Frank Gannucci
09-21-2018, 07:39 AM
Honeymooners Episode Reviews: “Boy Next Door” & “Follow The Boys”:
Episode #200 (Syndicated episode #29)
TV: Hour (edited.)
DVD: Attached to "Sleepy Time Gal" & "Follow The Boys."
Color Episode Title: “Boy Next Door”
Lost Episode Title: “Love Letter”
“Boy Next Door”:
In the Nick Clooney intro, Nick is shown what I think is inside his house as he introduces this episode.
The June Taylor Dancers enter the golf course and play golf as they sing “The Great Outdoors.” After that, they leave. Ralph and Ed come onto the golf course and are practicing playing golf. You can tell that the background is indeed fake. They are both wearing pretty loud golf attire. Both of them want to go first, so Ralph says that they put their hands on the golf club and the person whose hand that is on top wins Ed wins. Ralph says that Ed didn't win yet and now he has to spin the golf club around three times. He does. Ralph said that he lost because he didn't yell: "Fore!" Yep, Ralph is making the rules as he goes along. Ralph tires to put the golf ball down on the tee but he can't because he's so fat. Ralph then says that Ed should go first. Ed "prepares" in typical fashion. This aggravates Ralph, so he says that he will go first (since Ed managed to put the ball on the ground). Ralph tries to hit the ball as Ed coughs. This distracts Ralph. Ralph is upset. Ralph "swings" and misses. Ed says that he is too tense so he tells him to loosen himself up by wiggling his arms and waist. After this, Ralph goes to hit the ball and hits himself in the leg. This scene is very similar to the scene in "The Golfer." I thought they should at least have Ed say: "Hello Ball!" Ralph sits down. Ed gets himself and Ralph a soda each. They talk about golf and Ralph mentions that his boss, Mr. Marshall, loves the game so much that he suggested moving the entire bus company down to Miami Beach, Florida just so he can play all year round. Ed says that he is a nut for suggesting that and Ralph agrees which is somewhat strange since Jackie moved his entire TV show operation down to Miami Beach, Florida because one of the reasons is that he wanted to play golf all-year-round. Ralph then says if Mr. Marshall did indeed move the bus company down to Florida, he wouldn't mind since the Miami Beach customers are the best customers in the world. The audience claps. Ed says that in the sewer, they have a saying: "The water is always greener on the other side of the street." Ralph says that Alice has been acting funny. Every time he wants to take her out, she says that she has somewhere to go and won't reveal what she's going. Ed says that he never took Trixie out. Alice has been cooking up great dinners of Ralph. Ed: "Maybe she is trying to fatten you up." Ralph then says that after dinner, she goes down to get Ralph some ice cream and to call someone but she won't say who she is calling. Ralph doesn't ask who she is calling because he doesn't want to get nasty and cause himself to not get any ice cream. Ralph & Ed sing: "When A Woman Treats You Good, That's Bad!"
Alice borrows a cookbook from Trixie and in it finds a love letter that Ed once wrote to Trixie. Alice leaves it on the kitchen table. This whole part was edited out on Youtoo TV and I think it's stupid that this channel did that. I'll tell you why later on. Ralph later comes in. Trixie is hiding Ralph's birthday present behind his back. She leaves. Ralph looks at the dinner that Alice made for him. Ralph: "Alice, we are going to have a little talk. What is going on?" Ralph questions all the things that Alice has been doing like cooking all those dinners and calling people. Alice says that she has been calling nobody. Ralph: "Nobody is someone you yell out the window." Alice says that she has been calling her mother. Ralph: "Have you been playing the horses again?" Alice says that her mother has nothing to do with the horses. Alice says that Ralph has been getting suspicious for no good reason. Ralph then asks Alice all the times that he wanted to take her out, but Alice keeps on saying that she is busy. When Ralph wanted to stay home, Alice gave him money to play poker somewhere Ralph can't stand it any longer. Ralph: "Why are you treating me so good?" Alice is happy that Ralph is no idea what Alice is planning. She goes into the bedroom. Ralph goes to eat his dinner. Alice leaves, much to Ralph's chagrin. Ralph goes to eat his dinner. Ralph finds the letter. The audience goes: "Ooooh!" because the edited footage was shown to them and they wonder what Ralph is going to do. If a casual fan saw this episode on Youtoo, they would be wondering why the audience is making that sound. Ralph (reading it): "'I love you! I love you! Signed: Your lover. P.S.: I love you!'" Naturally Ralph thinks that Alice is seeing another man. Ed comes in and says that the reason why Alice has been acting so strange is probably because that she is planning a surprise birthday party for him (since he has a birthday coming up). Gee, this episode was shown on Oct. 12, 1968, "Love Letter" (version 1) was shown in '54 a couple of days after Oct. 12. "Love Letter" (version 2) was shown on Nov. 24, 1956 and "Pardon My Glove" was shown on Mar. 17, 1956. In both episodes, Alice prepares for Ralph's birthday. Also, in "King of The Castle" & "Battle of The Sexes", Ralph is a Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) & in "Stars Over Flatbush", Ralph is a Taurus (April 21-May 21). Ralph reads the letter to Ed. Ed: "That is sweet Ralph. Who are you going to send it to?" Ralph tells Ed the whole situation. He says that it all adds up. Ralph: "Everyone in the neighborhood knows about this. I am probably the laughingstock of the whole neighborhood. Am I the neighborhood's laughingstock?" Ed: "Yeah and they don't even know about this yet." Ed tries to recognize the handwriting. The audience laughs because they know that Ed wrote it, but the Youtoo TV audiences don't. Ed tries to find out who wrote it (he doesn't know that he himself wrote it). Ed says he has seen the handwriting before. Ed: "I know this handwriting as well as I know my own." Ralph says he will take the letter to a handwriting expert. Ed says that it is a good idea. Ralph: "When I find out the guy, I will kill him." Ed: "I want to be there to see it." The audience laughs. Ralph: "Don't worry. You will. What would Alice want with another man when she has me?" They both sing: "I Don't Understand Her (Alice) At All" in which Ralph sings: "Believe me, I am not dumb." Sure.
