Dorothy Kilgallen's column in the Lowell (MA) Sun on 25 October 1951, reported that Red Skelton was planning to build orchestra leader David
Rose into a comedy foil on his television show. She stated, 'What a horrible fate for such a talented musician.'
An article by Al Moran in the Chester (PA) Times on 25 October 1951 stated that while television in general may have suffered from the temporary withdrawal of Dave Garroway, his old spot on Sunday night has been experiencing no void since the debut of one Red Skelton. In shoving the affable redhead into Dave's erstwhile slot, the producers have reached to the extremes in reversing their field. Garroway was the picture of restraint
and composure; Skelton is the completely uninhibited clown. While Red's first show was his best, his subsequent efforts have still been far enough above the average TV comedy to assure a goodly future following. Refreshingly funny, Red conducts a strictly one-man show with no apparent need for name guest stars. Skelton's supporting players are self-contained, for out of this quick-change artist's repertoire come such varied and unique characterizations as Clem Kaddiddlehopper, Junior, the mean widdle boy, and Willie Lump Lump. His unorthodox mannerism of joining in with the audience laughter would be unbecoming and even downright obnoxious to any other performer. But Red is different and he'll be the first to admit it
Upon his discharge from the Army in 1945, he announced, 'I'm the only
Hollywood star to leave the service with the same rank I began with - private.' Skelton's theory that audiences desire sustained comedy roles as
opposed to slapstick antics was first conceived in his post-war films. The success of the Red Skelton Show seems to carry that vindication over into
television.