Episode Reviews: “Lost Baby” & “Quiz Show” (’52 version):

[Frank Gannucci]

Episode Reviews: “Lost Baby” & “Quiz Show” (’52 version):

Episode #27
TV: Hasn't been released on TV in syndication but it was shown in reruns for the first time on the Honeymooners 35th Anniversary Special in 1990 on CBS. (The same special is shown on the Classic 39 DVD box Set with the lost episode clips edited out because Paramount didn't [and doesn't] have the home video rights to the lost episodes.)
VCR: Attached to "One Big Happy Family"
DVD: Attached to "A Weighty Problem", "Lunch Box" & "The Man In The
Blue Suit." On the Lost Episodes DVD Box Set, it is attached to “Bread”, “Razor Blades”, “New TV Set”, “Ralph Threatens To Leave”, “Alice & Ralph Get Dressed For A Date Last Night” (aka “The Dance”), “The Ring Salesman” (’51 version), “Quiz Show” (’51 version), “Xmas Party” (’51 version), “The New Bowling Ball”, “The Turkey” “Quiz Show” (’52 version), “Halloween Party” (’52 version), “Cold”, “Pickles”, “Jellybeans” & “Six Months To Live” (’51 version).

When MPI released this episode on VHS, at the time it was the oldest surviving lost episode. They even put that in the description of the episode. After this episode was released, the Really Lost Debut Episodes were finally shown. Well, in 2002, MPI released this episode on DVD with the exact description that the VHS copy had even though by that time, it wasn't the oldest surviving lost episode.

This episode, much like "Quiz Show" (2nd version), is not exactly in 100% condition. Look at the left while this episode is playing and you'll notice that the left side is blurry.

Ralph comes home with a baby boy that he found on the bus along with food. He was lying on the back seat of the bus. Alice: "How did it get on the bus?" Ralph: "You don't expect him to walk do you?" Ralph brought him home rather bring him to the Foundlin home because it was getting pretty late when his day was done. He didn't want to be late for dinner and he looked to be hungry so he thought he would bring him home and him, the baby and Alice would have dinner. Alice says that they don't have anything to feed a baby. Ralph says he got some hamburger for the baby. Alice says he is too young to eat hamburger because of the meat. Ralph: "I got the hamburger from Krauss. There is very little meat in it."

Alice says she is going outside to get some pablum for the baby. As she goes into the bedroom to get her coat, she has trouble opening the door. Ralph says that everyone pampers babies now. He is implying that babies are now being spoiled. Ralph talks about how tough it was for him to be a baby. When he was a baby, his parents didn't put him over his shoulder to burp him. They gave him bruma seltzer. Ha! Alice leaves.

The baby cries. As Ralph puts him on the table, I think you can tell that the baby isn't real. Ralph tries to make the baby laugh. He tries to get Norton. As he yells out the window for him, Ed comes in. After Ralph tells him to come down, he notices that Ed is in the room with him. Ralph tells Ed where he got the kid. Ed searches for the baby's name. He looks on the baby's jacket and reads "John Wanamaker." He assumes that that's the baby's name. Ha! Ralph tells that is where the baby got his jacket made. The baby cries and Ed assumes that the baby is crying because it's a Republican baby. I assume a Democrat was president when this episode was made. Ralph says: "Why should he cry if he's a Republican baby." Ed: "He's hollering for a change." Ralph's response to that remark is his "Pow! Right in the kisser" routine.

Ed suggests that since the baby is crying, Ralph should give him some milk. Ed pours the milk into a glove since the glove will be used for a nipple. Ed: "We should patent this idea. It's a great idea for mothers with quintuplets. As Ralph puts the glove right-side up with the bottle being closed by Ralph's hand, Ed gets a pair of scissors to cut one of the fingers. Can you sense that they are going to do something stupid? I can. Sure enough, when Ed cuts one of the fingers, Ralph and Ed get a face-full of milk. They would later do the same thing in the episode titled: "The Adoption." Ralph of course blames Ed for the mishap in this episode. Ed leaves but as he leaves he says that the baby's name is John Wanamaker's baby. Ralph says that the baby couldn't be him since John is a millionaire. So Ed says that if it was John's baby, he would leave him in a taxi. Ed leaves.

Alice comes home with the food and sees that the baby is going to sleep. Alice: "Isn't he darling? He is going to sleep." Ralph disagrees with what Alice says because when he becomes 40, his wife will say: "Turn over Herman, you're snoring." Ralph says that we are going to keep him. Ralph will say that he will work night and day and forget about sleeping.

