The Red Skelton Show
Is This the Way to Ruin an Airline
TV Flash files “Is This the Way to Ruin an Airline” as hour 446 of 478 in the TV Flash guide — The Red Skelton Show (1951–1971) on NBC/CBS, season 19, episode 24, aired 1970-02-03, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S19E24: listed hour 446 of 478 in the The Red Skelton Show guide, hour 23 of 31 in season 19. It aired 1970-02-03 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Charity Begins at Home, But Nowadays Who Can Afford a Home” (S19E23). Next is “When East Meets West, You've Sure Got a Skinny Country” (S19E25). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Is This the Way to Ruin an Airline sit in the The Red Skelton Show guide?
S19E24 is listed hour 446 of 478 — hour 23 of 31 in season 19, season 19 episode 24.
When did The Red Skelton Show S19E24 air?
Is This the Way to Ruin an Airline aired 1970-02-03 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…