October 1977 .., Photo/Ed Self TltE s~:!~A UMNUS October 1977 Red Skelton spends 7 days in Muncie, reacquainting self, visiting with students "Red Skelton's in the Student Center signing "But the one thing that hit me was that I autographs!" shouted a student as she burst wanted to make people laugh like the man I through the door. had seen on 2tage. So I went home and built Taking nearly everyone by surprise, Red myself a small little stage and took clothespins Skelton arrived on campus six days before and cut the fronts off for their little heads, his scheduled performance. He immediately (the old fashioned clothespins), and painted set-out to reacquaint himself with a town he faces on them and put them on little sticks had not seen in, well decades. He explained and moved them around. And I would write more at a press conference on October 5 in little plays and invite all my friends in." the Student Center. When asked about his education in comedy, "I'm visiting old landspots, trying to he replied, "I think I learn from all of them recapture some of the things of years ago (comedians). As tar as reaching out and taking when I was here," he said. "First time I was things from them, I don't think I ever did, in Muncie was with a medicine show. The really. next time I was here was with the John Lawrence stock company and then I played a "One fellow whom I really admired was Ed theater that since has been torn down. I think Wynn. And if I was ever going to impersonate I might have had something to do with that, anybody or take anything, it would have been too," he quipped. from Ed. We have a lot of young people now That first visit wasn't long after the Vin­ that I have great admiration for, but they're cennes, IN, native made his stage debut. His on the wrong track already, like Richard Pryor, first professional experience came at age 10 for instance. I think he is one of the cleverest when he joined Dr. R. E. Lewis' Medicine Show kids to come along in a long time but he's in Lawrenceville, IL. doing things now to make himself ugly. And "The first big laugh I ever got was when I he's fighting a cause for some reason instead walked on stage, I sat aow11 c111u the chair woo of gnino ni1t and sayina 'Here's my talent. Photo /Greg Rice '77 too close to the edge and I fell into the Accept my people and myself for what I'm "I don't need anyone to push people out of "Everyone, no matter now 1011y yuu :itand trying to represent.' audience. And this got a laugh, so instead of the way for me or say 'Mr. Skelton is very busy there and they talk, says, 'Nice talking to you.' being embarassed about it, I did it every night. "Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson were dear now and can't talk to you.' If I need to go That's exactly what they do. They talk to you. Then I started to come up the stairs one day friends of mine and each one taught you a somewhere else, I just excuse myself and But it's fun. People here are more friendly, and I slipped and fell and they laughed again. little of something else. And even Henny people are very understanding. and I think they like the fact that you're a I got so that anytime I would say something, Youngman, he next to Moses, was the one­ "People are people anywhere. They're all Hoosier, too, and that helps a little." I'd fall down,' cause it was an easy way to liner." the same. We're all people but the cadence is Red is also a talented artist. His specialty, get laughs." different. Here they are friendly. They are naturally enough, is clowns. He says he gets Yet even half of his lifetime before that, Red says he has no favorite character of friendly everywhere but it's a little bit different. his inspiration from people." ... like a little Red knew show business would be his destiny. those he created. "I like them all," he said. In Kansas, for instance, and just right across cello player I saw. It started out, someone When he was a youngster his mother worked "They were people in my mind. See, all of us, into Illinois the people look at you first before wanted a painting of a musician. And it started as an elevator operator and charwoman at we're five or six different people. We don't they speak. Here they walk right up to you out with this guy and a horn, and he had a the Limpke Building in Indianapolis. She would realize it in time to analyze it. You wake up in and say 'Hi, how you doin' Red?' And they're flute and I painted him about five or six get passes for Red and his brothers to see the morning and you're one person. As soon real friendly. different ways. Finally, I looked at this cello the shows in the theater there. as you see your first friend, you're another "And what I say when they get into cadence player and he looked so elegant setting there, "I watched the performers on stage and person. The minute you get to work, you're is like this. In New York, Philadelphia and Bos­ bless his heart, a young student. He was good, when the comedians came on, I watched the another person again. So what I try to do is ton it's a little different. (With) the people there, but not that good, but you couldn't tell him audience. I made up my mind at five years make characters for each one of them ... you don't have to talk. You know, they just that. So I'll use him now as the idea for the old that was what I wanted to do-to try to show Freddy the Freeloader as how people walk up to shake hands with you and they cello." make people laugh. who have nothing can actually take nothing ask you questions and then answer them. Painting is not a new pass-time to Red. So I told my mother. It was then that I and make something of it. In other words, They'll walk up to you and say 'Hey, you Red "I've been at it since I was 10-years-old. In learned that in my father's younger days he take small things that are beautiful and Skelton? You're not Red Skelton. You're in school, in Vincennes, we were very poor, and had been a clown with Hagenbach and Wallace magnify them into something that's nice, even town, huh? I saw you last night at the theater. I stayed after school and cleaned all the water­ Circus, not as a profession to follow, because if it's only a word." You hear me applauding for you? You didn't color jars and little dishes. I'd take the clean he was working his way through school at the When he takes to the road, Red likes to hear me applaud. Bet they pay you a lot of part of the paint and push it into the jars I had. time. Later he taught elocution at Valparaiso. travel light. "I have no entourage or business money to come into a place like this. Whadda And for the brushes I'd cut the back of my He was also an attorney. And then, because of managers or agents with me. I take with me they pay ya, $10,000? They don't pay ya hair and then string it together on a stick or the Bell Telephone Company and the phone four trunks and have little wagons packed $10,000. Why do you go around telling people pencil. It was a lousy brush but at least I was becoming in demand, he became a master inside to pull them myself when there are no you gettin' $10,000?' And you haven't said painting. electrician. skycaps or porters. a word. "I used to give them (the paintings) away and finally the Franklin Mint in Philadelphia came to me and said they would like to buy one of my paintings for lithographs to be sold. So I said 'What do you give for a thing like that?" He said, 'Well, we have one set price of $12,500,' When I came to, I had signed a contract with them. So then I said, 'if they can do this, why can't I?' So I went into the mail order business too. Now I have all my paintings reproduced ... " Traveling takes Red over thousands of miles each year. Towns can easily blend one into another, only the names changing. But he keeps a "daily biography" of everything that happens to him, good and bad. "I don't relive anything. I don't want to. I try to always live today and look toward the Homecoming '77 brought a number of special events to the future. My daily biography is complete back Ball State campus. At left, three clowns perform in the opening to when I was 10. They are bound into volumes production number of the Friday night Variety Show in Emens periodically and tiled, but someone else will Auditorium.