The infamous "rural purge" in television in 1970-71 swept shows like Hee Haw and Green Acres off the air, but claimed two shows that had nothing to do with rural/country living, too, those being Lawrence Welk's & Red Skelton's variety shows.
Welk and Hee Haw went into syndication in 1971, and reruns of Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, etc., followed suit. The 1970-1 season was the last network season for Skelton, who'd moved from CBS to NBC, his original TV home.
The Red Skelton Museum, a YouTube channel devoted to Skelton, compiled a Silent Spot from December 14, 1970, introduced by a pre-Kojak Telly Savalas, with a half-hour Christmas episode airing a week later, with guest Leslie Nielsen (Bracken's World). Freddie the Freeloader's attempt at conducting the orchestra, and the priceless reaction of Freddie, are worth the price of admission as much as the rest of the show(s).
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