HAR-DE-HAR-HAR, HOMINA-HOMINA

AND VA-VA-VA-VOOM!

A Honeymooners Chronology by John Larrabee
Part One - 1951 to 1955



1951-1952 (The DuMont Network):

"The Honeymooners" premieres as a recurring sketch on DuMont's CAVALCADE OF STARS. Jackie Gleason and Art Carney appear in their familiar roles of Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton, while Pert Kelton portrays Alice Kramden. For one episode, Trixie Norton is played by Broadway legend Elaine Stritch. (Note: in the first ever Honeymooners sketch, Carney played a neighborhood cop - Ralph's best friend Ed had not been invented yet.)

   For years, it was believed that no DuMont shows existed, as most of the networks' old kinescopes had been destroyed in a studio fire (thankfully, this unfortunate occurance served to motivate Jackie Gleason to preserve and maintain copies of all of his subsequent shows). The only known record of the original cast was the performance of a Honeymooners sketch on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW in the early summer of 1952.  Then, in the early 1990s, several of the DuMonts miraculously appeared and were aired for the first time in over forty years on a Disney Channel special. 

   The most revealing aspect of the early shows lies in the performances of Pert Kelton. For years, those who were around at the time spoke of how wonderful Pert was in the role. The newly-found kinescopes confirm this. Audrey Meadows may well have been a funnier Alice, but Kelton was probably truer in spirit to Gleason's original conception of the role. Kelton had the physical appearance of a woman who had probably been a great beauty in her younger days, but who now looked as though she had made a living as Rocky Marciano's sparring partner. Although the sketches themselves are louder and more combative than mid-50s Honeymooners, Kelton's very presence adds to the despair and near-pathetic atmosphere which always loomed quietly over the Kramden household. 

   The standard "Baby, you're the greatest!" ending to so many episodes may have grown a bit cliché over the years, but there is nothing pat or insincere about these scenes as Gleason plays them with Kelton. One particular episode contains one line which is particularly revealing, and which was never repeated over the years. After Ralph has made a fool of himself once again, he paces the floor and offers his standard heartfelt apology ("Boy, I don't know why you put up with a clam like me...").  Looking into Alice's once-again-forgiving eyes, he says, "You're all I got." In his colorless world of $63 a week, Ralph's only true purpose in life is the woman he loves. One cannot picture this line being delivered to Audrey Meadows without an underlying wink or "aw, shucks" quality to it all, and everyone goes home happy. When the line is delivered to Kelton, everyone goes home having been kicked in the gut.

   Joyce Randolph had appeared on a early Gleason show in which she did a dramatic scene with Jackie.  She was hired for this show when one of Gleason's producers wanted to date Joyce's roommate, also an actress;  originally, the roommate was hired for the role. When the roommate was unable to honor the commitment, Joyce was a last-minute replacement.  Later, when Gleason didn't particularly care for how Elaine Stritch had handled her one and only stab at Trixie Norton, he said "Get me that serious actress".  Through chance and a whim, Joyce Randolph lucked into a featured role in a television classic. Years later when asked during an interview what attracted her to the role of Trixie, she said with a laugh "Nothing attracted me - they just threw me into it!"

SUMMER, 1952: 

To ballyhoo the Gleason show's move to CBS, a summer theatre tour was undertaken by the entire cast.  Most of Gleason's regular routines were featured, including a Honeymooners sketch. It was during this tour that Pert Kelton was blacklisted for alleged communistic activity, marking the end of her days as Alice Kramden. She was replaced for the duration of the tour by actress Ginger Jones, the most obscure of all Alices, whose greatest claim to fame this remains.

THE FIRST CBS SEASON, 1952 - 1953:

The format of the (live) CBS show was virtually the same as it had been for DuMont. THE HONEYMOONERS was still a 10-minute weekly sketch during that first CBS season, only by this time Audrey Meadows had replaced Pert Kelton as Alice Kramden. Meadows had earned a reputation as a deft comedienne, thanks to her appearance on Broadway with Phil Silvers in TOP BANANA, and her regular appearances on Bob and Ray's CBS radio and television shows. Gleason initially rejected Meadows as "too pretty" for Alice, but recanted when she submitted a series of photos of herself in the most slovenly poses and costumes imaginable.  "Jesus, she really IS a dowdy-looking broad," said Jackie upon seeing the shots. "Any dame with that kind of sense of humor has got something we can use."

    Despite the presence of Meadows, the 1952-53 sketches still retain the combative flavor of the DuMonts, which was gradually softened by the end of the season.  

