Frank Gannucci
12-22-2017, 01:00 PM
Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Something Fishy" & "'Twas The Night Before Christmas":
Episode #121 (Syndicated Episode #12)
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "Oh My Aching Back." On some tapes, it is attached to the “I Love Lucy” episode entitled: “Deep-Sea Fishing.” On some tapes, it is attached to “Hello Mom” & “Deciding Vote.” On some tapes, it is attached to “The Loudspeaker”, “Unconventional Behavior”, “Deciding Vote” & “Man From Space.”
Laserdisc: Attached to “TV or Not TV”, “Funny Money”, “The Golfer”, “Better Living Through TV”, “Brother Ralph”, “Pal O’ Mine”, “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done”, “The Deciding Vote”, “The Worry Wart”, “The Sleepwalker”, “Hello Mom”, “’Twas The Night Before Xmas” & “Man From Space.”
DVD: Attached to episodes #9-16 of the classic 39. The HD Blu-Ray set has the exact same episodes (including two versions of "Hello Mom." in which one has the original ads) and includes Best Buick Yet presentation.
Air Date: Sat. 12/17/55
To see the script for this episode, click here: http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=the-honeymooners-1955&episode=s04e12
At the Raccoon Lodge, Ralph and Ed are playing ping-pong. In usual Ralph and Ed fashion, they fight over playing ping-pong but quickly do the Raccoon handshake (they take the tails of their Raccoon caps and brush their respective cap's tail against each other. The meeting starts and they are talking about the annual Raccoon fishing trip. Ralph wants to go without the wives. He says a ridiculous speech about what will happen if they do bring their wives. All of the gang agrees to leave without their wives. The meeting ends. Ralph goes home.
At home, Ralph is rehearsing his speech on what he will say to Alice about leaving her home. When she does come, she sports fishing attire that she plans to wear on the fishing trip. Ralph: "You're not going." Alice: "I am going." Ralph: "The only place that you will be going is to the moon." Alice: "Trixie is going." Ralph: "For your information, she isn't." A big loud noise is heard and it's Trixie and Ed arguing over her going on the fishing trip. Alice goes into the bedroom. Ed comes down and he and Ralph talk about them not bringing their wives. After Norton puts a bag in Ralph's ice box, a little bit later he is going to leave. Ralph tries to tell him to get the bag, but I guess Art Carney forgot about them. He and Alice continue their argument. She goes into the bedroom. Ed comes down again and he and Ralph talk up a scheme. They will wake up at 6am and leave before their wives are ready. Ed leaves again, Ralph reminds him to take the bag. Ed says that it is worms. Ralph is angry. Ralph (yells): "GET OUT!" Turns out, Art was supposed to get the bag earlier. But Art forgot to take it out.
At 6am the next morning, Ralph and Ed are ready but they are VERY tired. Looks pretty bright outside for it to be 6a. Also, since this episode was shown in Decrmber, shouldn't everyone be colder? I guess we are supposed to believe that this episode was set in the summer or spring. Ralph & Ed are so tired that Ralph accidentally honks the horn of the car he got from a friend of his. Ed: "The girls are going to be pretty mad when they find out that we left without them." The girls emerge from the backseat and when Ralph can't start the car, Alice offers a suggestion. Ralph freaks out when he sees Alice. Ed: "Ralph, I don't have the courage to look back there. Is Mrs. Norton back there?" Trixie: "I'm right behind you." Ralph: "What a sneaky trick." Alice responds by saying that the boys are just as sneaky. Ralph pops up the hood to see what can be done to get the car working. Alice takes a hairpin and puts it in the engine part and the car works perfectly. Ralph still says that they can't go. So Alice takes the hairpin out. Ralph: "You think that that is going to stop me?" Ed: "Don't look at me Ralph. I don't have any hairpins." Ralph says that he would love to bring Alice but since he led the movement to let the wives stay at home, he is afraid that he will look like a fool. After more arguing, Alice puts her hairpin back in the engine and Ralph and Ed finally get what they want. Alice: "You and Ed can go alone." The girls go back inside. The boys get what they want but they are remorseful about leaving the girls at home. They change their minds and yell to them that they can come.
