Imagine a time when a television was a huge purchase. Ralph is a bus driver and Norton is a sewer worker. They live in the most primitive of conditions, their wives at home all day. Alice is the long suffering wife who works hard and gets virtually nothing. Ralph is cheap but he is also frightened of risk. The Nortons are in financial trouble. So when the two families pool money to buy a common set which resides in the Kramden apartment, this leads to huge conflict. Ralph cheats Norton with that old heads I win thing. Anyway, this has all the classic lines, including a threat to send Alice to the moon. This whole series is a treasure. I was amazed that there was only one season.
7 Reviews
The opening episode of what is one of the original classic sitcoms
cashbacher27 March 2021
This is episode 1 of season 1 of "The Honeymooners" what is truly classic television. First aired in 1955, it set the stage for a short run of the original show. In many ways, much of the comedy is overdone. Jackie Gleason plays bus driver Ralph Kramden and the way he yells at everyone, especially his wife Alice, and threatens to send her to the moon are an anachronism today.
In this episode, the Kramdens are discussing getting a television set. The Nortons already have one but want to get a better one and can't afford it. The solution is to pool their money and jointly purchase one. After a bit of chicanery on the part of Ralph, they agree to put the new set in the Kramden residence. This leads to problems of who gets to watch what and when.
Even though the material is dated, many aspects remain timeless. Both men work at steady jobs, yet do not bring home enough to buy a simple television set. Working for a living, yet not living very well is a condition that is still far too common today.
If you watch this with a modern mentality of viewing every shout as an instance of verbal abuse, then you will dislike this episode and the entire show. However, if you accept that it was a different time and the fact that Ralph is all bluff and bluster, then you can sit back and enjoy television history and principles being made.
It is also conceded that the sixties animated show "The Flintstones" was loosely based on the Honeymooners.
In this episode, the Kramdens are discussing getting a television set. The Nortons already have one but want to get a better one and can't afford it. The solution is to pool their money and jointly purchase one. After a bit of chicanery on the part of Ralph, they agree to put the new set in the Kramden residence. This leads to problems of who gets to watch what and when.
Even though the material is dated, many aspects remain timeless. Both men work at steady jobs, yet do not bring home enough to buy a simple television set. Working for a living, yet not living very well is a condition that is still far too common today.
If you watch this with a modern mentality of viewing every shout as an instance of verbal abuse, then you will dislike this episode and the entire show. However, if you accept that it was a different time and the fact that Ralph is all bluff and bluster, then you can sit back and enjoy television history and principles being made.
It is also conceded that the sixties animated show "The Flintstones" was loosely based on the Honeymooners.
Art Carney the highlight
vitoscotti22 March 2023
The absolute bare basics Ralph (Jackie Gleason) and Alice (Audrey Meadows) live in is almost shocking what little they have. But, as brought up by Alice Ralph blows money bowling, billiards, and at his lodge. But he's a cheapskate when it comes to his wife. The highlight of the episode is Ed Norton's (Art Carney) childlike viewing of "Captain Video" which is hilarious. Other than Art Carney's funny antics the episode would only be ok. Jackie Gleason and Art Carney together are pure classic sitcom comedic genius. They're an amazing team together bringing out the best in each other. Frank Marth and George Petrie make their first of many appearances in the classic 39 episodes.
Great Initial Entry
dougdoepke14 June 2016
Apparently this was the first episode of The Honeymooners (1955-56), not to be confused with The Jackie Gleason Show (1952-53), though the earlier series featured many of the same characters, (Ralph Kramden, et al.).
This initial 30-minutes is a hoot, showing why the series is in endless reruns. Ralph's too cheap to buy a TV, even though poor long-suffering Alice pleads for one. So, finally shamed, Ralph gets Norton to pitch in on the purchase price and share the viewing. Of course, that leads to viewing conflicts, mainly because Video Ranger Norton insists on watching his commander, Captain Video (1949-55), any time, all the time. What's more he's got to have his ridiculous space helmet in place, thus looking like some loopy deep sea diver. Needless to say, Ralph's beside himself.
All the elements of the classic series are in place in this first installment. Namely, a wildly bellowing Ralph, a sturdy deadpan Alice, a nutty neighbor Norton, and a steadfast Trixie. Then too, mustn't forget that shrewdly bare-bones apartment where nothing distracts from the comedic antics. It's almost like a stage show, but without the stage. At the same time, the story typically revolves around one of Ralph's misbegotten schemes that has to include Norton. Meanwhile, Alice has to endure it all as the unflappable voice of reason. In short, the framework's already rolling out for one of TV's most enduring and beloved series.
This initial 30-minutes is a hoot, showing why the series is in endless reruns. Ralph's too cheap to buy a TV, even though poor long-suffering Alice pleads for one. So, finally shamed, Ralph gets Norton to pitch in on the purchase price and share the viewing. Of course, that leads to viewing conflicts, mainly because Video Ranger Norton insists on watching his commander, Captain Video (1949-55), any time, all the time. What's more he's got to have his ridiculous space helmet in place, thus looking like some loopy deep sea diver. Needless to say, Ralph's beside himself.
