All language subtitles for TV.We.Love.S01E04.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

[narrator]
The golden age of television.

I Love Lucy didn't just
change American television,

it invented American television.

[narrator] Back when one screen
brought everyone together.

Watching television
was a family event.

[narrator]
The shows that shaped us.

[man] The Brady Bunch was part
of the American soul.

It's timeless.

[narrator] The familiar faces.

[Bob Costas] Ralph Kramden
was loved on The Honeymooners.

-Pow, right in the kisser!
-He was a presence.

[narrator]
The unforgettable moments.

[Jeff Zucker]
Dynasty captured the essence

of what the 1980s
were about in America.

[narrator]
These are their stories.

[man] Cheers is the pinnacle
of how great the sitcom can be.

[narrator]
This is TV We Love.

[upbeat music]

[narrator] The year is 1955.

Dwight D. Eisenhower
is in the White House,

rock and roll
is in its infancy,

and music is blaring
out of diner jukeboxes.

America is caught up
in a booming post-war glow

and looming Cold War chill.

[man] Suburbs are packing up,

and the American dream
is being sold

with every white picket-fence.

Teenagers discovered
this new phenomenon

known as Elvis Presley.

While their parents, ah,

they're still watching
Perry Como.

[narrator] And then, one
loudmouth Brooklyn bus driver...

Are you nuts or something?

[narrator] ...changed
sitcom history forever.

The Honeymooners is kind of
in a class all of its own.

Oh, so you're in
the championship class.

Where do you play, Kramden?

Well, The Honeymooners
is one of the most interesting

comic universes ever created.

And all this stuff.

[Bob]
Characters were perfect.

The characterizations
were perfect.

The scripts were well-written.
It was perfect.

[Jeff] The Honeymooners
is my favorite show ever.

I love it,
and every time I see it come on,

it just makes me smile.

At a time like this,
you gotta smile,

you gotta smile.

[Robert Smigel]
Jackie Gleason,

he's one
of the funniest performers

in the history of comedy.

Aha!

The show that really
stood the test of time,

and people still
are discovering now.

As a matter of fact,
one night at rehearsal,

he said that I have something
that comes across the footlights

and reaches out
into the audience.

You know,
I think The Honeymooners

is one of the most
important shows

in the history
of American television.

You certainly have.

[laughter]

Jackie Gleason
is not the kind of person

you would have pointed to
in the streets and said,

"Now, there's a star."

And he did so much
in entertainment.

And he really learned
to sort of dominate the stage

in so many different vaudeville
houses throughout the country.

Jackie Gleason had already
established himself

as a major talent.

[Ron Simon] William Paley,
the founder of CBS,

noticed Gleason and said

that we're going to create
a show for him.

And that's exactly what he did.

The Jackie Gleason Show.

Gleason was an impresario,

that he had a vision
not only of the sketches,

but of the entire show.

Gleason really wanted to bring
song, dance, and comedy

and make Saturday night
this spectacular entertainment.

He was in control
of every element of the show.

It was larger-than-life.

You saw these dancers
from above.

You were seeing,
like, a '30s musical.

♪

They had these dancers
on the show.

It was called
The June Taylor Dancers.

[Brian Carney] My father and I
were standing in the wings,

and The June Taylor Dancers
had just finished their number.

And as they came out,
my father would say,

"This is my son, Brian.
This is my son, Brian."

And they were all so tall.

All I remember
is rear ends and legs

going by me, you know.

[lively, grand music playing]

It's a variety show, so people
are singing and dancing.

♪

The Honeymooners was a sketch
within a larger show.

You know, he had other--
other characters.

Ralph Kramden was the character,
but he had Reginald Van Gleason.

He had The Poor Soul.
He had Joe The Bartender.

He had a dozen
of these different characters.

I think the most
relatable character

that he ever came up with

was probably Ralph Kramden,
in The Honeymooners.

[theme song playing]

[announcer] Jackie Gleason.

The Honeymooners.

The Honeymooners is about
a bus driver in Brooklyn,

Ralph Kramden,
and his wife, Alice,

and their neighbors are Ed,
and Trixie Norton.

And they all are getting along

in a very blue-collar
environment in Brooklyn,

which is one
of the most realistic

New York apartments ever shown.

[Nicole Sullivan]
It's like a family show,

because it represented
these people

that are often living
paycheck-to-paycheck,

and are fighting their way
through every day,

but with a sense of humor.

And God bless,
isn't that what we all want?

[Jackie Gleason] What's more
important than a man

and a woman,
loving each other?

