I am a fan of Red Skelton's movies and was happy to find that he starred in a VERY unusual episode of "Climax!". While this was a suspense anthology series, here it's all played for laughs...and very broad ones at that.
Rusty (Skelton) is a completely inept dufus. He has less intelligence or common sense than a squirrel. Inexplicably, Edith (Ann Rutherford) loves him...though throughout the show you can't see any reason why. The pair have been engaged for five years and can't marry until Rusty makes something of himself. But because he's a dufus, he keeps looking jobs and takes the money they've saved and spent it on some phoney uranium stocks. When he learns they're phony, he tracks down the crooks selling them but is quickly convinced that they are Federal agents...though this really made no sense and you just have to remember that Rusty is REALLY stupid. When the police catch Rusty holding the bag, so to speak, he is sent to prison and STILL thinks these crooks were agents and refuses to tell the authorities about them. So how can this tomato-brain possibly make good and get the girl by the end of the show? Well, this is THE problem with the show--the character of Rusty is too stupid to be realistic or even funny. Additionally, the audience belly-laughs at EVERYTHING he does--whether it's funny or not....and it's mostly not. All in all, a disappointing show...one I really wish I'd never watched. Perhaps a 3 is being a bit charitable.
Rusty (Skelton) is a completely inept dufus. He has less intelligence or common sense than a squirrel. Inexplicably, Edith (Ann Rutherford) loves him...though throughout the show you can't see any reason why. The pair have been engaged for five years and can't marry until Rusty makes something of himself. But because he's a dufus, he keeps looking jobs and takes the money they've saved and spent it on some phoney uranium stocks. When he learns they're phony, he tracks down the crooks selling them but is quickly convinced that they are Federal agents...though this really made no sense and you just have to remember that Rusty is REALLY stupid. When the police catch Rusty holding the bag, so to speak, he is sent to prison and STILL thinks these crooks were agents and refuses to tell the authorities about them. So how can this tomato-brain possibly make good and get the girl by the end of the show? Well, this is THE problem with the show--the character of Rusty is too stupid to be realistic or even funny. Additionally, the audience belly-laughs at EVERYTHING he does--whether it's funny or not....and it's mostly not. All in all, a disappointing show...one I really wish I'd never watched. Perhaps a 3 is being a bit charitable.
