Baby’s First Birthday – The Red Skelton Show season 2
in Baby’s First Birthday, Red Skelton as a baby experiencing his first birthday. Originally aired April 19, 1953
Red opens the program with a pantomime bridge game between Red, his wife, and another couple — Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones (Lucille Knoch) is attractive, causing Red’s wife to be jealous. (This appears to be a precursor to the later henpecked George Appleby and his shrewish wife Clara.)
Acrobats
The team of Park and Clifford carry out their act, starting out as a pianist and singer and rotating into an acrobatic performance. While they’re singing opera!
T-i-d-e
Red actually does a serious, stand up Tide commercial instead of his practice of incorporating the sponsor into a skit.
TV Goes Educational
Red demonstrates how to care for a new baby. Never follow his advice!
Baby’s First Birthday
Red plays a One-Year-Old, in an oversized highchair. He sucks his thumb, uses an oversized pacifier, etc. Then, his nurse (Lucy Knoch) brings in a gargantuan birthday cake. Red plays with the lit candle — and burns himself! Then, he literally throws himself into eating his first birthday cake.
Cast of characters
- Red Skelton … Self – Host / The Baby
- David Rose and His Orchestra … Themselves
- Lucille Knoch (Executive Suite) … Mrs. Jones-Opening Sketch / Baby’s Mother-Birthday Skit / Nurse-Educational Sketch
- Bob LeMond … Announcer
- Park & Clifford … Guest Dancer / Acrobats. An absolutely incredible act.
- Robin Raymond (Abbott & Costello TV Show) … Red’s Wife-Opening Skit
- Ted Stanhope … Mr. Jones-Opening Sketch
- Bob Warren … Police Officer-Opening Skit