Episode #122 (Syndicated Episode #13)
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "Young At Heart." On some tapes it is attached to the “I Love Lucy” episode entitled “I Love Lucy Xmas Special” as well as then-lost footage of the characters celebrating Christmas at the end of the episode entitled “The Fur Coat.” This release has the title “TV Christmas Present.” On some tapes, it is attached to “Man From Space” & “A Matter of Record.” On some tapes, it is attached to “Hello Mom”, “A Matter of Record”, “Here Comes The Bride” & “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done.”
Laserdisc: Attached to “TV or Not TV”, “Funny Money”, “The Golfer”, “Better Living Through TV”, “Brother Ralph”, “Pal O’ Mine”, “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done”, “Something Fishy”, “The Worry Wart”, “The Sleepwalker”, “Hello Mom”, “The Deciding Vote” & “Man From Space.” On some discs it is attached to the “I Love Lucy” episode entitled “I Love Lucy Xmas Special” as well as then-lost footage of the characters celebrating Christmas at the end of the episode entitled “The Fur Coat.” This release has the title “TV Christmas Present.”
DVD: Attached to episodes #9-16 of the classic 39. The HD Blu-Ray set has the exact same episodes (including two versions of "Hello Mom." in which one has the original ads) and includes Best Buick Yet presentation.
On some discs it is attached to the “I Love Lucy” episode entitled “I Love Lucy Xmas Special” as well as not-seen-in-syndication footage of the characters celebrating Christmas at the end of the episode entitled “The Fur Coat.” This release has the title “TV Christmas Present.” On the Honeymooners Christmas Laughter DVD, it is attached to "TV or Not TV", "Funny Money", "The Golfer", "Better Luving Through TV" & "The $99,000 Answer."
Air Date: Sat. 12/24/55
In 2023, this episode along with others was colorized on YouTube but they have been pulled.
To see the script for this episode, click here: http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=the-honeymooners-1955&episode=s04e13
Alice is wrapping a Christmas present as Christmas music is being played. She hides her present which is a gift for Ralph. She finally decides to hide it under the ice box. Trixie comes by and the two of them talk about Christmas. Trixie says Ed gave her an orange juice squeezer in which you squeeze the orange on top of Napoleon’s head and the juice squirts out of his ears. The same gift that he got her in "Honeymooners Christmas Party." Trixie leaves. Ralph comes home with a Christmas present. He decides to hide it in the ice box but spots Alice seeing him in the act. She says she put his present under there. Ralph says that they are acting like two kids. Ralph wants to know what Alice gave him. Alice won't reveal the contents and suspects that Ralph would unwrap it when she goes upstairs. Ralph says to not worry and that he will wait until Christmas. Alice fools Ralph by indicating that she left and sure enough she spots Ralph trying to get his gift. Alice: "Looks like Mommy will have to hide your present somewhere else. It looks like I can't trust you Ralph." Ralph: "You're the one who can't be trusted. You said that you were going upstairs." Alice hides Ralph's present on the top shelf of the closet. Ralph and Alice decorate the tree. Ralph says that she can tell him where the gift is and he won't get it. Alice tells him where it is and when Alice leaves, Ralph goes to get it...and gets his finger caught in a mousetrap. Ha! Ralph: "Okay, two can play at that game." He puts a mousetrap where he hid Alice's gift (which is under the icebox.) Ralph decorates the tree as Ed Norton comes down. Ed: "Merry Christmas Eve Ralph." They exchange presents. Ed gave Ralph spats while Ralph gave Ed a tie. Ralph: "Why did you give me spats for?" Ed's response is that Ralph isn't the easiest person to shop for since Ralph has everything.
