Excuse My Dust [Red Skelton]
Excuse My Dust (1951) starring Red Skelton, Sally Forrest, MacDonald Carey, William Demarest
Whistling in Brooklyn [Red Skelton]
Whistling in Brooklyn (1943) starring Red Skelton, Ann Rutherford, Rags Ragland
Movie review of Red Skelton’s third, and final, appearance as Wally Benton, aka. The Fox, a radio personality and amateur detective. In this installment, The Fox is still trying to marry his fiancee. But he’s on the run from the police after being blamed for the murders of the mysterious “Constant Reader”. Danger and comedy in equal parts, with an appearance by the Brooklyn Dodgers as well!
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Merton of the Movies
Movie review of Merton of the Movies (1947), starring Red Skelton, Virginia O’Brien
Merton of the Movies is set in the silent movie era of Hollywood. Red Skelton plays the part of Gil Merton, a naive, movie-struck young man. He’s given a chance to be a star…. But he doesn’t realize it. A very funny, and sweet, Red Skelton movie co-starring Virginia O’Brien.
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Whistling in Dixie
Whistling in Dixie (1942) starring Red Skelton, Ann Rutherford, Rags Ragland
Whistling in Dixie is the sequel to the popular Whistling in the Dark. Red Skelton again plays the role of Wally Benton, aka. The Fox. He’s a radio detective, who simply wants to take off two weeks of vacation so he can get married. To his long-suffering fiancee Carol Lambert (played by Ann Rutherford). Wally pretends to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown in order to twist his radio sponsor’s arm in order to get that vacation. Only to have Carol change their plans when she’s contacted by Ellamae (Diana Lewis), her sorority sister from Georgia, U.S.A. Ellamae’s boyfriend appears to have been murdered. Carol convinces Wally to go down to Georgia to get married, and Wally complies. Only to get involved in the unraveling mystery.
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A Southern Yankee
Movie review of A Southern Yankee (1948) starring Red Skelton, Arlene Dahl, Brian Donlevy
Whistling in the Dark
Whistling in the Dark (1941) starring Red Skelton, Conrad Veidt, Ann Rutherford, Eve Arden, Rags Ragland
Whistling in the Dark was Red Skelton‘s first starring role. It gave him the opportunity to strut his comedic muscles. The movie begins with the meeting an odd cult, Silver Haven. “We part in radiant contentment,” is their recurring phrase. Silver Haven is quickly revealed as a scheme to bilk gullible people out of their money.
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The Yellow Cab Man [Red Skelton]
The Yellow Cab Man (1950) starring Red Skelton, Gloria DeHaven, Walter Slezak
The Yellow Cab Man begins with a very funny title sequence. The accident-prone “Red” Pirdy, portrayed by Red Skelton, falls down stairs and ends up in the hospital. He confides to the audience, “You know this is the best cast I’ve ever been in”. With the various cast members having “signed” his cast. The film proper begins with character actor Charles Lane, an agent for an insurance company, turning Red down for insurance …. Since he’s accident prone.
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The Fuller Brush Man [Red Skelton]
The Fuller Brush Man (1948), starring Red Skelton, Janet Blair
In a nutshell, The Fuller Brush Man is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. Red Skelton is at his finest, both in verbal comedy as well as in physical slapstick galore. The basic plot has Red Skelton playing the part of Red Jones, a well-meaning young man … Who keeps getting fired from every job he’s ever held within three weeks. The girl he loves, Ann Elliot (played by Janet Blair) refuses his marriage proposal. Until he matures enough to be able to provide for a family. Red decides to emulate his rival for Ann’s love by becoming a door-to-door salesman for the Fuller Brush company. Unfortunately, this leads him to be the witness to a murder, with the police and gangsters following him … And why are the bad people interested in one of his hairbrushes?
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I Dood It [Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell]
movie review of I Dood It! (1943) starring Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, directed by Vincente Minelli
The movie I Dood It! is a musical comedy, dealing with a romance between two unlikely people – stage star Constance Connie Show (played by Eleanor Powell), and pants presser at a hotel Joe Renolds (played by Red Skelton), with lots of comedy and musical numbers in-between.
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My Man Godfrey
My Man Godfrey, (1936) starring William Powell and Carole Lombard
movie review of “My Man Godfrey” – one of the great screwball comedies of the 20th century. It stars Carole Lombard as the spoiled rich girl. William Powell co-stars as Godfrey, the “forgotten man” with a secret past … A hilarious and touching, a must-see film!
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