Frank Gannucci
09-26-2020, 07:20 AM
The Great Gleason Express extra that is shown on the MPI Color Honeymooners 3 Disc set:
The first clip that is played is from "We Spy" as Ed is carrying the luggage. Narrator: "Long before the Kramdens and Nortons took their (1960s) trip to Europe, Jackie moved his entire CBS variety show to Miami Beach Florida. Jackie was tired of those endless New York winters and wanted to enjoy outdoor life more." In an interview from the 60s, Jackie says he likes being in Miami Beach. It is revealed that to help charter his show to Florida, he got a train and dubbed it: "The Great Gleason Express" and used his train to help promote his show and was also used for publicity. Jackie's rep was on the line and had the responsibility of transporting a lot of people including people involved with the show and their families as well. Jackie in that same interview as mentioned above, Jackie says that he is grateful that the people, who worked with him, came with him. It is revealed that Hank Mitre proposed to Gleason the idea of moving down to Miami Beach and the president of WTVJ (the then-CBS affiliate down in Miami). Gleason loved train travel and a younger Marilyn Gleason is shown talking about the fact when Jackie first went out to California. I can tell it was a younger Marilyn Gleason because when she appeared on the Larry King Live Honeymooners Special in 2002, she looked much older and talked about him going down to Miami with the whole cast and crew. Marilyn: "We still talk about it today." That line alone reveals the age of this interview. It is revealed that Jackie did a Bon Voyage party at his restaurant in New York called Toots Shor. The actual train ride took a day and a half (save for brief stops along the way.) Music was played non-stop. Wow!
Marilyn: "Jackie didn't have to be on stage to entertain." A few dozen reporters were aboard on the trip, Jackie talked WTVJ into footing the bill for the train ride and remolding what is now called the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach into a TV studio which cost a quarter of a million dollars (I bet that it would cost more today.) TV Guide said that the publicity got more than $9 million dollars in publicity for Miami Beach. Jackie's greatest worker on the train ride was June Taylor (sister of his then-future wife Marilyn). June would be responsible for making those dance numbers on his shows. It was revealed that Jackie spent time with train employees who were working on the charter trip. When the express rolled into a town in the middle of the night, Jackie greeted his fans like a million bucks. When they arrived in Miami, they were greeted by a marching band, a rock and roll group and a lot of fans. While on a tour of Miami, Jackie was surrounded by a LOT of people. Narrator: "Jackie taped his last Honeymooners episodes in what is now called the Jackie Gleason Theater until the 1970s." That theater was renamed The Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater in 2007. Jackie: "As always, the Miami Beach audiences are the greatest in the world." The End.
Credit I think goes to (the original) Bill's 'Mooners Archives, eBay.com, tv.com, Honeymooners Lost Episodes Book, tvguide.com, honeymooners.net, Honeymooners Box Set booklet Honeymooners Lost Episodes DVD booklet, Wikipedia.org, Yahoo Groups You're A Riot! & Amazon.com.
The first clip that is played is from "We Spy" as Ed is carrying the luggage. Narrator: "Long before the Kramdens and Nortons took their (1960s) trip to Europe, Jackie moved his entire CBS variety show to Miami Beach Florida. Jackie was tired of those endless New York winters and wanted to enjoy outdoor life more." In an interview from the 60s, Jackie says he likes being in Miami Beach. It is revealed that to help charter his show to Florida, he got a train and dubbed it: "The Great Gleason Express" and used his train to help promote his show and was also used for publicity. Jackie's rep was on the line and had the responsibility of transporting a lot of people including people involved with the show and their families as well. Jackie in that same interview as mentioned above, Jackie says that he is grateful that the people, who worked with him, came with him. It is revealed that Hank Mitre proposed to Gleason the idea of moving down to Miami Beach and the president of WTVJ (the then-CBS affiliate down in Miami). Gleason loved train travel and a younger Marilyn Gleason is shown talking about the fact when Jackie first went out to California. I can tell it was a younger Marilyn Gleason because when she appeared on the Larry King Live Honeymooners Special in 2002, she looked much older and talked about him going down to Miami with the whole cast and crew. Marilyn: "We still talk about it today." That line alone reveals the age of this interview. It is revealed that Jackie did a Bon Voyage party at his restaurant in New York called Toots Shor. The actual train ride took a day and a half (save for brief stops along the way.) Music was played non-stop. Wow!
Marilyn: "Jackie didn't have to be on stage to entertain." A few dozen reporters were aboard on the trip, Jackie talked WTVJ into footing the bill for the train ride and remolding what is now called the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach into a TV studio which cost a quarter of a million dollars (I bet that it would cost more today.) TV Guide said that the publicity got more than $9 million dollars in publicity for Miami Beach. Jackie's greatest worker on the train ride was June Taylor (sister of his then-future wife Marilyn). June would be responsible for making those dance numbers on his shows. It was revealed that Jackie spent time with train employees who were working on the charter trip. When the express rolled into a town in the middle of the night, Jackie greeted his fans like a million bucks. When they arrived in Miami, they were greeted by a marching band, a rock and roll group and a lot of fans. While on a tour of Miami, Jackie was surrounded by a LOT of people. Narrator: "Jackie taped his last Honeymooners episodes in what is now called the Jackie Gleason Theater until the 1970s." That theater was renamed The Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater in 2007. Jackie: "As always, the Miami Beach audiences are the greatest in the world." The End.
Credit I think goes to (the original) Bill's 'Mooners Archives, eBay.com, tv.com, Honeymooners Lost Episodes Book, tvguide.com, honeymooners.net, Honeymooners Box Set booklet Honeymooners Lost Episodes DVD booklet, Wikipedia.org, Yahoo Groups You're A Riot! & Amazon.com.