The Honeymooners 

A bus driver and his sewer worker friend struggle to strike it rich while their wives look on with weary patience.

Creator:

Jackie Gleason

Stars:

Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Jackie Gleason	...	Ralph Kramden 39 episodes, 1955-1956
Art Carney	...	Ed Norton 39 episodes, 1955-1956
Audrey Meadows	...	Alice Kramden 39 episodes, 1955-1956
Joyce Randolph	...	Trixie Norton 39 episodes, 1955-1956
Jack Lescoulie	...	Himself - Announcer 39 episodes, 1955-1956

Storyline

Ralph Kramden is a New York bus driver who dreams of a better life. With his eccentric good friend, Ed Norton the sewer worker, he constantly tries crackpot schemes to strike it rich. All the while, his exasperated wife, Alice, is always there to bring him down to earth or to pick him up if he beats her to it. For as much as they fight, even dunderhead Ralph knows that she is the greatest and vice versa, despite his constant threats of domestic violence.

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Plot Keywords:

sewer | bus driver | 1950s | poverty | money scheme | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Honeymooners

Filming Locations:

Adelphi Theatre, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jackie Gleason Enterprises, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (39 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (original version) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jackie Gleason was said to become sensitive over the show's continued use of Fat Jokes, as he came to feel they were being directed as much towards him as they were to Ralph. Gleason was believed to be particularly irritated by such jokes ad libbed or improvised by Art Carney and Audrey Meadows.

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Goofs

The Kramden's are said to live in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. Their address is referred to , in several episodes, as 328 Chauncey Street. That address, however, is actually in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn.

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Quotes

Ralph: I've got a
[opens mouth wide]
Ralph: BIG MOUTH!

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Alternate Versions

The original network version used a different announcer and the opening title/credits sequence ended with a plug for the show's sponsor, Buick. For its now familiar syndicated version, the plug for Buick was replaced with a second shot of fireworks.

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Connections

Referenced in Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met (1986)

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Soundtracks

You're My Greatest Love
Written by Jackie Gleason and Bill Templeton

User Reviews

A Cultural Icon

This is one of the greatest TV shows of all time. If you have never seen this, you're in for a real treat. Ralph (Jackie Gleason) is a bus driver for the Gotham Bus Company. He lives in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn with his long-suffering wife Alice (Audrey Meadows). His best pal is the sewer worker who lives upstairs, Ed Norton (Art Carney). Ralph is always scheming to make money. His ideas never work. The things I like best about this show is a) the writing -- introduced phrases that are now part of the American language ("To the moon, Alice!" b) the directing -- look what they did with three cameras that never moved! c) the acting, esp. the improvisation when gags failed -- remember, this was live TV! This show was the influence of the cartoon "The Flintstones", plus a couple of generations of every other TV sitcom.