Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Hello Mom" & "The Deciding Vote":

[Frank Gannucci]

Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Hello Mom" & "The Deciding Vote":

Episode #119 (Syndicated Episode #10)
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "Alice & The Blonde." On some tapes, it’s attached to “Deciding Vote” & “Something Fishy.” On some tapes, it’s attached to “A Matter of Record”, “Here Comes The Bride”, “‘Twas The Night Before XMas” & “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done.
Laserdisc: Attached to “TV or Not TV”, “Funny Money”, “The Golfer”, “Better Living Through TV”, “Brother Ralph”, “Pal O’ Mine”, “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done”, “The Deciding Vote”, “The Worry Wart”, “The Sleepwalker”, “Something Fishy”, “’Twas The Night Before Xmas” & “Man From Space.”
DVD: Attached to the other first eight classic 39 episodes of the classic 39. On the HD-Blu Ray set, it is attached to the first 10 classic 39 episodes as well as promos.
Air Date: Sat. 12/03/55

To see the script for this episode, click here: http://www.springfieldspringfield.co...episode=s04e10

The sponsor materials version starts with the original opening which includes Jack Lescoulie announcing the names loudly instead of the usual announcer and a Buick plug.

Ralph is getting ready for his Raccoon meeting while Alice is sewing his uniform. Ralph helps her out but Ed interrupts him by walking in. Ed helps out Ralph. Ed then does a crossword puzzle. Ralph gets a telegram and it says that mother is coming. Ralph assumes that it's Alice's mother. It says that it's she's coming for a short visit. Ralph: "You know what her short visits are? Like the time she said that she was coming for Christmas and New Year's. Only thing is she came for New Year's and stayed until Christmas." Gee, almost a whole year. Ralph orders Alice to order her not to come but that's impossible because Alice doesn't have a phone. All this time, Ed is doing a crossword puzzle and bugs Ralph. Ralph orders him out. When Ralph leaves for his meeting, he says that he will move in with Norton until she leaves.

That night, in the Norton's apartment. Ed is getting Ralph ready to go to sleep. Trixie is awakened and is being told that Ralph is moving up here until Alice's mother leaves. Trixie says that Ralph is wrong and talks to Ed about this whole situation and that Ed needs to let Ralph live downstairs in his house. During this, Ed says that the Raccoon organization is not in favor of good marriages. Gee, what a good organization...NOT! Ralph comes back in and she leaves them alone. Ralph and Ed talk about each of their mother-in-laws and how much they hate them. Gee. Eventually, Ralph realizes the error of his ways and tells Trixie about it. Trixie is happy and says that Ed loves her mom. Ralph says that Ed has lied to him. Ralph then says how much Ed hates his mother-in-law. The Nortons are now fighting and Trixie moves downstairs with Alice.

The next day, Ralph comes home before work. Trixie leaves the kitchen. Alice says that this whole deal is his fault while Ralph says that it's her mom's fault. Mom has arrived, but it's Ralph's mom. She didn't say whose mother she was in the telegram and is worried that she caused confusion. Alice says that she doesn't have anything to worry. Ralph is upset. He apologizes for this whole situation. Alice gives him a piece of paper that was written by another man. Ralph reads it. Ralph: "'Dear Mom, I'd just thought I'd write and tell you this. A mother-in-law is the most criticized, the most misunderstood and the most defenseless of all women. The average women must be clever enough to know when to speak, but a mother-in-law must know when to keep silent. She must be very wise, wise enough sometimes to withhold advice, although she knows the answer to the problem. A mother-in-law must sit on the fence between her own child and the child by marriage. Somehow she must keep her balance. She must lean backwards until her spine aches or else she's accused of being partial and she isn't permitted the luxury of hurt feelings or tears. If a person could put themselves in their mother-in-laws place, weigh her in the balance, being completely fair; they'd nominate her for the Presidency of the United States, and she'd be the first women to make it.'" (not reading): "This is pretty nice. Who wrote it?" Alice: "You did." Ralph leaves.

On the HD-Blu Ray Set, there's a sponsor materials version of this episode. The only sponsor material that is shown is at the end where Jackie plugs Buick at the end.

