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Season 14 (CBS) (1964-65)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by: Tom Alger Rina Fox
references:
TV Guide / Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive /  Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

  ############ The Red Skelton Hour ############
############# season 14 1964-65 ##############
######## final black & white season ##########
CBS Tuesdays 8:30-9:30pm
Red Skelton inaugurated his 14th TV season on September 22, 1964
by moving his weekly comedy-variety series
"The Red Skelton Hour" back to its familiar 8:30 PM Tuesday-night slot.

14.01 [464] The Red Skelton Hour: BE IT EVER SO GRUMBLE, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
22Sep1964 CBS
Guests:
Audrey Meadows
Johnny Rivers
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Be It Ever So Grumble, There's No Place Like Home"
George Appleby (Red) invents a formula which makes him irresistible to women-and which, unfortunately,
works all too well on his bad-tempered wife Clara (Audrey Meadows).
Musical Highlights:
Johnny Rivers performs "Memphis" and "Maybelline."
"The Silent Spot"
An ancient statue (Red) comes to life.

14.02 [465] The Red Skelton Hour: THE TAMING OF THE SCHMO
29Sep1964 CBS
Guests:
Maurice Evans (actor) (reportedly a last-minute replacement for Jose Ferrer)
The Rolling Stones (British Pop Group) (American network-TV debut)
The Greenwood Country Singers
Chanin Hale (actress)
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "The Taming of the Schmo"
Shakespearean actor Sir Neville (Maurice Evans), who suffers the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune-and a
sudden attack of laryngitis--develops car trouble while crossing the Kadiddlehopper (Red) farm.
Musical Highlights:
The Rolling Stones perform "Tell Me."
"Skelton Discovery Corner":
The Greenwood Country Singers perform "Frankie and Johnny."
"The Silent Spot"
Red Skelton and Chanin Hale play newlyweds.

14.03 [466] The Red Skelton Hour: A MAN'S DUMP IS HIS CASTLE
06Oct1964 CBS
Guests:
Robert Merrill (Metropolitan Opera star)
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "A Man's Dump Is His Castle"
An archeologist (Robert Merrill), searching for a dinosaur skeleton, plans to excavate the City Dump domicile of
Freddie the Freeloader (Red).
Musical Highlights:
Robert Merrill sings "The Toreador Song" from Carmen and the pop tune "In the Still of the Night."
"The Silent Spot"
Red plays the highly nervous owner of a china shop.

14.04 [467] The Red Skelton Hour: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE HAREM
13Oct1964 CBS
Guests:
Ed Wynn
Mary Wickes
Vikki Carr
Sandy Wirth
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Harem"
San Fernando Red (Skelton) tries to find a bride for a middle eastern potentate (Ed Wynn), with choices ranging
from gorgeous singer Vicki Carr and toothsome chorus dancer (Sandy Wirth) to the somewhat less gorgeous Mary Wickes.
Musical Highlights:
Vikki Carr sings "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Loveland."
"The Silent Spot"
(no details)

14.05 [468] The Red Skelton Hour: THE MOST SAPPY FELLA
20Oct1964 CBS
Guests:
Bobby Rydell
Willard Waterman
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "The Most Sappy Fella"
Clem Kaddiddlehopper (Red), who has lost 300 jobs in a year, visits his cousin's boss, J.B. Pressure (Willard Waterman)
at the district employment office.
Musical Highlights:
Bobby Rydell sings "Garden of Eden," "Softly as I Leave You" and "Hit Record."
"The Silent Spot"
(no details)

14.06 [469] The Red Skelton Hour: FREDDIE THE FREELOADER, SECRET AGENT
27Oct1964 CBS
Guest:
Martha Raye
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Freddie the Freeloader, Secret Agent"
Hobo Freddie the Freeloader (Red Skelton) agrees to go undercover for the police and infiltrate Mr. Big's gang,
little imagining that the tough female mobster (Martha Raye) would fall in love in love with him.
Best gags include a "sawed-off shotgun" routine and a bit involving frozen lips.
Musical Highlights:
Martha Raye sings "Can't Buy Me Love" (cover of the Beatles' song) and "I'll Go My Way By Myself."
"The Silent Spot"
Red finds himself in a haunted house in the dead of night.

[--] 03Nov1964 - pre-empted for coverage of Presidential and other elections.