What's more important than a man
and a woman trying to make it?

[Jim Colucci]
Ralph is the master

of the get-rich-quick scheme.

And so he's always
trying to master,

to better his station in life
by doing something

that will require
the least work possible.

To beat the system.

And he's always beaten down
by the system instead.

I am going to make a fortune,

and I am going
to let you in on a deal.

Here we go again.

You know, if you break it down
to its simplest form,

it could sound pretty corny.

Get rich quick,
you got a dreamer.

You could put so many
different actors in that role,

and it would feel like a cliché,

but the cast
is really what made it work.

I can't stand
to make a fortune again.

I'm going broke.

I mean,
they're really otherworldly.

[lively music]

The Honeymooners, it starts out
as an occasional bit

done in an hour-long
variety show.

Ladies and gentlemen,
it's time once again

for a visit with Ralph
and Alice Kramden,

better known to you
as The Honeymooners.

-[Ralph humming]
-Ralph!

And then started to eat up more
and more of that variety show.

And it became popular.

I guess, back in the day,
you probably used to write in.

-You'd actually write a letter.
-[both laughing]

Like, to say, "oh, we really
like this Honeymooners skit."

My boy.

It was a 14-minute sketch
when I was hired,

-just every other week.
-Right.

Then it went to every week,
a 14-minute sketch.

Then it went
to a half-hour.

-Then it went to an hour.
-Right.

-And now for the champagne.
-[champagne bottle pops]

[Ron] The success
of The Honeymooners

took Gleason by surprise,

but it was really
the interaction

of the characters, I think,

that people responded to
on The Honeymooners.

-Let me fill the glasses.
-Now, come on, Ralph.

Tell me, please,
what this is all about.

I think audiences loved
The Honeymooners

because they could
relate to it.

A toast.

[Journey] The Honeymooners
was authentic.

The portrayal of families
on television

prior to The Honeymooners
is really idealized.

[narrator] ...In Father
Knows Best.

And it's mostly middle

to upper-class families
that we're seeing.

And so The Honeymooners
is really the first time

we're seeing
a working-class family

in a small Brooklyn apartment
with modest means,

modest living,
struggling to make ends meet.

We could afford it,
if you'd take it a little easy,

and stop throwing
the money around!

It's funny,
but the underlying premise

is striving, and longing.

And I think a lot of people
in that era related to that.

[fast-paced jazz music]

CBS sees the writing on the wall
with The Honeymooners.

It's become popular enough

that CBS decides,
let's do a series.

CBS looks at The Honeymooners
and says,

"Why can't we do the same thing

that we're doing
with I Love Lucy?"

[Ron] In 1955,
Gleason was approached to create

two years of The Honeymooners,
and put it on film.

[Jim] It's kind of like
when characters on SNL

have a catchphrase
or become popular,

they keep showing up more,
and more, and more.

The same thing,
The Honeymooners

were getting
more and more popular.

And so, Jackie Gleason
got offered a deal

to do The Honeymooners as its
own stand-alone domestic sitcom.

Well, so, you got the news.

-Huh, fellas?
-Yeah.

Well, it only goes to prove

that a good man
is not hard to find.

The Honeymooners had their own
individual series in 1955.

[laughter]

-[Ed laughs]
-What's so funny?

There's so many things
to love about the show.

It was brilliant, but not
intellectually brilliant.

It was simplistically brilliant.

[Robert S.] Jackie Gleason,
he's all you need, because...

[screams]

...he's one
of the funniest performers

in the history of comedy.

-Ah...
-[laughter]

He's just born with it.

I mean, I've known
a few people who have,

they're just--
they're just born that way.

And, like, yeah, Chris Farley.

Old Matt's gonna be your shadow.

Here's you, here's Matt.

There's you, there's--

[laughter]

Jackie Gleason, he's hilarious

when he snaps,
and gets really angry.

Besides, you wouldn't even fit
through the manhole.

Get out!

He's hilarious
when he is putting up

with somebody
that's slowing him down.

[trumpet music playing]

-Come on!
-[laughter]

I think that
any smart lead comedian

in their own show
appreciates their second banana.

And it's the same
with Kramden and Norton.

Ralph is funny because
he has Ed to play off of.

Hey, Ralph, that reminds me,
can I use your phone?

Jackie Gleason
was the great one,

but The Honeymooners
doesn't work without Ed Norton.

Is it an important call?

Look, would-- would-- would
I ask if it wasn't important?

They worked so well together

because they really both
had impeccable timing.

