Episode Reviews: "Kramdens' Curse", "Man From Space" & "Halloween Party":

[Frank Gannucci]

Since Halloween is coming up, I thought I would repost these reviews:

Episode #157
TV: Hour (edited)
DVD: Attached to "Mod Couple" (aka "Honeymooners In England")
& "You're In The Picture."

The show opens in a Irish bar/hotel lobby in Ireland with a bunch of waiters & waitresses (the June Taylor Dancers) singing: “Hooray For The Irish!” After the song is over, the bartender is talking to a man about how a Kramden is coming to visit. The bartender then tells a story on how the curse of Shammus O’ Toole was formed and it hasn't been broken yet. The village of Dunnelin has been affected greatly by it. Part of the story is that the village is very fond of beer and was prospering because of its great beer until the curse was formed. The curse had a very bad effect on their beer and in turn the village was affected a great deal. They say if a Kramden spends the night in a castle that is the home of the Ghost of Shammus O’ Toole, the curse will be broken. He also tried to put a curse on America, but it didn't work. The mayor comes in with the news that the Kramdens are coming. The Kramdens & Nortons arrive at the bar and all the dancers greet them and sing. The mayor says that he found a Kramden because a Kramden has an eye of a eagle, the heart of a lion and the dignity of a king so he shakes Ed's hand thinking that he is Ralph. Ralph corrects him. Ed: "I only got the tooth of an elk." The girls can't believe the reception they got. The girls want to unpack. Ralph wants the biggest suite there is in he hotel (apparently the bar has a hotel). The bartender/owner: "You can have the Jackie Gleason Suite." Ed hears this and they talk about Jackie. Ralph: "Jackie is a bit pudgy. That Art has put on a few pounds too." Ha! Ed Norton wants a drink called a Hungarian Zombie. He says it is simple to make but it doesn't sound that way when he describes the way you make it. Ralph says that Ed has a little of irish in him. Man: "Did your mitther come from Ireland?" Ed: "What's a mitther?" Ralph: "He means your mother." Ed: "No, she didn't. Neither did my britther or my sitther. It was my grandfither." Ed brings Ralph into the center of the bar and addresses everyone and says a toast to Ralph but his speech is so long, Ralph yells at him to shut up. After that, the threesome leave as the girls sing and dance.

The next scene opens with the mayor, Ralph & Ed sitting down. Ralph makes a toast to Ireland and says it is the most hospitable country in the world. Ralph sings a song about Ireland that mentions it's hospitability. Ed joins in. It's a great song. The mayor talks about Ralph's great-great-grandfather and how brave he was. Ed says that Ralph is very brave. He once took on three guys single-handedly at once. Ed: "They murdered Ralph. Of course he had them outweighed by 50 pounds." Ha! They talk about Shammus O' Toole, the famous Irish ghost. The mayor asks if Ralph will spend a night in a castle. Ralph says sure. The mayor: "Tonight you will break the Old Kramden curse by spending the night with a blood-thirsty ghost. He realizes what he agreed to.

At the hotel, Ralph is a nervous wreck. Alice says that it is not necessary and the ghost and curse don't exist. Ralph: "As soon as the curse is broken, they will make beer. I'm not risking myself for beer." Alice: "I bet you would for pizza." Ed comes in with Trixie. Ed: "How's the old ghost catcher? Whooooo!" Ralph isn't amused Trixie talks about the celebration about Ralph being a hero and breaking the curse. The mayor comes in to take Ralph. Ralph is scared, he forces Ed to come. Ed is scared too. The girls and boys break into song in which some of the lyrics are: "You need not fear/we will be waiting right here." It's a great song. After that, the boys leave.

