Red Skelton

7/18/1913 ~ 9/17/1997

My Favorite Comedian of all time on

“The Pledge of Allegiance”

Red Skelton’s Pledge Audio
Pledge of Allegiance by Red Skelton Recorded in January of 1969. Red Skelton telling what each word means in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I—Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge—Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance—My love and my devotion.

To the Flag—Our standard; Old Glory; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody’s job.

United—That means that we have all come together.

States—Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.

And to the Republic—Republic—a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands

One Nation—One Nation—meaning, so blessed by God.

Indivisible—Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty—Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one’s own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.

And Justice—The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.

For All—For All—which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.

And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: “Under God.” Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools, too?

For those of you who may not know who Red Skelton was:

Red Skelton:
(Richard Bernard Skelton)
Comedian, Actor
1913 ~ 1997

Skelton’s father was a circus clown who died before Red was born. By age 15 Skelton was performing on the vaudeville circuit, and in the late 1930’s he found work in Broadway, radio, and film. He performed a comic sketch in The Ziegfeld Follies (1946) and played in numerous comic movies for MGM, including Du Barry Was a Lady (1943). His popular TV show, The Red Skelton Show (1951–71), featured his classic characters Freddy the Freeloader and Clem Kadiddlehopper. In 1988 he received a Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild.
http://www.redskelton.com

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