Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio – "Red Skelton 1946-01-01: Bells and Resolutions"

Episode Overview

This episode of Harold's Old Time Radio brings listeners a classic New Year’s broadcast from "The Raleigh Cigarette Program" starring Red Skelton, originally aired on January 1, 1946. The show is a blend of zany sketches, musical performances, and satirical reflections on New Year's resolutions and holiday celebrations. With a cast featuring Verna Felton, Anita Ellis, and more, Red’s trademark wisecracks and slapstick routines deliver a nostalgic slice of postwar American radio comedy just as families in the 1940s might have heard it.

Key Discussion Points & Segments

1. Opening Banter and New Year's Reflections

[01:11 – 03:55]

• Red and Tim exchange classic New Year's greetings, poking fun at the repetitiveness of the gesture:
  • Red Skelton: “Happy New Year to you, Tim. Happy New Year to you. Well, happy New Year to you. Well, we’ve kicked that around enough for this year.” [01:20]
• Recap of 1945 events in humorous snippets—mentioning the end of WWII, returning servicemen, and even comic strips going on a diet.
• Comedic take on holiday celebrations:
  • Red quips about Californians getting soaked, crowded festivities, and New Year’s antics:
    “People were climbing up those Christmas trees like monkeys. They had to give me a banana before I’d come down.” [02:27]
• Playful dialogue about New Year’s resolutions and keeping them:
  • Red: “Yeah, I got a couple I’ll sell you.” [03:18]
  • Tim: “I won’t be able to keep them.” [03:19]

Notable Quote:

Red Skelton: “I had nothing to do with it. I woke up this morning and there it was.” [01:30]

2. Anecdotes from Cast on Their New Year’s Eve

[03:24 – 03:55]

• Verna Felton’s tongue-in-cheek story about a New Year’s intruder and her wish to “kill him”—later revealed to be a comic setup.
• The cast riffs on the theme of New Year’s resolutions and humorous mishaps:
  • Junior: “Gee, that’s awful.”
  • Anita Ellis: “What did you do?”
  • Junior: “I nearly got killed.” [03:49–03:51]

3. Recurring Prize and Promotion Segments

[04:01 – 05:36] (Also recurs at [16:09 – 17:36])

• Red and Tim weave in the Raleigh Cigarettes car giveaway contest with comedic flair—while still playing to their 1940s sponsor expectations.
  • Red’s joke about the winner:
    “The winner of December 28th was my cousin Joe. And will he be surprised he didn’t even send in an entry. No, I’m kidding. The real winner was Carl Bergstrom Jr. of Superior, Wisconsin...” [05:15–05:36]

4. Musical Interlude: "How Deep is the Ocean"

[05:50 – 08:27]

• Anita Ellis delivers a heartfelt rendition of Irving Berlin’s classic, providing a mellow interlude sandwiched between comedy sketches:
  • “How much do I love you? I’ll tell you no lie. How deep is the ocean? How high is the sky?...” [06:14]
• Red graciously thanks Anita after her performance. [08:27]

5. Skelton Scrapbook of Satire: "Bells and Resolutions"

[08:27 – 16:09]

• Main comedy sketch stars Red’s cowboy character Deadeye and sidekicks, set in Big Fork, Montana.
• Classic Deadeye humor:
  • Verna Felton as Margie spars with Deadeye about his “bow-legged” look and failed resolutions:
    • Margie: “And you’re the same old Deadeye. Still bow legged.”
    • Deadeye: “Oh, I ain’t so bow legged.”
    • Margie: “Well, then put your knees together.” [10:19–10:25]
  • Deadeye consents to ring the “haunted” bell on McGregor Mountain for a $1,000 prize, despite local superstition.
• Cowpoke dialogue filled with wordplay and sight gags:
  • Deadeye’s horse: “Silver? No, this is his brother, Stainless Steel.” [13:13]
  • Hilarious bartering over pay:
    • Jedi: “How much do you pay?”
    • Deadeye: “I pay what I feel like. What do you want?”
    • Jedi: “I want you to feel good. Shall I say $20?”
    • Deadeye: “If you want to, go ahead. Say $20. I’m gonna say $10.” [12:41–12:56]
• The “bear encounter” set piece is classic slapstick:
  • “All right, bear. Now, none of that stuff. Just come a little closer. Well, that was a little too close.” [15:08–15:15]
  • “No, but help me get my pants out of his teeth, will you?” [15:16]
  • “I’ll open your mouth and break your jaws with my bare hands. Oh, well, I can always count that money with my toes.” [15:45]

