Seeing Red (1939) watch online HD

This is a great film for study by students of clowning, comedy, or vaudeville. It contains two of Red Skelton's classic routines demonstrating different ways people do things, including his wonderful pantomime of a woman applying make up and getting dressed. (Red also performs this pantomime in the 1944 film Bathing Beauty.) This movie has a great scene of A. Robins doing his act. Robins was famous in vaudeville as the Banana Man. He doesn't produce any bananas here, but his routine is full of many wonderful ideas that can serve as inspiration for today's entertainers. There are also three other vaudeville acts performed in this movie.

When I used to watch 'The Red Skelton Hour' in the Sixties with my Dad, I never realized that he had already previewed many of his TV bits in movie appearances of prior decades. In this short, the story opens with Red offering up a version of his Clem Kadiddlehopper character with the floppy hat, and later on he impersonates a woman putting on makeup. It's a real treat catching these shorts on Turner Classics, otherwise I don't know how I'd ever see them.

In the main story line, Red manages to get fired by an irate boss, and in retaliation, places a hex on him that turns into a pleasant treat for the viewer. Showing up at a swanky night club, the boss encounters a version of his former employee as a doorman, a coatroom attendant, a waiter and an MC for a staged variety show. The double (quadruple?) vision irritates the boss so much he can't enjoy the show.

As for the show itself, there are a number of variety acts, and the one that intrigued me was a funny looking character who kept pulling a warehouse full of props out of his over-sized frock coat. He reminded me of a clown I used to see on kid shows back in the day who called himself the Banana Man. Wouldn't you know it, the actor's name was A. Robins, and he was the Banana Man I so fondly remember. Actually, one of the tip-offs in the story was when he uttered a cat like meow that was a trademark of the Banana Man, so that only confirmed my suspicion even before looking it up.

If you're a Red Skelton fan, one observation you might make is that when he was in his mid Twenties like you see him here, he had an uncanny resemblance to a more modern day clownish actor - Jim Carrey. Or vice versa if you know what I mean. If Skelton was an inspiration for Carrey I wouldn't be surprised, both comedians made extensive use of their rubbery faces to affect various characters.

I haven't mentioned this in prior reviews, but if you're catching these film shorts on TCM like I do, here's a tip. They often show a number of these right in a row and I usually DVR them to watch at a more convenient time for me. Almost always, the start, stop and duration times indicated on the cable channel lineup don't match with the way the pictures are listed, so if there's a particular one you want to catch and intend to record it, I'd recommend recording the one immediately prior to and after the title you want. You'll avoid disappointment not seeing an entire show by virtue of the film stopping right in the middle of it's run.

This is one of Red Skelton's earliest films. It's pretty obvious that in much of it he's basically doing his stage act...and that's okay because the overall short film is clever and fun.

The film begins with Red doing one of his famous bits (pretending to be a woman getting dressed) for his boss but soon ends up getting fired. Before leaving, Red puts a hex on the boss...and the boss seems indifferent. But that night when the boss takes out his girl (Mary Wickes), his eyes start playing tricks on him...and many of the people at the night club look exactly like Red! And, no, Red isn't playing a trick on him...as he later begins seeing all these 'Reds' at the same time!

The comedy portion of the film is cute and fun. Unfortunately, the film COULD have been better. How? A bunch of non-comedic acts are inserted in the film as night club acts...and while they are pretty good (particular the weirdo comic at the end), they only distract from the plot and tend to lessen the impact. Still, it's quite enjoyable and worth seeing.

WE'VE LONG KNOWN of this title, but it wasn't until this past week that we got the privilege of seeing it. We do recall hat SEEING RE was available to the home movie market in the 1970's, albeit in 8 mm or Super 8 silent and B & W versions. It was also probably in an abridged version as it looked smaller than the standard 18-20 minute reel box that was on sale at Sears & Roebuck store near our house. The company was probably KEN FILMS' one of those companies that the rise if the video recorder successfully put out of business.

AS FOR THE content of this short subject, it was rather standard fare that utilized some of the variety acts that were still being seen live in those days. The one central tenet of this film is the young Red Skelton's being captured forever as he was then. His fledgling stage and screen persona uncanny in their embryonic way of showing the future performer that we all knew and loved so well.

ONCE AGAIN WE must credit TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES with bringing this one into our homes. This was as great an historic find as it was in the realm of comedy, film and entertainment in general.