Will you make the call?

[laughter]

They'd wait
that split-second

before they reacted,
or they said a line.

Thank you.

[laughter]

Was that the important call
you had to make?

And Ed can be dumber than Ralph.

I'm leaving you
my bowling shoes.

And so that makes Ralph
look good, and look smart,

and have something
to be frustrated with.

I was just gonna go out
and buy myself

a new pair of bowling shoes.

This couldn't happen
at a better time.

And yet, have a willing
accomplice in his schemes.

This solves the whole problem.

I mean, neither of them
would be considered smart,

but Ralph Kramden
was incredibly intense,

and Ed Norton
was comparatively laid back,

and that combination of energies
really worked.

[laughter]

Gleason obviously saw him
on The Morey Amsterdam Show,

and thought, "He's got talent."

And he had him in to read
for a part on The Honeymooners.

I don't possess a mansion,
a villa in France,

a yacht,
or a string of palopony.

What makes
Art Carney so special?

He was such a talented man.
He was musically talented.

[upbeat piano music playing]

He really could play the piano.

[fast-paced piano music]

Comedically talented.

You told me that every time

you'd turn around,
I'd make money.

Well, so far, you ain't been
exactly no pinwheel!

He was versatile. A serious
actor, could do it all.

Go ahead, right here. See?

So we're just
a couple of kids, really.

And we acted like
a couple of kids, too.

Cover up your face, Ralph.
Cover up your face.

When you can make people laugh,
as Kramden and Norton did,

inner satisfaction
is hard to explain.

Cover up your face.

[Bob] Ralph's gonna be
up to something,

Ed Norton's gonna annoy him,

but there's gonna be deep
friendship and deep love

beneath the surface of all
of this, and it's palpable.

I don't know if there's
ever been a pair of comedians

on television,
on the same show,

that were both
amazing physical comedians.

[Craig Horwich]
Art Carney was a great talent.

Jackie knew that Art was
what everybody was laughing at,

and so he knew to step back

and let Ed Norton flourish
with his idiosyncrasies,

and his over-the-top
ridiculousnesses.

-That was just a gift.
-Teach me to mambo.

Do exactly as I do, huh?

But these two guys,
Jackie Gleason's ability

to throw his body
all over the place...

[laughter]

...Art Carney's looseness
with his body...

♪ A-do the Hucklebuck,
a-do the Hucklebuck ♪

♪ If you don't know how to
do it, boy, you're outta luck ♪

[Robert S.] ...were hilarious.

They were just-- you just can't
take your eyes off of them.

Yes, sir!

Because you know they're
gonna move in a funny way.

They're not just gonna
deliver funny lines.

♪ The lights are down low ♪

-I got it now, Norton.
-[laughter]

[Robert S.]
They were the whole package.

Will you come on, Ed!

♪ A-do the Hucklebuck ♪

I think one of the things people
loved about The Honeymooners

is the portrayals of these women

as friends, and as wives,

and partners,
calling their husbands out.

You don't need anything
to keep your weight down.

You need something
to hold it up.

Matching them at their wits,
not being submissive,

and certainly challenging them,

while at the same time
loving them.

-None of the wives are going!
-None of the wives are going?

Well, for your information,
Trixie's going.

Norton's on his way up
to tell her she can't go.

-Ah!
-[thudding]

[laughter]

Women at that time were all,

"Hi, honey,
would you like dinner?"

You know,
they were all milquetoast.

The women in most of the sitcoms
when I was growing up.

Like Father Knows Best.

-Well, not Audrey Meadows.
-Well, you're not going!

Now you listen to me, Ralph.
I am going on that fishing trip.

No, she would just
yell at Jackie Gleason.

She didn't let him
get away with anything.

[Louie] Interesting story
with Audrey Meadows.

She goes for her first
interview and Gleason said no.

[Joe] She's way too pretty
to be Alice.

So she went back,
woke up in the morning,

no makeup, looked like a mess.

Had her photographer
come to the house,

snap pictures.

And posed with frying pans,
and coffee pots, and stuff.

And we got the pictures
developed

by 4:00 in the afternoon.

And Jackie
looked at the pictures.

He said, "My God,"
he said, "It's Alice."

Who is she?
Where is she? Can we get her?

And Bob said,
"Well, that's the girl

who was in here
yesterday to see you."

And Jackie said, "Any dame
with a sense of humor like that

deserves the job, hire her."

[Craig] And Jackie doesn't
remember the specifics

as the story is told.

But I've seen the photos
that Audrey had taken.

