Ep 23. The Hypnotist

The Red Skelton Show was a popular television comedy series that aired from 1951 to 1971. Season 5, Episode 23, titled "The Hypnotist," originally aired on March 3, 1957.

In this episode, Red Skelton plays the role of a hypnotist who is invited to perform a show at a local theater. However, things don't go as planned when he inadvertently hypnotizes a police officer who was supposed to be providing security for the show.

The episode begins with Red rehearsing his hypnotism act in his dressing room. His assistant, played by Pat Carroll, is eager to help, but Red is hesitant. He tells her that he has only hypnotized one person successfully before and that was accidentally.

Meanwhile, at the police station, Officer Swanson, played by Richard Deacon, is assigned to provide security for Red's show. However, he is a skeptic of hypnotism and doesn't believe that it is a real phenomenon. Nevertheless, he takes his job seriously and heads to the theater.

At the theater, Red takes the stage and begins to perform his act. He calls for volunteers from the audience and selects Officer Swanson, who is reluctant to participate. Red begins to hypnotize Swanson, but just as he is about to bring him out of his trance, the power goes out in the theater.

When the power comes back on, Red discovers that Swanson is still in a hypnotic state and can't be awakened. Chaos ensues as Red tries to figure out how to wake him up, but nothing seems to work. The show must go on, so Red decides to continue with his act, even with Swanson still under his spell.

Throughout the rest of the episode, Red uses Swanson's hypnotized state as part of his act, incorporating him into various skits and gags. At one point, he even has Swanson dancing like a ballerina, much to the audience's delight.

However, things take a turn for the worse when Red accidentally gives Swanson a post-hypnotic suggestion to rob a bank. Swanson, still under Red's spell, leaves the theater and attempts to carry out the robbery.

The rest of the episode follows the hilarious antics of Red and his assistant as they try to stop Swanson from carrying out the robbery. Along the way, they encounter a variety of quirky characters, including a group of inept bank robbers and a clueless police captain.

In the end, everything works out and Swanson is safely brought back to the theater, where Red finally manages to wake him up from his hypnotic trance.

Overall, "The Hypnotist" is a classic episode of The Red Skelton Show that showcases Skelton's comedic talents and his ability to improvise in unexpected situations. It's a fun, lighthearted episode that is sure to delight fans of the show and anyone who enjoys a good laugh.