my Youth: Dick Van Dyke