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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
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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
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 Buy This Art Print At AllPosters.com |
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.
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