The Pledge of Allegiance—a commentary by Red Skelton

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Pledge of Allegiance, performed by Red Skelton

As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton’s teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. It is followed by an observation of his own.

From The Red Skelton Hour, CBS TV, January 14, 1969

copyright 1969 Richard Red Skelton

Click to hear Red Skelton recite the pledge; requires QuickTime.

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On January 14, 1969, Red Skelton touched the hearts of millions of Americans with his "Pledge Of Allegiance", in which he explained the meaning of each and every word. Red Skelton's recitation of the "Pledge of Allegiance" was twice read into the Congressional Record of the United States and received numerous awards.

RED SKELTON: "I remember this one teacher. To me, he was the greatest teacher, a real sage of my time. He had such wisdom. We were all reciting the Pledge Of Allegiance and he walked over. Mr. Lasswell was his name... He said": "I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge Of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word:

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

Red Skelton - America's favorite clown, and patriot as well, who recited the Pledge of Allegiance on national TV

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.

of the 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

Pledge of Allegiance
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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

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?"

Red Skelton's recitation of the pledge of allegiance is available on DVD as part of the Red Skelton Christmas DVD.

Editor's note: sadly, Red Skelton was prescient - the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (the most overturned court in the United States of America) has done exactly that.

Courtesy of YouTube.com, here is a video clip of Red Skelton reciting the Pledge of Allegiance:

Bibliography for Red Skelton

Books about Red Skelton

Seeing Red : The Skelton in Hollywood's Closet, by Wes D. Gehring, Steve Bell: A recent (published in 2001) biography of Red Skelton, America's favorite clown. Well-done, well-written, and very enjoyable -- recommended reading.
Red Skelton by Arthur, Marx: An older biography of Red Skelton (published in 1979), somewhat more critical, and not nearly as current as 'Seeing Red'
The Great Clowns of American Television, by Karin Adir: Not limited solely to Red Skelton, but still includes some interesting anecdotes and stories about Red.

Movies with Red Skelton

The Red Skelton Show - Clown Prince Boxed Set: A collection of Red's TV show, with selected scenes from 1951 through 1971 -- a 7 DVD set
Red Skelton:Christmas Show: A collection of some of the special Christmas episodes of Red's TV show -- a personal favorite, including a re-telling of one of O. Henry's short stories, starring Freddy the Freeloader
Red Skelton's Christmas: Another collection of Red's Christmas sketches
DuBarry Was a Lady (1943): Red Skelton, Lucille Ball and Gene Kelly - a very funny, very enjoyable movie
Neptune's Daughter (1949): Primarily a vehicle for Esther Williams, but with Red scoring much laugh time as part of the mixed-up romance
Bathing Beauty (1944): Esther Williams first starring role, featuring Red Skelton at his hilarious best -- recommended. Red is Esther's newlywed husband who has to prove himself to her again ... by being the only male student at the all-girl school where she teaches
Ziegfield Follies (1946): Notable for Red's "When Television Comes" sketch -- otherwise a collection of musical & dance numbers -- very nice, if you're into musicals
Three Little Words (1950): A personal favorite, since it stars Red Skelton & Fred Astaire, in a semi-biographical telling of a famous songwriting team. Red is as amusing as ever, but also sings, dances, etc. -- quite well.
Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1979): I really, really dislike virtually any Rankin-Bass holiday production. This sequel to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is no exception. Red Skelton does the voice of Father Time & Baby Bear, but still... it's a Rankin-Bass. If you like it, that's fine; we all have our different tastes.