The second phase in the opening of the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy is set for the weekend of July 25-26.
Phase II focuses more on Skelton’s radio and film career, his personal life and his humanitarian efforts, said marketing director Anne Pratt.
Also highlighted will be his art, his writings and pictures from his time volunteering with the USO and the Shriners
“Phase II focuses on his entire career as an entertainer, from vaudeville to radio, film and television,” Pratt said. “It will look at his creative genius, his composing, art and authorship as well as his humanitarian efforts at the end of his career.
“But what makes it all so special is the amount of interactive exhibits,” she said. “That is what will really bring in the next generation and keep them engaged while they’re here. It’s not just reading panels but having the opportunity to really experience his kind of comedy.”
Visitors will also have the chance to perform right alongside Red with the help of modern technology and a green screen and get a few tips from the legend himself on how to effectively tell a joke.
The celebration kicks off with a dinner on July 25. Tickets are $100 and only 100 will be sold, Pratt said.
Ticket-holders will have the opportunity to visit with Skelton’s widow, Lothian, over cocktails and appetizers, with the dinner beginning at 5 p.m. at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center, 20 Red Skelton Blvd.
“This will be a chance for Red’s really big fans to talk to her, have dinner with her, have their photo taken with her,” Pratt said.
Also at that event, one of Skelton’s coats, a Shearling jacket, will be auctioned off with the proceeds going back to the museum.
Those 100 people will then be the first to see the Phase II exhibits at the museum.
On July 26, Branson, Mo.-based Skelton impersonator Tom Mullica will perform at the center. Tickets are $30 with the show starting at 7 p.m.
To reserve tickets for either event, call 812-888-4184.
Mullica performed here last year during the 100th-anniversary celebration of Skelton's birth and the grand opening of he museum.
“We had a lot of really good feedback from his first show. People enjoyed him,” Pratt said. “And Mrs. Skelton loves him. He knew Red. Red gave him tips on his performance years ago. She thinks he is amazing.”
The performing arts center was first opened in 2006, and those like the late Philip Summers who hoped to one day see a museum opened in Red’s honor began their first capital campaign in 2010. Then a Lilly grant of $1 million in 2012 kick-started efforts to finally see the museum finished.
Pratt said after so many years of waiting and hoping, it’s wonderful to see the museum nearing completion.
“It’s going to be great, and I think we’ll keep moving forward,” she said. “We’ll have rotating exhibits, and I really want to see us focus on an educational program.”
Pratt said she hopes to incorporate a visit to the museum in with state curriculum standards as well.
“I want to show these school tour groups that Vincennes is not just a historic community but one with a legacy of laughter, too,” she said.