The Honeymooners is an American sitcom that aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason. Originally a sketch within Cavalcade of Stars, the show was filmed in front of a live audience and broadcast at a later date. The first sketch was done live on October 5, 1951, as part of Dumont’s ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ show, which Gleason had become the host of in June 1950. The Honeymooners was the only notable production to use an advanced filming system called the Electronicam, which allowed for live audience, single-camera footage.
All of The Honeymooners episodes were filmed before a live audience, two episodes per week, using an advanced filming system called the Electronicam. From 1952-1955 and 1956-1957, The Jackie Gleason Show featured dozens of classic Honeymooners productions broadcast live nationwide on CBS-TV, airing only once. The series follows the lives of New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden (Gleason), his wife Alice, and Ralph’s best friend Ed Norton.
The Honeymooners was a great success, dropping in ratings after 39 episodes. The show was a departure from most TV shows of the time and has since become one of the most beloved sitcoms in TV history.
📹 This Scene Wasn’t Edited, Look Closer at the Honeymooners Blooper
This Scene Wasn’t Edited, Look Closer at the Honeymooners BlooperaWho’s your favorite classic sitcom couple? None were …
Was Jackie Gleason rich?
Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t care about money?” Jackie Gleason said this and meant it. The Honeymooners star was rich, but that wasn’t why he followed his dreams. Of course, it gave him the finer things and an upscale lifestyle, but Gleason cared about success. In an interview with The Baltimore Sun, the actor talked about success, money, and his life. Gleason said, “I don’t care about money.” Success is like a blue serge suit. You pick up on the criticism. People think I should be ashamed of making $11 million. I’m not. I didn’t rob a bank. This is America.
Was the Andy Griffith show filmed in front of a live audience?
The Andy Griffith Show was also a trendsetter in how it was filmed. Instead of a set and studio audience, the show used several cameras and a small town set. Griffith didn’t like studio audiences. He thought live audiences made it hard for actors to develop subtle characters. The Andy Griffith Show was filmed without an audience, like a movie, giving the cast and writers more freedom. “We can do these quiet scenes with Don or Ronnie or Aunt Bea or Floyd the barber.” “We could do long, quiet scenes without having to go for a joke,” Griffith recalls. Another benefit of this groundbreaking sitcom? Many of the cast members became stars. Don Knotts and Jim Nabors each found success after “The Andy Griffith Show.” Ron Howard, who played Opie Taylor, is a respected director.
Why did The Honeymooners get cancelled?
In 1955, Buick offered Gleason six million dollars to make The Honeymooners into a weekly show for two years. The comedian formed his own company and used a new film process to record the series live. The show was taped twice a week in front of 1,100 people. Gleason was unhappy with the amount of rehearsal time and felt the recorded episodes lacked the spontaneity and originality of the live sketches. He stopped the series after 39 episodes and went back to live shows. He sold the films and rights to CBS for $1.5 million. The Honeymooners stayed a big part of Gleason’s next show. The writers tried to do something new with the show’s usual material. In the 1956-1957 season of The Jackie Gleason Show, the Kramdens and the Nortons went on a live musical trip to Europe. At the end of the season, Carney left the series. Gleason didn’t bring it back until his 1960s show, The American Scene Magazine. When Carney was available, Gleason made new videos of the sketch with different actors. Sue Ane Langdon and Sheila MacRae played Alice, while Patricia Wilson and Jean Kean played Trixie. The catchphrases stayed the same. Pow! Right in the kisser!; and Bang! Zoom, Ralph’s stock phrases to Alice as well as Ed’s greeting to Kramden. Hiya there, Ralphie boy. After his variety series ended in 1970, Gleason made four more Honeymooner specials with Carney and Meadows. Ralph Kramden was popular because the 39 episodes of The Honeymooners were a hit. For over 20 years, a local station in Manhattan played them every night. Fans celebrated when the Museum of Broadcasting and Jackie Gleason found the live sketches in the mid-1980s. The lost episodes were shown on cable TV and on home video.