14.07 [470] The Red Skelton Hour: RED SKELTON IN LONDON (Special)(show taped in London)
10Nov1964 CBS
Guests :
The Rolling Stones
Sebastian Cabot
*
Main Comedy Sketch:
Red Skelotn recreates his beloved characters Clem Kadiddlehopper, Freddie the Freeloader and Junior Cavendish (aka The Mean Widdle Kid)
against such backdrops as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. As a sort of through-line, Sebastian Cabot plays a bumbling tour
guide who won't get his retirement pension unless his fills his quota of American tourist.
Musical Highlights:
The Rolling Stones perform "Tell Me," "Carol" and "It's All Over Now", to the delight of a squealing live audience
(and, undoubtedly, the confusion of Skelton's ultraconservative staff).
Monologue:
In a break from tradition, Red delivers his standard opening monologue at the close of the show, commenting satirically
on topics as diverse as Elizabeth Taylor and the CBS eye.
Note:
Evidently, "Red Skelton in London" was scheduled at the last minute, inasmuch as this classic episode was not even listed in the pages of TV Guide.

14.08 [471] The Red Skelton Hour: THE GREAT BRAIN ROBBERY
17Nov1964 CBS
Guests:
Vic Damone
Gale Garnett
Peter Mamakos
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "The Great Brain Robbery"
Clem Kadiddlehopper" (Red) is employed by a ritzy hotel as a bellhop and tangles with burglars Nervous Pervis (Vic Damone)
and Charley (Peter Mamakos).
Musical Highlights:
Gale Garnett sings "We'll Sing in the Sunshine."
Gale Garnett (with the Skeltones) - "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey?"
Vic Damone sings "Younger Than Springtime" and "I Am in Love?"
"The Silent Spot"
Red plays a TV addict whose trying to give up viewing the Tube.

14.09 [472] The Red Skelton Hour: THE FASTEST GOON IN THE WEST
24Nov1964 CBS
Guest:
Ginger Rogers
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "The Fastest Goon In The West"
Schoolmarm (Ginger Rogers) enters a beauty contest that is being staged-and has already been "fixed"-by the duplicitous Sheriff Deadeye (Red).
Musical Highlights:
Ginger Rogers sings and dances to "I Don't Think I'll End It All Today" and "Mangos."
"The Silent Spot"
Skelton plays a flower vendor who finds a silver slipper.

14.10 [473] The Red Skelton Hour: possibly LOVE, YOUR TRAGIC SMELL IS EVERYWHERE
01Dec1964 CBS
Guests:
Pat Boone (singer)
Will Jordan (impressionist)
Joyce Jameson
*
Main Comedy Sketch: possibly "Love, Your Tragic Smell Is Everywhere."
A performance by vocalist Sonny California (Pat Boone) on Ed Shewllivan (Will Jordan)'s TV show is disrupted by
a well-meaning George Appleby (Red). Joyce Jameson appears as George's shrewish wife Clara.
Musical Highlights:
Pat Boone sings "Goodbye Charlie" and "Good Morning."
Red Skelton performs "Simple Singers," his own composition.
"The Silent Spot"
Red portrays a clumsy soda jerk.

14.11 [474] The Red Skelton Hour: WHEN IT'S TEPEE TIME DOWN SOUTH
08Dec1964 CBS
Guests:
Fernando Lamas
Bella Bruck
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "When It's Tepee Time Down South"
San Fernando Red (Skelton) tries to fleece Native American playboy Laughing Gas (Fernando Lamas) with the help
of an Indian princess (Bella Bruck).
Musical Highlights:
(no details)
"The Silent Spot"
Skelton is seen as a man who is decorating his house for Christmas.
Red struggles to put up Christmas decorations on a balky tree.

14.12 [475] The Red Skelton Hour: MAMMA'S LITTLE MONSTER
15Dec1964 CBS
Guests:
George Gobel
The Youngfolk
George N. Neise and Shirley Mitchell
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Mamma's Little Monster"
Red Skelton reprises his Mean Widdle Kid characterization. Rejected by every other summer camp in the nation,
bratty Junior Cavendish (Red) is naively accepted by 83rd summer camp counselor George Goodbody (Gobel).
Junior's long-suffering parents are played by George N. Neise and Shirley Mitchell.
Musical Highlights:
The Youngfolk perform "They Call the Wind Maria" and "Skip to My Lou".
"The Silent Spot"
Red mimes the role of an old man awaiting the arrival of his wife at the airport.
Note:
This episode originally scheduled to air on November 10, 1964, was moved to December 15 to accommodate
the "Red Skelton in London" special.

