Less than an hour before the broadcast, during rehearsal, Red Skelton was seriously injured when a breakaway wall in a prison sketch failed to break.
Red received a concussion, was hospitalized, and was unable to perform. At the last minute, Johnny Carson substituted for Red as guest host, writing his monologue as he drove in to the studio. On the telecast, Frank Sinatra sang "The Gal That Got Away", "A Foggy Day", and "Half a Lovely." A con artist sketch and a Freddie the Freeloader skit had been planned before Red's accident.