STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: RED SKELTON

 April 10, 1958 – "The Day Red Skelton’s World Shattered" was the headlines in the paper. This sad photo I almost didn't publish. More than 65 years after it was taken you can still feel the pain and heart ache.For a man who made the world laugh, this was the day that brought him to his knees. On this day, Red Skelton lost his beloved son, Richard, to leukemia. He was just 10 years old.

Red had searched the world for a cure, hoping that his fame and fortune could save the life of his little boy. But even the greatest love a father could give wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable. The same man who brought joy to millions now faced a sorrow no words or stage could ever heal.

From that day forward, his laughter carried a quiet pain, his performances masking a grief that never left him. Though the world remembers Red Skelton as a legendary comedian, those who truly knew his story remember him as a father whose heart broke on April 10, 1958. A man who, despite unimaginable loss, continued to bring light to others—even hile carrying darkness within.

FORGOTTEN ONES: VIRGINIA O'BRIEN

MGM often boasted that they had "more stars than there are in the heavens' and they were truly right. However for every Judy Garland or Gene Kelly that they had at the studio, they also had "smaller stars" that might night have shined as bright as the others, but nevertheless were worth watching. Singer and actress Virginia O'Brien was one of those stars. Born in 1919, O'Brien might not be remember much 100 years later, but she really added a lot to film musicals of the 1940s.

O'Brien primarily performed in comedic roles during the height of her formal film career. This was in part due to her intentionally humorous singing style, which involved her singing in a deadpan manner, with no facial expressions and very little movement– reportedly she stumbled upon this "gimmick" by accident during a stage show when she became virtually paralyzed with stage fright before singing a number in the Los Angeles stage production Meet the People. The audience found the performance to be hilarious and she was soon hired to repeat this performance in a number of movies beginning in 1940, for which she gained the nicknames "Frozen Face" and "Miss Ice Glacier" amongst others. When she wasn't singing, her acting style was just as emotive as other actresses, and she didn't always employ her gimmick when singing, as evidenced by her performance in the excerpt from Show Boat in the 1946 film Till the Clouds Roll By. She made her Broadway debut in the short-lived musical Keep Off The Grass with Jimmy Durante, and recorded four of the songs for Columbia Records. She also recorded several sides for Decca Records, including two of her signature songs – "The Wild, Wild West" and "Say We're Sweethearts Again."

Among the films she appeared in during her time at MGM were The Big Store (1941) with the Marx Brothers, Lady Be Good (1941) and Ship Ahoy (1942) with Eleanor Powell and Red Skelton, Thousands Cheer (in which she endured ribbing from Mickey Rooney about her singing style), Du Barry Was a Lady (with Skelton and Lucille Ball), the film version of Meet the People with Dick Powell, and The Harvey Girls (with Judy Garland). During the filming of Harvey Girls, Virginia got pregnant with one of her children, and as a result she disappeared from the movie halfway through the film. Only fans of Virginia would know she was gone!

 After appearing once again with Red Skelton in 1947's Merton of the Movies, and after a guest appearance the following year in the short Musical Merry-Go-Round, O'Brien was suddenly dropped from her MGM film contract and she moved into television and back to live performances.

She made two film appearances after this: Francis in the Navy (1955) and a brief appearance in the 1976 Walt Disney Studios comedy, Gus. She was among the stars in a 1972 nostalgia revue entitled The Big Show of 1928 with Allan Jones, Cass Daley, Beatrice Kay and Sally Rand, which toured the country and played New York's Madison Square Garden. In 1984, she created a cabaret act, "Virginia O'Brien Salutes the Great MGM Musicals", which was recorded at the Masquer's Club in Hollywood, and is currently available on CD. She continued to perform well into the 1990s with both her one-woman show and a production of Show Boat co-starring Alan Young, and also headlined The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.

She died aged 81 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California from natural causes. She is buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.She is survived by three daughters, Terri O'Brien, Liz Watkins and Gale Evans; a son, John Feggo; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren...

RED SKELTON AT 100

One of the biggest stars to come out of Indiana would have turned 100 years old this past week, and Red Skelton's hometown of Vincennes is throwing a big party with a big birthday gift.

Fans of the comedian from across the country have made reservations for the grand opening of the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy, built next to the performing arts center named for Skelton at Vincennes University. It also just happens to be across the street from the home where Skelton grew up.

The last of four children, Skelton was born two months after his father died., though he appeared to have inherited a trait - his father was once a clown for the Hagenbeck & Wallace Circus, at the time the second largest circus in the country. It was another historic building in Vincennes where Skelton, as a boy, decided he wanted to be in show business. "He sold newspapers outside the Pantheon Theater," said Anne Pratt, director of marketing for the Red Skelton Museum. "He credits (comedian) Ed Wynn with igniting his passion for performing."

As Skelton told the story, Wynn was in town to perform at the Pantheon in 1923 and bought every newspaper from the 10-year-old Skelton because he enjoyed the boy's newspaper-selling patter. Skelton says Wynn then gave him a ticket to the show, and later invited him to the stage to get a look at what soon became Skelton's future.

Skelton starred in radio - with his own show for 12 years, and also starred in dozens of movies in the 1940's and early 50's. But many remember Skelton as one of television's longest lasting comics - he had a show on the air without interruption for 20 years - from 1951 until 1971. The only time he took off was when his nine-year-old son died of leukemia in 1958.

The museum will feature items donated by Skelton's widow, Lothian, who was 25 years younger than the 60-year-old Skelton when she became his third wife in 1973 - Lothian Skelton will be among those attending the grand opening. "There will be old-style TV's playing some of his classic shows," said Pratt. "The main feature at this time is the character gallery, and six of his most beloved characters each have a section in the gallery." Lothian Skelton donated original costumes her husband used for each of the characters.

The interactive exhibits also include a biographical film in the museum theatre and Red’s famous interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Plans are already underway to continue to expand the Museum with exhibits of Skelton’s career in Vaudeville, radio, and the movies.

Actor Jamie Farr, best known for his role in M*A*S*H, will also appear at the grand opening. Farr grew up a fan of Skelton's radio show, and one of his first jobs in television was performing skits alongside Skelton in the late 1950's...

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VIDEO JUKEBOX: I'LL TAKE TALLULAH

For the video of the month, I have picked a great clip from a so-so movie. It is the movie performance of the Tommy Dorsey hit "I'll Take Tallulah" from SHIP AHOY (1942). The musical number features the cast singing the song, which included Red Skelton, Bert Lahr, and the great Eleanor Powell. Powell does some fancy dancing and even joins Buddy Rich in some drumming. Tommy Dorsye recorded the song with a young Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers, and you just can't feel down when you watch a number like this. Enjoy...