All the elements of the classic series are in place in this first installment. Namely, a wildly bellowing Ralph, a sturdy deadpan Alice, a nutty neighbor Norton, and a steadfast Trixie. Then too, mustn't forget that shrewdly bare-bones apartment where nothing distracts from the comedic antics. It's almost like a stage show, but without the stage. At the same time, the story typically revolves around one of Ralph's misbegotten schemes that has to include Norton. Meanwhile, Alice has to endure it all as the unflappable voice of reason. In short, the framework's already rolling out for one of TV's most enduring and beloved series.
OFFICIAL FIRST EPISODE, AND THE REST HISTORY!
tcchelsey13 August 2023
Jackie Gleason wrote in later years that his biggest regret was not having done MORE, MORE, MORE "Honeymooners" tv episodes. Sad, but true. The show ran only one season, as Jackie was also doing his one hour tv show. Looking back, the tv show has long disappeared, except for brief clips, but the Honeymooners is legendary, comparable to the likes of I LOVE LUCY. WPIX TV in New York City holds the record for having run the series continuously for over 50 years!
This is the first official episode, and may be the very best, as Ralph and Norton put their money into ONE tv set, which naturally stays in Ralph's apartment. Complications (sooo many) arise and its all insane. This is an example of terrific comedy writing and acting. Note the CAPTAIN VIDEO gag here as the pioneer sci fi show was a big hit on the same network DuMont, but was later sold for scrap(!) and only a few precious episodes are known to remain!
There's also a lot of realism and memories in this story. During the early days of tv and NO cable, there were reruns of all the best mysteries and old dark house thrillers in glorious black and white. True to life, Ralph and Norton watch CHARLIE CHAN!
A must see. SEASON 1 EPISODE 1 restored dvd box set.
This is the first official episode, and may be the very best, as Ralph and Norton put their money into ONE tv set, which naturally stays in Ralph's apartment. Complications (sooo many) arise and its all insane. This is an example of terrific comedy writing and acting. Note the CAPTAIN VIDEO gag here as the pioneer sci fi show was a big hit on the same network DuMont, but was later sold for scrap(!) and only a few precious episodes are known to remain!
There's also a lot of realism and memories in this story. During the early days of tv and NO cable, there were reruns of all the best mysteries and old dark house thrillers in glorious black and white. True to life, Ralph and Norton watch CHARLIE CHAN!
A must see. SEASON 1 EPISODE 1 restored dvd box set.
TV or Not TV
studioAT2 July 2020
An early TV show about watching TV
dimplet7 November 2011
Watching an old TV show like this is almost like time travel. No, I did not watch it when it originally aired, but I do remember the Fifties, and the countless reruns of The Honeymooners, and old black & white TVs with rabbit ears.
The TV set they got was an unusually big one, and probably would have cost the equivalent of $1,000 to $2,000 today, so it was not a casual purchase. As mentioned, many people bought on an early form of credit, involving weekly or monthly payments to the store. This episode is listed as No. 1, season 1, on IMDb, yet the show is listed as running from 1953 to 1956, with this episode airing Oct. 1, 1955, which seems a bit odd. Perhaps it actually aired in 1953?
While electronic television transmission and reception was first demonstrated by Philo Farnsworth in 1927, scheduled TV broadcasting took a long time getting to America, largely because of obstructionist patent lawsuits by RCA, which owned NBC. The first non-experimental broadcasts began in 1939, but then World War II interrupted them.
People had been hearing about the impending arrival of television since the 1930s. But not until 1948 did the FCC begin issuing new TV station licenses around the country. So, by 1955, TV was becoming more commonplace, but whether to buy a set would have been a big, long-anticipated decision for some, especially outside big cities like New York, that had limited broadcast fare.
This episode mentions watching The Late Show (no, they were not tuning in to a very young David Letterman), and the Late, Late, Late Show. Back then, The Late Show probably began around 11 p.m. or midnight on WCBS TV in NYC, and consisted of old movies, introduced by Leroy Anderson's The Syncopated Clock (also used on final Jeopardy). It was followed at roughly two-hour intervals (determined by the length of the movie) by The Late Late Show, consisting of even older movies, and possibly The Late Late Late Show, consisting of antediluvian (but not silent) movies, or so I have heard, though few stayed up late enough to watch these movies while awake and still remember them. The episode mentions a Charlie Chan movie, which probably would have been from the Thirties. That old Late Show was where I, and many other New Yorkers, gained our familiarity with old B&W movies.
There were three network TV stations in NYC: CBS, NBC and a sickly ABC, along with three independent stations; there was a public TV station, too, but I'm not sure when it started. This episode was from the old DuMont network, which would have been one of the stations.
