Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy – Vincennes IN

Legacy of Laughter

Upon entering the building we could hear people talking, then chucking, some soft and some deep down belly laughter. Listening closer we heard people reminiscing about what they heard on radios or saw on TV. It was like stepping back in time to the 1950s.

No matter what your heartache may be, laughing helps you forget it for a few seconds. –Red SkeltonA man dedicates his life to entertaining and bringing laughter to all. Stand up performances, radio shows, TV shows, movies, awards and on and on. Honors upon honors yet his mission was a simple one – a legacy of laughter.

Richard Bernard “Red” Skelton was born in Vincennes, IN in 1913 and was the youngest of four boys. His father died two months before his birth. Despite hardships in his early life, he was known as fun loving. This carried him through the hard times and into the arena of comedy.

Red Skelton spent his life entertaining and bringing comedy to anyone anywhere. Yet he was more than a comedian. His talents ranged from artist to writer to musical composer to comedian. Nowhere is this more apparent than the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy in Vincennes, IN. The museum is filled with his various costumes yet also houses paintings and writings done throughout his life.

Red Skelton died in 1997, in 2003 Vincennes University purchased his birthplace and childhood home. The plan was to make the home into a museum honoring Red Skelton’s life and legacy. This dream evolved into the Red Skelton Museum Foundation with the opening of the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy on his 100th birthday.

The museum is filled with interactive exhibits where one can reminisce watching TV shows or movies starring Red Skelton. After laughing and talking about what we remembered from the past, we ventured into more serious items. Many of Red’s paintings and writings are on display. One which impressed us was his writing of what the Pledge of Allegiance meant to him. We believe this is something everyone should read and contemplate.

We came away realizing Red Skelton, the comedian, was a very complex man whose talents abound. More than that, we saw him as a man of great love for his family, his hometown, his country and the world. Maybe without realizing it, he affected us all by doing what he loved most – entertaining through comedy.

Live by this credo: have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Laughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations…Good night, and may God Bless. –Red Skelton

Happy travels and many adventures along your journey.