14.13 [476] The Red Skelton Hour: THE PLIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (I) (1964) (Christmas Special)
22Dec1964 CBS
Guest:
Greer Garson (first of several annual Yuletide visits)
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "The Plight Before Christmas"
Freddie the Freeloader (Red) invites a shabby bag lady (Greer Garson) to spend the holidays with his fellow hoboes.
Ms. Garson then reads the celebrated editorial "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus."
Musical Highlights:
The Hillcrest Elementary School Choir of Los Angeles close the program singing a medley of Christmas carols,
plus Red Skelton's own composition "The Night Before Christmas."
"The Silent Spot"
(no details)

14.14 [477] The Red Skelton Hour: A MAN AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON MARRIED
29Dec1964 CBS
Guests:
The McGuire Sisters (Phyllis, Dorothy and Chris)
Milton Frome
Shirley Mitchell
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "A Man and His Money Are Soon Married"
George Appleby (Red Skelton) is terrified at the prospect of giving blood at the local Red Cross. Shirley Mitchell plays
George's wife Clara, while the role of the nurse is enacted by singer Phyllis McGuire.
Musical Highlights:
The McGuire Sisters sing a medley from My Fair Lady; the girls also perform "Start the New Year Right" and "Dear Heart."
"The Silent Spot"
The Old Year (Skelton) prepares to welcome 1965.

14.15 [478] The Red Skelton Hour: A BAD MAN NOWDAYS IS HARD TO FIND
05Jan1965 CBS
Guest:
Al Hirt (trumpeter)
Main Comedy Sketch: "A Bad Man Nowdays Is Hard to Find"
Sheriff Deadeye (Red) captures desperado Tiny Tex (Al Hirt) - but not for long.
Musical Highlights:
Al Hirt plays "Java," "Twelfth Street Rag," "Up Above My Head," "I Was Born to Blow My Horn" and "Fancy Pants."
"The Silent Spot"
A drunken partygoer (Red) enters the wrong apartment.

14.16 [479] The Red Skelton Hour: LAME BRAIN FOR A DAY
12Jan1965 CBS
Guests:
Eve Arden (former "Our Miss Brooks" star)
Manfred Mann (British pop group)
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Lame Brain For A Day"
The owner of a charm school (Eve Arden)) promises to turn any man into a gentleman within 7 days, lest she forfeit $1000.
Given such a surefire premise, is it at all surprising that Eve's newest customer is doltish Clem Kadiddlehopper (Red Skelton)?
Musical Highlights:
Manfred Mann perform "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "Smokestack Lightning."
"The Silent Spot"
(no details)

14.17 [480] The Red Skelton Hour: THE SEVEN YEAR WRETCH
19Jan1965 CBS
Guests:
Archie Moore (former world light-heavyweight champion)
Shani Wallis (British musical-comedy star)
Janos Prohaska
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "The Seven Year Wretch"
Archie Moore agrees to a fight with George Appleby (Red)'s pet bear (played by celebrated animal imitator Janos Prohaska).
Musical Highlights:
Shani Wallis sings "I'm Old Fashioned."
"The Silent Spot"
Skelton plays a dogged detective on the trail of an elusive escaped convict.

14.18 [481] The Red Skelton Hour: A CREEP IN THE DEEP
26Jan1965 CBS
Guests:
Don Knotts
The Searchers (British Pop Group)
Frankie Darro
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "A Creep in the Deep"
Hobo Freddie the Freeloader (Red)'s ramshackle houseboat is targeted for demolition by the Commodore of Lagoons, played by
Don Knotts. The evening's biggest laugh comes when Knotts peers through a telescope and says "Hello, what's this?"
-then explains "I learned that from watching all those old British movies."
Musical Highlights:
The Searchers perform "Love Potion No. 9" and "What Have They Done to the Rain?"
"The Silent Spot"
19th century artist Whistler (Red) encounters difficulty while painting his mother (Frankie Darro).

