Just randomly saw an episode because I was looking for something: laughed so much! I really appreciated that he intentionally kept things clean and funny - that's why they have lasted so long. This generation don't know of them because TV doesn't go off at night and Honeymooners played before it did; now nothing goes off (GOD willing). But speaking of "long lasting: Joyce Randolph, who played Trixie - IS STILL ALIVE AT 97 YEARS OLD!!!! GREAT STRENGTH: GOD BLESS AND KEEP HER!
The Original 39 episodes are still considered by many to be the greatest comedy sitcom of all time. Take into consideration most of the show was filmed in that one room with a table, sink, stove and ice box and the writing was just so superior to the shows today. The Honeymooners only played for 1 season and is still seen in reruns today and still gets new fans every generation.....that is the sign of comedic brilliance!
Jackie Gleason.... one of the classiest men I ever met... I caddied for him one time; he made me feel like I was the most important guy on the course that day, almost 60 years ago.
That is awesome!!! Word has it Jackie loved fans. He wouldn’t turn u down for an autograph or picture. Unlike today’s celebrities. Most of them don’t seem to want to take pics.
@Brent Barnhart You're obviously an idiot and know nothing about Jackie because clearly everyone loved him and his big personality was apart of why everyone loved him. You just are a pathetic troll. I feel sorry for your joyless sexless life.
I miss those days as a kid...waiting for 11PM on channel 11 (WPIX) in NYC, to watch reruns of a show....but not just a show.....a whole kind of a show....RIP all of the Honeymooners cast who brought so much happiness and laughter to my life.
SuperMarioZombies Abbott and Costello, Laurel And Hardy, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and The 3 Stooges on those childhood weekend afternoons on channel 11 in my little kid years:-)
Years ago I introduced my nephew to the Honeymooners. He was impatient and not too happy about having to watch something from the dark ages. He started to make fun of the meager setting and black and white but when Arte Carney came in to raid the refrigerator his mood changed. We watched all 39 episodes over the course of a week on the box set. He was eight years old, that was 20 years ago, he has a boxed set of his own now and still watches with his wife from time to time.
i am 55 years old and i agree with u the character art carney played was halarious the munsters 2 or 3 episodes made me laugh but the honeymooners was the best comedy i ever seen on tv
The days when our stars had class - mainly because most of them came from little or nothing. I also love the way Johnny doesn't try to out-funny him or interrupt like almost every talk show host does now. Respect.
@@lamonthamilton667 RIGHT!!!! At the time, and although Johnny was the King of these things, he did NOT pretend that HE was in charge if Jackie indicated otherwise. Respect for a "time-ago" Top Dog.
I couldn't help but notice how well Johnny did the interview. I pick up on things like that: it takes art to be small in big moments in the right way. Johnny had his problems but he greatness too.
@pete smyth "Secretly" could mean privately and quietly, and that the recipients spoke of it much later. I have no idea if Gleason did that sort of thing, but actor DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy in the original Star Trek) did; among other acts of kindness, he put a fan through medical school. It was only years later that this became semi-public knowledge.
“My grandfather was probably one of the most famous men in America and rich, but he didn’t approve of his daughter marrying this nobody actor, so he cut her off, and they lived in utter poverty,” he recalls bitterly. -- Jason Patric, Gleason's grandson
@jrc3 He meant when he was a kid. His dad went on to be very successful as both an actor -- you'll recognize him as the Priest in the Exorcist -- and playwright -- he won the Pulitzer and Tony for That Championship Season. BTW, Gleason wanted to be cast in the film version of That Championship Season but that wasn't going to happen because he'd been such a prick.
Always thought the King of Queens was a 2K version of The Honeymooners to a degree, but of course could never match the level of the original. In fact, in one of the KOQ's episodes where Doug was having dreams and it entailed a Honeymooners theme, I thought Leah Remini did a better Alice than Kevin James did of his version of Ralph.
@@daflyboys3894 I never saw K of Q, but from what you say it was the "politically-correct" version of The Honeymooners. In other words: The watered-down DULL version - which is why it could never come close to matching the high level of Honeymooners.
Honeymooners was one of the best shows ever. So much was done with so little. Jackie Gleason could have you laughing one second and tearing up the next without saying a word. Art Carney as well. Just incredible
I absolutely love that Gleason gives kudos to Art Carney here as "one of the greatest comedians of all time." And notice, he was never threatened by Carney, he never tried to suppress Carney's genius, never worried about Carney stealing a scene. Because as great as Carney was, not even Carney could steal a scene from the Great One.
