The Illustrious Red Skelton, 33°: The Pledge of Allegiance

The Illustrious Red Skelton, 33°
(1913 - 1997)

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments in television history was on January 14, 1969, when legendary comic, Red Skelton, became suddenly serious at the end of one of his television show as he reminisced about an incident from his childhood.  Something was on Red's mind he wanted to share.  You have to remember that this was during the Vietnam War when anti-war protests had rendered the American flag as much as symbol of divisiveness as that of unity.  It was also a time when the Supreme Court ruling eliminating prayer from schools was still fresh in the minds of Americans.

Red said what he had to say in his own way.  He remembered back to his boyhood, when his teacher, Mr. Lasswell, felt his students had begun to recite the Pledge of Allegiance as if it were a daily drudgery.  He decided to take a moment, and recite it to them, telling them the meaning of each word.  Ever since the first broadcast, Red Skelton's words have remained a perennial favorite--especially around patriotic holidays.

It went like this:

I -- Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge -- Dedicate all of my worldly good to give without self-pity.

Allegiance -- My love and my devotion.

To the Flag -- Our standard. “Old Glory”; a symbol of courage. And 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 we have all come together.

States -- Individual communities that have united into 48 great states; 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that’s love of country, of America.

And to the Republic -- A Republic: a sovereign state in which power is invested into the representatives chosen by the people to govern; and the government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands, one nation -- Meaning "so blessed by God."

Indivisible -- Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty -- Which is freedom; the right of power for one to live his own life without fears, threats, or any sort of retaliation.

And Justice -- The principle and qualities of dealing fairly with others.

For All -- For All. That means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

Now 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 be eliminated from our schools, too?

Red Skelton couldn't have been more right about that . . . that's exactly what's been happening with The Pledge of Allegiance in the years since.  It's been under attack.  In the end, it will be up to Americans to decide the fate of the Pledge of Allegiance in school.  But there is one place where its future isn't in doubt--within the walls of Masonic Lodges across the United States, where it is recited before the opening of every meeting. 

~TEC

Here We Go Again: More Famous Freemason Trivia!



Clark Gable as Rhett Butler

-Long before he was Hollywood’s leading man, Clark Gable worked a number of odd jobs. He worked in a tire factory, he sold men’s ties in a department store, worked at a newspaper, and as a telephone linesman just to name just a few. He once said that at the time Margaret Mitchell was writing Gone with the Wind, and inventing the character Rhett Butler, he was working for four dollars a day as a common laborer in Oklahoma.  That's a long way from Hollywood.

Red Skelton, 33°

-Red Skelton grew up in poverty. By the time he was twelve, he’d already worked a number of jobs, beginning when he was seven years old. He was a newspaper boy, he wracked balls at a local pool hall, in a bordello as a “towel boy,” and for “Doc Lewis” a traveling medicine man where he not only made the miracle medicine, but handed out the bottles to those foolish enough to buy them. He was discovered selling papers outside a theatre by another famous Freemason—vaudeville comedian and later movie and television actor Ed Wynn.

Ernest Borgnine, 33°

-In October 1950, Ernest Borgnine was about to give up on his dream of being an actor—he was too plain-looking, and jobs were few and far between. At best, he might get occasional roles as a cab driver, or a milkman. He was beginning to be more realistic about his future. Contemplating a career as a tugboat captain on the Hudson River, he would never have believed that within five years of that moment, he’d be standing before the Academy in a crowded auditorium—receiving the best-actor Oscar.  In his nineties now and more than 200 film roles later--he's still at it.  Go Ernie!

Will Rogers

-In one of Will Roger’s movies State Fair he worked with a former state fair grand champion boar, Blue Boy, who was massive in size, had large tusks, and a foul disposition. He nearly gave the director of the film, Henry King, a heart attack, when one day he found his missing actor asleep in the pen with Blue Boy, his head resting on the animal. “I’ve always been on friendly terms with hogs,” he said. He got a good laugh, and after the film, the director gave him the animal to eat. Will Rogers didn’t feel right about “eating a fellow actor” so he donated Blue Boy to an agricultural college, where the hog lived out the remainder of his life. Very typical behavior for Will Rogers.

~TEC
 
You'll find many more great stories and facts about famous Freemasons in my book series Famous American Freemasons.  This seems to be a popular topic, so if you have some interesting trivia or stories about famous Freemasons you think I could use for future installments, please email them to me at webmaster@toddcreason.org and I just might use them.  If you want a few more fun trivia facts, just click on the trivia link in the Favorite Topics cloud in the right column on my blog, and you'll see them all.