Episode #120 (Syndicated Episode #11)
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "Unconventional Behavior." On some tapes, it’s attached to “Hello Mom” & “Something Fishy.” On some tapes, it’s attached to “The Loudspeaker”, “Unconventional Behavior”, “Something Fishy” & “The Man From Space.”
Laserdisc: Attached to “TV or Not TV”, “Funny Money”, “The Golfer”, “Better Living Through TV”, “Brother Ralph”, “Pal O’ Mine”, “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done”, “Something Fishy”, “The Worry Wart”, “The Sleepwalker”, “Hello Mom”, “’Twas The Night Before Xmas” & “Man From Space.”
DVD: Attached to episodes #9-16 of the classic 39. The HD Blu-Ray set has the exact same episodes (including two versions of "Hello Mom." in which one has the original ads) and includes Best Buick Yet presentation.
Air Date: Sat. 12/10/55

To see the script for this episode, click here:http://www.springfieldspringfield.co...episode=s04e11

Alice is doing some ironing. It's around anniversary time for the Kramdens. Ed comes down and wishes them a "Happy Anniversary." He tastes what he thinks is icing and wishes that Trixie would make icing that tastes as good as this. Alice: "Icing? Ed, that's starch." Ed: "I still wish that Trixie would make icing that tastes as good as this." Ralph comes home with a present that he claims that he thinks Alice wants: an old second-hand vacuum cleaner. Wow! That is so not what Alice needs. After Ralph goes over all the attachments, Alice says for the most part, they don't need it. To prove that it works, Ralph instructs Ed to put some dry oatmeal on the floor and the vacuum will pick it up. Not only does it not pick it up, Ralph has to hit it to work. Alice: "This (the vacuum) is nothing but a piece of junk." Ralph looks into the vacuum tube and sees there's a piece of gum in there. He tries to blow it out with his mouth. Ed: "You’re doing it the hard way." Ed turns on the vacuum cleaner and not only does Ralph's lips get stuck, he now has a PRICELESS look on his face and the audience laughs. He motions Ed to turn off the vacuum. Ed: "Accidents will happen." Ralph: "And you're the biggest accident that will ever happen." He throws Ed out.

Later that night, Alice is weeping up dirt. Alice (sarcastically): "There's no getting around it Ralph. Having a vacuum cleaner sure lightens my housework." Ralph's friend from the Raccoon Lodge, Joe Munsey comes by and says that Ralph is a lock to beat Frank McGuillicuddy in the Convention Manager nomination. With being the Convention Manager, the manager can go to Chicago (the place where the convention takes place that year) for free, and getting a car to drive around in while there. Joe rounds off all the people that will vote for Ralph and says that Ed has the deciding vote (hence the title of this episode). Ralph is nervous because him and Ed just had a fight but is confident that he and Ed can patch things up quickly. He calls Ed down, but Ed doesn't respond. He went bowling with Frank McGuillicuddy. Joe looks at the vacuum cleaner and Ralph says that Jim can use it for Joe's wife.

At the Raccoon Bensonhurst headquarters, Ed is socializing with Frank. Ralph comes by and he and Ed are still not speaking to each other. Ralph: How about the time where we were playing softball and you got hit in the head with a baseball bat? Who got you a cab and took you over to the hospital? I did. Who came up and saw you everyday? I did. Who got you cigarettes and candy? I did." Ed: "Who hit me in the head with the bat? You did." Oh boy! Ralph says that Ed always brings up the bad points and never the good points. The meeting starts and Ed gives out the pieces of paper for the people to write the name of the person that they are voting for. The end result is 4 for Frank and 3 for Kramden. The meeting is adjourned. Frank (to Ed): "You sure are a pal Norton." Ralph is upset. He thinks that Ed did him in.

The next day, Trixie comes down to talk to Alice. She leaves a reference for Ralph to fill out so they can get new furniture. She leaves. Ralph is still upset. So upset that when Trixie comes down to talk to Alice, he throws her out. He is remorseful for kicking her out and he says that will forgive Norton but when he sees the reference, his anger towards Norton resumes. He turns on the water and makes sure it keeps running by taking the faucet handle of the kitchen faucet to make sure Ed doesn't get any water for his bath. (The water runs bad in the building.) He fills out the reference: "'How long have you known the applicant?' Too long. 'Do you consider the applicant trustworthy?' Don't make me laugh. 'In you opinion, is the applicant a good character?' The applicant is a BUM!" He goes out to mail the reference just as Ed comes down to confront Ralph. Ralph leaves. Ed fixes the kitchen faucet. Alice is upset that Ed didn't vote for Ralph. Ed says that he did and he doesn't even know how to spell Frank's last name. Alice: "Why didn't you tell Ralph?" Ed says that he didn't because he has pride and if Ralph thinks he did that, let him and if he wants to call him names, let him. Ralph comes by and gets the real story. Ralph: "If you didn't vote against me, who did?" Ed: "Joe Rumsey." Rumsey? Turns out that Art either mispronounced Munsey or forgot that that was Joe's last name. Jackie even starts to say that that's Joe's last name. Ralph: "Why would Joe vote against me?" Ed: "Remember the vacuum you loaned to him? Jim tested it. He didn't do well with the oatmeal test either. Ralph apologizes and now is worried since he mailed the application and on it, he practically says Ed is a crook and that he won't get the furniture now. Ed isn't steamed. Why? The Kramdens were supposed to get the furniture as an anniversary gift, not the Nortons. D'oh! Not something the Kramdens wanted to hear.

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.


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[Frank Gannucci]

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