Seeing Red

Red Skelton spent more than a dozen years as a star at MGM, appearing in some very funny movies, particularly when S.Sylvan Simon was his director and Buster Keaton his gag man.Here he is in his movie try-out.... for Warner Brothers' Vitagraph unit, under the probably exasperated direction of Roy Mack.

There are a couple of other acts in this two-reeler set largely in a night club where half the staff is Red. The Merry Macs sing a close-harmony swing version of "Down By The Old Mill Stream", there's a nice comedy dance act called "Harris & Shore", and a couple of other acts -- which Red introduces -- but it's mostly the Old Redhead doing some of his narrated pantomime, like how to eat corn on the cob.

These routines would become classics on his long-running television show. Still, it's nice to see them early on.

WE'VE LONG KNOWN of this title, but it wasn't until this past week that we got the privilege of seeing it. We do recall hat SEEING RE was available to the home movie market in the 1970's, albeit in 8 mm or Super 8 silent and B & W versions. It was also probably in an abridged version as it looked smaller than the standard 18-20 minute reel box that was on sale at Sears & Roebuck store near our house. The company was probably KEN FILMS' one of those companies that the rise if the video recorder successfully put out of business.

AS FOR THE content of this short subject, it was rather standard fare that utilized some of the variety acts that were still being seen live in those days. The one central tenet of this film is the young Red Skelton's being captured forever as he was then. His fledgling stage and screen persona uncanny in their embryonic way of showing the future performer that we all knew and loved so well.

ONCE AGAIN WE must credit TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES with bringing this one into our homes. This was as great an historic find as it was in the realm of comedy, film and entertainment in general.

Red Skelton gets the blame when his boss falls off his chair. Red plays around and his boss is not amused. Red gets fired. His boss starts seeing Red everywhere.

Red Skelton gets to fool around with some big face contortions. Modern comparison would be a good Jim Carrey. It would have been better if all the other Skelton visions are acting up more like his first self. They could all be eating corn. I can do without the old fashion crooning unless Red is willing to make fun of it. There is an interesting cross-cross-dressing stage act from vaudevillian A. Robins. These other acts need signs to highlight them. It's a showcase for Red as he showcases these other acts.

This is one of Red Skelton's earliest films. It's pretty obvious that in much of it he's basically doing his stage act...and that's okay because the overall short film is clever and fun.

The film begins with Red doing one of his famous bits (pretending to be a woman getting dressed) for his boss but soon ends up getting fired. Before leaving, Red puts a hex on the boss...and the boss seems indifferent. But that night when the boss takes out his girl (Mary Wickes), his eyes start playing tricks on him...and many of the people at the night club look exactly like Red! And, no, Red isn't playing a trick on him...as he later begins seeing all these 'Reds' at the same time!

The comedy portion of the film is cute and fun. Unfortunately, the film COULD have been better. How? A bunch of non-comedic acts are inserted in the film as night club acts...and while they are pretty good (particular the weirdo comic at the end), they only distract from the plot and tend to lessen the impact. Still, it's quite enjoyable and worth seeing.

This is a great film for study by students of clowning, comedy, or vaudeville. It contains two of Red Skelton's classic routines demonstrating different ways people do things, including his wonderful pantomime of a woman applying make up and getting dressed. (Red also performs this pantomime in the 1944 film Bathing Beauty.) This movie has a great scene of A. Robins doing his act. Robins was famous in vaudeville as the Banana Man. He doesn't produce any bananas here, but his routine is full of many wonderful ideas that can serve as inspiration for today's entertainers. There are also three other vaudeville acts performed in this movie.