So, I believe she knew
what it took to get the role.

And I think history shows
that she delivered.

You get this, Ralph,
and get it straight.

I think what Audrey Meadows
brought to that show,

which was way before her time,
was a sense of self-empowerment.

She really did, she owned
her space in that relationship.

She also told me
something very interesting,

that early on, she decided that
she would play Alice stationary.

Now, obviously, she had
to enter sometimes and exit,

but when she was in a scene,

she kind of planted herself
in position,

because Art Carney
was such a physical actor

and Gleeson
was such an enormous,

literally and figuratively,
presence.

And so she thought that
if she just held her ground,

she'd be like
the eye of the storm,

while all this other stuff
was going on.

And then she'd always
have some line

that would just kind of
cut through everything.

If they ever institute
a nut-of-the-month club,

I've got a very good idea who's
gonna be January and February.

[Craig] Jackie loved Audrey.

Nothing ever did get by her,
and she was very comfortable

playing a rather authoritative,
wise counterpart to Ralph.

She knew how to have Alice
go toe-to-toe with Ralph.

Audrey Meadows was a great
compliment to Jackie Gleeson

because every time Ralph
gets excited about anything,

she's just seen it
too many times

for her to care even an iota.

Har-har-har-dee-har-har.

She played her role beautifully,
and she was iconic.

What's the matter with me,
Trixie, don't I get nothing?

-I'm too tired.
-How do you like that?

I've been working down
in the sewer

all day long, and she's tired.

That's another reason.

[Craig] Joyce Randolph
was a wonderful woman.

She was brought aboard
to The Gleason Show

as a bit actress, and Jackie
respected and knew that.

Jackie was confident with her.

Someday you're gonna ask me
to do something for you.

Joe Cates is on the phone,
and he asked me

had I seen something they were
doing called The Honeymooners,

and I said, "No,
I don't know what that is."

He said, "Well, Art Carney's
playing the sewer worker,

and now they've written
a wife called Trixie

for the sewer worker,
and Mr. Gleason said,

'Get me that serious actress.'"

Ed Norton, I wouldn't stay

another minute
in this house with you.

I'm going downstairs
to spend the night with Alice.

The Honeymooners can be hard
to watch to a modern audience,

because Ralph
threatens his wife

with physical violence.

"One of these days," and he
actually puts up the fist,

the whole threatening
to send her to the moon.

Do you want
to go to the moon?

But, you also have

in both his wife,
and his best friend's wife,

these characters who are really

independently-minded, empowered.

The girls are really
gonna be in for some shock

when they find out
that we left without them.

Ralph, I ain't got
the courage to look back there.

Is Mrs. Norton back there?

[laughter]

-Right behind you.
-[Ed exclaims]

Certainly Ralph's
threats of violence

are really part
of his comedic bluster.

The show makes it very clear

that Alice is unafraid,
and in control.

Tell her I ran off
and joined the circus.

What as, an elephant?

I loved her reaction to it.

Audrey Meadows
just wouldn't put up

with any [bleep],
it was fabulous.

You're the type
that would bend way over

and pick up a pocketbook
on April Fool's Day.

-I wouldn't.
-You couldn't.

There's certain things
you probably could not get away

with today, but ultimately you
know that they love each other,

and that the frustrations
of the marriage is something

that everyone can share,
as long as the love is there.

Go ahead,
say it Alice, say it!

Now, that never flies today,

but it was uproariously funny
in the moment.

Go ahead, tell me
I'm a maniac, go ahead!

It's really a testament,
too, to Jackie Gleason,

and the writing, because Ralph,
played by someone else,

could be a terrible,
abusive bully...

I don't care!

[Jim] ...but the fact
that you see

that he's never going to do it.

Oh, Ralph.

And the fact
that many shows ended

with a big hug and a big kiss

and "Baby, you're the greatest."

It was a love story
at its core.

I love you.

Baby, you're the greatest.

[applause]

[upbeat music playing]

Gleason's writers
were very interested

in creating catchphrases.

-All right with you, Ralph?
-Humina-humina...

-Humina-humina.
-Humina-humina-humina.

-Humina-humina. Humina-humina.
-Oh, humina-humina.

They knew that
they would resonate

with the American public
if there were certain words

they said over and over again.

"To the moon, Alice."

-"One of these days."
-One of these days.

"One of these days, Alice,
to the moon, to the moon."

"One of these days, Alice."

-To the moon!
-"To the moon, Alice!"

Bang-zoom!

"Bang-zoom!"