Which network first broadcasted The Honeymooners?
The Honeymooners (CBS, 1955–56) is one of the most beloved sitcoms in TV history. It began in 1951 as a sketch on Cavalcade of Stars (DuMont, 1949–52) and then became a recurring segment of The Jackie Gleason Show (CBS, 1952–55; 1957–59; and 1964–70).
Who gets royalties from The Honeymooners?
Meadows was the only Honeymooners cast member to get residuals from the reruns of the show from 1955 to 1956. Her brother Edward, a lawyer, added a clause to her contract that would pay her if the show was re-broadcast. This earned her millions of dollars. When the lost Honeymooners episodes were released, Joyce Randolph, who played Trixie Norton, received royalty payments. Meadows was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on the show. She lost to Nanette Fabray.
Career outside The Honeymooners. Meadows appeared in an Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode titled Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat. It was one of 17 episodes in the 10-year series Hitchcock directed. It was one of the few episodes in the series that was light-hearted.
Did The Honeymooners use 3 cameras?
The Honeymooners was filmed using three cameras. The image goes through a lens into a beam splitter that sends half the light to a camera on the right side of the television camera. The Electronicam recorded images on film and TV at the same time. It was created by James L. Caddigan for the DuMont Television Network in the 1950s before videotape recording was available. The film captured the live scene better than kinescope films, which were shot from a TV screen. The image goes through a lens into a beam splitter that sends half the light to a camera on the right side of the television camera. The other half of the light goes to the other side, through a mirror, and into a camera tube. The camera dollies had to support two cameras, so the system was bulky and heavy. It was also clumsy to use. This made complex productions difficult. Single-stage shows like The Honeymooners were easy because they had few sets and small casts. In the studio, a kinescope system recorded the live feed from two or three Electronicam cameras. This was so the Electronicam films could be edited to match. The audio was recorded onto either a magnetic fullcoat or an optical soundtrack negative.
Why was The Honeymooners cancelled?
In 1955, Buick offered Gleason six million dollars to make The Honeymooners into a weekly show for two years. The comedian formed his own company and used a new film process to record the series live. The show was taped twice a week in front of 1,100 people. Gleason was unhappy with the amount of rehearsal time and felt the recorded episodes lacked the spontaneity and originality of the live sketches. He stopped the series after 39 episodes and went back to live shows. He sold the films and rights to CBS for $1.5 million. The Honeymooners stayed a big part of Gleason’s next show. The writers tried to do something new with the show’s usual material. In the 1956-1957 season of The Jackie Gleason Show, the Kramdens and the Nortons went on a live musical trip to Europe. At the end of the season, Carney left the series. Gleason didn’t bring it back until his 1960s show, The American Scene Magazine. When Carney was available, Gleason made new videos of the sketch with different actors. Sue Ane Langdon and Sheila MacRae played Alice, while Patricia Wilson and Jean Kean played Trixie. The catchphrases stayed the same. Pow! Right in the kisser!; and Bang! Zoom, Ralph’s stock phrases to Alice as well as Ed’s greeting to Kramden. Hiya there, Ralphie boy. After his variety series ended in 1970, Gleason made four more Honeymooner specials with Carney and Meadows. Ralph Kramden was popular because the 39 episodes of The Honeymooners were a hit. For over 20 years, a local station in Manhattan played them every night. Fans celebrated when the Museum of Broadcasting and Jackie Gleason found the live sketches in the mid-1980s. The lost episodes were shown on cable TV and on home video.
Why was The Honeymooners canceled?
