Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Lucky Number" & "Hot Dog Stand":

[Frank Gannucci]

Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Lucky Number" & "Hot Dog Stand":

Episode #59 (Syndicated episode #76)
TV: Attached to "Pickles."
VCR: Attached to "Move Uptown."
DVD: Attached to "Move Uptown & "The History of The Lost Episodes: The First Season." On the Lost Episodes DVD Box Set, it is attached to “Prowler”, “Guest Speaker”, “Sprained Thumb” (’53 version), “Vacation At Fred’s Landing” (’53 version), “Hot Dog Stand”, “Two Tickets To The Fight”, “Halloween Party” (’53 version), “Champagne & Caviar” & “Letter To The Boss” (’53 version).
Air Date: Sat. 9/19/53

Note: When I first read about this episode from MPI's website (or some other website) in 1998, I thought that this was the only episode that was not part of the episode summary link of that website, so I e-mailed probably ZXMan from the old honeymooners.net message board and I told him about the episode. I got a reply back by the person, asking me for my own summary, (which I never got a reply nor did it get included in the episode summaries).

MPI's website (or whatever website that was) used to give information on all the old Honeymooners Lost Episode VHS tapes. The website had a photo from an old Pool Soul sketch with Art Carney in the same photo. It looked like Art was playing a bellhop or something. As you can imagine, that part of MPI's website (or whatever website that was) is no longer online. I may have have found that link from Honeymooners.net a long time ago and if so, the link disappeared in later years.

The episode opens up with Ralph and Ed coming home from a baseball game. They left before the game was over because Ralph won something. Ralph mentions that Alice told him not to go to the ballgame because he had a job. (He called in sick.) Ralph says that the announcer on the PA system announced that everyone had a number and if one of the people who got the number that he read would have won money and a loaf of Pop's Pumpernickel Bread, and probably a car. Ralph mentions that with the money that he's going to win he's going to make sure that Alice has the bunion removed.

Ralph says with all the money he won, he isn't going to get a big head. Ha! The way that Ralph talks, everyone gets the impression that he now has a big head. Ralph calls for a celebration, so he sends Ed out to get some food. Ed: "I feel like a contestant on 'Strike It Rich!'" Ha! When Ed and Trixie leave, Ralph thinks that Trixie is mad. Alice explains to him that he now has an even bigger head since he now has won a lot of money. Ralph of course disagrees. Ralph mentions that the photographers are going to come and take a picture of Ralph that's going to appear on the front page of the paper.

Alice says that Ralph can't accept that grand prize because Ralph's boss is going to see the picture and assume that Ralph lied to him when he said he got sick. Ralph counters by saying he will get another job. Alice: "You know you are throwing away years of your pension money." Ralph: "That's a big deal. If I still was a bus driver for the company, I would then have to wait a lot more years to get my pension." Ha! Alice says if he stays with the bus company, when he turns 70, he will have a nest egg. Ralph: "When I turn 70, I won't have the strength to hatch it." Ha!

The photographers come and when they are taking a picture of Ralph and Alice, Alice says something to infuriate Ralph. Ralph: "Don't steam me Alice. Don't steam me..." Photographer: "Smile!" Ralph smiles. Ralph: "...because I'm already steamed." When the photographers present Ralph with the document for him to sign so they can print the picture, Alice tears it up. The photographers go back down to get another copy of the document. Ralph (to Alice): "You just tore a legal document. That is worse than forgery. I should have you arrested." Alice: "Ah! Shut up!" Ralph goes into the bedroom just before the bus company physician.

Ralph when he comes into the kitchen, sees the physician and says he is sick. His stomach and tongue hurts. Question: How likely is it for a person to have their stomach and tongue hurt at the same time? The doctor looks at Ralph and believes him and gives him medicine. The reason why the doctor came to see Ralph was that there have been so many phony sick calls, that the company has been cracking down. There was one person who called in sick and went on a fishing trip. Because of that, he might lose his job. When Ralph hears this, he is unhappy that his boss may find out if he sees him in the paper. The doctor leaves. Ralph apologizes to Alice and then changes his mind about getting the prizes and the picture in the paper.

Episode #60 (Syndicated episode #49)
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "Alice Plays Cupid."
DVD: Attached to "Alice Plays Cupid", "Cottage For Sale" and "Jellybeans." 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), “Two Tickets To The Fight”, “Halloween Party” (’53 version), “Champagne & Caviar” & “Letter To The Boss” (’53 version).
Air Date: Sat. 10/10/53

Ralph and Ed are having lunch in the Bus Company locker room. Ralph heard about an empty hot dog stand, so he and Ed concoct a plan to buy it themselves so they can use it for business. They think that they are going to get rich off of the hot dog stand. How naïve. Ralph says they will open it on opening day, Sunday. According to Ralph, they will do a lot of things while running the stand on Sunday. Ed says: "One question?" Ralph: "What?" Ed: "Can I have Sundays off?" Sunday of course is opening day, so that will tell you how stupid Ed is. Ralph is convinced that this business will make him and Ed rich. Yeah. Ralph says that the hot dog stand will be called: "Ralph & Ed's." Ed wants to name it: "Ed and Ralph's."

