In Humperdoo’s Little Prescription, the CIA sends an agent (Jill St. John) to find out why armies are disappearing. Humperdoo (Red Skelton) has invented a shrinking potion.
Humperdoo’s Little Prescription, with Jill St. John – The Red Skelton Hour season 20, originally aired January 11, 1970
Monologue | Humperdoo’s Little Prescription | Silent Spot | Cast
Monologue
- I feel really good tonight, and you know why? We’ve got a new commissary here at NBC that I didn’t eat in.
- They’re thinking of opening up a whole string of NBC commissaries, and they’re going to name it “Heartburn Delight”.
- I saw a waitress there serving shish kebob on a flaming sword to the guy next to me, and I thought to myself, “Not only is he gonna get heartburn, he’s gonna get a preview of what it’s gonna look like!”
- Opening day, there were 100 people standing in line …. And that was just for the stomach pump!
- Everything’s made to order. I’m going to get a recipe from there — how do you make stale cake?
- They have one item over there that’s called Poultry Soup. Now I don’t know how NBC gets that peacock to back into that pot of hot water …
- Everything’s finger-licking good. There’s no knives or forks …
- I get to the commissary early, about 7 in the morning. Flies don’t get up until 9 …
- Yesterday I says to the waitress, “There’s a fly drowning in my soup”. She says, “What do you want me to do, give it mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?”
- I ordered beef stew, and I said to this waitress, “Would you mind taking your finger out of my beef stew?” And she says, “If I do, you ain’t gonna have no meat in there at all.”
Red ends the monologue with a pantomime about trying to discreetly remove a seed from his teeth.
Humperdoo’s Little Prescription
In Humperdoo’s Little Prescription, the CIA knows that two different armies have disappeared, and that Doctor Ludwig Von Humperdoo is somehow responsible. So they send their agent XK to infiltrate as Humperdoo’s assistant, Frieda, and find out. So he takes a brief moment to get into his disguise!
At Humperdoo’s lab, XK/Frieda finds out that Humperdoo’s invented a shrinking formula! Hidden in a safe, inside a giant tea bag.
So, XK/Frieda robs the safe, while Humperdoo’s lying down for a nap.
She gets the formula into a bucket, leading to some punish jokes:
Humperdoo: Somebody’s going to kick the bucket?
Humperdoo: You’re looking a little pail …
But, she throws it at him offscreen, reducing him to Little Humperdoo! Frankly made me wonder about Austin Power’s Mini Me. Especially after the full-sized Humperdoo joins them on stage, explaining he’s using his newest invention, the Xerox formula! And the sketch ends.
Silent Spot – Day After the Bachelor Party
The Silent Spot entry, Day After the Bachelor Party, is simply hilarious! Playing a variation on his Willie Lump Lump character, Red wakes up the morning after, in a massive pile of beer cans! The place is an unmitigated disaster. The hungover man tries to make something in the mixer to help him sober up — which is one of the most hilarious pantomimes I’ve ever seen.
Then, he hears snoring! One of his guest fell asleep inside the pull out sofa! Then, he hears a phone ringing. And its character actor Jimmy Cross, in the closet. The phone rings – it’s for Jimmy, who walks out of the apartment, with the phone! This is long before mobile phones. Then, following the Rule of Three, there’s still snoring! Inside his hollowed-out TV set, it’s Mini Humperdoo from the main sketch! Who wakes up and walks out.
Finally, his bride-to-be shows up! She’s understandably upset – he’s hung over, his tuxedo’s stained, and his breath could stop a tank! And that’s before he shows her the enormous cake! There’s a sign, “Goodbye freedom, hello ball and chain”. And then a pretty girl pops out of the cake!
Cast of characters
- Red Skelton … Host / Dr. Ludwig von Humperdoo / Gertrude and Heathcliffe
- The Burgundy Street Singers … Themselves
- David Rose and His Orchestra … Themselves
- Frank Delfino (McDonaldLand) … Mini Humperdoo
- Art Gilmore … Announcer
- Michael Ross (D.O.A.; Attack of the 50 Foot Woman) … Head of CIA
- Jill St. John (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World) … Freida, Humperdoo’s assistant
- Jimmy Cross (The Amazing Colossal Man) … drunken guest at the Silent Spot party.