In 1955, Buick offered Gleason six million dollars to make The Honeymooners into a weekly show for two years. The comedian formed his own company and used a new film process to record the series live. The show was taped twice a week in front of 1,100 people. Gleason was unhappy with the amount of rehearsal time and felt the recorded episodes lacked the spontaneity and originality of the live sketches. He stopped the series after 39 episodes and went back to live shows. He sold the films and rights to CBS for $1.5 million. The Honeymooners stayed a big part of Gleason’s next show. The writers tried to do something new with the show’s usual material. In the 1956-1957 season of The Jackie Gleason Show, the Kramdens and the Nortons went on a live musical trip to Europe. At the end of the season, Carney left the series. Gleason didn’t bring it back until his 1960s show, The American Scene Magazine. When Carney was available, Gleason made new videos of the sketch with different actors. Sue Ane Langdon and Sheila MacRae played Alice, while Patricia Wilson and Jean Kean played Trixie. The catchphrases stayed the same. Pow! Right in the kisser!; and Bang! Zoom, Ralph’s stock phrases to Alice as well as Ed’s greeting to Kramden. Hiya there, Ralphie boy. After his variety series ended in 1970, Gleason made four more Honeymooner specials with Carney and Meadows. Ralph Kramden was popular because the 39 episodes of The Honeymooners were a hit. For over 20 years, a local station in Manhattan played them every night. Fans celebrated when the Museum of Broadcasting and Jackie Gleason found the live sketches in the mid-1980s. The lost episodes were shown on cable TV and on home video.
Was The Honeymooners filmed before a live audience?
All 39 episodes of The Honeymooners were filmed at the DuMont Television Networks Adelphi Theatre in Manhattan. Gleason didn’t rehearse because he wanted the show to be spontaneous. This meant mistakes were often made, with lines being recited incorrectly or forgotten, and actors not following the script. The cast used visual cues to help each other. Gleason would pat his stomach when he forgot a line, while Meadows would look at the icebox when someone else was supposed to get something from it. The set design for The Honeymooners reflected the blue-collar existence of its characters. The Kramdens lived in a small apartment in a tall building. The Kramdens lived on the third floor and the Nortons lived one floor above them. They used the main room for cooking, eating, and relaxing. It had a table and chairs, a chest of drawers, a window with a painted backdrop of a fire escape and adjoining tenements, a noisy sink, and an outdated icebox. The Kramdens’ bedroom was never seen. One other sitcom about a blue-collar family was The Life of Riley, which featured Gleason in its first season (1949–50). The theme song for The Honeymooners, called “You’re My Greatest Love,” was written by Gleason and performed by an orchestra led by Ray Bloch. Bloch had also led the orchestra for Gleason’s variety show and The Ed Sullivan Show. The lyrics were never sung. Sammy Spear arranged the music. The music in the episodes wasn’t performed during the show, so an orchestra played before and during filming. Jack Lescoulie was the announcer. He also spoke for the sponsor, Buick. For the unsponsored version, the introduction was voiced by CBS announcer Gaylord Avery.
Was Audrey Meadows a heavy smoker?
Meadows was a heavy smoker and was diagnosed with cancer in 1996. She kept her illness a secret from her family, including her sister, who found out a few days before she died. Meadows died in her sister’s arms five days before her 70th birthday. She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Throughout her career, Audrey Meadows showed her talent in many roles. But her fans will remember her as Alice Kramden. Meadows was a pioneer for women on TV. She was a kind and beautiful person. Those who knew her well remember her as a loving sister, aunt, and friend. Fans will always remember her as Jackie Gleason called her on the show. “The Greatest.” Meadows wrote a memoir with Joe Daley, Love Alice. My Life as a Honeymooner is her autobiography about her time on the comedy show. For a tribute to her life, see “Diamond in the Rough,” People Weekly (16 Feb. 1996). Her life story and accomplishments can also be found in the 1958 yearbook and April 1996 issue of Current Biography. The New York Times, Daily News, Variety, U.S. News and World Report, and TV Guide all ran obituaries on February 5, 1996.
How long were The Honeymooners on the air?