Ralph presents this idea to Alice at home. The money that Alice and Ralph have is in a joint account that will be used only for an emergency so Alice of course objects to the idea. Ralph: "Your mother-in-law says that I will never amount to anything in my life. Here's my chance to prove it." Basically what Ralph just said is that he will prove that he will never amount to anything in his life. Ha! Ralph says that he only buys things unless it's an absolute necessity. Alice: "You call a bowling ball an absolute necessity?" Ralph: "I certainly do. You can't bowl without one." They said the same things in "Principle of The Thing." Ralph: "I have been a pretty easy guy got live with all these years." Sure he has. Ralph then says all that he thinks of is Alice. Oh sure! Ralph then asks for the money. Alice says no. Ralph says that this is her last chance to let him have the money. She says no. Ralph says that he will ask her one more time and if she says no, he leaves for good. Alice once again says no. Ralph goes to leave, but comes back saying: "You gotta let me have the money." Also during this argument he says: "Will you let me have it? Will you let me have it?" Alice (mockingly): "Will you let me have it? Will you let me have it?" Ralph: "Boy, I would love to let you have it." Basically the argument goes nowhere. Ralph concedes and now he will ask for money and when it's opening day and the hot dog stand is loaded with customers and photographers are all around, she won't be in the pictures. Alice: "From this blow I may never recover."

Ralph & Ed are then shown at a phone booth trying to call some friends and family members for some money. That doesn't work for Ralph because Ralph is either angry with them or the family member still is waiting for Ralph to loan them money for money that HE borrowed. This doesn't work for Ed either. One time on Bill Mooners' Bloopers web page, a guy whose name is S P A C E R wrote this when Ralph and Ed left the bank: "I don't know if this is a real blooper or not, but in 'Hot Dog Stand,' when Ed and Ralph are leaving the place with the phone booth, Ed says that they now only need $500.90, which would mean he had picked up a dime because they had needed $600 to begin with and he then says, 'Every penny counts! Yes folks, I am sure the person who wrote this made a typo and said $500.90 instead of $599.90. I watched this scene as well and considerating that this scene comes before the scene in which Ralph & Ed go to a banker, it is not a blooper. Ralph & Ed also don't leave any place WITH a phone booth. So that's why on Bill Mooners' Bloopers web page, this information is no longer there.

They see a Mr. Foster. Ralph: "We are here to get a loan." Mr. Foster: "Loans are the lifeblood of a bank." Ralph: "Good because we are in need of a transfusion. Ha ha." Mr. Foster asks what Ralph's mom maiden name is. It is Elizabeth Wharton. Mr. Foster asks the same question to Ed, but Ed says: "Mrs. Norton." Ed said he never knew her last name before she was married because ever since he knew her, she's been married. Ha! Ralph begins to call Ed a numb skull. Ralph says that they are here to get some money to run the hot dog stand. Ed says that they couldn't get the money from their wives because the wives think that their husbands are dopes for running a hot dog stand. Mr. Foster says if Ralph and Ed have any experience running hot dog stands, they say no. Mr. Foster says that running a hot dog stand with no experience is risky so Ralph asks him what experience does Mr. Foster has before he got this job. Mr. Foster reveals that he went to Yale and what not and reveals the rest of his 40+ year career. So Ed says to ask him another question. Ralph and Ed said that running a hot dog stand was a good idea anyway. Sure it was. So Ralph and Ed say they will now try to get the day shift of their jobs back. They were going to work all day at the hot dog stand and work all night. Question: If they did that, when will they sleep? After hearing this, Mr. Foster says that with that plan, working a hot dog stand will not be a risk and they will give them the loan. It's not going to be a risk? Ralph: "Look for us while you are on a highway that goes to New Jersey (the highway in which the hot dog stand is located near), just look for us: 'Ralph and Ed's.'" Ed: "In the market for hot dogs, 'Ed and Ralph's.'" They leave.

On opening day, the girls are helping the boys set everything up. Ralph and Ed run into problems when they practice trying to do fast service. One of the problems is Ed forgetting the frankfurter when he delivered the hot dog to Ralph (who acted like a customer). Ralph: "Suppose you did that to a customer?" Alice: "What customer? No one has been around here in two hours." Ralph says that it is still early. Alice sees someone coming. Alice: "I think your rush has started Ralph." The person? It was a farmer walking a cow (which looked like two men in a cow costume). Ralph gets mad at Alice saying that she will get hers. Another customer comes by and asks for a hot dog which costs a lot less than hot dogs do today. Just when the person (played by George Petrie) is about to bite into the hot dog, Ralph says that he works as a bus driver. Ed: "I work in the sewer." The person, because he heard that Ed worked in the sewer, says he isn't hungry anymore. He leaves and Ralph says that Ed is nuts. Alice says that the person who is nuts around here is Ralph. Another customer comes by and while he as a hot dog, he says that the building that is being built. Ralph is all happy until he hears that the building is being built is a Howard Johnson's. Ouch! Not something that Ralph wanted to hear. Ralph apologizes to Alice and says he now has to work night and day to pay off the money he lost trying to get the hot dog stand. Alice says that they will pay it with the joint account. Ralph is happy and says: "Baby, you’re the greatest."

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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