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Benno123
03-11-2006, 03:26 PM
I've never seen the skecth or two from the Gleason varitey show in the '50s that features just Art Carney as Ed Norton so I was wondering what it is about, and if Joyce Randolph appears in it as well.

I also rememebr reading somewhere that a pilot was done in the late 60s or early 70s featuring the Ed Norton character. I think it may have been in the Carney biography that was released several years ago. Anyone have any information about this, or am I mistaking it for something else?
Benno123
03-11-2006, 03:49 PM
I'm not sure Bill what the sketches were about. I thought atleast one was performed when Gleason was out with his broken leg, but I could be wrong.
VIDEOWACK
03-11-2006, 03:51 PM
I'm not sure Bill what the sketches were about. I thought atleast one was performed when Gleason was out with his broken leg, but I could be wrong.

Yes, Early 1954 when Sullivan guest-hosted for Gleason. He interviewed "Ed Norton" as in a man-on-the-street type thing.
Bill S.
03-11-2006, 04:21 PM
I'm not sure Bill what the sketches were about. I thought atleast one was performed when Gleason was out with his broken leg, but I could be wrong.
Yeah I think the one while Gleason was out was the Ed Sullivan interview. He interviews Norton on the job. The other one I saw was Gleason interviewing him on stage and he mentioned that Norton was on the show the week before, which I haven't seen.
VIDEOWACK
03-11-2006, 05:12 PM
Yeah I think the one while Gleason was out was the Ed Sullivan interview. He interviews Norton on the job. The other one I saw was Gleason interviewing him on stage and he mentioned that Norton was on the show the week before, which I haven't seen.

Right, the 2 with Gleason interviewing him were shown on the "Gleason, He's The Greatest" series that Showtime ran in the late 80's. I have to admit, as much as I loved Gleason and Carney, those bits were very weak and tedious, and you could see they were really reaching for a laugh. Sadly, that last live season was the weakest in sharpness and content compared to his previous years on CBS. I think by mid-season they all knew that this would be it for awhile. Regardless, it's still a part of TV history and I am grateful for it.
W.B.
03-11-2006, 08:05 PM
The other "Norton interview" show was from Jan. 17, 1970, near the end of Mr. Gleason's run on prime-time weekly TV.
Bill S.
06-30-2006, 11:12 AM
Can anyone tell me the original air dates for these three sketches? (Sullivan interviewing Norton and the two with Gleason interviewing Norton) I've seen two out of the three and all I know is that the Sullivan interview was some time in 1954. Thanks.
VIDEOWACK
06-30-2006, 01:13 PM
Can anyone tell me the original air dates for these three sketches? (Sullivan interviewing Norton and the two with Gleason interviewing Norton) I've seen two out of the three and all I know is that the Sullivan interview was some time in 1954. Thanks.

To narrow it down a bit, Gleason broke his leg on January 30, 1954. According to the William A. Henry bio "The Great One", he would miss 5 weeks, which would put him back on the air March 13th. So, Sullivan guest-hosting" and interviewing Norton was somewhere between. The 2 where Gleason interviews Norton were from the 1956-57 season. If I discover the actual dates I will post them.
W.B.
06-30-2006, 01:58 PM
I seem to recall that Mr. Sullivan guest-hosted the Feb. 6, 1954 edition - and the "Private Life of a Sewer Worker" sketch aired Feb. 13, 1954. I also seem to recall that in the latter, Carney played not Norton, but his father.
Benno123
10-10-2006, 09:05 AM
Bill,

Who is it that you contact at MPI and how can I contact him or her? Let me know, private message would probably be the best! Thanks!