The Honeymooners is one of TV’s most popular shows. The Honeymooners ran for only one season on CBS in 1955-56. Jackie Gleason presented the sketch many times on his variety shows. No other show has been seen in so many different forms on TV. It was a hit on TV. Audiences have loved Ralph Kramden, the loudmouthed bus driver, as an Everyman. He’s a dreamer whose dreams of upward mobility are thwarted. The Honeymooners was different from other 1950s suburban sitcoms. Kramden and his wife Alice (Audrey Meadows) are trapped in a lower-middle-class existence. Their apartment is one of the most minimal and recognizable in TV design. A simple table, a window without curtains, and an old icebox show they are poor. Most of the comedy is about Ralph’s schemes to get rich quick. Ralph’s friend and upstairs neighbor, Ed Norton (played by Art Carney), is a dimwitted sewer worker. The Honeymooners also includes Trixie Norton, Ed’s wife and Alice’s best friend. Unlike most couples in situation comedy, the Kramdens and the Nortons were childless. Gleason introduced The Honeymooners on October 5, 1951, during his first variety show, Cavalcade of Stars, on the DuMont network. Kramden reflects Gleason’s upbringing. His address at 358 Chauncey Street was his boyhood home. The Honeymooners started as a six-minute sketch about marriage. The abused wife was played by Pert Kelton. Art Carney played a policeman. Viewers liked Ralph and Alice’s arguments, so more sketches were made. They also added the Nortons. Trixie was first played by Broadway actress Elaine Stritch. These early sketches showed the compromises of marriage. They were like a comedy of insult and recrimination.
Why was Kelton blacklisted from The Honeymooners?
She lost the role of Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners because her husband Ralph Bell was on the blacklist. This affected her career. They said her health was poor. She created the role of Alice in the original Honeymooners sketches with Jackie Gleason, but returned in the late 60s to play Alice’s mother. She was in a series of Spic ‘n’ Span TV commercials for many years.
Audrey wrote that when they approached her with this tribute, the pitch was that it would be a sketch in which she, in character as Alice, would wait for Ralph to come home, only to hear that he had died. She tactfully explained that it would be better if she appeared as herself to discuss Jackie and his legacy. Ralph didn’t die, Jackie did.
I guess everybody has some favorite Honeymooners episodes. One of mine is the “Young at Heart” episode where they all end up going to a roller skating rink. Gleason’s physical comedy was on full display as he presented himself as an incredibly inept skater. Basically, trying to “walk” with skates on. Which probably means that in real life he was probably rather proficient.
Really glad I ran across this. This show was before my time but do enjoy perusal the episodes. I had no idea it only aired 1 year on tv, with 39 episiodes. This show is so legendary that I had really thought it was on tv for years with way more episodes. I can’t recall ever seeing it on tv where the episodes repeated often. I would think with 39 shows they would sometimes repeat in rotation during airing. Admire what she said about loving Ralph/Jackie. That they didn’t have much in material things but surely made up for it in love and enduring the hardships of life together. He didnt make alot of money but he provided a wonderful life for her the best way he could. That type of love seems foreign these days but nothing will beat it!! Will never a trade a hardworking husband that gives me the world in his own way as he is able for one that has material wealth but no real love or connection to me. ❤
I was perusal one of those old detective movies, and there was an actress in it who I’d never seen before, but those eyes, I thought, I recognise those eyes; and then it came to me in a flash, that’s Audrey Meadows sister, I’m sure of it, so I did a google search, and turned out I was right–I recognised her based on nothing but her eyes, that’s how unique they are!
I just loved the show. I also love the original honeymooners with Pert Kelton she played the original Alice so well, and I value the first episodes over the next Alice (Audrey Meadows), but don’t get me wrong I love both Alice and I am still perusal the reruns on tv. May Jackie, Gleason, Art Carney, Pert Kelton, Audrey Meadows, and Joyce Randolph RIP.