And every character
had their own catchphrase,

and certainly
Ed Norton's "Ralphie Boy."

Hey there, Ralphie Boy!
[chuckling]

And Alice was really funny
about Ralph and his weight.

This is probably the biggest
thing I ever got into.

The biggest thing you ever
got into was your pants.

And these lines really
resonate with the audience.

Gleason got frustrated
with some of the fat jokes.

You got it here.
And you got it here.

-[laughter]
-And you got it here.

But the writers knew they
connected with the audience.

-Ralph.
-"Ralph."

Ralph,
how can you talk like that?

I still, to this day,
sometimes,

when my wife makes
a droll comment to me,

I go, "Ralph."

-Ralph.
-[laughing]

It was so theatrical,
claustrophobically theatrical.

For the most part,
those 39 episodes

took place in one room.

It's the ugliest set
in the history of television.

[Robert T.] This one room
was the kitchen,

but it also served
as the living room,

the dining room.

It was the room.
We never see their bedroom.

Would you like to see
the other rooms?

We don't get to leave.

What is the bedroom
doing in the kitchen?

It's got a real sense of life
not able to break free.

How does the Friends song go?
"Always stuck in second gear."

All I know is I can't make
Alice quit her job.

I can't get a maid,
and I gotta break my back

cleaning up
this house on my day off.

Ralph felt that way.

Everything he did, it hadn't
been his day or even his year.

Failed again.

There are certain episodes
of The Honeymooners,

the dancing bit.

[cheering]

You know, all these
classic comedy things

that you can show
students today,

and they're like, "I've
noticed that in 100 movies."

They're like, "Yeah,
that's when they did it first."

[announcer]
A show that gives away $99,000!

Now tell me, sir,
are you married?

-Yes.
-You're married.

And what is your wife's name?

Mrs. Kramden.

Probably my favorite episode
is the one titled

"$99,000 Answer."

Which American audiences
could really relate to,

because of the prevalence
of quiz shows

and the popularity
of quiz shows at the time.

When he wants to be
on the $99,000 Answer

and Ed Norton has to play
"Swanee River" every time.

[laughs]

And the more times he does it,
the funnier it gets,

because Ralph is just so focused
on memorizing all these facts.

[playing "Swanee River"]

And all he can do
is suffer in silence

and try to maintain
his composure.

That's often when he's funniest,
when he's not saying anything

and you just know
he's-- he's just suffering.

Like... [huffing]

[laughter]

Come on!

That's amazing writing,
because they planted this joke

where Ed has to warm up

and you just think
it's some silly device.

All right,
Mr. Kramden, for $100,

"Who is the composer
of 'Swanee River'?"

[laughter]

-"Swanee River"?
-That's right, "Swanee River".

Can we have a few bars
of Swanee River, Jose?

[Robert S.] And then it ends up
paying off the entire episode.

-[piano playing "Swanee River"]
-[laughter]

That's Swanee River?

One of the greatest endings
of any episode, ever.

-Ed Norton?
-[laughter]

Oh, I'm terribly sorry.

My favorite was when Ralph
comes up with his housewife,

handy helper, a kitchen device.

Look at all these attachments.

Here, it opens up cans,

it takes corks
out of bottles,

it cores apples,
it scales fish.

In one of his countless ways
that he was going to break out

and become rich,
and he does a TV commercial

and of course,
becomes stage-struck.

[laughter]

What-- Who are you?

That's the funniest version

of Jackie Gleason panicking.

[laughter]

The fact that
they rehearsed it so many times

for it to just
completely fall apart,

and in this case,
it only falls apart

because he just freezes.

Chef of the future!

Oh, hello.

I'm glad to have you aboard,
Chef of future!

-I'm the Chef of the future!
-[laughter]

Hello, I'm glad
to have you aboard again,

Chef of the future!

Ralph really panics
and blanks

with Ed so loyally
by his side.

-What's it say in the book?
-[laughter]

The golf swing.

First step up,
plant your feet firmly

on the ground
and address the ball.

My favorite episode
is probably "The Golfer,"

the episode where
Jackie Gleason,

Ralph Kramden, wants to learn
how to play golf

so he can impress his boss.

What do they mean
by "address the ball?"

How should I know?
That's what it says here.

Read a little further,
maybe it explains it.

And Norton takes
a little textbook on golf.

That's all it says,
"address the ball."

Step up,
plant your feet firmly.

-Hello, ball!
-[laughter]

It's one of the
funniest episodes

of American
television comedy ever.

