Clem Kadiddlehopper – Red Skelton’s country bumpkin character
Clem Kadiddlehopper was one of Red Skelton’s most popular characters, portrayed on radio and television for several decades. Clem Kadiddlehopper was a country bumpkin, slow-witted and big-hearted. Although never intentionally hurtful, he would often cause clownish harm, typically to his long-suffering father. (“When the stork brought you, Clem, I should’ve shot it on sight!” )
Clem Kadiddlehopper was one of Red Skelton’s most versatile characters, often placed in a rural setting to contrast Clem’s down-home values with “higher society.” Examples include when Clem’s worthless paintings become valuable impressionistic art (“Clem the Artist,” a hilarious episode), when Clem sells his family’s fountain of youth water and becomes a Hollywood makeup artist (guest starring Audrey Meadows‘ of the Honeymooners), or when Clem turns the tables on a pair of city slickers trying to con Clem and his family out of their “oil-rich” land.
Depending on the needs of the story, Clem was either afraid of girls or actively chasing them, living on the family farm or working in town (such as in Fish Market)
Trivia about Red Skelton’s Clem Kadiddlehopper character:
- Representatives for Red Skelton contacted the producers of “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show” claiming that Bullwinkle’s voice was an unauthorized use of a character voice created and owned by Red Skelton for his character “Clem Kadiddlehopper”. Producer Jay Ward responded by having a segment on the show where Bullwinkle would address the issue… in a voice that was a deliberate imitation of Clem Kadiddlehopper.
Red Skelton was a legendary comedian. No one will ever replace him. His Clem
Kadiddlehopper character was another good part of his act. I think Red was badly
shafted when CBS dumped his program. If Walter Cronkite has voiced his
thoughts on the matter, CBS would have likely pushed him out the door. I was tempted to write “Clem Kadiddlehopper” on the sign-in sheet at the state employment
office in Mesquite,TX. I refrained frum such action. The leaders might NOT have found that prank amusing. Thank you for your time.
Best wishes,
Alan Strong
that amusing