The Red Skelton Show
How to Succeed in Loafing Without Really Trying
TV Flash files “How to Succeed in Loafing Without Really Trying” as the first listed hour of season 16 — The Red Skelton Show (1951–1971) on NBC/CBS, season 16, episode 1, aired 1966-09-13, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S16E01: listed hour 376 of 478 in the The Red Skelton Show guide, first listed hour of season 16. It aired 1966-09-13 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Jack Jones” (S15E33). Next is “Eenie Meenie Minee Schmo” (S16E02). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Viewer FAQ
Where does How to Succeed in Loafing Without Really Trying sit in the The Red Skelton Show guide?
S16E01 is listed hour 376 of 478 — first listed hour of season 16, season 16 episode 1.
When did The Red Skelton Show S16E01 air?
How to Succeed in Loafing Without Really Trying aired 1966-09-13 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start with Skelton's recurring clowns — Freddie, Clem — and a pantomime sketch that uses the camera's close-up. The blessing is the door close.
In the series
Why this series still plays
The Red Skelton Show is pantomime pathos on a two-decade variety throne: Clem Kadiddlehopper, Freddie the Freeloader, and a closing blessing America treated like a ritual. Physical comedy that outlasted fashions. In 2026 it is the clown-with-a-tear master class, plus the benediction Good night and may God bless.
Red Skelton did not drop a sketch. He filled a weekly variety hour with recurring characters and wordless pantomime that played to the camera's intimacy — primarily 1951–1971 across NBC and CBS, 478 episodes, 20 seasons, a franchise that moved networks without dropping the blessing. Clem Kadiddlehopper, Freddie the Freeloader, Mean Widdle Kid, David Rose's music, and a closing 'Good night and may God bless' America treated like a ritual. Physical comedy that outlasted fashions. Pantomime pathos on a two-decade…
Filed against
- Red Skelton as Host / various characters
Red Skelton hosted The Red Skelton Show as pantomime pathos on a two-decade variety throne — Clem Kadiddlehopper, Freddie the Freeloader, a closing blessing America treated like a ritual. Physical comedy that outlasted fashions. TV Flash…
- David Rose as Music director
David Rose conducted The Red Skelton Show as pantomime pathos with a downbeat — Clem Kadiddlehopper, Freddie the Freeloader, a two-decade variety throne, a closing blessing America treated like a ritual. Physical comedy that outlasted…