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

Audrey Meadows' tough no-nonsense portrayal of Alice Kramden, who gave as good as she got from the bigmouth bullying Ralph Kramden; was a feminist pre-cursor to strong women characters on TV who fought back in later tv shows, like Maude twenty years later, or Murphy Brown ten years after that.

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Goofs

The background in the Kramden's window changes. Sometimes there are windows and fire escapes. Other times the fire escapes aren't there. This happens within episodes, not just from one episode to another.

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Quotes

Ralph: If any of the Racoons ever get sick, it'll be my responsibility to go and visit them.
Alice: Oh, that is a very important responsibility, Ralph. You better start now and find out what the visiting hours are at Bellevue.
Ralph: That did it, Alice - that did it. You have just broken the camel's back with that straw. You have ridiculed my brother Racoons. You have just made fun of something very big that's close to my heart.
Alice: The only thing big that's close to your heart is your stomach.

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Alternate Versions

The original ending had Gleason in front of a curtain doing a commercial for the show's sponsor, Buick. The ending credit roll would begin with "Your Buick dealer has brought you..." and included a credit for Buick spokesman Jack Lescoulie. The credits appeared larger on screen (than in the more familiar 16mm television syndication prints) and were run over a line caricature of Gleason in his "away we go" pose.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Space Mutiny (1997)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

One of the greatest television shows of all time

Whether it's one of the classic 39 or one of the lost episodes, I always have a blast when I watch this show. It is one of the best shows ever to grace television. Everyone on the show was hilarious whether it was Ralph as the big mouthed, short tempered husband, Ed as the goofy upstairs neighbor or Alice and Trixie as the wives who always tried to keep them in line. It never fails to make me laugh out loud when I watch this show and I'd recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh.