Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Halloween Party" ('53) & "Champagne & Caviar":

[Frank Gannucci]

Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Halloween Party" ('53) & "Champagne & Caviar":

Episode #63 (Syndicated episode #69)
TV: Attached to "Forgot To Register."
VCR: (1953 version): Attached to "This Is Your Life." (1954 version): Supposedly attached to "Box Top Kid" but the episode is the '53 version.
DVD: Attached to "My Fair Landlord", "The Cold", "Lost Job" & "Ralph's Sweet Tooth." On the Lost Episodes DVD Box Set, it is attached to “Prowler”, “Guest Speaker”, “Sprained Thumb”, “Lucky Number”, “Vacation At Fred’s Landing” (’53 version), “Hot Dog Stand”, “Two Tickets To The Fight”, “Champagne & Caviar” & “Letter To The Boss” (’53 version).
Air Date: Sat. 10/31/53

"Halloween Party" ('53):

The Kramdens and Nortons are getting dressed up to go to Ralph's boss' party. Alice is dressed as an angel. Trixie comes in dressed as a sailor. Alice gave Ralph a very unique costume to say the least. Alice: "Hey Ralph, come on out and show the costume you are going to wear." Ralph (yells from the bedroom): "I'LL BE OUT! I'LL BE OUT!" Ralph comes dressed with a sweatshirt, a hat, and a grass skirt that is pulled up to his chest. He hates his costume and asks what he is. Alice: "You’re a Zulu Chief." Ralph: "If this is what a Zulu Chief wears, I hate to be a private citizen in that tribe." Ha! Trixie goes upstairs.

Ralph complains about his costume. He says Alice's costume must have been easy to make. It wasn't. Alice reveals the hard work that she had to go through to make her costume. Ralph decides to go into the bedroom. Ed comes in dressed as Clara Bow, a woman. Alice says hello to Ed. Ed: "How did you recognize me?" A mousetrap goes off in the bedroom and it has Ralph's finger in it. Ralph yells in pain and tells Ed he has a mousetrap on his finger. Ed: "What are you going as, a mouse?" Ed takes the trap off Ralph. Ralph yells to Alice as to why she has a mousetrap in he closet (where he got the mousetrap) where she should have one in the kitchen. She says that she did put that mousetrap in the kitchen. Ralph: "Two mousetraps? Who are you showing off for?" Ed says something to Ralph in which he says: "What do you think I am, an idiot?" Ed: "Ain't that what you are supposed to be?" Ralph (to Alice): "He doesn't even know who I am." Alice: "I don't know Ralph. He came pretty close." Ha! Ralph decides that he wants to rip up his tux and go as an elegant bum. Alice says no. Ralph: "Why? I am not going to wear it again. All my brothers are married and your sister is not going to get hooked." Gee, that was nice. NOT!

Trixie comes back and pains Ed's fingertips. Ralph comes out and rips his tux and puts it on. Ed: "Ralph, you'll be the biggest bum at the party." Freddie Muller and his wife come by to pick them up and they are dressed to the teeth. Even though the boss' party is on Halloween, it's a normal dance and not a costume party. Fred sees Norton and thinks that it's Alice. Ed corrects him. Freddie and his wife leave. Ed: "Why are we sitting around like mopes for? Why don't we go out trick-or-treating?" Question: If all of them went trick-or-treating, wouldn't that be a TAD immature for people their age? The Nortons leave. Ralph apologizes to Alice. They hug and kiss.

Episode #64 (Syndicated episode #102)
TV: Attached to "What's Her Name."
VCR: Attached to "Love Letter." On some tapes, it is attached to "Finger Man."
DVD: Attached to "Finger Man", "New Year's Eve Party" and "Two-Family Car." On the Lost Episodes DVD Box Set, it is attached to “Prowler”, “Guest Speaker”, “Sprained Thumb”, “Lucky Number”, “Vacation At Fred’s Landing” (’53 version), “Hot Dog Stand”, “Two Tickets To The Fight”, “Halloween Party” (’53 version), & “Letter To The Boss” (’53 version).
Air Date: Sat. 11/7/53

"Champagne & Caviar":

This episode starts off with Alice and Trixie in the kitchen. Alice explains to Trixie that Ralph's boss, Mr. Marshall is coming for dinner. Ralph gets home with even more food. He is going to do the extreme to impress his boss because he wants a raise and a promotion. Ralph bought some caviar and champagne for his boss. Ralph learns that Ed and Trixie are going to the movies. He doesn't want Ed around when Mr. Marshall arrives. Alice says that she is surprised because Ed would go to the ends of the earth for Ralph.

Ed Norton comes down and says that his is thinking of taking Trixie are thinking about going to the movies or staying down here. Ralph: "Oh no! Go to the movies." It is apparent that Ralph doesn't want Ed around. Ed learns that Ralph's boss is coming over and what Ralph wants out of his boss. Ed looks at the bottle of wine and notices that it was made in 1933 or something. Regardless, it's old. Ed says that Ralph should have bought some more modern wine. Ed: "Why didn't you get some 1953 (the year that this episode was made) wine." Ralph says that the year on that bottle was a good year for wine, that's why. Ed leaves, but as he leaves, he says to Ralph: "You are one of the people that make America great." Let's see. Ralph is an ordinary citizen like you and me and Ed thinks that he is one of the people that makes America great? Especially when America has a lot more people that are of special significance to America. Plus, doesn't Ed know how Ralph can get?

There's a knock on the door. Thinking that that's his boss, Ralph instructs Alice to open the door while he reads the paper in the chair that's facing the ice box. It's Ed Norton. He needs a quarter to go to the movies. Alice goes into the bedroom to get a quarter but can't find any. Ralph goes in the bedroom to get a quarter. Ralph's boss comes down. His boss is played by a much different character. In the latter years, he would be played by a much different character. As Ed and Mr. Marshall talk, Ralph comes out. Ralph: "We don't have a quarter in the..." (seeing the boss): "....whorrrr Mr. Marshall."

Mr. Marshall asks Ed where he works. Ed says that he works in the sewer and that he was lucky to get a job there. Maybe Ralph was right about not letting Ed come down while the boss was here because Ed is embarrassing Ralph. Ed Norton leaves. Alice, Ralph and Mr. Marshall have dinner as Ralph and Mr. Marshall talk about the bus company. One of the things that Ralph says is that he would have used that complaint box yesterday but it was full. Mr. Marshall then asks Ralph how much does he make. Ralph makes $62 a week. Upon hearing that, Mr. Marshall says with the way that Ralph lives, eating champagne and caviar, smoking cigars, he doesn't need a raise and promotion. In fact, all the other people who make $62 a week can live just as good. So, he doesn't think that giving raises would be necessary to those people and he is going to let Ralph (and the other people who make just as much money as Ralph) at $46 a week. Yes, the actor who played the boss made a blooper. When he leaves, Ralph covers his blooper by saying he makes $46 a week after taxes. Ralph apologizes to Alice. Alice says that now that they have some caviar, she would like some. Ralph and Alice kiss and hug.

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.

[Frank Gannucci]

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