The Hillbillies – what use is bear grease?
The Hillbillies is a short sketch, aka. a one minute drama, courtesy of The Red Skelton Hour episode, “A New York Stripper is not Always a Steak“.
Cast: 3 clowns, 2 dressed as hillbillies, 1 in a bear suit
Props: a small table with a can on it.
As you could guess from the name “one minute drama” this is a very short sketch, although it could be expanded. It begins with one hillbilly on stage, standing next to the table. The second hillbilly enters, and greets the first. Feel free to use any of the clown handshakes here. After they greet each other, the second hillbilly asks the first one what’s in the can.
“Bear grease.”
“Bear grease? That’s the silliest thing I ever hear of. What earthly use is bear grease?”
At this point, the person in the bear costume enters, walking across the stage in front of the other two, squeaking loudly as he goes.
The first hillbilly grabs the can of bear grease and follows after the bear — “Wait a minute, I’ve got what you need right here …”. The second hillbilly reacts for the audience.
Notes
As is, this is fine as a short skit. It could be turned into a running gag in a longer show, with the squeaky bear walking across the stage, with the hillbilly carrying the can of bear grease following after him. If so, don’t forget the rule of three.