Red Skelton

Kurt L Moore

Last night was Tom Mullica’s VIP night, celebrating his tribute show honoring Red Skelton, the master of comedy, at the Music City Center Theater. While watching Tom’s show and reveling in the nostalgia brought about by it, I was struck with a feeling of awe. There can still be perfection in performance. Tom’s wonderful tribute proves it.

I have never necessarily enjoyed one-man shows. Either the actor is not believable in the part he is portraying, or the character is talked about until the act is killed. Tom Mullica, portraying Red Skelton, does neither of these show killers. He is very believable in the part of Red Skelton and he does not kill the act with too much biographical history. From the time he first enters stage left, you know you are seeing Red Skelton. The biographical history is sprinkled throughout the entire show and is made interesting.

I am of the generation who watched Red Skelton on a black and white television. I know and remember what Red looked like, how he sounded and the characters he played. Tom is not only believable as Skelton, but there were many times during the show I would forget this was a characterization and believe that Red Skelton was actually on the stage. He has the voice, movements and look of Skelton, down to a science. He has it all put together and down cold. You will actually believe you are seeing and hearing Red Skelton.

Tom does the characterizations perfectly. The “Mean Widdle Kid,” “Klem Kaddelhopper,” “J. Newton Numbskull” and of course, no Skelton tribute would or could be complete without “Freddie the Freeloader.”

The “Tribute to Red Skelton Show” is remarkable in another way as well. Tom, as did his predecessor, Red Skelton, does comedy that is all but dead. Good clean comedy straight from the fifties and sixties. The comedy is not only clean and wholesome, bringing back good memories of black and white days, but it is also very funny. Tom Mullica is a very funny man, whose comedic timing is as good as Skelton’s and his delivery is pure Skelton. Tom Mullica, portraying Red Skelton is a winner.

The Red Skelton Show, one of the top three all time favorite television shows, ran from 1951 till 1971. Incidentally, the top three were, in descending order, “Sixty Minutes,” “Gunsmoke,” and then, of course, “The Red Skelton Show.” In 1980, Red Skelton sat in on a magic act that Tom Mullica was performing and had a serious talk with him after the show. Tom studied under this great mentor for the next 17 years, until Mr. Skelton passed away in 1997. Red Skelton agreed that Tom would be entitled to use all his personal materials.

Tom has done the master and his personal tutor, Red Skelton proud. If you are old enough to have seen the real Red Skelton on television or caught one of his many personal appearances, you will believe you are again in his company. If you have never seen Red Skelton or if you are just curious, you will be delighted with this show. He definitely brings fifties television to the Music City Center stage, in good clean, wholesome, living color.

You will laugh your way through ninety minutes of pure Skelton. The pantomimes are perfect, the skits are classic. At the close of the show, Tom does Skelton’s Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag, just as the master himself would have done it.

The stage lights fade as we hear, “Good night and God bless.” That is pure Red Skelton.

To Tom Mullica, I say, “Thank you for the performance of a lifetime.”

Branson Critic™

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