September 14, 1970-August 29, 1971. This was the first broadcast of the season. After a seventeen year run on CBS, Red Skelton returned to the NBC network where he began, in 1951, with a half-hour taped program. The first four broadcasts included introductions by Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, Dean Martin, Jack Benny, and Johnny Carson, who received his big break writing for Skelton in the early 1950's. This would be Skelton's final year hosting a variety series. Red Skelton holds the all-time record for hosting a television variety series for twenty consecutive years (1951-1971).