The Hold Up [vaudeville skit]

The Hold Up is a short vaudeville skit, aka. quick blackout. I first saw it on The Red Skelton Show episode,”Climb Upon my Knee, Dummy Boy“. It goes like this:

Props:

• A can of deodorant.
• [Optional] Bus stop sign

Participants

Only 2 clowns are needed. One is the “hold up” man, (any clown type). The other is the “victim” — probably a tramp or hobo. This could easily be reversed, however.

The Holdup skit

Vincent Price is waiting at a bus stop. Red, clothed like a thief (but no mask) comes up to him. Red puts his hand in his suit pocket, as though he has a gun, and says, “Reach for the sky!” Vincent puts both hands up, and from the pocket Red pulls out …. A can of deodorant! Which he sprays liberally under Vincent’s arm pits.