The date this aired was Friday 18 October 1985. Jackie Gleason died on Wednesday 24 June 1987, aged 71, less than two years after his first & final only appearance on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.
The cigarette smoking didn't help much. He was a heavy smoker. I remember it very well. I had just started college and everybody was going out. I just didn't feel like going out so I watched The Tonight Show instead. I'll tell you one thing I had a more enjoyable night than my roomie. He had a humdinger of a hangover and as for me I felt good. That show imo was one of the best Tonight shows. Gleason was a class act on and in public. He didn't look down at you like a lot of your Hollywood's actors &actresses.
There were. There were the so-called lost episodes, but these involved a much harsher and intense/rough Ralph. The original Alice was not much of a looker.... she could've played Ralph's mother-in-law versus his wife. The 39 episodes are the polished pieces of work....so to speak.
When Carson retired I never watched the show again. I would watch a few segments every now and again to remind myself just how bad these idiots were as there could only be one Johnny that I grew up with.
Uh, back in the day, many guests on The Tonight Show were smokers; and even Johnnie smoked, and kept a box of cigarettes on his desk for guests. No assholes involved; just the times.
@Brent Barnhart Please go find a personality or maybe not be here if you're gonna disrespect the great one. Whose passed on btw so might wanna get your karma checked up on.
ImpalaMama it was like the whole country was like that nobody was missing that and away we go and he had musical ability as a first class band leader see the Beatles Sinatra The Supremes and Elvis were all battling for the music spotlight and so many people got on the bus late on Jackie s music career but better late than never If you say the great one a lot of people still know you are talking about Gleason rip
WISE ARCADIAN A classic! I still use it today, between my wife and me when we’re schoochin’ around...always good for a laugh. She knows where it came from and. can see that picture in her mind, between Alice and Ralph and just the way he put it across!. We’re in our late sixties now and we both remember that line so we’ll. Thanks Jackie...we still have those great memories thanks to you!!!
Best memories as a kid staying was staying with my grandparents for the summer while school was out. Every night they would watch The Honeymooners before bedtime and I would watch with them. That was over 35 years ago and I still miss them.
Boy, I was so lucky, growing up with Jackie, Jack Benny, George Burns, Steve Allen, the sci-fi TV series, and yeah, early Carson. I canceled my cable, TV just doesn't do it for me these days. RU-vid and Vimeo, that's another story!
No cable for me either, cable-free for years. I watch a lot of MeTV, AntennaTV, Kube, This, Movies, Decades, and other "retro" channels. If you can overlook the constant life insurance, prescription, and illness commercials, these channels (plus PBS) provide all the TV entertainment I need.
Growing up in the 50's was the greatest time period, EVER. We missed the depression & were the first recipients of T.V., stereo, private landlines, and everything new to the consumer market; Oh, and don't forget Rock n' Roll, Elvis, Beatles....and on & on. What a fabulous existence.
Can some techie develop a way to vaporize those F'ing insurance & My Pillow ( a second rate rip-off) infomercials. I'd personally vaporize "liberty mutuals" recycled horseshit.
Greg LaPrade this was mid-80's. That was already well on its way then. Musicians weren't even playing actual instruments. There's the collapse of civilization right there.
Oh Man how I envy you right now!!! Just being in his presence must have been so cool!!! I'm friends with a guy that worked for Mr. Gleason as his assistant, and I love listening to him tell me stories about Mr. Gleason...I've heard them all several times, but I still enjoy hearing them like it was the 1st time... I hope Mr. Gleason and Toot Shore are sharing a table with Mr. Carson and Mr. McMahon right now...Rest In Peace gentlemen, and thank you so much for the laughs, we still miss you!!!
He was great at pool 🎱 pro caliber Then he could gaze at the script in the Honeymooners if he read it at all then do his part to the letter but never study or rehearsed
Remember when humilty existed?? Two LEGENDARY entertainers actually making fun of themselves. "Tonight", was NEVER about Johnny Carson. Which is why he is STILL so beloved. Yes. The name of the show was "Tonight". But everyone called it 'Johnny Carson'. Both of these men are EXTREME RARITIES. Granted, the jokes get "old" but the showmanship and deliveries are just....just extraordinary.