14.19 [482] The Red Skelton Hour: CONCERT IN PANTOMIME (I)
(Special Taped in December 1964 before a celebrity audience)
02Feb1965 CBS
Director: Bill Hobin
Guests:
Marcel Marceau (French mime artist)
Maurice Chevalier
The Tom Hansen Dancers and The David Rose Orchestra
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Concert in Pantomime" Maurice Chevalier narrates an hour of mime.
Red performs such celebrated routines as "A Girl Dressing," "Mixing a Salad," "The Drunken Doctor,"
and the heartbreakingly brilliant "Old Man Watching a Parade."
Marcel Marceau's contributions include impersonations of a gambler and a skater, and, as his white-faced alter ego Bip,
."Tug of War" and "The Mask Maker." The final sketch casts Red as Geppetto and Marcel as Pinocchio.
Musical Highlights:
The Tom Hansen dancers and David Rose Orchestra introduce each vignette.

14.20 [483] The Red Skelton Hour: YELLOW BELLY IN THE PURPLE SAGE
09Feb1965 CBS
Guests:
Vincent Price
Anita Bryant
Chanin Hale
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Yellow Belly in the Purple Sage"
Sheriff Deadeye (Red) accidentally bumps off outlaw Black Bart (Vincent Price), whereupon Bart's effeminate brother
(Price again in a dual role) vows revenge.
Musical Highlights:
Anita Bryant sings a medley of upbeat tunes.
"The Silent Spot"
Red plays a cop who, while ostensibly investigating a robbery, flirts outrageously with a maid (Chanin Hale).

14.21 [484] The Red Skelton Hour: BRAIN. BRAIN, GO AWAY
16Feb1965 CBS
Guest:
Robert Goulet
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Brain, Brain, Go Away"
Government worker Harry Handout (Robert Goulet) specializes in doling out farm subsidies. Harry meets his match
in the form of Clem Kadiddlehopper (Red), who can't quite grasp the concept of being paid for not growing crops.
Musical Highlights:
Robert Goulet sings "Two Different Worlds" and "Then I'll be Happy."
"The Silent Spot"
Skelton plays an aged fireman.

14.22 [485] The Red Skelton Hour: LOOKIE, LOOKIE, HERE COMES COOKIE
23Feb1965 CBS
Guests:
Hugh O'Brian (former "Wyatt Earp" star)
Piccola Pupa (young Italian singer)
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Lookie, Lookie, Here Comes Cookie"
TV star Count Moustache (Hugh O'Brien) is victimized by the crooked employment agency run by San Fernando Red (Skelton).
Musical Highlights:
Piccola Pupa sings "I Want to Be Wanted," "My Heart is a Hobo" and "La Musica Italiana."
"The Silent Spot"
Red Skelton plays both an old man and a little boy out fishing.
The show concludes with Skelton's reading of Shirley Burden's children's book "I Wonder Why".

14.23 [486] The Red Skelton Hour: DIAL 'O' FOR NOTHING
02Mar1965 CBS
Guests:
Janis Paige
Sheilah Rogers
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Dial 'O' for Nothing"
The "spy craze" of the mid-1960s is lampooned. Clem Kadiddlehopper (Red), a dimwitted secret agent tries to prevent the theft
of the Eiffel Tower. Janis Paige appears as sexy spy Hatta Mari.
Musical Highlights:
Janis Paige sings "Lulu's Back in Town."
"The Silent Spot"
Skelton plays a husband who tears apart his bathroom trying to retrieve his wife's (Sheilah Rogers) wedding ring
which has fallen down the sink.

14.24 [487] The Red Skelton Hour: THE RED SKELTON SCRAPBOOK (I)(1965) (Special)
09Mar1965 CBS
Hosted by Ed Wynn
In answer to public demand, Red reprises several of his best routines, including "Guzzler's Gin" ("Smooooooth!")
and the Irish tenor with the recalcitrant denture plate.
"The Silent Spot"
Skelton also recreates two classic editions of The Silent Spot:
The saga of a meek tympanist in a symphony orchestra,
and "Max and Maxine," in which a half-man/half-woman prepares to go out on a double date.