Top Five Episodes, 1952-53:

1.  SUSPENSE
Ralph thinks Alice is planning to murder him after he overhears her rehearsing lines for a play.
2.  NORTON MOVES IN
Ed and Trixie spend a sleepless night with the Kramdens, as they can't stand the smell of their freshly-painted apartment.
3.  HOT TIP
The Kramdens and Nortons prepare for a day at the track.  Memorable as it includes a hilarious moment when Gleason realizes that his fly is unzipped.
4.  GLOW WORM CLEANING
Alice has the chance to appear in a magazine ad, until Ralph ruins everything.
5.  ALICE PLAYS CUPID
Alice arranges for a blind date for Ralph's boss.

THE SECOND CBS SEASON, 1953 - 1954:

Early into this season, Gleason experimented with a couple of hour-long Honeymooners shows. It proved so successful that, by midseason, this was the format for well over half of the Gleason shows. The consistency of the next two seasons was not yet there, but there are some truly excellent shows to be found from 1953-54.

Top Five Episodes, 1953-54:
1.  GOOD BUY AUNT ETHEL
A regular riot of an episode, in which Ralph tries to marry off Alice's Aunt Ethel to get her out of his apartment.
2.  LETTER TO THE BOSS
One of the first full-length episodes and one of the best.  A prototypical episode, in which virtually all elements of the Honeymooners universe are in full display.  In it, Ralph mistakenly thinks he has been fired and dashes off a rude letter to the boss of the bus company.
3.  SANTA AND THE BOOKIES
Ralph thinks Alice is pregnant, moonlights as a sidewalk Santa for some extra cash, and winds up unwittingly involved in a gang of bookmakers.
4.  HAIR-RAISING TALE
Ralph and Norton invest in a bogus hair restorer.
5.  STAND-IN FOR MURDER
Ralph is a dead ringer for a mob boss, and winds up the target of a hit attempt.
(Honorable mention: TWO TICKETS TO THE FIGHT, CHAMPAGNE AND CAVIAR, HALLOWEEN
PARTY, NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY, VACATION AT FRED'S LANDING)

THE THIRD CBS SEASON, 1954 - 1955:

The season closest in quality to the Classic 39 of the following year, and the one which, at the time, convinced the CBS brass that THE HONEYMOONERS could stand on its own as a weekly half-hour series.

Top Five Episodes, 1954-55:

1.  THE ADOPTION
Ralph and Alice adopt a baby girl.  Although the premise, and even some of the lines, seem to have been lifted from the Cary Grant-Irene Dunne sudser PENNY SERENADE, this remains, unquestionably, the greatest Honeymooners episode of all time.  Such a tearjerker that many forget it is also one of the funniest-ever shows (Social worker: "Are there any nearby places of recreation where the child can play?"  Ralph: "Yeah, there's a pool hall right down the street.").  Razor-sharp timing throughout, indicating that all involved may have sensed this to be a very special episode and give it their all.  Gleason, especially, delivers a magnificent performance. Typical fan reaction after seeing this one for the first time is a somewhat numb, softly-murmured "wow".
2.  KRAMDEN VS. NORTON
Ralph and Ed battle over ownership of a TV set won in a raffle.
3.  SONGS AND WITTY SAYINGS
Ralph and Ed rehearse a routine for a talent night at a local theatre.
4.  STARS OVER FLATBUSH
Ralph becomes obsessed with astrology, and it affects every decision he makes.
5.  SONGWRITERS
Ralph and Ed compose a song which actually achieves some success. The first time in which we learn that Norton must warm up for piano-playing with a few bars of "Swanee River".
(Honorable mention: RALPH'S SWEET TOOTH, GAME CALLED ON ACCOUNT OF MARRAIGE,
THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE, TEAMWORK BEAT THE CLOCK, BROTHER-IN-LAW, THE HYPNOTIST,
CUPID, A LITTLE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE, PEACEMAKER, and BOYS AND GIRLS
TOGETHER.)

THE "CLASSIC 39" SEASON, 1955 - 1956:

For this one season, THE HONEYMOONERS appeared in the form of a filmed, half-hour sitcom.  Quite simply, one of the greatest bodies of work in the history of American comedy.  

Top Five Episodes, Classic 39:

1.  BETTER LIVING THROUGH TV
"Homina - homina - homina...Chef of the Future!"
2.  THE $99, 000 ANSWER
"Homina - homina - homina...Ed Norton?"
3.  THE GOLFER
"Hello, Ball!"
4.  'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
"It's a bowlin' bag ball!  I mean a bowlin' ball bag!"
5.  A DOG'S LIFE
"How would you feel if you gave your boss dog food to eat?"
(Honorable mention: The other 34.)

Main Page    The Cast    Chronology Pt. 2     Favorite Episodes    Random Thoughts