Ralph & Ed go to a Mrs. Paterson (a letter analyst at a newspaper). Ed: "With you on the trail, I hate to be the guy who wrote that letter. Mrs. Paterson comes in (with the audience applauding.) Ralph tries to explain the whole situation but twists his facts and explains that the man in the spot is a friend but he accidentally says that he will find out who stole his (Ralph's) wife. The analyst sees the letter and says that the writer is the romantic type, is not very orderly, is rude, going through life in a sloppy manner and not too bright. The things she notices are that he dotted a T, didn't close his O's and he crossed a L. Ed says that he knows the handwriting from somewhere, but he is stumped. She also notices that he misspelled beauty. He spells it b-u-t-e-y. Ed says that is the way he spells it. Ralph tries to correct him. It's spelled: B-a-t..." Mrs. Paterson: "It's b-e-a-u-t-y." Ralph: "Of course it is. Why did you have to tell him? Why couldn't you let him wallow in his own ignorance? We know that he is stupid, rude and sloppy." The analyst says she is busy and will analyze the letter later and mail it to Ralph. Ed volunteers to write down the address. D'oh! Big surprise coming for Ralph. Ed starts to write down the address but he does his usual warming up which causes Ralph to yell. Yeah, Ralph just embarrassed Ed in front of Mrs. Paterson. Ed writes down the address with his zip code: 402369. The world's first six digit zip code. Also, didn't Ed reveal a different zip code in "We Spy"? Ralph & Ed try to leave. Mrs. Paterson sees the handwriting and asks if she could speak to Ralph alone. Ed leaves. She knows it was Norton who wrote the letter. Ralph doesn't believe it and says he will kill him. Mrs. Paterson says that Alice may not care for Ed and give her the benefit of a doubt. Ralph: "If they do like each other, POW! ZOOM!" Ralph leaves.
At home, Trixie asks Alice for her large mixing bowl. She wants to start on the potato salad for Ralph's party. She asks Trixie if Ed can come along and help her buy a bowling ball for Ralph's birthday (she doesn't know which one is good for Ralph.) She says yes. Alice won't tell Ed about the surprise birthday party because he will blab it to Ralph. Ed comes down. Trixie leaves. Alice says to Ed to not blab to Ralph her secret. Ed thinks that Alice is seeing another man (but he doesn't tell her that). Alice: "I knew that Garrity couldn't keep his mouth shut or was it the person down at the sporting good store?" Ed doesn't know what to make of all this. Ed: "Does Garrity know anything about the man from the sporting good store?" Alice doesn't know what Ed is talking about. Alice asks Ed to help her choose a bowling ball for Ralph. Ed says yes he will. With the ball he is going to get, Ed claims that he will go out every night. Alice says that he will go out one night a week for bowling. Ed & Alice make plans to go out as Ed puts his hands on Alice's shoulders. Ralph sees where Ed's hands are and thinks that Ed & Alice are lovers (but he doesn't hear what Ed & Alice are planning.) Ralph claims that he had the worst day of his life. Alice will cook him his dinner. Ed says to Ralph that Alice is true blue. Ralph invites him to spend the evening with him and Alice. Ed declines and leaves. Ralph can't believe it. Ralph: "I threw Alice in his arms." Alice comes out. Alice heard him mumbling. Alice: "You must have had a worse day than I thought." Ralph: "On the contrary, today was one of the finest days of my life." Didn't Ralph just say that he had a bad day? Ralph comes back out with a gray robe. Ralph wants to have a night alone just the two of them. Alice has other plans. She wants to go out. She leaves. Ralph: "She is going to meet Norton. She didn't even ask me if I wanted ice cream."
Ralph arrives at Norton's apartment. We finally see what Norton's living room/dining area looked like back then. Trixie says that Ralph looks worried. Ralph has to tell her something and it won't be easy. Ralph tries to tell her, but he can't. Ralph says that nothing is bothering him. He has the best safety record down at the bus company, the union is going to give bus drivers 4 cents an hour starting next month and the Raccoons might send him to Red Bank, New Jersey for a convention. Didn't they just have one in the last episode? Ralph says that he has everything to be happy about. Trixie says that he forgot that he has a wife in Alice. Ralph cries. Ralph reveals that Alice is seeing another man and is out with another man. Trixie says that isn't true and that she is out with Ed. Ralph: "Exactly!" Ralph gets a hold of himself. Trixie turns on the radio. Announcer: "And now for a change of mood, we have a request for LB down at Jack's Diner and he is hoping that JM is listening." He plays: "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now." Ralph hits the radio (which causes it to turn off). Trixie comes out. Ralph: "I know who's kissing her now and wait until you find out." Ralph shows Trixie the letter that Ed "sent" to Alice. Trixie sees the letter and laughs. Ralph: "Don't you realize the seriousness in this? 'I love you!' 'I love you!' 'I love you!' 'I love you!' 'I love you!'" Ed comes down as Ralph is saying that to Trixie and thinks that he is trying to steal Trixie. Ralph accuses Ed of stealing Alice. Ralph tells Ed to fight. Trixie explains the whole thing. Ralph doesn't believe it. Ralph: "What was it doing in my apartment?" Alice: "I got it from a recipe book from Trixie." Ed: "I knew I recognized that handwriting." Ralph still doesn't believe it. Ralph: "What we you doing with him tonight." Alice won't reveal why. Ralph says that she will and she will reveal all the mysterious phone calls too. Alice explains the reason for all those calls were for his surprise birthday party and Ed was with her to pick out a bowling ball for him. Alice (starting to cry), hands Ralph the wrapped up bowling ball): "Happy Birthday!" I don't like to see Alice crying. Ralph unwraps it. He is very grateful. Ed: "Happy Birthday Ralph! You are a sweet, ungrateful wretch." Ralph is not mad at that. Ralph apologizes to Alice. Ralph says that he is jealous and if he even hears about things like her seeing another guy, he goes nuts. Alice forgives him. Alice: "Not every woman has a husband that is still jealous after 17 years." All of them sing: "Baby, You're The Very Greatest Of All!"