"Hello, ball" is like

-one of those iconic lines.
-Yes.

Hello, ball!

You're making this direction,

it's just not resonating

with the person
who's being directed at,

-and it's just funny.
-Right.

Hello, ball.

"Hello, ball."

-"Hello, ball."
-"Hello, ball."

"Hello, ball."

There's nothing better.

I think it was very difficult
working with Jackie Gleason.

It really was, like,
it could be a bit chaotic

if you hadn't had
enough rehearsal.

Jackie Gleason,
he would like to change things,

and sometimes the writers
weren't all for it,

but he's in control.

It was shot live,
everybody had to memorize

their lines,
they didn't have repeat takes.

It was basically like
seeing a theater production

that changed every week.

That's a lot of pressure.

You were just doing it live,
straight through.

They never were done
with single cameras,

stop and start,
they were done live.

[applause]

They filmed two shows a week,
it was exhausting,

especially with
Gleason not rehearsing.

Gleason was famous
for not wanting to rehearse,

and then Art Carney
was famous for the opposite.

And they didn't use cue cards,
not at all.

It would have been awful.

He was, I think,
used to getting things his way,

and he may have been a little
bit of a temperamental artist.

And Gleason obviously had
a bigger-than-life personality

and occasionally a temper,
so I'm sure

he wasn't always the easiest
person to get along with.

He would also throw out a scene
at about quarter to eight

and call all of us in
his dressing room, and he'd say,

"That last scene,
it's no good,

we're not gonna play it,"
so he'd say,

"Frank, just shoot us all
Civil-War style."

And that meant
photograph whoever was talking.

And he would say to me,
"Now I'll start it,

Aud, and you just
go along with me."

-Improvise.
-Improvise.

Few people realize
that The Honeymooners

itself as a TV show
only ran for one season.

And The Honeymooners
got mixed reviews

when they were initially
seen on film in 1955.

Over the course of the season,

it actually
goes down in the ratings.

It's not this
huge hit by the end.

It's up against
the Perry Como show.

I know that may not
impress you now,

but going up against Perry Como
was hard to do back then.

Gleason, I think,
was a little frustrated

that they were putting
all this hard work

into these filmed episodes,
but it didn't have

the connection,
so they thought.

Back in those days,
one year was 39 episodes,

which is incredible
to think of today.

It's like a meat grinder,

and now the networks do 13.

But that's the way
we did The Honeymooners,

and that's tough writing,
and very difficult to do.

[Robert T.] At the end,
CBS wanted to renew it.

Technically, it was planned for

a two-years
and a third-year option,

and the story goes,
Jackie thought it had done

its best and that
it would be compromised

if it went any further.

We were running out of ideas,
and I liked The Honeymooners,

I liked doing them, and I didn't
want to denigrate them by,

you know, forcing scenes
that didn't mean anything.

So I wanted to quit,
and they didn't believe me,

and they thought
I had another job someplace.

-Yeah.
-But I didn't,

-and I'm glad I did stop then.
-[applause]

He said that they thought
they were beginning to repeat

themselves, but that's
not quite in the material.

It's strange
that Jackie Gleason

cut off The Honeymooners
after 39 episodes because

he actually had a deal
to do at least one more season.

I think the ratings
weren't what he wanted.

And I think Gleason
always wanted to be on top.

But for whatever reason,
it stops after the big 39.

Jackie recognized that
there was only so many times

Ralph could have his
expectations and his ambitions

and some sort of failure
or some sort of calamity.

So he wanted to go back
and provide the audiences

with one hour of performances,
one hour of guest stars,

of The June Taylor Dancers,
and that's why the second year

of that two-year contract
was a return

to the one-hour
Jackie Gleason Show.

Well, the show's over,
the curtain came down,

and the audience is filing out!

[mellow music playing]

[Ron] You know,
it's really hard to know exactly

why Jackie Gleason decided

to only do
39 filmed episodes.

But for CBS, he went
back to the variety show,

and The Honeymooners
filmed episodes,

and in September
he immediately does

live Honeymooners in October.

So it's as if
he's going back to where he was.

[announcer]
And away we go!

-How sweet it is!
-[laughter]

The classic 39
were first rerun on CBS,

and then they were syndicated

to local stations
throughout the country.

[upbeat music playing]

Especially here
in New York City,

one station, WPIX,
ran The Honeymooners

for many, many decades.

It was always
on somewhere in the reruns,

but it didn't become
popular again

until they went into that
11 o'clock time slot on WPIX.

[Louie and Joe]
Channel 11 in New York.

