The Red Skelton Show
The Christmas Spirit
TV Flash files “ The Christmas Spirit” as hour 389 of 478 in the TV Flash guide — The Red Skelton Show (1951–1971) on NBC/CBS, season 16, episode 14, aired 1966-12-20, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S16E14: listed hour 389 of 478 in the The Red Skelton Show guide, hour 14 of 32 in season 16. It aired 1966-12-20 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Fastest Cuspidor in the West” (S16E13). Next is “The Taming of the Screw-Loose” (S16E15). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Freddy The Freeloader and Greer Garson put on a Christmas play at the Greer Garson theatre for the orphans and Freddy works to save the theatre from Greers greedy relatives.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Christmas Spirit sit in the The Red Skelton Show guide?
S16E14 is listed hour 389 of 478 — hour 14 of 32 in season 16, season 16 episode 14.
When did The Red Skelton Show S16E14 air?
The Christmas Spirit aired 1966-12-20 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…