6. Second Satirical Sketch: Junior and Granny

[20:48 – 27:39]

• Red plays Junior, the mischievous boy, opposite Verna Felton’s Granny.
• Spike of slapstick and kid logic:
  • Junior takes a shower with clothes on:
    • Granny: “When you take a shower, you’re supposed to take your clothes off.”
    • Junior: “Now she tells me.” [21:26–21:30]
  • Junior on New Year’s possibilities:
    • “If me resolutions work out like I had them planned this year, the fire department should be pretty busy.” [22:22]
  • On being asked what New Year’s means:
    • “It means that Grandpa won’t be able to get out of bed for two days, don’t it?” [23:06]
• Family satire and generational quips:
  • “Do you know, Verna, you don’t look a day over 40. Really? No, I’m wrong. You don’t look a day over 35.” [24:57–25:04]

7. Closing Gags and New Year's Wishes

[27:51 – 28:08]

• A final roundup of the usual players, recapping the comedic chaos and extending New Year’s wishes to all.
• Red Skelton signs off, reminding listeners to “remember the boys still overseas.” [28:03]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Red Skelton (Opening Gag):
  “I had nothing to do with it. I woke up this morning and there it was.” [01:30]
• On California Rain:
  “Yeah, in sunny California too. A lot of people got soaked, you know.” [01:38]
• On New Year’s Resolutions:
  “Yeah, I got a couple I’ll sell you.” [03:18]
• Margie and Deadeye exchange:
  “And you look dumb enough to try it.” [10:13]
  “Yeah. Same old gal.” [10:15]
• Cowboy wage negotiation:
  “If you want to, go ahead. Say $20. I’m gonna say $10.” [12:51–12:56]
• Bear encounter:
  “No, but help me get my pants out of his teeth, will you?” [15:16]
• Junior’s New Year’s plan:
  “If me resolutions work out like I had them planned this year, the fire department should be pretty busy.” [22:22]
• Granny’s honesty:
  “All right, so I made a mistake.” [24:43]

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:11 | Opening New Year’s greeting and reflections | | 03:24 | Cast shares their New Year’s experiences and resolutions | | 05:50 | Anita Ellis sings "How Deep is the Ocean" | | 08:27 | Introduction to Skelton Scrapbook sketch: Bells and Resolutions | | 10:19 | Deadeye and Margie reminisce about the past year | | 12:41 | Cowboy wage negotiation with Deadeye and Jedi | | 14:08 | Bear scare and bell-ringing shenanigans | | 20:48 | Second sketch: Junior and Granny’s New Year’s day | | 22:22 | Junior’s fiery resolutions | | 27:51 | Show closing and New Year’s sign off |

Tone, Style, and Legacy

The episode epitomizes the lighthearted, slapstick, and quick-witted humor that made Red Skelton an American favorite. The banter is zany, affectionate, and full of wordplay, painting a vivid postcard of 1940s New Year’s culture. The jokes are timely for the era (wartime shortages, returning GIs) but easy for a modern audience to appreciate for their classic charm.

For listeners who missed the episode: This show offers a perfect blend of gleeful gags, comedic sketches, and vintage atmosphere, with a New Year's flavor. Between wordplay, musical numbers, and lively characters, it's a fitting salute to a new beginning, as true in 1946 as it is today.