Where we watched it on.

Just started watching it,
friends started watching it.

Friends, pal, friends.

And then we started
talking about it.

I have a big mouth!

Now when
we're doing our podcast,

so many times we run scenes
back four or five times.

[tape whirring]

With nine other drivers.

-Just to catch a line.
-[chuckles]

And those 39 live on,

and they would come on
after the Yankee games.

So in the summertime,
I'd ask to stay up.

And I remember watching
the baseball games with my dad,

and then
The Honeymooners would come on.

So baseball
and The Honeymooners

were part of the way
that I bonded with my dad.

Mr. Kramden, do you think
you could cover second base?

My boy, you are looking at a man
that could cover the infield,

the outfield, and four sections
of the bleachers.

Nick at Nite became
a phenomenon that really

introduced the young generation
to classics.

People developed
a new appreciation

for Ralph and company,
and that made perfect timing,

almost suspicious timing,
when additional episodes

of The Honeymooners were
then unearthed in CBS's vaults.

People had rediscovered

The Honeymooners,
those 39 episodes.

It was doing huge
on independent TV stations.

People my age were watching
those black-and-white repeats

late at night on their
local independent TV station.

The Honeymooners had
a renaissance of sorts.

-Just let it flow.
-Thank you.

And especially
once cable started,

there was this huge appetite
for stuff.

There were only 39 episodes.
We wanted more.

Well, I got
one more thing to say.

Well, there were more.

And there's
more where that came from.

[mellow music playing]

These weren't
traditional episodes, though.

These were sketches that were
on The Jackie Gleason Show.

Just a while ago.

So I did as
much research as possible,

just seeing when these
live sketches might have aired.

Then I worked very closely
with the engineers at CBS.

We went into the vaults
where they preserved

the live
Jackie Gleason shows,

and we were able
to find four.

It was just a revelation.

Finally, you can see
some new Honeymooners.

All is lost!

So some smart folks
decided to put those episodes

and those sketches together
and turn them into

the quote-unquote
"Lost Episodes."

Well, they weren't
really episodes.

Sketches often were
not produced in the same way

and in the same quality
as the classic 39,

and that's because of
the way TV was shot,

particularly
in the early days.

There was no way
to take something that was being

broadcast live
from a camera over the airwaves

and also have it committed
to a strip of film.

So when things were broadcast
for later time zones,

they used something
called a kinescope.

And that was
not a very good quality.

They just thought
it was disposable.

And that's why other shows

of the '50s
that weren't cataloged

and weren't archived
are lost to time.

The lost Honeymooners
were met with quite fanfare.

How about you and me
taking a second honeymoon?

Finding a treasure trove
of those sketches and episodes

was unbelievable for people
who loved The Honeymooners.

-They love it!
-Jackie was surprised.

These kinescopes were really
all but forgotten

other than the monthly
and annual charges for storage.

From his chair,
there was no value in them.

So those lost Honeymooners

have taken on a life
of their own.

Beautiful, just like it is

with all newlyweds,
you know.

Finding all of that
gave us all insight

into the development
of early American television.

This is
a history-making occasion,

-I 'd like to put--
-All right,

I'll put this on
and you can apply the hot towel.

And you saw
how television evolved

with the way
programs were shot

and character development.

And two of
the greatest characters

on American television,
Ralph Kramden and Lucy Ricardo,

were seen on television
within ten days of each other.

We first experienced

Ralph Kramden
on October 5th, 1951.

And ten days later,
I Love Lucy debuts.

So it's amazing
that Ralph Kramden and Lucy

came to us
almost the same time.

And it would just continue.

As Gleason went
into his vault,

other people
found more programs.

I was contacted by the daughter

of one of Gleason's writers,
Snag Werris.

And the daughter, Wendy,
had in her basement

kinescopes of
the very first episode.

My finger's so swollen,
I can't get it out, it's stuck.

Ralph, why don't you
put some butter on it?

I don't want to eat it,
I want to get it off.

And Wendy told me that
her father traded bourbon

to Jackie Gleason
for the kinescopes.

We've got this whole
generation of people

raving about
The Honeymooners.

Hopefuls vying
for the top prize

in The Honeymooners
Look-alike Contest

will mimic Ralph Kramden
and Ed Norton.

That was a frame of reference
with a lot of these guys.

If you didn't understand
what that was,

what planet did you live on?

You don't know all this stuff
from The Honeymooners?

It's definitely cultish.

There's definitely
a cultish thing about it

to where we almost feel like
we're a special group of people

that literally have seen
each episode

at least 500 times.