The proper name of the show was, 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson', but was commonly referred to as, 'The Tonight Show', or 'Carson', or 'Johnny Carson'. When Leno took over - being a much humbler guy than Johnny - he changed "Starring" to "With". Now with Fallon it's back to "Starring". Don't kid yourself Johnny had a big ego, but he knew when to let his guests talk. After all, they were his bread and butter.
+Bob Johnson There will never be nobody as great as the king of monologue! Fallon is a bore compared to Johnny, Leno was ok, Parr was ok, Johnny will always be the greatest!! Jackie was great also, he got his year's mixed up on the Honeymooners it was 1955-56.
@@m42037 no the honeymooners started on cavalcade of the stars eventually ended up it's own show 39 episodes originally. The lost episodes were from before the show
drumzRfun1 Jackie was great we could all understand what he's saying not like anybody else from Brooklyn and ever understand what the hell they're saying.
"HERO"??? for being an actor or comedian? what is your definition of those police and firefighters who went into the 911 building? Volunteers or collateral damage sacrifice?
Yes, a hero can be a person of great courage and it can also be a person of admirable qualities and abilities with integrity. If laughter is the best medicine and the first sign of recovery then Jackie Gleason is to be admired for having such talent as is not of ordinary men.
Honeymooners was the GOAT when I was growing up in the 80s. Ive seen every episode a million times. I just started introducing it to my 17 y.o. daughter. She loves it. Keeping it alive.
Also a great dramatic actor. He played a hitman on a cbs dramatic show once. I don't remember the show or the title of the play but I can still visualise his performance
There's something just so classy, iconic and nostalgic of mid 20th American show-biz about Jackie. May not fit modern days, but had more style in his pinky than most folks do today.
What a classy gentleman Jackie Gleason was. I was surprised to find out he was from Brooklyn. When all these wonderful old school actors are no longer with us, there will never be any one who can replace them. I am so glad I was around when Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball were alive. RIP to both.
I grew up watching reruns of "The Honeymooners" when I was a kid, and I just about die with laughter each and every time I see them! Long live Jackie Gleason.
As a Gleason fan I enjoyed all his characters: The Loudmouth, Charlie Bratton; Reggie Van Gleason lll; The Poor Soul; and a few more ...but it was Ralph Kramden that will immortalize Gleason. And -- just my opinion -- the only truly believable and genuinely funny character! And which character could not have succeeded without Audrey Meadows and Art Carney.
The Honeymooners and I love Lucy was two varying stories of New York City. The Ricardo's and Mertz' s struggled for money, notoriety, and sanity. All of the shows pathos took place in a very pleasant part of New York City. The Cramden' s and The Norton's had to struggle for life necessities living in a very rough part of the city. The building they lived in was squalor. Ed and Ralph worked full time for the city and were barely making it for the families. The Cramden s and Norton's never get invited to the big societal events. They never met major athletes or movie stars. Their whole existence is of that of desperation. Their schemes for a better life are grandeous and short sighted. Their greatest financial resources is the love Ralph and Ed have for their wives and the unrelenting hope that one day they will have a test of the American Dream.
It always bugged me how the Petries of the Dick Van Dyke Show were portrayed as average Americans when in real life, they'd have been upper middle class.
Exactly! He didn’t want to run it into the ground. He knew what they did was gold. How many times are people still watching the same episodes? I know I did, do and will still watch them!
Carson's info is WAY off. And Gleason doesn't correct him. The Honeymooners started as part of the "Calvalcade of Stars" with Pert Kelton as Alice. They made about 17 episodes. The following year he had the "Jackie Gleason Show," which was a variety show and Audrey Meadows joined the cast. These were the "lost" episodes. In 1955 through '56 the show was so popular that it became it's own show, "The Honeymooners." These are the "classic 39." At this point, Gleason said, "enough." He was of the old school that said it's very easy for a successful act to go stale and that's what he was afraid of.
I miss Johnny Carson. The genre of late night talk shows peaked when he presided over the Tonight Show and it's been down hill since. That was the golden age of talk shows. Today we have crappy hosts with uninteresting guests nobody ever heard of. Recently I watched a late night talk show every night for a week and I had not heard of a single guest. I had to look up every one. Most I don't think deserved to be famous. Many were so called "reality show stars."