At the curtain call, Jackie introduces Kim Hunter who played "Mrs. Paterson" and the rest of the cast.
During the credit roll, Johnny Olsen says: "Don't forget to tune in next week for the Jackie Gleason Show."
Episode #201 (Syndicated episode #29)
TV: Hour (edited)
DVD: Supposedly attached to "Sleepy Time Gal" & "Boy Next Door." (On some discs, the episode may not play.)
Color Episode Title: "Follow The Boys."
Lost Episode Title: "Boys & Girls Together."
Air Date: 10/26/68
“Follow The Boys”:
In the Nick Clooney intro, he says that while life pretty much was the same for the Kramdens & Nortons during the time this episode was made (which was in '68), the actors could not escape what was going on outside the studio. He talks about Martin Luther King Jr. & Robert Kennedy had been killed and because of that there were riots in 125 cities. There was the Vietnam War and for the first time, Yale admitted women. He says that while all this was going on, it was great to watch these episodes.
The June Taylor Taylor Dancers come out and I think they sing a song about the streets of Brooklyn. After that, they leave. Ed comes outside. He sits down on the stairs of 328 Chauncey Street. He meets a guy named Mr. Fallon who is moving in 3B. Ed: You got a great apartment. Your window overlooks a brick wall." Mr. Fallon is putting some of his furniture (including a chair) on the street. Ed sits down on the chair. Ed is about to do a crossword puzzle when Alice comes out. Ed (reading): "'Four-letter word for place of dwelling.' I got that one. House: H-o-s-e. That is the trouble with these puzzles. They are not challenging." Alice: "Yeah, they are easy. Easy: E-z-y." This crossword puzzle dialog was taken right from the episode: "Hello Mom." Ed (reading): "'Six-letter word for cattle.' Moo cow" Alice: The word you are looking for is Bovine." Ralph comes by and sees them. Alice & Ed greet Ralph. Ed (to Ralph): "How now brown bovine." Alice: That is a new word he just learned." Ralph: "Now, he knows three of them." Ralph learns of the Fallons moving in. Alice is planning to go out to the movies with Ralph. Ralph has other plans. He and Ed are bowling for The Hurricanes. Alice is upset. Ed: "Ralph, what's a three-letter word for overweight." Ralph: "I don't know." They still argue while Ed thinks of the word 'Fat' for his crossword puzzle. Ralph says that this is an important game. It's the playoffs. If they win this "very important" game, the team will tie another team for ninth place. Alice: "La-te-da." Alice wants to go to the movies. Ralph calls Alice selfish. According to Ralph, all she ever thinks of is herself and he has a lot of people to think about. Gee, Ralph isn't selfish? Ralph: "The Hurricanes need me." Alice: "I feel sorry for them because the biggest wind of them all isn't going to be there." Ralph: "The biggest wind of them all is going to be there." Ed: "What's a three-letter word for insect?" Ralph: "Bug." Ralph says that he is the anchorman of his team. Alice: "Of what? The Queen Mary?" Ralph is more upset. Ed says that the word "Bug" doesn't fit and it has to end with a "T". Ralph says to put down "nat." Alice says that "gnat" is four letters. Ralph says that Ed to put down "gnat" because the spelling is correct. Ed agrees because he has a co-worker who goes by the name of Nat. He is Nat Burnbaum. Alice says that the word he is looking for is "ant." Ed agrees. Ralph orders Ed to put down "nat." Ralph orders Alice to fix his supper. Alice, in a bad mood, goes upstairs. Ralph & Ed sing: "What's More Important Than That?" in which there is a mention of the Yankees & Mets.
At the Kramden apartment, Alice is cooking dinner. Ralph gets ready to bowl. Alice is still steamed. She still wants to go to the movies. Ralph only takes her to the movies once in a blue moon. Ralph needs his bowling socks. Alice says that they are out on the line getting dry. Alice wonders why he can't use normal socks. Ralph says that they are just as important as bowling shoes. Ralph recites something to Alice that his Dad said to him: "For one of a nail, a shoe is lost. For one of a shoe, a horse was lost. For one of a horse, a battle was lost. And for one of a battle, a war was lost. And for one of a war...for one of a war...it was all lost." Alice: "Why don't you get lost?" Alice goes upstairs to get the wash from the clothesline. Ed comes down. Ed says that Alice is selfish and self-centered. The Fallons knock on the door. Ralph & Ed allow them to come in. They are returning the casserole dish they borrowed from Alice and thank her for being so thoughtful. They loved her frank and beans that she made for them. Alice knocks on the door with the basket full of wash. Ralph opens the door. Mr. Fallon offers to help Alice with the wash and says that she shouldn't carry a heavy load like that. Alice agrees and wishes someone else around here was more thoughtful. Ralph says that if he told her Alice once, he told her a million times not to carry a wash like that in one trip, but in two trips. Ralph pulls a chair so Alice can sit down. This is taken straight from the episode: "Mama Loves Mambo." Ralph & Ed invite Mr. Fallon to join them and Norton for pool, bowling, and lodge meetings, but Fallon is busy all the nights Ralph and Norton go out together--he spends all those nights with his wife. They have been together and have never been separated for more than 17 years. Ed: "Just like me & Ralph." The Fallons leave and Ralph & Ed make fun of Mr. Fallon. Alice agrees with what Mr. Fallon does with his wife. The boys leave.