Ralph says he got Alice a gift and that it's under the ice box. Ed goes under there and pulls out the pan that is always under there and assumes that that's the gift. Alice comes down and Ed presents her with the gift that he thinks Ralph got her. Ralph corrects Ed and begins to take the gift out...and gets his finger caught in the mousetrap. Ed assumes that that is the gift. Ralph says that the gift is a matchbox containing of 2000 matchsticks glued together. The same gift he got her in "Anniversary Gift." Ralph says that he was told the gift came from the Emperor's palace in Japan. When a friend comes down and exchanges presents with Alice, Alice gets the same exact gift. The actor that played the friend made a blooper in her line when she says: The gift I gave to you was nothing. I feel embarrassed after the gift I gave you.” The friend leaves. Ralph is screwed.
Ralph is all upset as Ed decorates the tree. Ralph talks about his problem as far as not being able to get Alice a gift. Ed suggests putting a sticker on the gift that says: "Don't open until Christmas" and to give it to Alice on the day after Christmas. That way, Ralph will have a whole year to give her a present. A dumb idea and Ralph says so. Uncle Leo comes in and the studio audience applauds for him. He gives Ralph a gift certificate for him and Alice. He leaves. Ralph gets a scheme. He will use the gift certificate to buy Alice a present. He hatches a plan that will allow him to give Alice a present and for Alice to think that Uncle Leo didn't give them anything. It's a typical Ralph idea. Alice comes home and says that he saw someone that she knew on the way up. Ralph thinks that it was Uncle Leo and gives the gift certificate. Alice: "A $25 gift certificate from Tommy Mullins?" Ralph: "Tommy? I thought you meant Uncle Leo." Alice: "Was he here?" Looks like Ralph foiled his own plan. Ralph: "Yes, he was here." Alice goes into the bedroom. Ralph gets another idea. He will hock his bowling ball to give Alice a new gift. Gee, Ralph is really thinking of Alice here.
Christmas morning, Alice is making breakfast as Ralph likes his new slippers from Alice's mother. They open their presents and to Ralph's chagrin, he finds out that Alice gave him a new bowling ball bag. Ralph says that they can't figure out if the ball will fit. Ralph explains the whole story about what he did and what he did as far as hocking the ball. He said Alice will like her new gift. Alice says that it's beautiful and it's the best present she has ever gotten. It's an orange juice squeezer in which you squeeze the orange on Napoleon’s head and the juice squirts out of his ears.
Ralph says this to Alice. Ralph: "You know something sweetheart? Christmas is...well it's about the best time of the whole year. You walk down the streets even weeks before Christmas comes and there are lights hanging up - red ones and green ones. Sometimes there's snow. Everybody's hustling someplace. But they don't hustle around Christmas time like they usually do. You know, they're a little friendlier. They bump into you and they laugh and say 'Pardon me, Merry Christmas'. Especially when it gets real close to Christmas night. Everybody's walking home - you can hardly hear a sound. Bells are ringing, kids are singing, and the snow is coming down and boy, what a pleasure it is to think that you got someplace to go to and the place you’re going to has someone in it that you really love. Someone that you're nuts about. Merry Christmas!"
And so the show ends...or does it? Jackie stops the curtain from closing and says this: "Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we usually don't step out of character, but tonight I think that it's proper that Mr. and Mrs. Kramden and Mr. Mrs. Norton wish everybody a Merry Christmas. Would you come in here Norton?"
(The Nortons come out.)
Jackie: "There they are."
(Everyone bows to the crowd's applause.)
Wow, everyone steps out of character at the end of this episode. This type of thing would later be seen in syndication at the end of most of the Color Honeymooners episodes. This was also done when the lost episodes aired for the first time.
Credit I think goes to (the original) Bill's 'Mooners Archives, eBay.com, tv.com, Honeymooners Lost Episodes Book, tvguide.com, honeymooners.net, Honeymooners Lost Episodes DVD booklet, Wikipedia.org, Yahoo Groups You're A Riot! & Amazon.com.
