on the PBS series "PIONEERS OF TELEVISION" they showed a clip of Pert Kelton as Alice for those who never saw her.

That's the same lady who played Shirley Jones' mom in the Music Man. A good actress, but to me the only Alice is Audrey Meadows.

^ So true! I don't think the Honeymooners would have been as funny with Pert. Her acting style just wasn't right for the part of Alice. And she looked like she could of been Ralph's mother.

^ So true! I don't think the Honeymooners would have been as funny with Pert. Her acting style just wasn't right for the part of Alice. And she looked like she could of been Ralph's mother.
Well, the point was that Alice was SUPPOSED to be a plain-Jane, and actually based ON his mother (The apartment was based on his parents place). In fact, Audrey was only able to win the part by making herself as plain and unglamourous as possible. Interestingly enough, Pert Kelton played Alice's mother, later in the series.

Well, the point was that Alice was SUPPOSED to be a plain-Jane, and actually based ON his mother (The apartment was based on his parents place). In fact, Audrey was only able to win the part by making herself as plain and unglamourous as possible. Interestingly enough, Pert Kelton played Alice's mother, later in the series.
Yes I know all those things. My point however was that she just looked to old to be playing his wife. I felt like I was watching a mother and son instead of a husband and wife. Audrey was able to do the plain look and still look "Ralph's" age... where Pert looked about 35 years older IMO.

Pert Kelton can also be seen in the Twilight Zone episode "Miniature". She plays Robert Duvall's nagging Mother and does a great job but for me, Audrey Meadows is the only Alice Kramden.

she also can be seen in a small role in a movie from 1969 called "THE COMIC" that stars Dick Van Dyke.

There are some pictures of Pert as Alice (and others) here:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A9G_bF_zYJdHRkYBU2mJzbkF?p=pert+kelton&y=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501-s&x=wrt&js=1&ni=20

I think Pert Kelton was very, very good, but she wasn't Alice Kramden. Pert Kelton's character, aka "Alice, the wife of Ralph Kramden" (not "Alice Kramden, of The Honeymooners"), was a completely different person, even though she was just as good, and The Honeymooners wouldn't have gotten off the ground with her in it, those early episodes were just too shallow and bitter for my taste, even though they were hilarious.

I heard her credited on an old time radio classic on XM last week.