The next day, Alice is all dressed up. Alice & Trixie are planning to bring romance back to Chauncey Street by being as romantic as possible for their husbands. Trixie gives Alice some perfume to borrow. Alice says that when Ralph sees her, he is going to want to stay home tonight. Trixie is cooking Ed's favorite dinner Trixie leaves. Alice turns off the lights, and with the candle lights lit, welcomes Ralph. Ralph doesn't know what to make of all this. Ralph: "So, you did it again? You forgot to pay the electric light bill." Alice says that with the lights off and candlelight lit, it is romantic. Ralph: "Who do you think we are, Rossaland Russell and Evelyn Douglas?" Ralph turns on the lights. Alice tries to do more romantic things for Ralph like kisses and a bushel of compliments. Ralph says that there is something going on. Ralph: "Ah-ha! Your mother isn't going to set foot in this house." Alice says that she isn't and since he's been gone so long, she misses him something terrible. Alice is cooking a roast-beef dinner for Ralph. Alice cooks him all his favorites like llama beans, baked potatoes and for dessert, she made him a pizza. Ralph is more suspicious and Alice says that there is no reason for him being suspicious. Alice brings out the appetizer: minced eel and honeycomb tripe. Ralph hates the idea of having that for an appetizer. Alice puts on romantic music and dances like a Spanish dancer (the music has clip-clopping in the background), but Ralph doesn't change. He doesn't dance and says to Alice: "You are loaded." Ralph is going to make believe that he is just came in and he says that he wants no kisses, no sweet-talk and no dancing. This is almost what he said to Alice in "TV or Not TV." Ralph: "You want to wiggle? Wiggle over to the stove and get my supper." Alice is upset that after going all out, Ralph has not started to become more romantic. She puts a load of bread into her hand and puts it in Ralph's mouth. The image of Ralph with a load of bread in his mouth can be seen in The Honeymooners Companion Book. Soon she is pouring out seventeen years of frustration. Alice is complaining about him doing pie-eating contests, Raccoon meetings and him playing Skee-Ball tournaments. Gee, a Skee-Ball tournament. I didn't know that they EVER existed. Alice says that she should have known better when he brought a bowling ball on their honeymoon. Ralph is now pouring out his seventeen years of frustration. Ralph: "It's the money that I won in the Skee-Ball tournaments that practically furnished this whole apartment. It's the prizes that I won in the pie-eating contest that got you that dress. What do I have to show for it?" (yells): "DON'T YOU DARE ALICE!" Alice doesn't mind that he goes out for bowling, shooting pool etc. But from now on, he is going to go out with Ed one night a week. The other nights, Ralph can have his fun by playing pool, going bowling etc but she is going along. Ralph: "They said that it wouldn't happen, but it has. The honeymoon is over." Ralph goes into the bedroom.
The next day, Alice is playing checkers. She says that it is Ralph's turn. Ralph is in the bedroom. Every time it's his turn, he walks out, makes his move and walks back into the bedroom. Alice wins. Ralph: "Let's celebrate. You go out to the movies and I'll shoot pool." They will play another game. Ralph is going nuts and he is now ready to play Russian roulette. Alice suggest them talk to each other. Ralph: "What have we got in common?" Ralph says that what they are doing is dangerous and by spending this much time together, they may find out that they hate each other. Alice: "You can leave anytime, but as long as you take me with you." Alice is going out to buy some popcorn for them to eat. She leaves. Ed comes down. He is desperate to get away from Trixie. Ed is going to borrow Ralph's monopoly game. Ed says that Trixie is dressed as a Japanese woman and is running around trying to kiss him and that is why he is running away. If a casual fan who never watched this show saw this, they might assume that Ed is gay. Ralph says that it is murder what he is going through with Alice. Ralph is invoking the Constitution and his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Ed: "But the marriage license is an amendment to the Constitution." Ed has an idea: Tonight, all four of them will go out and he & Ralph will walk faster than the girls and eventually the girls will lose them." Ralph thinks that that idea is stupid. Alice and Trixie have said they want to spend time with their husbands but not spoil their fun, so Ralph figures the way for him and Norton to win back their freedom is to keep the girls out so late that they ask to go home, thus "spoiling" their husbands' night out and disqualifying themselves from participating in the boys' activities. Trixie comes down, costume and all. Trixie: "Come on, lover boy." Ed: "Save me Ralph. I'm a sex symbol." Ralph purposes the idea of all of them going out tonight. Trixie thinks that it is great. Alice comes home and gets told of the idea. She thinks that it is great too. They all sing: "A Night to Remember" in which they step off the set. There is a picture of the cast & crew rehearsing the ending of this song from the horribly inaccurate Honeymooners Companion Book that was made in ’78. You can tell it is from a rehearsal by the way the cast is dressed compared to the actual filming of the episode.
Hours later--after pool, rowing boats, visiting Roseland and Coney Island, and bowling--the girls are invigorated and Ralph is a walking zombie. They stop in a French restaurant. Ralph is having a lot of trouble staying awake. Ed is invigorated. The girls notice that Ralph is tired and think that they should go home. Ed says that they are spoiling their fun. Ed: "We are staying out all night until one of us drops." They order food, but Ralph wants chicken chow-mien, egg roll, and some fried rice. Ed tells Ralph that he is in a Mexican restaurant despite the fact that one of the girls a few minutes ago said to the waiter: Merci. Ralph now says he wants chicken chow-mien, egg roll and some enchiladas. Alice says that it's no use. Alice says that he will take him home right now. Ed: "You girls can't keep up the pace with us." Trixie agrees. The girls leave. The boys have won. Ralph (probably half-conscious, says to Ed): "Baby, you're the greatest." Much to Ed's chagrin, Ralph hugs him. The boys leave.
At the curtain call, Jackie says that the last scene that they did had to be rushed at the moment that they were doing it due to the laughter being better than they thought it would be. Jackie says that it is a pleasure to perform in front of a Miami Beach audience and introduces the cast.
Credit I believe goes to tv.com, Honeymooners Lost Episodes Book, tvguide.com, honeymooners.net, Honeymooners Box Set booklet Honeymooners Lost Episodes DVD booklet, Yahoo! Groups You’re A Riot! & amazon.com
Episode #200 (Syndicated episode #29)
TV: Hour (edited.)