At the castle, the counterfeiters are talking about their evil schemes and they plot how they will scare Ralph and Ed. In other words, they are the “curse”. They leave as Ralph & Ed come in. Ralph: "This isn't the fun and sun capital of the world." A door closes "by itself." The boys are scared. Ed: "Is it true that a ghost can go through a wall." Ralph: "If that happens, you will see me going through that wall." They try to turn on the radio, but a scary show doesn't entertain them. After that, more screams are heard. The boys are even more scared. They try to pretend that they are in the hotel. Ed: "Too bad that it's haunted." They hear a scream. Ed: "Since we are in a hotel, let's check out." They are locked in since they can't get out of the door. They try to go through the window, but it doesn't work. They lay on the bed. Ralph asks Ed for a match, but someone else gives him one (unbeknownst to Ralph) Ralph thanks Ed but Ed tells him that he didn't light it. Uh oh! Ralph hears a scary laugh. Ralph: "Thanks for the light." More scary hi-jinks follow like Ed going through the door (that opened "by itself") on one side of the bed and not coming back. Ralph notices and goes into that door that opened "by itself" and tries to see Norton. Ed comes out on the other side and one of the counterfeiters places a fake cat near the bed. Ed thinks that Ralph is now a cat. Ralph comes out and sees what Ed is doing and tries to convince him that he's not a cat. "Ghost": "I am the Ghost of Shammus O' Toole. If your name is Kramden, beware." Ralph lays down on the bed and from Ed's blindside, the bed moves into the wall and comes back without Ralph. Ed wonders where Ralph is. Ralph comes in and when he sees Ed with a blanket on his head, he gets scared. He immediately sees that it is Norton. They hear a knock on the previously locked door and the door opens with boots walking "by themselves." They try to leave but a "ghost" scares them. The ghost goes into one of the doors. They come to the conclusion that the ghost is in between the two doors on the other side of the wall. They capture the counterfeiters and leave, supposedly breaking the curse.

The next scene opens up with a celebration at the bar/hotel lobby. The Kramdens and Nortons break out into the song Ireland song that Ralph sung earlier. They leave immediately.

At the curtain call, Jackie talks about Miami and coffee. He introduces the cast (Shelia kisses him). After that, the credits roll with the fake palm trees in the background.

Episode #104
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "The Sleepwalker."
DVD: Attached to episodes #9 -16 the classic 39.

Ralph greets Ed during lunch hour. They talk about the costume contest at the Raccoon lodge dance. Ralph: "I know how to win the grand prize which is $50." Ed: "So do I. By having the best costume. Ha ha ha." Ralph: "Surely that's the answer but only we know that." They only know that? Wow. Ralph says he has the perfect idea. He's going to go out and buy a costume where all the other people at the dance are going to be wearing homemade costumes. Ed: "You think just like me." Ed says he did the exact same thing. Ralph, being Ralph, accuses Ed of stealing his idea. That's impossible but of course, Ralph doesn't think so. Ralph and Ed get into a fight. Ralph wants nothing to do with him. Ralph: "If you see me walking down the street, get on the other side." Ed: "When you walk down the street, there AIN'T no other side." Ha!

At home, Ralph greets Alice. He says he's going to make a reasonable request. He needs $10. Alice says no. Ralph: "For $5, I can go get a Billy The Kid." Alice: "I'll tell you waht I will do. I'll give you a can and you can be Billy The Goat." Ha! Ralph isn't amused and is further aggravated when he finds out that the Nortons are coming for dinner. Alice says that why doesn't Ralph use his brain to make a costume. Ralph: "Because I want to win." Ed comes down in his costume which he is going as Pierre Francois de la Briosche. Ed says that Pierre was his hero and he designed and built the sewers of Paris. Gee, how surprising that Ed would go disguised as a famous sewerman. By the way, the person who designed and built the sewers of Paris was made by another person. Ralph says that the costume is ridiculous. He's going to make his own costume now. When Ed puts two black things in his nose and sneezes because of the black things, Ralph says: "Bellevue is calling." Ralph starts making the costume by taking the door of the ice box. Alice: "Now all the food is going to get spoiled." Ralph: "Just get Ed down. He will eat it." Ralph also takes knobs from the dresser." Ralph: "I need knobs and there's nothing in there that can wait until tomorrow. Where's the flashlight?" Alice: "It's in the thing that can wait until tomorrow." Ralph says that his costume will make fun of Ed's costume and he insults the person that Ed is impersonating. Ed: "You can call me anything you want, but when you insult my hero, you insult the honor of France." Ed slaps Ralph's face with a glove. Ralph kicks him out.

