Any Reason the Cast Didn't Participate in any of the "Honeymousers" Cartoons?

[gilligan fanatic]

After these were released Jack Benny and his group did "The House That Jack Built" and they all suplied there voices for that. I don't get why none of the Honeymooners did the Honeymousers or the other two shorts. The three cartoons are funny, but Daws Butler just isn't a good Ralph but he did do a good job on "Morton".

[W.B.]

Part of the answer (but by no means the only one) lies with logistics. The Honeymooners cast were all based in New York at the time, while the Warner cartoons (including The Honey-Mousers and its two sequels, Cheese It, the Cat! and Mice Follies) were produced in Hollywood. And Gleason, of course, was none too fond of working in California, his early 1940's experiences there having left a lifelong bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

[gilligan fanatic]

Originally Posted by W.B.

Part of the answer (but by no means the only one) lies with logistics. The Honeymooners cast were all based in New York at the time, while the Warner cartoons (including The Honey-Mousers and its two sequels, Cheese It, the Cat! and Mice Follies) were produced in Hollywood. And Gleason, of course, was none too fond of working in California, his early 1940's experiences there having left a lifelong bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

ah okay, I didn't realize the 50's episodes were filmed in New York. I thought it moved from California to Miami.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...the idea of parodying "THE HONEYMOONERS" in animated form at Warners in 1956 [after caricaturing "Ralph" and "Ed" as railroad hobos in Bugs Bunny's "Half-Fare Hare"], he thought the best way was to depict them as "cartoon mice" (a long established tradition in animated cartoons). Daws Butler had already impersonated "Ralph" in a 1955 Stan Freberg Capitol record satire called "The Honeyearthers", so he was the best choice to double as both "Ralph Krumden" and "Ned Morton" (of course, when Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera heard Daws' "Norton" impression, they used the same voice in their 1957 "Spike & Tyke" cartoon at MGM, "Give And Tyke"...and eventually, THAT became the basis for their "Yogi Bear" character on TV in 1958!). Julie Bennett was "Alice"...AND "Trixie" in the last of the series, "Mice Follies" (1960).

Jackie may have personally disliked the idea of seeing his #1 sketch "deconstructed" in theatrical cartoons, but did not take any legal action in stopping Warner Bros. from doing it...as he allowed Hanna-Barbera to proceed with "THE FLINTSTONES" in 1960.

By the way, Jack Benny had NO objections to having McKimson doing the same thing with his TV cast in 1959- in fact, he INSISTED on having himself, his wife Mary, Don Wilson, and Mel Blanc join in on the fun of doing it. All he asked for was a review of Tedd Pierce's script to make sure his cast were properly caricatured and depicted...and a print of "The Mouse That Jack Built" for his collection. Jack didn't mind kidding himself in animated form as long as it was done right!

[W.B.]

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

...the idea of parodying "THE HONEYMOONERS" in animated form at Warners in 1956 [after caricaturing "Ralph" and "Ed" as railroad hobos in Bugs Bunny's "Half-Fare Hare"], he thought the best way was to depict them as "cartoon mice" (a long established tradition in animated cartoons). Daws Butler had already impersonated "Ralph" in a 1955 Stan Freberg Capitol record satire called "The Honeyearthers", so he was the best choice to double as both "Ralph Krumden" and "Ned Morton" (of course, when Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera heard Daws' "Norton" impression, they used the same voice in their 1957 "Spike & Tyke" cartoon at MGM, "Give And Tyke"...and eventually, THAT became the basis for their "Yogi Bear" character on TV in 1958!). Julie Bennett was "Alice"...AND "Trixie" in the last of the series, "Mice Follies" (1960).

Jackie may have personally disliked the idea of seeing his #1 sketch "deconstructed" in theatrical cartoons, but did not take any legal action in stopping Warner Bros. from doing it...as he allowed Hanna-Barbera to proceed with "THE FLINTSTONES" in 1960.

By the way, Jack Benny had NO objections to having McKimson doing the same thing with his TV cast in 1959- in fact, he INSISTED on having himself, his wife Mary, Don Wilson, and Mel Blanc join in on the fun of doing it. All he asked for was a review of Tedd Pierce's script to make sure his cast were properly caricatured and depicted...and a print of "The Mouse That Jack Built" for his collection. Jack didn't mind kidding himself in animated form as long as it was done right!

A few things I have to mention:
(1) In at least the first two Honey-Mousers cartoons, June Foray had supplied the voice of Alice.
(2) In "The Honey-Earthers," Mr. Butler actually voiced Norton; Ralph's voice on that occasion was supplied by Mr. Freberg himself. I remember that routine was reprised in one of the later episodes of the 1957 radio series The Stan Freberg Show - around the time Cheese It, the Cat! came out.
(3) In the case of The Mouse That Jack Built, it certainly didn't hurt that Mr. Blanc was Warners' resident voice artist as well as a key member of Mr. Benny's stock company.

[Lamont]

if only theyd done more!

[W.B.]

It's interesting, however, that the last Honey-Mousers cartoon, Mice Follies, came out the same year (1960) that Hanna/Barbera's The Flintstones premiered on ABC.