DVD: Attached to "Sleepy Time Gal" & "Follow The Boys."
Color Episode Title: “Boy Next Door”
Lost Episode Title: “Love Letter”
“Boy Next Door”:
In the Nick Clooney intro, Nick is shown what I think is inside his house as he introduces this episode.
The June Taylor Dancers enter the golf course and play golf as they sing “The Great Outdoors.” After that, they leave. Ralph and Ed come onto the golf course and are practicing playing golf. You can tell that the background is indeed fake. They are both wearing pretty loud golf attire. Both of them want to go first, so Ralph says that they put their hands on the golf club and the person whose hand that is on top wins Ed wins. Ralph says that Ed didn't win yet and now he has to spin the golf club around three times. He does. Ralph said that he lost because he didn't yell: "Fore!" Yep, Ralph is making the rules as he goes along. Ralph tires to put the golf ball down on the tee but he can't because he's so fat. Ralph then says that Ed should go first. Ed "prepares" in typical fashion. This aggravates Ralph, so he says that he will go first (since Ed managed to put the ball on the ground). Ralph tries to hit the ball as Ed coughs. This distracts Ralph. Ralph is upset. Ralph "swings" and misses. Ed says that he is too tense so he tells him to loosen himself up by wiggling his arms and waist. After this, Ralph goes to hit the ball and hits himself in the leg. This scene is very similar to the scene in "The Golfer." I thought they should at least have Ed say: "Hello Ball!" Ralph sits down. Ed gets himself and Ralph a soda each. They talk about golf and Ralph mentions that his boss, Mr. Marshall, loves the game so much that he suggested moving the entire bus company down to Miami Beach, Florida just so he can play all year round. Ed says that he is a nut for suggesting that and Ralph agrees which is somewhat strange since Jackie moved his entire TV show operation down to Miami Beach, Florida because one of the reasons is that he wanted to play golf all-year-round. Ralph then says if Mr. Marshall did indeed move the bus company down to Florida, he wouldn't mind since the Miami Beach customers are the best customers in the world. The audience claps. Ed says that in the sewer, they have a saying: "The water is always greener on the other side of the street." Ralph says that Alice has been acting funny. Every time he wants to take her out, she says that she has somewhere to go and won't reveal what she's going. Ed says that he never took Trixie out. Alice has been cooking up great dinners of Ralph. Ed: "Maybe she is trying to fatten you up." Ralph then says that after dinner, she goes down to get Ralph some ice cream and to call someone but she won't say who she is calling. Ralph doesn't ask who she is calling because he doesn't want to get nasty and cause himself to not get any ice cream. Ralph & Ed sing: "When A Woman Treats You Good, That's Bad!"
Alice borrows a cookbook from Trixie and in it finds a love letter that Ed once wrote to Trixie. Alice leaves it on the kitchen table. This whole part was edited out on Youtoo TV and I think it's stupid that this channel did that. I'll tell you why later on. Ralph later comes in. Trixie is hiding Ralph's birthday present behind his back. She leaves. Ralph looks at the dinner that Alice made for him. Ralph: "Alice, we are going to have a little talk. What is going on?" Ralph questions all the things that Alice has been doing like cooking all those dinners and calling people. Alice says that she has been calling nobody. Ralph: "Nobody is someone you yell out the window." Alice says that she has been calling her mother. Ralph: "Have you been playing the horses again?" Alice says that her mother has nothing to do with the horses. Alice says that Ralph has been getting suspicious for no good reason. Ralph then asks Alice all the times that he wanted to take her out, but Alice keeps on saying that she is busy. When Ralph wanted to stay home, Alice gave him money to play poker somewhere Ralph can't stand it any longer. Ralph: "Why are you treating me so good?" Alice is happy that Ralph is no idea what Alice is planning. She goes into the bedroom. Ralph goes to eat his dinner. Alice leaves, much to Ralph's chagrin. Ralph goes to eat his dinner. Ralph finds the letter. The audience goes: "Ooooh!" because the edited footage was shown to them and they wonder what Ralph is going to do. If a casual fan saw this episode on Youtoo, they would be wondering why the audience is making that sound. Ralph (reading it): "'I love you! I love you! Signed: Your lover. P.S.: I love you!'" Naturally Ralph thinks that Alice is seeing another man. Ed comes in and says that the reason why Alice has been acting so strange is probably because that she is planning a surprise birthday party for him (since he has a birthday coming up). Gee, this episode was shown on Oct. 12, 1968, "Love Letter" (version 1) was shown in '54 a couple of days after Oct. 12. "Love Letter" (version 2) was shown on Nov. 24, 1956 and "Pardon My Glove" was shown on Mar. 17, 1956. In both episodes, Alice prepares for Ralph's birthday. Also, in "King of The Castle" & "Battle of The Sexes", Ralph is a Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) & in "Stars Over Flatbush", Ralph is a Taurus (April 21-May 21). Ralph reads the letter to Ed. Ed: "That is sweet Ralph. Who are you going to send it to?" Ralph tells Ed the whole situation. He says that it all adds up. Ralph: "Everyone in the neighborhood knows about this. I am probably the laughingstock of the whole neighborhood. Am I the neighborhood's laughingstock?" Ed: "Yeah and they don't even know about this yet." Ed tries to recognize the handwriting. The audience laughs because they know that Ed wrote it, but the Youtoo TV audiences don't. Ed tries to find out who wrote it (he doesn't know that he himself wrote it). Ed says he has seen the handwriting before. Ed: "I know this handwriting as well as I know my own." Ralph says he will take the letter to a handwriting expert. Ed says that it is a good idea. Ralph: "When I find out the guy, I will kill him." Ed: "I want to be there to see it." The audience laughs. Ralph: "Don't worry. You will. What would Alice want with another man when she has me?" They both sing: "I Don't Understand Her (Alice) At All" in which Ralph sings: "Believe me, I am not dumb." Sure.