14.25 [488] The Red Skelton Hour: NUTS OF THE ROUND TABLE
16Mar1965 CBS
Guests:
Paul Anka (singer/composer)
Frankie Darro
Jimmy Cross
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Nuts of the Round Table"
The impending coronation of Bonnie Prince Gorgeous (Paul Anka) is threatened by the unexpected return of Gorgeous'
long-lost brother Bonnie Prince Ugly (Red), who has been raised in the forest by a gorilla (played by frequent
Skelton stooge Jimmy Cross).
Musical Highlights:
Paul Anka sings "Sylvia" and "Swanee."
"The Silent Spot"
A octogenarian couple (Red, Frankie Darro) celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

14.26 [489] The Red Skelton Hour: PANHANDLE WITH CARE
23Mar1965 CBS
Guests:
George C. Scott
The Honeycombs (British Pop group)
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Panhandle with Care"
A South Pole explorer (George C. Scott) hires Freddie the Freeloader (Red) as his reluctant assistant.
Musical Highlights:
The Honeycombs perform "Have I the Right?"
"The Silent Spot"
Village smithy Red takes up his usual post under the spreading chestnut tree.

14.27 [490] The Red Skelton Hour: AH, SWEET MISERY OF WIFE
30Mar1965 CBS
Guests:
Raymond Burr (return visit)
The Kinks (British Pop Group)
Shirley Mitchell
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Ah, Sweet Misery Of Wife"
George Appleby (Red) is so henpecked by wife Clara (Shirley Mitchell) that he sells his soul to Satan (Raymond Burr)
to regain his bachelorhood.
Musical Highlights:
The Kinks perform "Got Love If You Want It."
"The Silent Spot"
Red mimes the role of a self-indulgent millionaire (hardly a stretch, considering Skelton's real-life financial situation).

14.28 [491] The Red Skelton Hour: THE UNTEACHABLES
06Apr1965 CBS
Guests:
Patrice Munsel
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "The Unteachables"
A truant officer forces the overaged Clem Kadiddlehopper (Red) to return to school, where our hero is smitten by
purty schoolmarm Miss Alvira (Patrice Munsel).
Musical Highlights:
Patrice Munsel sings a mixture of operatic and pop tunes.
"The Silent Spot"
Red Skelton portrays the wolf in the "Little Red Riding Hood" story.

14.29 [492] The Red Skelton Hour: JUNIOR'S BUSTIN' OUT ALL OVER
13Apr1965 CBS
Guests:
Paul Ford (Colonel Hall in "The Phil Silvers Show")
Jan and Dean
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Junior's Bustin' Our All Over"
"Mean Widdle Kid", Junior Cavendish (Red) heads to the Pentagon to "assist" his grandfather, General Hap Hazard (Paul Ford).
Musical Highlights:
Jan & Dean sing a medley of their surfin' and drivin' hits including "Surf City."
"The Silent Spot"
Red appears as a new employee trying to make good during his first day on the job.

14.30 [493] The Red Skelton Hour: THE GAIL OF THE GOLDEN WEST
20Apr1965 CBS
Guests:
Connie Stevens
Chanin Hale
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "The Gail of the Golden West"
Sheriff Deadeye (Red) saves himself from the hangman's noose when he claims that Connie (Stevens) is his long-lost daughter.
This plot device would later do service for Jack Nicholson in the theatrical feature Goin' South,
Musical Highlights:
Connie Stevens sings "After You've Gone" and "When in Rome, I Do As the Romans Do."
"The Silent Spot"
Dramatizes a Gay 90s elopement, with Red as the suitor and Chanin Hale as his sweetheart.

14.31 [494] The Red Skelton Hour: TA RA RA BUM TODAY
27Apr1965 CBS
Guests:
Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster in the sitcom "The Munsters")
Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas (British Pop Group)
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "Ta Ra Ra Bum Today"
Hobo Freddie, the Freeloader (Red) camps out in the spooky domicile of Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne).
Musical Highlights:
Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas perform "Little Children" and "From a Window."
"The Silent Spot"
An adventurous tourist (Red) tries to snap pictures of the Eiffel Tower.

14.32 [495] The Red Skelton Hour: MORE TRUTH THAN POULTRY (final B&W episode) (last program of 14th TV season)
04May1965 CBS
Guests:
Martha Raye (second of her two guest appearances during 1964-65 season)
*
Main Comedy Sketch: "More Truth Than Poultry"
Executive Virginia Veep (Martha Raye) of the I.O.U. TV network hires two new ratings experts:
Clem Kadiddlehopper (Red) and his pet goose Shirley.
Musical Highlights:
Martha Raye sings "Miss Otis Regrets" and "Shooting High".
"The Silent Spot"
Red  plays a Parisian lover.

 Note: All episodes from this point would be seen in "living color".

############ The Red Skelton Hour ############
############## end of season 14 ###############
##############################################

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