The Sultan – The Red Skelton Show season 2 – famous for the first appearance of Freddie the Freeloader.
The Sultan – The Red Skelton Show season 2, originally aired December 14, 1952
Instead of his standard monologue opening, Red appears in a movie theater lobby and performs several skits.
The Sultan
Red is a bored Sultan, surrounded by lovely harem girls. What can he do to amuse himself? He tries phoning for another wife, but that doesn’t work. Jewels? No. But finally one of his harem girl brings him what he really needs – Tide, the wash day miracle! “Now I can rinse a few things out!”
Bum’s Rush
In our first meeting with Freddie the Freeloader, his costume and makeup are different, but his character’s already set! He’s grown out of a pool hall, for some “harmless” pickpocketing. Of the billiard balls! Then Lucille Knoch, playing nursemaid, is pushing a baby carriage. And Freddie steals the baby bottle! And a gag goes wrong, when he tries to throw the baby bottle through the pool hall window. But the bottle breaks instead! Mike Ross beats him up for it anyway.
Then an old school acquaintance “runs into” Freddie with this new car! No harm done, but Freddie picks his pockets of everything he can find, ending with sealing the spare tire off the back! The Freddie dashes into the pool hall and … falls into the pool!
Cast of characters
- Red Skelton … Self – Host / Freddie the Freeloader / the Sultan
- David Rose and His Orchestra … Themselves
- The Four Step Brothers (Shine on Harvest Moon; Here Come the Girls) … Themselves (as The Step Brothers)
- Harry Hayden (Hail the Conquering Hero) … Theater Manager-Opening Sketch
- Lucille Knoch (Executive Suite) … Movie Theater Patron-Opening Sketch / Baby Nurse-Bum’s Rush Skit
- Bob LeMond … Announcer
- Edmund Penney … Movie Theater Patron-Opening Sketch / Bo Roos-Bum’s Rush Skit (as Ed Penney)
- Michael Ross (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman) … Usher-Opening Sketch / Pool Hall Manager-Bum’s Rush Skit
- Gabrielle Rossillon … Harem Girl-Sultan Skit
- David Saber (Mayor of the Town) … Little Boy-Opening Sketch
- Suzanne Ridgway (From Hell It Came; Up in Daisy’s Penthouse) … Harem Girl (uncredited)