Ralph & Ed go to a Mrs. Paterson (a letter analyst at a newspaper). Ed: "With you on the trail, I hate to be the guy who wrote that letter. Mrs. Paterson comes in (with the audience applauding.) Ralph tries to explain the whole situation but twists his facts and explains that the man in the spot is a friend but he accidentally says that he will find out who stole his (Ralph's) wife. The analyst sees the letter and says that the writer is the romantic type, is not very orderly, is rude, going through life in a sloppy manner and not too bright. The things she notices are that he dotted a T, didn't close his O's and he crossed a L. Ed says that he knows the handwriting from somewhere, but he is stumped. She also notices that he misspelled beauty. He spells it b-u-t-e-y. Ed says that is the way he spells it. Ralph tries to correct him. It's spelled: B-a-t..." Mrs. Paterson: "It's b-e-a-u-t-y." Ralph: "Of course it is. Why did you have to tell him? Why couldn't you let him wallow in his own ignorance? We know that he is stupid, rude and sloppy." The analyst says she is busy and will analyze the letter later and mail it to Ralph. Ed volunteers to write down the address. D'oh! Big surprise coming for Ralph. Ed starts to write down the address but he does his usual warming up which causes Ralph to yell. Yeah, Ralph just embarrassed Ed in front of Mrs. Paterson. Ed writes down the address with his zip code: 402369. The world's first six digit zip code. Also, didn't Ed reveal a different zip code in "We Spy"? Ralph & Ed try to leave. Mrs. Paterson sees the handwriting and asks if she could speak to Ralph alone. Ed leaves. She knows it was Norton who wrote the letter. Ralph doesn't believe it and says he will kill him. Mrs. Paterson says that Alice may not care for Ed and give her the benefit of a doubt. Ralph: "If they do like each other, POW! ZOOM!" Ralph leaves.
At home, Trixie asks Alice for her large mixing bowl. She wants to start on the potato salad for Ralph's party. She asks Trixie if Ed can come along and help her buy a bowling ball for Ralph's birthday (she doesn't know which one is good for Ralph.) She says yes. Alice won't tell Ed about the surprise birthday party because he will blab it to Ralph. Ed comes down. Trixie leaves. Alice says to Ed to not blab to Ralph her secret. Ed thinks that Alice is seeing another man (but he doesn't tell her that). Alice: "I knew that Garrity couldn't keep his mouth shut or was it the person down at the sporting good store?" Ed doesn't know what to make of all this. Ed: "Does Garrity know anything about the man from the sporting good store?" Alice doesn't know what Ed is talking about. Alice asks Ed to help her choose a bowling ball for Ralph. Ed says yes he will. With the ball he is going to get, Ed claims that he will go out every night. Alice says that he will go out one night a week for bowling. Ed & Alice make plans to go out as Ed puts his hands on Alice's shoulders. Ralph sees where Ed's hands are and thinks that Ed & Alice are lovers (but he doesn't hear what Ed & Alice are planning.) Ralph claims that he had the worst day of his life. Alice will cook him his dinner. Ed says to Ralph that Alice is true blue. Ralph invites him to spend the evening with him and Alice. Ed declines and leaves. Ralph can't believe it. Ralph: "I threw Alice in his arms." Alice comes out. Alice heard him mumbling. Alice: "You must have had a worse day than I thought." Ralph: "On the contrary, today was one of the finest days of my life." Didn't Ralph just say that he had a bad day? Ralph comes back out with a gray robe. Ralph wants to have a night alone just the two of them. Alice has other plans. She wants to go out. She leaves. Ralph: "She is going to meet Norton. She didn't even ask me if I wanted ice cream."
Ralph arrives at Norton's apartment. We finally see what Norton's living room/dining area looked like back then. Trixie says that Ralph looks worried. Ralph has to tell her something and it won't be easy. Ralph tries to tell her, but he can't. Ralph says that nothing is bothering him. He has the best safety record down at the bus company, the union is going to give bus drivers 4 cents an hour starting next month and the Raccoons might send him to Red Bank, New Jersey for a convention. Didn't they just have one in the last episode? Ralph says that he has everything to be happy about. Trixie says that he forgot that he has a wife in Alice. Ralph cries. Ralph reveals that Alice is seeing another man and is out with another man. Trixie says that isn't true and that she is out with Ed. Ralph: "Exactly!" Ralph gets a hold of himself. Trixie turns on the radio. Announcer: "And now for a change of mood, we have a request for LB down at Jack's Diner and he is hoping that JM is listening." He plays: "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now." Ralph hits the radio (which causes it to turn off). Trixie comes out. Ralph: "I know who's kissing her now and wait until you find out." Ralph shows Trixie the letter that Ed "sent" to Alice. Trixie sees the letter and laughs. Ralph: "Don't you realize the seriousness in this? 'I love you!' 'I love you!' 'I love you!' 'I love you!' 'I love you!'" Ed comes down as Ralph is saying that to Trixie and thinks that he is trying to steal Trixie. Ralph accuses Ed of stealing Alice. Ralph tells Ed to fight. Trixie explains the whole thing. Ralph doesn't believe it. Ralph: "What was it doing in my apartment?" Alice: "I got it from a recipe book from Trixie." Ed: "I knew I recognized that handwriting." Ralph still doesn't believe it. Ralph: "What we you doing with him tonight." Alice won't reveal why. Ralph says that she will and she will reveal all the mysterious phone calls too. Alice explains the reason for all those calls were for his surprise birthday party and Ed was with her to pick out a bowling ball for him. Alice (starting to cry), hands Ralph the wrapped up bowling ball): "Happy Birthday!" I don't like to see Alice crying. Ralph unwraps it. He is very grateful. Ed: "Happy Birthday Ralph! You are a sweet, ungrateful wretch." Ralph is not mad at that. Ralph apologizes to Alice. Ralph says that he is jealous and if he even hears about things like her seeing another guy, he goes nuts. Alice forgives him. Alice: "Not every woman has a husband that is still jealous after 17 years." All of them sing: "Baby, You're The Very Greatest Of All!"
