The Pallbearers – two clowns deal with the lack of pallbearers at a funeral.
The Pallbearers is a comedy blackout sketch for three clowns. A “blackout” is a short comedy bit, common in vaudeville. I first saw this on The Red Skelton Hour episode, “Sheriffs are Bought, Not Made“. The set up is as follows:
Props:
- Two wooden horses to lay the “coffin” on.
- The “coffin” — merely a shell, make from cardboard, that the “deceased” person lies in. He’s actually resting on the two wooden horses.
The Skit
The two clowns are standing behind a coffin. The coffin is held up by two wooden horses, and a third person is lying in the coffin, supposedly deceased.
After as much clowning “bereavement” that the two clowns care to make, one of them asks the question: There are no pallbearers! How do we get him to the cemetery?
At this point, the “corpse” sits up, grabs the coffin, and walks off stage!