Freddie the Freeloader – Red Skelton’s famous Hobo clown
Red Skelton’s most famous character, Freddie the Freeloader, is a happy hobo clown. Unlike Emmett Kelly‘s Weary Willy tramp clown, Freddie the Freeloader had a perpetually upbeat personality, sure that good fortune awaited him just around the corner. He typically (depending on the need of the skit) lived in a ramshackle shack in the garbage dump, where he slept in a bathtub. Although it was a running joke that he didn’t bathe regularly. For instance, in several episodes of the Red Skelton Show, someone asked Freddie the Freeloader if he was alone. Freddie the Freeloader would scratch himself, pantomiming that he had fleas, and reply that he wasn’t totally alone.
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