One Christmas, Freddie the Freeloader finds A Christmas Urchin outside his shack in the city dump. She’s looking for a father for Christmas … Can Freddie provide a Christmas miracle?
A Christmas Urchin – The Red Skelton Hour season 17, with Howard Keel, Joan Freeman
A Christmas Urchin is a funny and sweet Christmas special of The Red Skelton Hour. Surprisingly, I actually remember watching this when I was five years old. That’s the level of staying power that this episode has.
The basic story has a young girl outside Freddie the Freeloader’s shack. She’s dressed in rags, and hungry. The softhearted Freddie takes her in for the night, since she won’t tell him where she lives. In turns out that she’s searching for a new father.
![Imagined ballet sequence with Jillana and dancing snowmen](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/imaginary-Christmas-ballet-1024x758.jpg)
![in a dream sequence the Christmas Urchin sits on her throne, with Freddie the Freeloader to help her imagine](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/dream-urchin-freddie-throne-1024x766.jpg)
![At the end of the imagination sequence, the Christmas Urchin falls asleep on Freddie the Freeloader's lap](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/urchin-falls-asleep-on-freddies-lap-1024x761.jpg)
Freddie reaches out to Police Sergeant McGoogle who owes him a favor — since Freddie left his precinct! Between the two of them, they find her home. And her mother’s ill from malnutrition, and their apartment is nearly devoid of furniture. Freddie to the rescue!
![The Christmas urchin reads a book to her mother, Kathleen](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/urchin-reading-book-to-mother-1024x760.jpg)
![Freddie the Freeloader having conned an apartment full of furniture for Kathleen & the Christmas Urchin, brings Officer McGoogle to visit](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/cast-at-apartment-1024x760.jpg)
First, Freddie goes to a fancy restaurant, and with the help of a length of rope, purloins a dinner for the hungry lady and child. McGoogle’s given Freddie two dollars to buy some food, so Freddie gives him his change — two dollars! He freeloads wholesale, after all. Then, Freddie swindles some furniture movers to deliver furniture to the “wrong” address, so the family has furniture — for a time, at least.
![Freddie the Freeloader "provides" flower and candy for McGoogle to give to Kathleen](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/flowers-candy-for-kathleen-1024x763.jpg)
![Freddie "borrows" Kathleen's glove, so McGoogle will get down in the snow to look for it. "While you're on your knees, why don't you propose?"](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/freddie-pushes-mcgoogle-into-proposing-1024x759.jpg)
![Proposal? This is such a surprise! And Freddie the Freeloader has managed to get these people together in "The Christmas Urchin"](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/proposal-1024x765.jpg)
And during all this, the kind-hearted McGoogle has been falling in love with the widowed mother. But, he’s shy. So, Freddie intervenes again, and gives him a push into proposing! Making McGoogle, the widowed mom, and the urchin all very happy. McGoogle even asks Freddie to be the best man at the wedding. But, since it’s going to be held at the police academy, Freddie politely refuses.
![Police choir singing Christmas hymns](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/police-Christmas-choir-1024x760.jpg)
![The newlyweds drop off Christmas presents to Freddie the Freeloader](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/newlyweds-give-freddie-Christmas-presents-1024x771.jpg)
![The Christmas Urchin hasn't forgotten Freddie the Freeloader after all!](https://red-skelton.info/wp-content/uploads/Christmas-gift-from-urchin-1024x760.jpg)
Cast of characters
- Red Skelton (The Clown; Whistling in the Dark) … Self – Host / Freddie the Freeloader
- Arline Anderson … Mrs. Hartley
- David Rose and His Orchestra … Themselves
- Joan Freeman (The Reluctant Astronaut) … Kathleen Berry – Widowed Mom
- Art Gilmore … Announcer (voice)
- Jillana … Prima Ballerina
- Howard Keel (Lovely to Look At; Texas Carnival) … Police Sgt. Timothy McGoogle
- Ysabel MacCloskey … Generous Matronly Woman
- Linda Sue Risk … Judy Berry – the Little Urchin Girl
- Gilchrist Stuart (The Sound of Music) … Andre the Doorman
- Billy Beck … Maitre’d (uncredited)
- Paul Bradley … Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
- Bess Flowers … Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
- Bern Hoffman … Furniture Mover (uncredited)
Songs
- Howard Keel, as police sergeant McGoogle, sings a medley of Christmas tunes with a police choir:
- Oh Come All Ye Faithful
- I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
- Red Skelton’s own composition, “The Night Before Christmas”
- Jiliana performs David Rose’s ‘The Tiny Ballerina’.