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Let’s Talk About Mother

Red's mother-in-law, Red, and his mother at the end of "Let's Talk About Mother"

Let’s Talk About Mother – The Red Skelton Show season 1, dealing with Mother’s Day in a series of comedy sketches – Lucille Knoch, Ben Rubin

Let’s Talk About Mother – The Red Skelton Show, season 1, originally aired May 11, 1952

Monologue

Red demonstrates making a salad

In his opening monologue, Red thanks New American Weekly and Vogue Magazine for complimentary articles on him and the New York Academy of Arts and Sciences for giving him the Michael Award.

  • [talking about his recent trip to San Francisco] They have wonderful places to eat up there, and it’s very reasonable. In fact, I found one place there where you can eat dirt cheap …
  • I came home and I said to Little Richard, “Hey, Richard, come here.” “Okay, don’t call me ‘Richard’ anymore. I have changed my name to Irving.” “Irving?” He yells, “Richard broke a lamp in the living room, and I don’t want nothing to do with it.”
  • Then the cat comes through, and he looked awful funny. I said, “What did you do, give that cat a poodle haircut?” He says, “I cannot tell a lie, so I will not answer. But that cat looks much better since getting a poodle haircut. Dogs come up and kiss him on the back of the neck.”
  • Telling a story from a cabbie: a guy paid me $50 to drive him off the bridge so he could commit suicide. Crazy, huh? I’ll say so! My medical bills were $150!

He then pantomimes a chef making a salad.

Skelton Scrapbook – Weepy the Cluck

Weepy the Cluck - a Tide commercial with Red Skelton and Lucille Ball, as he's trying to hatch an egg for Mother's Day in "Let's Talk About Mother"

Red presents J. Weepy Numbskull trying to hatch an egg! He’s desperate to become a “mother” for Mother’s Day. Eventually, he gives the gigantic egg he’s trying to hatch to Lucille Knoch, and she leaves. Benny Rubin comes in as the County Commissioner. He’s trying to give away prizes to various people from the county fair. As normal, it turns into a Tide commercial.

Let’s Talk About Mother

Mom waking her son up in the "Let's Talk about Mother" sketch

In another Skelton Scrapbook, named “Let’s Talk About Mother”, Red explains to pal Gil Perkins about what Mother does to keep her family going. It’s a fairly comedic sketch, starting with Mom being the first to get up, and then having to rouse the family. Next, she prepares food for her uncaring family — They don’t leave any for her! She does the work around the house, is taken advantage of — and ignored — by the family, and she’s the last one to bed. And, she’s happy.

Red's mother-in-law, Red, and his mother at the end of "Let's Talk About Mother"

At the end of the program, Red introduces his mother, Ida Mae, and mother-in-law, Gladys Davis.

Cast

  • Red Skelton … Self – Host / J. Weepy Numbskull
  • Jane Darwell (The Grapes of Wrath, Mary Poppins) … Mother in Mother’s Day Skit
  • David Rose and His Orchestra … Themselves
  • Gladys Davis … Self – Red’s Mother in Law
  • Lucy Knoch … Lady Waiting for Bus in Weepy Sketch / Daughter in Mother’s Day Skit
  • Raymond Largay (April in Paris) … Father in Mother’s Day Skit
  • Bob LeMond … Announcer
  • Pat McGeehan … Self – Announcer
  • Edmund Penney … Son in Mother’s Day Sketch
  • Gil Perkins (Batman: The Movie) … Man Listening to Mother’s Day Talk
  • Benny Rubin … County Commissioner in Weepy Sketch
  • Ida Mae Skelton … Self – Red’s Mother
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