At the curtain call, Jackie introduces Kim Hunter who played "Mrs. Paterson" and the rest of the cast.
During the credit roll, Johnny Olsen says: "Don't forget to tune in next week for the Jackie Gleason Show."
Episode #201 (Syndicated episode #29)
TV: Hour (edited)
DVD: Supposedly attached to "Sleepy Time Gal" & "Boy Next Door." (On some discs, the episode may not play.)
Color Episode Title: "Follow The Boys."
Lost Episode Title: "Boys & Girls Together."
Air Date: 10/26/68
“Follow The Boys”:
In the Nick Clooney intro, he says that while life pretty much was the same for the Kramdens & Nortons during the time this episode was made (which was in '68), the actors could not escape what was going on outside the studio. He talks about Martin Luther King Jr. & Robert Kennedy had been killed and because of that there were riots in 125 cities. There was the Vietnam War and for the first time, Yale admitted women. He says that while all this was going on, it was great to watch these episodes.
The June Taylor Taylor Dancers come out and I think they sing a song about the streets of Brooklyn. After that, they leave. Ed comes outside. He sits down on the stairs of 328 Chauncey Street. He meets a guy named Mr. Fallon who is moving in 3B. Ed: You got a great apartment. Your window overlooks a brick wall." Mr. Fallon is putting some of his furniture (including a chair) on the street. Ed sits down on the chair. Ed is about to do a crossword puzzle when Alice comes out. Ed (reading): "'Four-letter word for place of dwelling.' I got that one. House: H-o-s-e. That is the trouble with these puzzles. They are not challenging." Alice: "Yeah, they are easy. Easy: E-z-y." This crossword puzzle dialog was taken right from the episode: "Hello Mom." Ed (reading): "'Six-letter word for cattle.' Moo cow" Alice: The word you are looking for is Bovine." Ralph comes by and sees them. Alice & Ed greet Ralph. Ed (to Ralph): "How now brown bovine." Alice: That is a new word he just learned." Ralph: "Now, he knows three of them." Ralph learns of the Fallons moving in. Alice is planning to go out to the movies with Ralph. Ralph has other plans. He and Ed are bowling for The Hurricanes. Alice is upset. Ed: "Ralph, what's a three-letter word for overweight." Ralph: "I don't know." They still argue while Ed thinks of the word 'Fat' for his crossword puzzle. Ralph says that this is an important game. It's the playoffs. If they win this "very important" game, the team will tie another team for ninth place. Alice: "La-te-da." Alice wants to go to the movies. Ralph calls Alice selfish. According to Ralph, all she ever thinks of is herself and he has a lot of people to think about. Gee, Ralph isn't selfish? Ralph: "The Hurricanes need me." Alice: "I feel sorry for them because the biggest wind of them all isn't going to be there." Ralph: "The biggest wind of them all is going to be there." Ed: "What's a three-letter word for insect?" Ralph: "Bug." Ralph says that he is the anchorman of his team. Alice: "Of what? The Queen Mary?" Ralph is more upset. Ed says that the word "Bug" doesn't fit and it has to end with a "T". Ralph says to put down "nat." Alice says that "gnat" is four letters. Ralph says that Ed to put down "gnat" because the spelling is correct. Ed agrees because he has a co-worker who goes by the name of Nat. He is Nat Burnbaum. Alice says that the word he is looking for is "ant." Ed agrees. Ralph orders Ed to put down "nat." Ralph orders Alice to fix his supper. Alice, in a bad mood, goes upstairs. Ralph & Ed sing: "What's More Important Than That?" in which there is a mention of the Yankees & Mets.
At the Kramden apartment, Alice is cooking dinner. Ralph gets ready to bowl. Alice is still steamed. She still wants to go to the movies. Ralph only takes her to the movies once in a blue moon. Ralph needs his bowling socks. Alice says that they are out on the line getting dry. Alice wonders why he can't use normal socks. Ralph says that they are just as important as bowling shoes. Ralph recites something to Alice that his Dad said to him: "For one of a nail, a shoe is lost. For one of a shoe, a horse was lost. For one of a horse, a battle was lost. And for one of a battle, a war was lost. And for one of a war...for one of a war...it was all lost." Alice: "Why don't you get lost?" Alice goes upstairs to get the wash from the clothesline. Ed comes down. Ed says that Alice is selfish and self-centered. The Fallons knock on the door. Ralph & Ed allow them to come in. They are returning the casserole dish they borrowed from Alice and thank her for being so thoughtful. They loved her frank and beans that she made for them. Alice knocks on the door with the basket full of wash. Ralph opens the door. Mr. Fallon offers to help Alice with the wash and says that she shouldn't carry a heavy load like that. Alice agrees and wishes someone else around here was more thoughtful. Ralph says that if he told her Alice once, he told her a million times not to carry a wash like that in one trip, but in two trips. Ralph pulls a chair so Alice can sit down. This is taken straight from the episode: "Mama Loves Mambo." Ralph & Ed invite Mr. Fallon to join them and Norton for pool, bowling, and lodge meetings, but Fallon is busy all the nights Ralph and Norton go out together--he spends all those nights with his wife. They have been together and have never been separated for more than 17 years. Ed: "Just like me & Ralph." The Fallons leave and Ralph & Ed make fun of Mr. Fallon. Alice agrees with what Mr. Fallon does with his wife. The boys leave.