The police come looking for the kid. Alice and the kid go into the bedroom. Detective Brady of the police comes in and says that he is looking for the kid. He demands to know where the kid is. He called the Foundlin home and he wasn't there. Ralph assumes that he must have stepped out. Ha! The Detective says that the kid's mother is frantic and the reason why she left the kid on the bus alone because she thought she was doing the best thing for the kid and the reason why she wants him back is because she can't get along with the kid. Ralph turns the kid over. The detective and the kid leave with the baby's food.

Ralph says that when the kid left, the baby looked at Ralph as if he was saying: "Let me stay here." Ralph says he didn't mean what he said when he said that baby makes noise. Ralph: "I love kids. I want to have 20 of them." They wound up having nowhere near twenty kids during the whole series. As they hug and kiss, Ralph nice fully says: "One of these days, one of these days."

Ralph may have mentioned in the episode entitled: "Quiz Show" that Ralph probably drove a cab in the beginning of the series. In this episode, he drove a bus. So Ralph probably drove a cab, then quit to drive a bus, then quit to drive a cab, then joined the bus company again or when he says: 'I have to face the people down at the garage." in "Quiz Show", he may have referred to the garage at the bus company.

Episode #28
TV: TV: Hasn't been released on TV in syndication but it was shown in reruns for the first time on the Honeymooners 35th Anniversary Special in 1990 on CBS. (The same special is shown on the Classic 39 DVD box Set with the lost episode clips edited out because Paramount didn't [and doesn't] have the home video rights to the lost episodes.)
VHS: Attached to "Catch A Star."
DVD: Attached to "Manager of The Baseball Team" ('53 version), "Teamwork Beats The Clock" & "The Wit & Wisdom of Ed Norton." On the Lost Episodes DVD Box Set, it is attached to “Bread”, “Razor Blades”, “New TV Set”, “Ralph Threatens To Leave”, “Alice & Ralph Get Dressed For A Date Last Night” (aka “The Dance”), “The Ring Salesman” (’51 version), “Quiz Show” (’51 version), “Xmas Party” (’51 version), “The New Bowling Ball”, “The Turkey” “Lost Baby”, “Halloween Party” (’52 version), “Cold”, “Pickles”, “Jellybeans” & “Six Months To Live” (’51 version).

Ralph and Alice come home from being on a quiz show with a lot of Krinkley Krax Cereal. Ralph slams the door and the whole set shakes. I should also mention that the video of this episode isn't exactly 100% great. Ralph: "Well, are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?" Alice: "Yes, I am satisfied. I am satisfied." Ralph: "Well, you ought to be satisfied. Thanks to your wrong answer on that quiz program, we have now won a year's supply of Krinkley Krax." You think that Ralph would be happy that Alice tried her best to answer that quiz show question, but no. This is Ralph Kramden, we are talking about people. Alice: "During the ride home in the cab, you were yelling at me from the top of your lungs." Ralph: "I had too. There were so many boxes between us that I could not see you." Ralph complains about how he has to face the people down in the garage. Meaning that in this episode, Ralph works for a taxi cab company.

Ralph goes on a tangent on what would happen if they had won. Him and Alice also have an argument when they talk about there family members. Ralph says those Krinkley Krax are no prize. Alice: "Well, what harm can it do? We can use them for something." Ralph agrees. He can use them on the steps. That way, he will be warned when his mother-in-law is coming. Ralph and Alice then have an argument about Alice's parents as well as Ralph's brother Eddie and how stupid he is. Ralph: "How can you look at me and say that Eddie is the stupidest person you ever seen?" Alice leaves the room.

Ed comes in. He looks around and says: "Looks like you robbed the A&P." Ralph then talks about what happened on the quiz show and how he answered all his questions correctly and how Alice didn't. Ed says that one time he was on a quiz show; he couldn't answer the first question that they gave him because of nervousness. That being his name. Ha!

"Happy" Larry Barnabee along with several other people come in. He explains Alice's question was: "Who was President after Grover Cleveland?" He assumed that it was wrong. He later found out that Alice was right since Grover Cleveland had two non-consecutive terms. That's the first time that quiz show made a mistake. Since Alice got her question right, it was now Ralph's turn. D'oh! Not something that Ralph wants to hear.

They set up the recording device so they can record the host's question and Ralph's answer. "Happy" Larry Barnabee: "Mr. Kramden, what did Marconi invent?" Ralph: "Marcaroni." Ha! Ralph gets told that his answer was wrong. Ralph has been mad at Alice for no reason. The host of the quiz show says: "Mr. Kramden, too bad you are not as smart as your wife."

Ralph apologizes to Alice and she accepts.