Jackie Gleason on the Tony Award Show

[VIDEOWACK]

This past Sunday night (6/11) the 60th Annual Tony Awards aired on CBS. All throughout the show they presented clips of past recipients and presenters. There was ONE brief clip of Gleason remarking, "How Sweet THAT Was". Sounded as if he was commenting on a previous stage guest or a production number. It jogged my memory that I remember seeing him on the Tony's, and am now trying to think if he actually hosted them one year. I am guessing late 70's to early 80's. Does anyone know if he DID host them once? If he did, does anyone know of someone who has a video recording of it?

[T-Greg]

Rob. Check out this site:

http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/archive/ceremonies/index.html

Gleason was a presenter in 1985 (39th Tonys). You can look through past years. I didn't find anything back to about 1976. I'll try to find someone who has 1985.

[VIDEOWACK]

Thanks Greg!

[TV Knowledge Fan]

I vaguely remember that year's ceremonies. That's when Jackie was "on top" again, plugging the hell out of his "Lost Honeymooners" episodes which had recently begun appearing on Showtime {as if you didn't know THAT!}, and that included a "star turn" at that year's Tony awards. Most people had forgotten that he HAD appeared in a 1958-'59 Broadway musical called "Take Me Along", with at least one or two other shows before that.

:thumbsup:

[VIDEOWACK]

I vaguely remember that year's ceremonies. That's when Jackie was "on top" again, plugging the hell out of his "Lost Honeymooners" episodes which had recently begun appearing on Showtime {as if you didn't know THAT!}, and that included a "star turn" at that year's Tony awards. Most people had forgotten that he HAD appeared in a 1958-'59 Broadway musical called "Take Me Along", with at least one or two other shows before that.

:thumbsup:

Yes, he appeared in "Along Fifth Avenue" and "Keep Off The Grass".

[W.B.]

. . . and Follow the Girls.

[VIDEOWACK]

If I'm not mistaken, I think "Along Fifth Avenue" is the show that Jackie introduced "Reggie" for the first time. He may not have been named as of that point in time, but I seem to recall it from his bio (and his own remarks in interviews). He also said he introduced the Poor Soul on Broadway......I believe that was in the 1978 interview with Tom Snyder on "Tomorrow". I'll have to check the video on that.

[W.B.]

If I'm not mistaken, I think "Along Fifth Avenue" is the show that Jackie introduced "Reggie" for the first time. He may not have been named as of that point in time, but I seem to recall it from his bio (and his own remarks in interviews). He also said he introduced the Poor Soul on Broadway......I believe that was in the 1978 interview with Tom Snyder on "Tomorrow". I'll have to check the video on that.
It's certainly the venue where Jackie claimed to have "invented" Reggie. This would fly in the face of the assertions of writer Coleman Jacoby (as quoted in William Henry III's Gleason bio) who, with Arnie Rosen, wrote the first "Reggie" sketch in the second Gleason-hosted Cavalcade of Stars in 1950.

[VIDEOWACK]

It's certainly the venue where Jackie claimed to have "invented" Reggie. This would fly in the face of the assertions of writer Coleman Jacoby (as quoted in William Henry III's Gleason bio) who, with Arnie Rosen, wrote the first "Reggie" sketch in the second Gleason-hosted Cavalcade of Stars in 1950.

Yes, and that first Reggie sketch on "Cavalcade" wa called "The Man Of Distinction", where he had to pose for a liquor ad, and the photographer in that sketch was none other than Art Carney.

[C Ingram]

I wish they'd bring those DuMont shows out of the vaults.