Those of a certain age, like yours truly, remember somewhat fondly, the long-running "Red Skelton" TV show in all its incarnations. Among Red's comic skits were several favorite characters. One, based on his old pre-TV circus clown act, was known as "Freddie the Freeloader," a happy-go-luck goofball who seemed genetically predisposed to avoid work:
There was a reason that Freddie was a Freeloader, of course—he had a ongoing allergy to work in any form. Once example of this was when Freddie the Freeloader, asleep in his bathtub, was awoken by his alarm clock. He awoke, looked at the clock and exclaimed, “Great Scott! It’s Thursday! I’ve overslept and missed my unemployment check! (pause) Oh, well, easy come, easy go.”
(This citation, interestingly, is excerpted from a clown ministry URL.)
Freddie was so funny in the 1950s and 1960s because he was the antithesis of your average, hardworking, post WWII dad. Today, however, it looks like Freddie's actually been cloned in our own century, as per the following Michael Ramirez cartoon. (Click the graphic to enlarge for easier reading.)
Hat tip to Power Line for the find.
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