The Red Skelton Show | Season 4 | Episode 14 | Cop and the Anthem

It’s Christmas Eve and the snow is falling thick and fast. Muggsy tries to convince Freddie the Freeloader to hop a freight train bound for Florida with him, but Freddie has other ideas. He plans to commit a minor crime and get himself sentenced to the county jail. With any luck, he’ll be incarcerated in time to hang his Christmas stocking next to the other inmates’. Time after time, Freddie’s plans are thwarted. The Maitre D at a fancy restaurant is convinced Freddie’s a famous millionaire in disguise and won’t charge him for his meal. Freddie tries to steal a bracelet from a jewelry store, but it falls through his pocket onto the floor. His attempt to assault a police officer fails when he slips on the proverbial banana peel. Frustrated and freezing Freddie walks in front of a church holding a Christmas Eve service and, listening to the uplifting music, decides that he’s not too old to start life anew. In fact, a young choir boy promises him a job in his father’s factory. Happy with his decision, Freddie strides away from the church door – straight into the arms of a policeman who arrests him for vagrancy.

Director: Seymour Berns
Writers: O. Henry, Sherwood Schwartz
Starring: Red Skelton, Mary Treen, Maurice Marsac

The Red Skelton Show is an American television comedy/variety show that, from 1951 to 1971, was an entertainment staple and an institution to a generation of viewers. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard “Red” Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star.

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