Red Skelton - 1969

Red Skelton was a comedian who started as a circus clown, moved to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, nightclubs and casinos all while he was pursuing a career as a painter.  I remember seeing him on random television shows like the Tonight Show and similar type of formats periodically as a child.  He had a television show in the 1960's and it was cancelled in 1970.

He was known for comedic sketches and so, it was no suprise when he made the Pledge of Aligence his monologue as Skelton performed on his 1969 television show.  He comments on the meaning of each phrase of the Pledge as was done on the Amos and Andy Show in the 1930's as Amos tells his daughter Arbadella about the Lord's Prayer.  Red also did a recitation of the Candian National Anthem.

 

At the end of his Pledge of Alligence rendition, he added: "Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer and that would be eliminated from schools too?"   Some say this was Red's way of targeting the political winds that were arguing that the inclusion of "under God" in a pledge recited daily in U.S. public schools violated the First Amendment separation of church and state.  Because of  Skelton's rendition he suddenly regained popularity among religious conservatives who wanted the phrase to remain.

Here are the words to the Pledge of Alligence as Red's teacher, Mr. Laswell recited it to the class:

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's 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 48 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's love for country.
And to the 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 quality of dealing fairly with others.
For all, which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

***~~**~~***

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?