Episode #121 (Syndicated Episode #12)
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "Oh My Aching Back." On some tapes, it is attached to the “I Love Lucy” episode entitled: “Deep-Sea Fishing.” On some tapes, it is attached to “Hello Mom” & “Deciding Vote.” On some tapes, it is attached to “The Loudspeaker”, “Unconventional Behavior”, “Deciding Vote” & “Man From Space.”
Laserdisc: Attached to “TV or Not TV”, “Funny Money”, “The Golfer”, “Better Living Through TV”, “Brother Ralph”, “Pal O’ Mine”, “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done”, “The Deciding Vote”, “The Worry Wart”, “The Sleepwalker”, “Hello Mom”, “’Twas The Night Before Xmas” & “Man From Space.”
DVD: Attached to episodes #9-16 of the classic 39. The HD Blu-Ray set has the exact same episodes (including two versions of "Hello Mom." in which one has the original ads) and includes Best Buick Yet presentation.
Air Date: Sat. 12/17/55
To see the script for this episode, click here: http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=the-honeymooners-1955&episode=s04e12
At the Raccoon Lodge, Ralph and Ed are playing ping-pong. In usual Ralph and Ed fashion, they fight over playing ping-pong but quickly do the Raccoon handshake (they take the tails of their Raccoon caps and brush their respective cap's tail against each other. The meeting starts and they are talking about the annual Raccoon fishing trip. Ralph wants to go without the wives. He says a ridiculous speech about what will happen if they do bring their wives. All of the gang agrees to leave without their wives. The meeting ends. Ralph goes home.
At home, Ralph is rehearsing his speech on what he will say to Alice about leaving her home. When she does come, she sports fishing attire that she plans to wear on the fishing trip. Ralph: "You're not going." Alice: "I am going." Ralph: "The only place that you will be going is to the moon." Alice: "Trixie is going." Ralph: "For your information, she isn't." A big loud noise is heard and it's Trixie and Ed arguing over her going on the fishing trip. Alice goes into the bedroom. Ed comes down and he and Ralph talk about them not bringing their wives. After Norton puts a bag in Ralph's ice box, a little bit later he is going to leave. Ralph tries to tell him to get the bag, but I guess Art Carney forgot about them. He and Alice continue their argument. She goes into the bedroom. Ed comes down again and he and Ralph talk up a scheme. They will wake up at 6am and leave before their wives are ready. Ed leaves again, Ralph reminds him to take the bag. Ed says that it is worms. Ralph is angry. Ralph (yells): "GET OUT!" Turns out, Art was supposed to get the bag earlier. But Art forgot to take it out.
At 6am the next morning, Ralph and Ed are ready but they are VERY tired. Looks pretty bright outside for it to be 6a. Also, since this episode was shown in Decrmber, shouldn't everyone be colder? I guess we are supposed to believe that this episode was set in the summer or spring. Ralph & Ed are so tired that Ralph accidentally honks the horn of the car he got from a friend of his. Ed: "The girls are going to be pretty mad when they find out that we left without them." The girls emerge from the backseat and when Ralph can't start the car, Alice offers a suggestion. Ralph freaks out when he sees Alice. Ed: "Ralph, I don't have the courage to look back there. Is Mrs. Norton back there?" Trixie: "I'm right behind you." Ralph: "What a sneaky trick." Alice responds by saying that the boys are just as sneaky. Ralph pops up the hood to see what can be done to get the car working. Alice takes a hairpin and puts it in the engine part and the car works perfectly. Ralph still says that they can't go. So Alice takes the hairpin out. Ralph: "You think that that is going to stop me?" Ed: "Don't look at me Ralph. I don't have any hairpins." Ralph says that he would love to bring Alice but since he led the movement to let the wives stay at home, he is afraid that he will look like a fool. After more arguing, Alice puts her hairpin back in the engine and Ralph and Ed finally get what they want. Alice: "You and Ed can go alone." The girls go back inside. The boys get what they want but they are remorseful about leaving the girls at home. They change their minds and yell to them that they can come.
