I enjoyed this variety show very much in my late pre-teen and teenaged years. ISTR that Red would open with a monologue as with your typical comedian-based variety show. “Gertrude and Heathcliff, the two seagulls” is an especially memorable recurring sketch.
Once in a while Red would get very serious during his opening time, as with a salute to the Pledge, recalling what one high school teacher analyzed. This would be very easily located on youtube. Not that I was ever inclined to look for it.
There was an especially moving reading of a letter ostensibly from a lonely little preteen gal that was moving in a gut-wrenching way even at the young age I viewed it.
“I wonder why some people don’t like me.” It started…
She then listed a number of things and perhaps people that she was fond of. The only one I recall was “angels, with wings.”
The letter ended with the same question as it started with.
“I wonder why some people don’t like me.”
Mr. Skelton then hold up the snapshot ostensibly included with the letter.
The picture is of a very friendly-looking preteen black girl, with a sweet smile.
I’m having trouble locating it on youtube with every word search I can think of, so any help would be much appreciated.