With only a few hours before the contest, Ralph finally unveils his costume. Ralph: "Get ready! I'm coming out!" Ralph comes out as "The Man From Space." What Ralph uses as his costume is BEYOND ridiculous. Trust me, when you see this costume for the first time, you will laugh. Here are the things that Ralph uses as his costume:

It consists of a saucepan, which he is using as a hat, the handle protruding from the back of his neck. On top of the saucepan is a light bulb which is going on and off. The icebox door is strapped around his neck and chest like a shield. It's studded with knobs he took off the bureau and three small flashlight bulbs, which also keep going on and off. Also on the icebox door is the kitchen faucet, which is attached up high with the spout facing Ralph's chin. Beneath all of this paraphernalia he wears a sweatshirt with a turtle neck collar. For pants he wears the bottoms of a pair of striped pajamas. These are tucked into shin -high galoshes. On his hands he wears a pair of thick gardening gloves. In his right hand he carries a homemade ray gun, which consists of a funnel attached to a handle of a compass saw. Over his eyes he has a huge pair of dark goggles. Ralph has a wide motorcycle rider's belt around his waist, from which flares a knee-length tunic made out of a plastic shower curtain.

With all of that details, on paper, the costume is already silly looking. Ralph: "You didn't think I could do it. Can you see the faces on them, down there when I walk in with this? What do you think?" Alice: "I think you're nuts." A piece of Ralph's costume comes off. That wasn't in the script so Jackie covers it by saying: "That's my denaturizer." Ralph: "I don't care about the money now. I just want to teach Ed a lesson." Alice goes into the bedroom. Ed comes in, takes one look at Ralph, gets scared and heads for the hills. That is a priceless moment, isn't it? I knew that I laughed. Ralph says that it's him and he says to Alice that Ed didn't know that he was the "Man From Space." Ed: "'Man From Space'? I thought we were being invaded by Sherman Tanks." Alice comes out with her costume. She's wearing a dress, licking a big lollipop. She's disguised as a cute 12-year-old girl. Ralph: "Where's the rest of the costume. You're knees are showing." Alice: "A 12-year-old girl's knees are supposed show." Ralph: "Not any 12-year-old girl that's married to me." Ed says that he is depressed. That Pierre guy didn't make the sewers, he condemned them. Trixie comes down with some bad news. Ed has to work tonight or he will lose his job. Ed is all upset now. The Nortons leave. Ralph tries to put black things in his nose and almost gets the urge to sneeze but doesn't. He eventually pays the price for putting them in his nose. Those kind of black things Ed put in his nose earlier (not the same black things though.)

At the Raccoon dance, the place is "packed." It has...eight people? Wow! What a dance, huh? Ralph steals the scene by doing his dancing. The music stops and the judges are ready to award the $50 prize for the best costume. The first runner-up is Ralph. Ralph: "I had no idea." Judge (aka "Head Raccoon"): "We choose Ralph for his costume of a pinball machine." Ralph is surprised. The second runner-up is someone else that I don't remember. His costume is a playboy of the roaring 20s. Ralph: "Nice rented costume." Just before the $50 is about to be rewarded. Ed comes in with his sewer gear. Ed: "Am I too late for the eats?" Head Raccoon: "You may be too late for the eats but not for the prize. $50 goes to Ed Norton for him being disguised as the 'Man From Space.'" Ralph is upset at Ed but calms down and enjoys himself for the rest of the night.

Episode #43 (for the 1953 version)
TV: (1953 version): Attached to "Forgot To Register."
The 1954 version is not available on TV.
VCR: (1953 version): Attached to "This Is Your Life." (1954 version):
Supposedly attached to "Boxtop Kid."
DVD: (1953 version): Attached to "My Fair Landlord", "The Cold", "Lost Job" & "Ralph's Sweet Tooth."

The 1954 version is supposedly on the same video as "Boxtop Kid", but MPI made an error and put the 1953 version on some or all tapes of Vol. 26.
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: "Your 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 at another place that I can't remember. She says that she did put that mousetrap in that other place. 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 paints 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 hsi 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.

Credit goes to Yahoo! Groups You're A Riot!

[Frank Gannucci]

The full title is indeed: "Curse of The Kramdens." I thought it wa easier to write: "Kramden's Curse." I guess I was too lazy. LOL!