MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE:
BEFORE THE LEGEND: THE BIRTH OF RALPH KRAMDEN AND
THE HONEYMOONERS: A 50TH ANNIVERSARY SALUTE
Summary
Fifty years ago, Jackie Gleason introduced Ralph
Kramden, one of the most resonant characters in
television history. Generations of viewers have
identified with the loudmouthed bus driver from
Brooklyn, an American Everyman whose dreams of
upward mobility are constantly thwarted. The Museum
observes this fiftieth anniversary by screening the
earliest extant sketches of the HoneymoonersÑincluding
the very first routine.
Gleason introduced his battling couple Ralph and Alice
(first played by Pert Kelton) on October 5, 1951, in his
DuMont variety series, "Cavalcade of Stars." The
corpulent comedianÕs original writers, Joe Bigelow and
Harry Crane, wanted to call the sketch "The Beasts," but
Gleason understood that beneath Ralph's blustery
exterior was a good -- if flawed -- heart. The early
Honeymooners routines were rooted in realism: Gleason
instructed his writers to "make it the way people really
live," and the comedian gave his character the address
of his own boyhood residence, 358 Chauncey Street.
These DuMont drafts also gave a stark insight into the
demands and compromises of marriage, offering a kind of
kitchen-sink comedy of insult and affection.
The Museum was able to date the first sketch by a
reference to another Ralph, Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn
Dodgers, whom Gleason saluted in his opening monologue
on the night the sketch appeared. Like that Ralph, who
had served the infamous pitch to Bobby Thomson during
the playoff game against the New York Giants two days
earlier (inspiring the call "The Giants win the pennant!
The Giants win the pennant!"), Kramden would also suffer
frustration and defeat. The initial routine, which
featured Art Carney as a policeman, proved so popular
that Gleason and his writers created new struggles for
the couple. As in the first battle, however, the
beleaguered Ralph would always reconcile with his
equally exasperated wife at the end of their travail.
Fifty years on, the Honeymooners remain a comic
reflection of postwar urban America, with Ralph
Kramden epitomizing the ardent but misguided believer
in personal advancement. The search for the American
Dream had turned Arthur Miller's salesman, Willy Loman,
into a tragic hero; the same quest made Ralph into a
comic archetype. Kramden's bravado and anxieties have
been passed down to all subsequent working-class
underdogs on television -- from Fred Flintstone to
Archie Bunker, Roseanne, and Homer Simpson.
The Birth of Ralph Kramden and The Honeymooners --
Seven Sketches
See the seven earliest sketches of the Honeymooners
from "Cavalcade of Stars" in a compilation produced by
the Museum. Four Jackie Gleason experts provide
commentary along the way: the late producer Joe Cates,
actress Joyce Randolph, and authors Donna McCrohan and
the late William A. Henry III.
1) Ralph and Alice's first argument is over who should
buy bread for dinner. Art Carney makes a brief
appearance as a befuddled cop.
2) A dispute over the location of Ralph's razor blades
leads to a recollection of the Kramdens' wedding.
3) Ralph and Alice argue about whether they should join
the television age. Elaine Stritch plays the first
Trixie with Art Carney as her husband Ed.
4) Ralph questions whether Alice respects his
profession.
5) Ralph misreads Alice's dealings with a jeweler.
Joyce Randolph assumes the role of Trixie.
6) Ralph and Alice fight over their appearance on a
radio quiz show.
7) Alice and the Nortons welcome Gleason's other
characters, including Joe the Bartender, Reginald Van
Gleason, and the Poor Soul, in a Christmas special.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: 2001
- RUNNING TIME: 1:43:00
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: T:66510
- GENRE: Comedy; Public affairs/documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Television - History; Television programs
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Art Carney … Cast, Ed Norton and the Policeman
- Jackie Gleason … Cast, Ralph Kramden, Joe the Bartender, the Poor Soul, Rudy the Repairman, and Reginald Van Gleason III
- Pert Kelton … Cast, Alice Kramden
- Joyce Randolph … Cast, Trixie Norton
- Elaine Stritch … Cast, Trixie Norton
- Joe Cates
- Henry, William A. III
- Donna McCrohan
- Jane Pickens
- Snag Werris