Episode #122 (Syndicated Episode #13)
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "Young At Heart." On some tapes it is attached to the “I Love Lucy” episode entitled “I Love Lucy Xmas Special” as well as then-lost footage of the characters celebrating Christmas at the end of the episode entitled “The Fur Coat.” This release has the title “TV Christmas Present.” On some tapes, it is attached to “Man From Space” & “A Matter of Record.” On some tapes, it is attached to “Hello Mom”, “A Matter of Record”, “Here Comes The Bride” & “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done.”
Laserdisc: Attached to “TV or Not TV”, “Funny Money”, “The Golfer”, “Better Living Through TV”, “Brother Ralph”, “Pal O’ Mine”, “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done”, “Something Fishy”, “The Worry Wart”, “The Sleepwalker”, “Hello Mom”, “The Deciding Vote” & “Man From Space.” On some discs it is attached to the “I Love Lucy” episode entitled “I Love Lucy Xmas Special” as well as then-lost footage of the characters celebrating Christmas at the end of the episode entitled “The Fur Coat.” This release has the title “TV Christmas Present.”
DVD: Attached to episodes #9-16 of the classic 39. The HD Blu-Ray set has the exact same episodes (including two versions of "Hello Mom." in which one has the original ads) and includes Best Buick Yet presentation.
On some discs it is attached to the “I Love Lucy” episode entitled “I Love Lucy Xmas Special” as well as not-seen-in-syndication footage of the characters celebrating Christmas at the end of the episode entitled “The Fur Coat.” This release has the title “TV Christmas Present.” On the Honeymooners Christmas Laughter DVD, it is attached to "TV or Not TV", "Funny Money", "The Golfer", "Better Luving Through TV" & "The $99,000 Answer."
Air Date: Sat. 12/24/55
In 2023, this episode along with others was colorized on YouTube but they have been pulled.
To see the script for this episode, click here: http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=the-honeymooners-1955&episode=s04e13
Alice is wrapping a Christmas present as Christmas music is being played. She hides her present which is a gift for Ralph. She finally decides to hide it under the ice box. Trixie comes by and the two of them talk about Christmas. Trixie says Ed gave her an orange juice squeezer in which you squeeze the orange on top of Napoleon’s head and the juice squirts out of his ears. The same gift that he got her in "Honeymooners Christmas Party." Trixie leaves. Ralph comes home with a Christmas present. He decides to hide it in the ice box but spots Alice seeing him in the act. She says she put his present under there. Ralph says that they are acting like two kids. Ralph wants to know what Alice gave him. Alice won't reveal the contents and suspects that Ralph would unwrap it when she goes upstairs. Ralph says to not worry and that he will wait until Christmas. Alice fools Ralph by indicating that she left and sure enough she spots Ralph trying to get his gift. Alice: "Looks like Mommy will have to hide your present somewhere else. It looks like I can't trust you Ralph." Ralph: "You're the one who can't be trusted. You said that you were going upstairs." Alice hides Ralph's present on the top shelf of the closet. Ralph and Alice decorate the tree. Ralph says that she can tell him where the gift is and he won't get it. Alice tells him where it is and when Alice leaves, Ralph goes to get it...and gets his finger caught in a mousetrap. Ha! Ralph: "Okay, two can play at that game." He puts a mousetrap where he hid Alice's gift (which is under the icebox.) Ralph decorates the tree as Ed Norton comes down. Ed: "Merry Christmas Eve Ralph." They exchange presents. Ed gave Ralph spats while Ralph gave Ed a tie. Ralph: "Why did you give me spats for?" Ed's response is that Ralph isn't the easiest person to shop for since Ralph has everything.
