Edna Stillwell

Edna Stillwell (May 25, 1915 - November 15, 1982) was a comedy and screenwriter best known for her work with Red Skelton.

Early life Edna Marie Stillwell was born in Missouri to parents George Vincent Stillwell and Dollie Belle Tarwater. She had three older siblings: Ethel, Orville, and Frances. At the age of 14, she was working as an usherette at Loew's in Kansas City, where she met comedian Richard "Red" Skelton. Shortly after, she met him again at a dance marathons also known as a walkathon, where she had been a cashier and Skelton was the master of ceremonies. Stillwell married Skelton on June 1, 1932 in Kansas City, Missouri, when she was 16 years old and he was 19 years old. At the time, she was the only female gag writer in the business. That soon famous phrase "I dood it!" was all Skelton's creation, but the idea of refining the character for use in radio shows was Stillwell's idea. Stillwell was also a writer for the show and developed a system of selecting written materials from the other show writers, adding her own, and filing away unused gags and lines for later use.

Personal life In 1942, Stillwell announced she was filing for divorce from Skelton, but that she would remain as his manager and continue to write material for him. Their divorce was finalized in February 1943. Stillwell also remained the manager of Skelton's financial accounts as Skelton was known to spend money with reckless abandon.

In November 1945, Stillwell married Hollywood film director Frank Borzage. They later divorced in 1949.

In 1963, she married businessman Leon George Pound. They remained together until Pound's death in 1976.

Edna Stillwell died on November 15, 1982, at the Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, California at the age of 67, from cancer.