Farr said Red Skelton saved his career. Farr told the story in an interview in 2011 with the Television Academy Foundation..They had met before Farr's military service, and Farr worked with Skelton as an emcee and writer on a barnstorming tour entertaining U.S. troops in Korea and Japan. After his active service, while he was still on two years of active reserve, Farr was ready to give up acting when he left the Army, because his father had died, and Farr needed to find steady work to support his mother. But Skelton hired Farr on a personal contract to write for his act, gave him hundreds of dollars in cash to send to his mother, and helped him find roles. "It was Red Skelton who really saved me and kept me in the business," Farr said. For the rest of his life, he said, Farr has worn a St. Christopher's medal given to him by Skelton.