Lifeboat is a one minute drama, or quick blackout sketch, courtesy of The Red Skelton Hour episode, “Little Old Rainmaker, He“.
Cast: Two speaking clowns, any type
Props: Two oars (real or foam, etc.). A fake “boat” for the two to sit it. It’s really just a large, four-sided box with no bottom. Fake “waves” – painted cardboard, etc.
The Lifeboat Skit
The skit begins with the two clowns, sitting in the lifeboat, behind the waves, rowing and complaining. They’ve been rowing for days.
There’s actually a fair amount of clown humor that could be inserted here. For example, in the original skit, Red Skelton’s prop oar broke during the skit — so he ran with it for humor.
Other possibilities:
- It starts to rain, so one (or both) pull out tiny clown umbrellas.
- Pull a rubber chicken out of the water — chicken of the sea!
- The “boat” develops a leak – squirting water up.
Anyway, eventually one says to the other that he’s tired of this rowing. The other agrees — let’s get. out of here! So they stand up, pick up the “boat” and simply walk offstage