Ralph says he got Alice a gift and that it's under the ice box. Ed goes under there and pulls out the pan that is always under there and assumes that that's the gift. Alice comes down and Ed presents her with the gift that he thinks Ralph got her. Ralph corrects Ed and begins to take the gift out...and gets his finger caught in the mousetrap. Ed assumes that that is the gift. Ralph says that the gift is a matchbox containing of 2000 matchsticks glued together. The same gift he got her in "Anniversary Gift." Ralph says that he was told the gift came from the Emperor's palace in Japan. When a friend comes down and exchanges presents with Alice, Alice gets the same exact gift. The actor that played the friend made a blooper in her line when she says: The gift I gave to you was nothing. I feel embarrassed after the gift I gave you.” The friend leaves. Ralph is screwed.
Ralph is all upset as Ed decorates the tree. Ralph talks about his problem as far as not being able to get Alice a gift. Ed suggests putting a sticker on the gift that says: "Don't open until Christmas" and to give it to Alice on the day after Christmas. That way, Ralph will have a whole year to give her a present. A dumb idea and Ralph says so. Uncle Leo comes in and the studio audience applauds for him. He gives Ralph a gift certificate for him and Alice. He leaves. Ralph gets a scheme. He will use the gift certificate to buy Alice a present. He hatches a plan that will allow him to give Alice a present and for Alice to think that Uncle Leo didn't give them anything. It's a typical Ralph idea. Alice comes home and says that he saw someone that she knew on the way up. Ralph thinks that it was Uncle Leo and gives the gift certificate. Alice: "A $25 gift certificate from Tommy Mullins?" Ralph: "Tommy? I thought you meant Uncle Leo." Alice: "Was he here?" Looks like Ralph foiled his own plan. Ralph: "Yes, he was here." Alice goes into the bedroom. Ralph gets another idea. He will hock his bowling ball to give Alice a new gift. Gee, Ralph is really thinking of Alice here.
Christmas morning, Alice is making breakfast as Ralph likes his new slippers from Alice's mother. They open their presents and to Ralph's chagrin, he finds out that Alice gave him a new bowling ball bag. Ralph says that they can't figure out if the ball will fit. Ralph explains the whole story about what he did and what he did as far as hocking the ball. He said Alice will like her new gift. Alice says that it's beautiful and it's the best present she has ever gotten. It's an orange juice squeezer in which you squeeze the orange on Napoleon’s head and the juice squirts out of his ears.
Ralph says this to Alice. Ralph: "You know something sweetheart? Christmas is...well it's about the best time of the whole year. You walk down the streets even weeks before Christmas comes and there are lights hanging up - red ones and green ones. Sometimes there's snow. Everybody's hustling someplace. But they don't hustle around Christmas time like they usually do. You know, they're a little friendlier. They bump into you and they laugh and say 'Pardon me, Merry Christmas'. Especially when it gets real close to Christmas night. Everybody's walking home - you can hardly hear a sound. Bells are ringing, kids are singing, and the snow is coming down and boy, what a pleasure it is to think that you got someplace to go to and the place you’re going to has someone in it that you really love. Someone that you're nuts about. Merry Christmas!"
And so the show ends...or does it? Jackie stops the curtain from closing and says this: "Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we usually don't step out of character, but tonight I think that it's proper that Mr. and Mrs. Kramden and Mr. Mrs. Norton wish everybody a Merry Christmas. Would you come in here Norton?"
(The Nortons come out.)
Jackie: "There they are."
(Everyone bows to the crowd's applause.)
Wow, everyone steps out of character at the end of this episode. This type of thing would later be seen in syndication at the end of most of the Color Honeymooners episodes. This was also done when the lost episodes aired for the first time.
Credit I think goes to (the original) Bill's 'Mooners Archives, eBay.com, tv.com, Honeymooners Lost Episodes Book, tvguide.com, honeymooners.net, Honeymooners Lost Episodes DVD booklet, Wikipedia.org, Yahoo Groups You're A Riot! & Amazon.com.