Plus it's all political jokes, and that gets old really fast, they're giving you their opinions (not many want) and the intelligent ones see thru it all
Ok old man. The reality of it is with the loss of Dick Cavett there really are no more venues for interviews of heads of state s, musicians actors and writers other than late night. Any night of the week I can find Oscar winners, Grammy winners, Pulitzer prize winners, Mark Twain winners, if you don't know who they are then the onus is on you not them. Now before we descend into a generational argument which has been washed since time immemorial, know I agree Johnny was a legend, and those that came after look to him as aspiration.
i have all 39 episodes of the honey mooners,and i have watched them a thousand times,and each time i laughed just as hard,that was true comedy at its best,not like the crap they put on now,like when the so called comedian walks in a room or is always eating something and the canned laughter volume gets turned up.what garbage!all comedy shows today belong in the trash bin! Long live the honey mooners,which will still be funny a hundred years from now
i love it too, laugh out loud humor, can’t get that today :) my husband and i put on the episodes either from our dvd set or on the roku when we need to smile and laugh, works every time
Then, people with real talent rose to the top - they didnt have to compete with the thousands of try hards who polish up small talent in beautiful clothes and formulas who gum up their opportunities. Get rid of them and the good old days of comedy (and a lot else) would return.
You are so right, my friend! I remember watching the Honeymooners as early as 1954 as a 4 year old(when I could unstand English) and laughed then. When I watch these same shows today, the comedy is just as terrific as I remember it way back then. And it was/is so successful because it is real. Gleason hated to rehearse, as he states here- and didn't rehearse -and they put the show on LIVE! No second chances. He thought rehearsing the shows took something away from the creative part. God bless these great people. They're all gone now, but will be watched in a hundred years- or a thousand years- as you predict. I don't watch any sitcoms on TV anymore unless they strap me to a chair and threaten me with physical harm. Waste of my time and anybody who knows me. And Gleason was one of the great dramatic actors, as Carson states here. I read somewhere that many comedians are actually pretty depressed and sad people, and maybe that's a reason why Gleason was such a good serious actor. God bless this great man Jackie Gleason.
HIS PEERS called Jackie "The Greatest"! Paul Newman said he learned SO much from JG during filming of "The Hustler"! I believe his true genius in his own written, financed & filmed movie "Gigot" is his greatest achievement-- if you've never seen it, DO SO! It's a tour-de-force of acting beyond belief! (The studios wouldn't back project since Gigot is a mute, hense Jackie says not a word in the movie. But with his facial expressions & mannerisms, he probably could've given lessons to Marcel Marceau!)
I bought the DVDs several years ago, every now and then when I need a break from the crap they have now, I put them on and still laugh like I never saw it. That’s real comedy.
"You're not bumfin' right, Norton!" But the greatest joke, set up and punchline, in TV history occured in that same episode. While the two were handcuffed together, lying awkwardly in separate train berths, with Ralph over Norton. Ralph, annoyed by Norton's defective trick handcuffs, unable to "bumf" their way out, and Ralph trying to sleep, Norton ask a question... NORTON: "Ralph, ya mind if I smoke?" RALPH: "I don't care if ya burn!" Simple and brilliant. Also, fun fact or myth?!... according to the Honeymooners book by R.A.L.P.H., (Royal Accadamy for the Longevity and Preservation of the Honeymooners) the entire train scene was completely ad-libbed on live TV. Cue Jack Palance... "Believe it, or not."
What a great guy he was. Any fan of Jackie Gleason must see his wonderful movie, "Gigot", where he plays a kind and abused oaf in old France. His character is a mute, but his acting was so well done that he didn't need to speak. Similar to his character of "The Poor Soul". "Gigot" was a superb exhibition of this creative man's acting ability. Also check out the "Jackie Gleason Orchestra" for a musical treat for big band fans. What a multi-talented genius. There will only be one Jackie Gleason. The mold was broken after God created him.
I love the Jackie Gleason Orchestra. He has such a wonderful taste in music. It was lush, immediately you knew Jackie's music. You can still hear it on youtube. The original orchestration of melancholy serenade is absolutely beautiful.
The 80's are when political correctness really started to constrict what could be broadcast. The influence of Oprah has been bad. If people want to tell off color jokes while smoking and drinking, then let them after 11 pm. George Carlin and Lenny Bruce need to make a living.
I had to laugh when Gleason told how he went on live and apologised for his dreadful TV show in 1961. The idea of that TV show sounds like magic compared to the reality TV garbage we are subjected to today. The TV networks should pay us to watch the crap they air these days.
