OVERLOOKED TELEVISION: THE GREAT COMICS

I'm not sure how many people know about Red Skelton today.  His show was one of the most popular on television.  He could be corny and trite but he also had those flashes of genius that could work so well on live television.  I found his laught to be infectious.  One of his more well-known characters was Clem Kadiddlehopper, as seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-jeIdQwKY

There was a reason they called Jackie gleason "The Great One":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvOHieaPgt4

One of the most famous scenes from I Love Lucy shows why we really loved Lucille Ball:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnbNcQlzV-4

Jack Benny was always one of my favorites.  He always made me laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9s8U0O0XPE

Another great favorite was the irresistable combination of George Burns and Gracie Allen.  Here's the very first episode of their telesion show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ae41wbhp7o

Something special always happened on The Abbott and Costello Show whenever Lou crossed paths with Stinky:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQUcmhSvE-Y

One comedian who was far ahead of his time was Ernie Kovacs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc7UdCrJRKI

Another breath of fresh air were The Smothers Brothers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pirpx6j4xdw

Carole Burnett's sketches were exercises in uncontrolled mayhem.  I never cared for "Mama's Family" very much, but almost all of her other sketches work well for me.  Here she is with Tim Conway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gqQYuipF7U

Who made you laugh?  Who's still making you laugh?

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For more Overlooked Film and Television and Whatever, stop by sweetfreedom and say hello to Todd.