It, you know, kind of goes
toward mental illness,

but it also goes to how much

we really appreciate the show.

I appreciate that.

Well, now maybe you realize
that I'm all for you.

Why don't you wear one
of your regular white shirts?

What's the difference anyway?

I think the legacy
of The Honeymooners,

was a really early example
of relationship comedy

and of a couple and how
you could do a show

that was about relationships,
was about adult relationships.

...put on there purposely!

They say "hurricane!"

Anyone who wonders why
The Honeymooners

still hold a place
in our heart,

if they are curious,
get married.

All right, Miss Dorothy Dix,
fixer of marriage problems.

It's just a lot of that.
[laughs]

Well, Ralph, can't you sleep
on something out here?

Sure I can, sure.

Bring the bed from in there,
put it out here,

and I'll sleep out here!

I think it holds up because
it's incredibly relatable.

The reality is
it's just a guy with big dreams

that almost never come true,
who loves his wife,

even though they fight
and bicker all the time.

It's just relatable
all these years later.

And you know what else?
It's funny.

I could sleep
in a sink if you want me!

It was incredibly funny,
but there was pathos there.

It wasn't written so much
into the script in words spoken,

it was just felt.

It was hysterically funny,
and it could also be touching.

[applause]

[heartfelt
big band music playing]

Many modern sitcoms
borrow from the blueprint

of The Honeymooners.

Certainly, The Flintstones

was directly inspired by it.

It wasn't enough that Wilma,
her delivery,

was exactly
like Audrey Meadows'

delivery on The Honeymooners.

Where do you want it, Fred?

Just set it down
where I can reach it.

-[grunts]
-And remember, if you sink,

don't let my best
dishes go down with the ship.

[laughing] And they'd even
ripped off Ralph and Norton.

I'm gonna pack
a spear fishing.

[Fred]
Don't point that thing at me!

-It's loaded!
-Oops!

-[flippers screeching]
-[water burbling]

No use wasting the lunch.
[munching loudly]

So The Flintstones clearly

are a takeoff
of the Kramdens,

and Jackie was well aware of it,
but he didn't want to be

the man that was going to
sue The Flintstones.

What else can happen?

Yogi Bear.
You ever see Yogi Bear?

He's got the hat
with the front pushed up.

And he goes,
"Hey, Boo Boo."

-See what I mean, Boo Boo?
-Hey Ralphie Boy!

Boo Boo boy!

That was a rip-off
of Ed Norton.

I do think that many shows

owe a debt of gratitude
to The Honeymooners.

I would say Roseanne.

I remember her working
in the plastic cutlery factory.

And from there, King of Queens,
with the play

on the relationship
between Alice and Ralph.

Obviously Kevin James
and Leah Remini

are pretty close comparisons

in that Kevin

was a very physical actor.

[laughter]

And played dumber...

-You ate my cake?
-Was that yours?

...than Jackie Gleason's
character.

We should go
on a diet together,

so I can take
some of this off.

We?

You know,
I feel bloated, you know,

very disgusting right now,
and I just really feel

if we went on a diet, that...

would really do the trick.

And is there a reason
you keep saying "we?"

Yeah, it's--
it's just like, "Wee!"

But I almost find that
there's more repetition

of character between Leah's
character and Audrey Meadows'.

All right, all right,
this is stupid.

You don't need to lose weight,

you're fine the way you are.

No, no, no, I'm doing this.

Here, let me give you
some spaghetti.

No, no, please,
would you just leave me alone?

But if you do any type
of frustration where

you begin to yell
at your family and your life...

Stop with the diet book!

...that draws a direct
parallel to The Honeymooners.

And you take a look
at Archie Bunker,

John Goodman in Roseanne,
Homer Simpson...

Marge, I never put
my foot down

-about anything.
-No.

But I am severely tempted
to do it over this.

-No, Homer.
-Marge,

I'm sorry,
the foot has spoken.

All of these characters
have the same frustrations

of Ralph Kramden.

It seems audiences related
to The Honeymooners very easily,

I think, because there were
a lot of people that lived

like them and talked like them
and dressed like them.

I mean, they could relate to it.

With The Honeymooners,
it's become a template.

You've got this bare, simple
husband and wife and a friend.

You have very simple,
fundamental ambitions

of success and of love,
a little ego,

something that
we can always relate to.

Bang, zoom!

So in some ways,

there's a little Honeymooners

in virtually
every story we ever see.

Baby, you're the greatest.

[theme music playing]