An Absolute #BrooklynLegend! Jackie Gleason was one damn remarkable Actor. He did it all From taking total control of his Creativity, Art, & Craft. Passionate about his work & image. A very successful man. A one of a kind genius Entertainer & TV Superstar of his time. It's now 2018. I'm coincidentally 'binge watching' one of his Greatest Comical TV Shows of Yesteryear & Today..."THE HONEYMOONERS". *Check out the 'Lost Episodes' online via #AmazonPrimeVideo. Thank Mr. Gleason for your incredible contribution & legacy to Family Comical Sitcoms that can never live up to the Nostalgic & Authentic work you did in your Career Lifetime. R.I.P. ...We miss you. #BangZoom 👊😉
As a kid in grade school, my mom would let me stay up until 11:30 to watch the Honeymooners which began at 11:00 in NYC on WPIX Ch 11 with my brother and dad. Then as the show started, me and my brother would start saying the lines before the actors. And my mom would say "If you know what they're going to say, why do you want to watch it?" I guess she never got it. That THAT was the best part of watching. Knowing the dialogue and trying to outdo your siblings about the next line that was coming.... But we still rolled on the floor laughing while my mother looked at us like two jerks! Oh those were good times and memories!
I memorized the lines too when I was a kid in NJ It was so much fun, and really easy to recall.Yes...WPIX Ch. 11 at 11:30 you could always count on it.Good ole days!!!
Man, all the shows before 11pm were in color - when Honeymooners came on I still watch cuz it was so funny- love the skinny guy as a kid. My family couldn't understand why me, an 11 year old wanted to watch a black and white show...
@Bobby Brady We don't even have to start the war, just tell a few off-color jokes while wearing red MAGA hats and let them come to us. If we wear it, they will come.
Totally politically incorrect and absolutely hilarious as it should be. I love Gleason from the Honeymooners, to Buford T. Justice, to Minnesota Fats, and don't forget Requiem For A Heavyweight, a great, great story. If you really want to see Gleason act watch GIGOT, a film he made about a deaf mute directed by Gene Kelly the dancer. It's hard to find but it is one of my top five movies of all time. Gleason will make you cry without uttering one single word. Now THAT is genius. Gleason demonstrates practically every emotion a person can have, convincingly I might add, in one single film without saying anything. Tom Hanks sucks BTW, he ain't within a country mile of Gleason he just doesn't have that kind of talent.
"When dealing with entertainment, whether it's movies or television, it needs to be regarded as strictly entertainment and nothing else" - Jerry Lewis.
I never was a fan of the Honeymooners. Watching reruns as a kid, I though the couple were very disrespectful as husband and wife. But stumbling across the Gigot movie made me appreciate Gleason's talent as second to none. It is one of the greatest movies made.
I haven't seen GIGOT so I'll have to catch it. Jackie Gleason was and will forever be someone I love for all that he contributed. He was wonderful. I can't and won't compare him to anyone. That being said, I will never take anything away from Tom Hanks. The first time I noticed Tom Hanks incredible dramatic talent was that one scene in "Sleepless in Seattle" when he, as a widower, is about to call to ask a woman out for a date the first time in years. His nervousness was palatable. Up until then I only thought he was a comedian. From that moment on I suspected he was also a great actor. The second time was "The Green Mile" when his character, who had a urinary infection so bad that urinating was excruciating, did the scene of urinating where you only see his face and I found myself cringing and feeling the pain like as if it were me. Tom Hanks is great. I love Jackie Gleason for who he was and I could never compare them. Life without Jackie Gleason or Tom Hanks would not be the same. I thank them both for their contributions.
Yes, Gigot was fantastic but didn't do well at the box office. I think every movie he was in showed his acting talent. Years ago he and Lucille Ball were in a serious movie together and I feel their performances in that were a notch above anything I've ever seen. Just so real and natural. It's also quite known that he believed in UFOs and courtesy of Richard Nixon( who was a big fan like the rest of us) had a chance to see some actual alien bodies, really shook him up to the point he had a house built that simulated a flying saucer.
Henry Raymond u are correct, except when u made that Tom Hanks comment. when u put Tom Hanks down for no good reason u showed just how stupid u are. if Gleason himself was giving Hanks props at the beginning of his career he was doing it because Hanks really is, and was a True talent. he started out doing comedy, but he's done Dramas, and been spot on in all of his movies, from Big, to Forrest Gump, and cast away working with top directors. tom Hanks is the real deal u fucktard.
......we had a home next to Jackie in Florida and everyone would know he was in the next morning when the gate was smashed,he would always drive through it.
