Honeymooners Box Set Reviews: “Norton Interviews” (Part Two):

[Frank Gannucci]

Honeymooners Bix Set Reviews: “Norton Interviews” (Part Two): “The Dodgers – Jackie Gleason” & “Cost of Living – Jackie Gleason”:

“The Dodgers – Jackie Gleason”

DVD: Attached to radio versions of “Letter To The Boss” & “Love Letter”, “Additional Sketches & Commercials”, “New Featurettes” & scripts to “Easter Hats” & “Alice’s Birthday.”
Air Date: 4/27/57

During an episode of the Jackie Gleason Show, Jackie is taking about the “pending” move of the Dodgers to Los Angeles. He wanted to get a Brooklyn native’s view about the subject. So he is going to interview…Ed Norton. Art Carney comes by dressed as Ed Norton in Ed’s sewer gear. He introduces himself as Ed Norton (as if he thought no one knew who he was) and asked people to sign his petitions to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn. I am guessing those petitions didn’t work because as of 2018, the Dodgers are in LA. The pieces of paper that Ed has are petitions all right but they are petitions for people to sign and have Ed’s landlord get the message to fix the big crack in the sidewalk near his apartment. Jackie asks Ed what his occupation is (as if he thought no one knew). Ed: “In this get-up, what do you think I am, a hair-dresser? I work as a senior supervisor in sub-terrainan sanitation.” Jackie: “A sewer worker.” Ed: “Well, you don’t have to get nasty about it.”

Jackie then asks if Ed Norton is married. Ed: “You look like one of my neighbors who lives below me. I have been married for 15 years as the crow flies. That’s how we keep score. Once a year, my mother flies in to visit us.”

Ed says that he and his wife are the biggest Dodgers fans ever. So big, that when they go on a losing streak, he doesn’t shave among other things until they get back on a winning streak. He recalls a time when they went on a 30 day losing streak and he didn’t shave. Jackie: “Did it bring any luck?” Ed: “Yes. My wife left me.” He and Gleason share a laugh over that one. Gleason asks Ed if his wife is as big a fan as he is. Ed responds, and I quote: “She’s as very as big a fan as I am.” Ha! Ed: “She as easy as big a fan as I am.” Jackie: “That’s better.” They both laugh. Ed says that she makes the Dodgers presents. One time she made a sweater for Gil Hodges. Ed: “It started off as socks for Pee-Wee Resse, but it got out of hand.” Ed says that he invites them over to his place for dinner. The Giants, not the Dodgers because his wife is a terrible cook. Ed thinks that the move to LA. Jackie says that one of the reasons is Ebbets Field is not easily accessible for fans to get to. (That is easy to understand why because from what I read, Ebbets Field basically was near residential buildings like Wrigley Field in Chicago is and I could only imagine what those streets look like if there was a highway-like traffic jam on them.) Ed: “You think its going to be easy for us to get to LA? It will never work.” It won’t? Ed: “Do you know how long it is going to take the people in Los Angeles to teach them to properly say ‘Oystrin’? They will all go Hollywood.” He and Jackie then say that some of those ballplayers will have Hollywood-like nicknames.

Jackie: “If the Dodgers do go, will you switch your allegiance to another team?” Ed says he will. He will not relish the idea though. Ed: “The move will get me all excused.” Jackie: “Boy, he comes up with nice words.” Ed: “I got to go down there to get them.” Him and Jackie laugh. Ed says that down in the sewer, they have a saying for situations like this. Ed: “When things go against you, swallow your pride, pick up your shovel and go with the tide. Jackie thanks Ed and he says that he wishes the Dodgers hope wherever they go. He hopes Ed does the same. Ed thanks Gleason. Ed asks that since he is on TV, can he wave to his mother. Jackie says sure. Ed waves off stage because his mother is a stagehand. As Ed is leaving, he says: “Stop in any time in the sewer.” Jackie asks Ray for some traveling music as he begins to dance off the stage.

“Cost of Living – Jackie Gleason”:
Air Date: 5/4/57

Jackie Gleason says that “last week” they were talking to a guest (Ed Norton) about the Dodgers moving to Brooklyn and they got so much good feedback that he thought he would interview again about a different subject. He brings out Art Carney again. Art is playing Ed while wearing his sewer worker gear (except he is wearing a long-sleeved button shirt). He is eating lunch when he drops some food. So he picks it up because he didn’t want the cat to get it. Ed said that it is a pleasure to be on his show so that is why he is wearing the shirt that he is wearing. Jackie asks him to introduce himself. Ed (as if people didn’t recognize him): “My name is Ed Norton. The sewer is my game. Don’t forget our motto: ‘If it swims, we got it.’” Jackie: “How is the sewer business?” Ed: “I don’t know Mr. Gleason. They never let me look at the books.” When asked about how he got into that line of work, Ed responds with this: “Despite being lucky, I sort of fell into it. I got this job right after Frank Roosevelt landed the election.” Ralph: “So you got the job because you backed Roosevelt.” Ed: “No, I backed Landen.”

Jackie: “What do you do down in the sewer?” Ed: “I ain’t exactly down there by the seaside, shifting sand.” Audience claps in response. Ed: “I work pretty hard.” Jackie: “How do you as an average wage earner manage to live on your weekly salary?” Ed: “It’s hard. What keeps me going is the installment plan. I buy things a dollar down, a dollar a week. That is how a got my hi-fi, my refrigerator, my television etc. Where can you find a guy who makes $68 a week have a pipe organ in his living room? The reason why we have it is because when a bill collector comes, my wife plays the organ while I give a sad story.” Ed Norton says that he doesn’t have enough money to save for a rainy day, but enough money to save for a drizzle. Ed says that he doesn’t trust banks especially after what happened to his dad. He didn’t have any money in a bank. He worked a bank janitor and when the bank closed, they threw him out because there was nothing left to sweep up. Ed says that the only way his salary can go further is to have prices go down. Jackie says that Congress is helping by driving down the price of milk. (I guess they stopped doing that.) Ed said it won’t work because if the cow wants to keep the price of milk up, it will go up. Ralph said something similar in “Income Tax.” Jackie thanks Ed for giving us the solution to the rise of high prices. Ed thanks Gleason and since this is his second time rubbing elbows with show-folk, he decided to go around collecting autographs. Second time? What about the time he was on “Beat The Clock”? Gleason misunderstands and thinks he wants his autograph. Ed says that he wants Art Carney’s autograph because, according to him, he is the whole show. Jackie responds by saying that he is back there. Ed walks to the back. Jackie asks Ray for some traveling music. That’s the end. It sounds like the music on the DVD was dubbed over the real music due to music clearance issues.

Credit I think goes to (the original) Bill's 'Mooners Archives, eBay.com, tv.com, Honeymooners Lost Episodes Book, tvguide.com, honeymooners.net, Honeymooners Box Set booklet Honeymooners Lost Episodes DVD booklet, Wikipedia.org, Yahoo Group You're A Riot! & Amazon.com.