Watching Ralph and Ed stay up late watching TV brought to mind the early days of internet web surfing; you could often tell when someone had begun going online because they would come in to work bleary eyed. When Alice talks about being home alone with nothing to look at but the walls of her apartment, it does suggest what life was like before TV, but would be a slight exaggeration, as there was radio, and she wasn't exactly living on a farm. But it was the beginning of our modern addiction to constant media and electronic bombardment, that has since reached a saturation point.
While there were some clever lines in the show, the acting was surprisingly unpolished, in retrospect. Of course, they didn't have videotape, yet, so they probably shot this on film in one take, with most other shows broadcast live, so it wouldn't have looked so different.
Ultimately, shows like this were drivel, so why did we watch them? To relieve boredom, for one. And when you spend big bucks on a TV set, you want to get your money's worth, so you would watch a lot. Back then, people got addicted to TV, and some still are. Having been among the first generation to grow up with TV, yes, I watched plenty, but I also played outside a lot. I was never TV deprived, I don't recall my parents nagging me to stop watching TV, and perhaps this made it easier for me to largely give it up as an adult.
Now we have so many media alternatives, and can be more selective. Yet some people just leave the set on all day, even when it is nothing more than cable drivel fare. The episode seems to have anticipated this: a drivel TV show about people's obsession with watching TV, even when it is drivel. Many people are still watching drivel, now in living color on your 1,000 channels of cable, streamed over high speed internet, on your phone, your tablet computer, your DVD, maybe even your antique VCR. We are drowning in a sea of treacle drivel, and loving every minute of it.
I think I'll sit down and read a book on my Kindle.
The TV set they got was an unusually big one, and probably would have cost the equivalent of $1,000 to $2,000 today, so it was not a casual purchase. As mentioned, many people bought on an early form of credit, involving weekly or monthly payments to the store. This episode is listed as No. 1, season 1, on IMDb, yet the show is listed as running from 1953 to 1956, with this episode airing Oct. 1, 1955, which seems a bit odd. Perhaps it actually aired in 1953?
While electronic television transmission and reception was first demonstrated by Philo Farnsworth in 1927, scheduled TV broadcasting took a long time getting to America, largely because of obstructionist patent lawsuits by RCA, which owned NBC. The first non-experimental broadcasts began in 1939, but then World War II interrupted them.
People had been hearing about the impending arrival of television since the 1930s. But not until 1948 did the FCC begin issuing new TV station licenses around the country. So, by 1955, TV was becoming more commonplace, but whether to buy a set would have been a big, long-anticipated decision for some, especially outside big cities like New York, that had limited broadcast fare.
This episode mentions watching The Late Show (no, they were not tuning in to a very young David Letterman), and the Late, Late, Late Show. Back then, The Late Show probably began around 11 p.m. or midnight on WCBS TV in NYC, and consisted of old movies, introduced by Leroy Anderson's The Syncopated Clock (also used on final Jeopardy). It was followed at roughly two-hour intervals (determined by the length of the movie) by The Late Late Show, consisting of even older movies, and possibly The Late Late Late Show, consisting of antediluvian (but not silent) movies, or so I have heard, though few stayed up late enough to watch these movies while awake and still remember them. The episode mentions a Charlie Chan movie, which probably would have been from the Thirties. That old Late Show was where I, and many other New Yorkers, gained our familiarity with old B&W movies.
There were three network TV stations in NYC: CBS, NBC and a sickly ABC, along with three independent stations; there was a public TV station, too, but I'm not sure when it started. This episode was from the old DuMont network, which would have been one of the stations.
Watching Ralph and Ed stay up late watching TV brought to mind the early days of internet web surfing; you could often tell when someone had begun going online because they would come in to work bleary eyed. When Alice talks about being home alone with nothing to look at but the walls of her apartment, it does suggest what life was like before TV, but would be a slight exaggeration, as there was radio, and she wasn't exactly living on a farm. But it was the beginning of our modern addiction to constant media and electronic bombardment, that has since reached a saturation point.
While there were some clever lines in the show, the acting was surprisingly unpolished, in retrospect. Of course, they didn't have videotape, yet, so they probably shot this on film in one take, with most other shows broadcast live, so it wouldn't have looked so different.
Ultimately, shows like this were drivel, so why did we watch them? To relieve boredom, for one. And when you spend big bucks on a TV set, you want to get your money's worth, so you would watch a lot. Back then, people got addicted to TV, and some still are. Having been among the first generation to grow up with TV, yes, I watched plenty, but I also played outside a lot. I was never TV deprived, I don't recall my parents nagging me to stop watching TV, and perhaps this made it easier for me to largely give it up as an adult.
Now we have so many media alternatives, and can be more selective. Yet some people just leave the set on all day, even when it is nothing more than cable drivel fare. The episode seems to have anticipated this: a drivel TV show about people's obsession with watching TV, even when it is drivel. Many people are still watching drivel, now in living color on your 1,000 channels of cable, streamed over high speed internet, on your phone, your tablet computer, your DVD, maybe even your antique VCR. We are drowning in a sea of treacle drivel, and loving every minute of it.
I think I'll sit down and read a book on my Kindle.
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