The next day, Alice is all dressed up. Alice & Trixie are planning to bring romance back to Chauncey Street by being as romantic as possible for their husbands. Trixie gives Alice some perfume to borrow. Alice says that when Ralph sees her, he is going to want to stay home tonight. Trixie is cooking Ed's favorite dinner Trixie leaves. Alice turns off the lights, and with the candle lights lit, welcomes Ralph. Ralph doesn't know what to make of all this. Ralph: "So, you did it again? You forgot to pay the electric light bill." Alice says that with the lights off and candlelight lit, it is romantic. Ralph: "Who do you think we are, Rossaland Russell and Evelyn Douglas?" Ralph turns on the lights. Alice tries to do more romantic things for Ralph like kisses and a bushel of compliments. Ralph says that there is something going on. Ralph: "Ah-ha! Your mother isn't going to set foot in this house." Alice says that she isn't and since he's been gone so long, she misses him something terrible. Alice is cooking a roast-beef dinner for Ralph. Alice cooks him all his favorites like llama beans, baked potatoes and for dessert, she made him a pizza. Ralph is more suspicious and Alice says that there is no reason for him being suspicious. Alice brings out the appetizer: minced eel and honeycomb tripe. Ralph hates the idea of having that for an appetizer. Alice puts on romantic music and dances like a Spanish dancer (the music has clip-clopping in the background), but Ralph doesn't change. He doesn't dance and says to Alice: "You are loaded." Ralph is going to make believe that he is just came in and he says that he wants no kisses, no sweet-talk and no dancing. This is almost what he said to Alice in "TV or Not TV." Ralph: "You want to wiggle? Wiggle over to the stove and get my supper." Alice is upset that after going all out, Ralph has not started to become more romantic. She puts a load of bread into her hand and puts it in Ralph's mouth. The image of Ralph with a load of bread in his mouth can be seen in The Honeymooners Companion Book. Soon she is pouring out seventeen years of frustration. Alice is complaining about him doing pie-eating contests, Raccoon meetings and him playing Skee-Ball tournaments. Gee, a Skee-Ball tournament. I didn't know that they EVER existed. Alice says that she should have known better when he brought a bowling ball on their honeymoon. Ralph is now pouring out his seventeen years of frustration. Ralph: "It's the money that I won in the Skee-Ball tournaments that practically furnished this whole apartment. It's the prizes that I won in the pie-eating contest that got you that dress. What do I have to show for it?" (yells): "DON'T YOU DARE ALICE!" Alice doesn't mind that he goes out for bowling, shooting pool etc. But from now on, he is going to go out with Ed one night a week. The other nights, Ralph can have his fun by playing pool, going bowling etc but she is going along. Ralph: "They said that it wouldn't happen, but it has. The honeymoon is over." Ralph goes into the bedroom.
The next day, Alice is playing checkers. She says that it is Ralph's turn. Ralph is in the bedroom. Every time it's his turn, he walks out, makes his move and walks back into the bedroom. Alice wins. Ralph: "Let's celebrate. You go out to the movies and I'll shoot pool." They will play another game. Ralph is going nuts and he is now ready to play Russian roulette. Alice suggest them talk to each other. Ralph: "What have we got in common?" Ralph says that what they are doing is dangerous and by spending this much time together, they may find out that they hate each other. Alice: "You can leave anytime, but as long as you take me with you." Alice is going out to buy some popcorn for them to eat. She leaves. Ed comes down. He is desperate to get away from Trixie. Ed is going to borrow Ralph's monopoly game. Ed says that Trixie is dressed as a Japanese woman and is running around trying to kiss him and that is why he is running away. If a casual fan who never watched this show saw this, they might assume that Ed is gay. Ralph says that it is murder what he is going through with Alice. Ralph is invoking the Constitution and his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Ed: "But the marriage license is an amendment to the Constitution." Ed has an idea: Tonight, all four of them will go out and he & Ralph will walk faster than the girls and eventually the girls will lose them." Ralph thinks that that idea is stupid. Alice and Trixie have said they want to spend time with their husbands but not spoil their fun, so Ralph figures the way for him and Norton to win back their freedom is to keep the girls out so late that they ask to go home, thus "spoiling" their husbands' night out and disqualifying themselves from participating in the boys' activities. Trixie comes down, costume and all. Trixie: "Come on, lover boy." Ed: "Save me Ralph. I'm a sex symbol." Ralph purposes the idea of all of them going out tonight. Trixie thinks that it is great. Alice comes home and gets told of the idea. She thinks that it is great too. They all sing: "A Night to Remember" in which they step off the set. There is a picture of the cast & crew rehearsing the ending of this song from the horribly inaccurate Honeymooners Companion Book that was made in ’78. You can tell it is from a rehearsal by the way the cast is dressed compared to the actual filming of the episode.
Hours later--after pool, rowing boats, visiting Roseland and Coney Island, and bowling--the girls are invigorated and Ralph is a walking zombie. They stop in a French restaurant. Ralph is having a lot of trouble staying awake. Ed is invigorated. The girls notice that Ralph is tired and think that they should go home. Ed says that they are spoiling their fun. Ed: "We are staying out all night until one of us drops." They order food, but Ralph wants chicken chow-mien, egg roll, and some fried rice. Ed tells Ralph that he is in a Mexican restaurant despite the fact that one of the girls a few minutes ago said to the waiter: Merci. Ralph now says he wants chicken chow-mien, egg roll and some enchiladas. Alice says that it's no use. Alice says that he will take him home right now. Ed: "You girls can't keep up the pace with us." Trixie agrees. The girls leave. The boys have won. Ralph (probably half-conscious, says to Ed): "Baby, you're the greatest." Much to Ed's chagrin, Ralph hugs him. The boys leave.
At the curtain call, Jackie says that the last scene that they did had to be rushed at the moment that they were doing it due to the laughter being better than they thought it would be. Jackie says that it is a pleasure to perform in front of a Miami Beach audience and introduces the cast.
Credit I believe goes to tv.com, Honeymooners Lost Episodes Book, tvguide.com, honeymooners.net, Honeymooners Box Set booklet Honeymooners Lost Episodes DVD booklet, Yahoo! Groups You’re A Riot! & amazon.com