Appleby the Dreamer – bored George Appleby has an exciting fantasy life – that becomes suddenly true! Then music & comedy with Deadeye!
Appleby the Dreamer, The Red Skelton Show season 3, originally broadcast October 27, 1953
Monologue
Red’s opening monologue provides several seagulls gags, and Red Skelton performs pantomimes:
- a bored man at a concert
- a man crying at Irish songs — then lamenting that he’s not Irish
- a young teeny-bopper dancing.
Gertrude and Heathcliffe
- Gertrude and Heathcliffe fly to a chicken farm, to visit with some friends. Is Thelma here? Haven’t you heard? No. She’s gone! Been laying eggs for five years, and died of embarrassment. Found out she was.a rooster!
- Their friend Ida is also gone! She would lay eggs of any color put in front of her. “A blue car would go by, she’d lay a blue egg. A red car goes by and she’d lay a red egg. She’s gone now … Somebody hung a crazy quilt on the clothesline. She stripped gears trying to make good!”
Appleby the Dreamer
Although George Appleby’s appearance is set, his character isn’t — yet. Here, he’s happily married, and even has a young daughter. And she’s a piano prodigy, as well. But George has a habit of telling wildly exaggerated stories, to get attention. And his wife, though lovingly, firmly tells him that she knows his stories are wild exaggerations.
When she leaves the room, however, a beautiful young woman bursts in! She’s in desperate trouble! Can George help? Then her pursuing boyfriend comes in! And George knocks him out! And he’s a wanted criminal! Then the police come in, take the man into custody, and explain that he can’t tell anybody for his own safety! His wife comes back into the room, asks what happened, and “Aw, you wouldn’t believe me anyhow …”
Deadeye
After an opening musical number by The Sportsmen Quartet, the Deadeye sketch takes off, with Deadeye trying to give up his life of violence! Despite multiple attempts by various people to outdraw him! All he wants is to marry his true love, Emmy Lou! But she doesn’t want him …
It’s a very funny sketch, as one after another people try to outdraw Deadeye — and lose. In the end, Deadeye gives up his guns, and swears to never kill again. At which point both Emmy Lou and the bartender pull guns and try to shoot him! But they miss, killing each other!
Songs
- The Sportsmen Quartet sing “The Deadwood Stage (aka. Whip Crack Away!)”
- Nancy Wynne plays “Boogie Woogie Bubble Bee” on the piano
Cast of characters
- Red Skelton … Self – Host/Deadeye/George Appleby/Gertrude and Heathcliffe
- Laverne Andrews (Private Buckaroo) … Self
- Maxene Andrews (Buck Privates) … Self
- Jan Arvan (20 Million Miles to Earth) … Blackie – Dreamer Sketch
- David Rose and His Orchestra … Themselves
- Dick Elliott (The Andy Griffith Show) … Bartender (Deadeye Sketch)
- Adele Jergens (Day The World Ended) … Woman Saved by George – Dreamer Sketch
- Mary Ellen Kay (Voodoo Woman) … Emmy Lou (Deadeye Skit)
- Bob LeMond … Announcer
- Eve McVeagh (High Noon) … Mrs. Appleby-Dreamer Skit
- Tyler McVey (Attack of the Giant Leeches) … Sheriff (Deadeye Skit)
- The Sportsmen Quartet … Singing Cowboys
- Nancy Wynne … Nancy Appleby (George’s Daughter)-Dreamer Skit
You can watch “Appleby the Dreamer” on TubiTV.