View Full Version : Ring Salesman sketch question. How many times was the sketch done?


Frank Gannucci
05-24-2023, 10:46 PM
I know that MPI says it was done two times. Once in 1951 and once in 1952.

But the ever not-so-reliable Wikipedia.org says this. Now I know that Ed Sullivan did his shows on Sunday and Jackie Gleason did his show on Saturdays but apparently Wikipedia says that this was an exception

13 "The Ring Salesman" 8:09 March 28, 1952
last existing DuMont "Honeymooners" sketch.
14 "The Ring Salesman" 9:07 March 30, 1952
Repeat of earlier sketch, performed on CBS Television's The Ed Sullivan Show. (Jackie Gleason and "The Honeymooners" first appearance on CBS.) Unreleased.

For what it’s worth Shokus says that they have an episode of the Jackie Gleason show with Ring Salesman sketch.

Bill S.
05-26-2023, 08:55 PM
Redoing the sketch three times in one season and having two of those performances be two days apart seems like a lot. The kinescope could have been rerun on Sullivan, but it's hard to say without the full Sullivan broadcasts. Do you have a link for the Shokus claim?

Frank Gannucci
05-26-2023, 10:09 PM
This was the information that was there. Shokus told me in an email that the year should say “1951” and they would correct it.

“ THE HONEYMOONERS (1952). This is a kinescope recorded BEFORE any of the shows in syndication were done. It stars The Great One: Jackie Gleason, of course, as a thinner Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton, and Pert Kelton playing the part of Alice.”

This is also what shokus told me

“Hello...since we released that clip (from the Dumont Network) in the early 80s, a home video release as well as a TV special has contained the sketch so it is no longer among the few that are totally lost.”

“It (the packaging) does not have an air date and is not from the Ed Sullivan Show. It is a Dumont sketch from 1951.”

df17
05-28-2023, 03:21 PM
Those two, that you mentioned, are the same episode. I just watched them.

The Ed Sullivan one is 50 seconds longer than the one released on the lost episodes DVD.

The Ed Sullivan one one starts off with Trixie returning the cup from the cup of sugar she borrowed.

The DVD one starts off with Alice walking towards the stove to get sugar container to put away the cup. 50 seconds later than the Sullivan one.

Frank Gannucci
05-28-2023, 03:39 PM
Those two, that you mentioned, are the same episode. I just watched them.

The Ed Sullivan one is 50 seconds longer than the one released on the lost episodes DVD.

The Ed Sullivan one one starts off with Trixie returning the cup from the cup of sugar she borrowed.

The DVD one starts off with Alice walking towards the stove to get sugar container to put away the cup. 50 seconds later than the Sullivan one.

Thank you. Too bad that MPI didn’t have the longer one.

Frank Gannucci
08-27-2025, 08:00 PM
This was the information that was there. Shokus told me in an email that the year should say “1951” and they would correct it.

“ THE HONEYMOONERS (1952). This is a kinescope recorded BEFORE any of the shows in syndication were done. It stars The Great One: Jackie Gleason, of course, as a thinner Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton, and Pert Kelton playing the part of Alice.”

This is also what shokus told me

“Hello...since we released that clip (from the Dumont Network) in the early 80s, a home video release as well as a TV special has contained the sketch so it is no longer among the few that are totally lost.”

“It (the packaging) does not have an air date and is not from the Ed Sullivan Show. It is a Dumont sketch from 1951.”

I bought the dvd from Shokus and I can confirm it’s the same as the MPI Lost Episode DVD Box set.