Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Manager of The Baseball Team" ('57) & "The Big Sell":

[Frank Gannucci]

Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Manager of The Baseball Team" ('57) & "The Big Sell":

Episode #169
TV: In 2019, Decades channel started showing this episode. It is attached to the 1952 version of "Quiz Show."
VCR: Attached to "Hero" on some volume 28 tapes.
DVD: On disc 15 of the Lost Episodes Restored DVD box set, it is attached to “Curse of The Kramdens”, “Mad Dogs & Englishmen”, “Framed In Spain” & “I Remember Mau Au.”
Air Date: Sat. 6/1/57

"Manager of The Baseball Team" ('57):

Before I start this review, let me say this. MPI has received a lot of complaints about accidentally attaching the 1953 version to "Hero" (where on the box, it advertises the 1957 version). They also have gotten a lot of complaints when they accidentally attached the 1953 episode to the DVD release that has "Teamwork Beats The Clock", "Quiz Show" & "The Wit & Wisdom of Ed Norton" (where once again on the box, it advertises the 1957 version.) MPI probably did it by mistake since the both versions of this episode are very much alike. In 2002, I managed to get the MPI cassette Vol. 28 that has the 1957 version of this episode (even though some versions of Vol. 28 have the '53 version on it.) There are very few differences between the '57 version and the '53 version.

The episode opens up with Alice worrying about where Ralph is. Ed and Trixie come down. Alice says that she is worried about Ralph. He was supposed to come home a while ago. So, Trixie asks Ed to go outside and come back when he comes home. Ed says no because what's going to happen if he is in the hospital, he would have stayed out for nothing. Ed also says that because Ralph is married, he probably ran away. Ha! That's a very nice thing to say. Ed brings up a story about what happened to a person he knew. That person ran away and when the cops asked him questions, he didn't know anything. He was 3 years old. Ha!

Ralph comes home and has champagne for everyone. In fact, in the 1953 version of this episode, Ralph tires to open the bottle, but has a hard time doing so. That wasn't supposed to happen, so to cover it up, he says: "We will be drinking champagne if I can ever get this bottle open." He does. Ralph says that he is now the new manager of the Gotham Bus Depot. He always knew that he had the right qualifications. Yeah, sure he did. When Alice asks Ralph, how he found out, Ralph says he heard it while walking by the president of the bus company's office. He later hears that a telegram will come tonight to confirm the whole thing. Ralph mentions that with him becoming the manager, he might even become the president. When he does become president, he's going to make some changes like having pretty stewardess on each bus and to make sure that those people who happened to miss the bus by one minute; he's going to make sure every bus starts a minute late. Question: Wouldn't that rule make some people a little angry that they might be one minute late to go to whatever they are going to? Just a thought. Ralph says that the salary he gets for being a manager is big. He says that with the money, he and Alice are going to go on a second honeymoon with Ed and Trixie and that Alice is going to get that bunion removed off her foot.

After Ralph leaves, the telegram arrives saying that Ralph has become the manager all right. The manager of the Gotham City Baseball Team. Alice, Ed, and Trixie are all upset thinking that Ralph was becoming manager of the company and that all the plans that Ralph had for becoming president were not going to come to fruition for a while.

Ralph comes home and mentions about the respect Alice will get when she goes down to the store Ralph was just at. Ralph also says that now that he's in the money, should he and Alice move out of this joint. He later says no. That place has been awful lucky to them. Yeah, sure it has. Alice presents Ralph with the telegram and when Ralph reads it he' disappointed and apologizes to Alice. Alice says that Ralph is the most important thing in her life. They hug and kiss.

When I rented the video entitled: "Cupid/Manager of The Baseball Team (1953 version)" in 1996, I originally thought I was going to get a thirty-minute episode of Ralph being the baseball manager. (Imagine how funny that would be.) You can imagine my disappointment when I found out that the episode was less than fifteen minutes long.

Episode #170
VHS & DVD: Never been released.
Air Date: Sat. 10/9/60

"The Big Sell Revue":

Surprise. I was able to get a hold of this rare sketch.

For a long time, NOBODY knew that this sketch existed. It started to appear in 2010s. This whole sketch is similar to the beginning of “Ralph Kramden Inc.” and a bit similar to “Better Living Through TV.” As Jackie once said: “And Away We Go.”

Jack Lescoulie introduces us to the two “greatest salesmen of all time.” We cut to a park bench where Ralph & Ed sit down. Ralph says he has a reason that he wanted to meet Ed in the park. Ed looks and sees a yellow-bellied sapsucker. Ralph doesn’t see one. Ralph: “That is a squirrel and look out because they like nuts.” Ed takes his time in typical Ed fashion to start eating his lunch which gets Ralph upset.

Ralph shows Ed an object. Ed: “That is the greatest thing that I have ever seen. What is it?” Ralph: “It’s everything.” Ralph: “This can open cans, spread cheese, scale fish, tweeze eyebrows, core apples, a mustache trimmer, a toenail clipper and a wart remover.” Like I said, this is almost like the time in “Better Living Through TV” where Ralph showed Ed the Happy Housewife Helper. By looking at both gadgets, it doesn’t seem like they can do all the things that Ralph said. Ralph: “Isn’t this a great Christmas gift?” Ed: “Yeah, for a man with a long mustache, long toenails and warts.” Ralph: “That is what I like about you Ed. You get the picture immediately.” Ralph said that he can buy the patent for this invention for $200. Ralph: “The inventor has a sick mom in Europe and has to leave the country immediately.” Predictably, Ralph asks Ed for some money so Ralph can buy the patent. Ed tries to think by closing his eyes and moving his finger. This gets Ralph upset. Ed continues to think. Ed: “6 of 1. Have a dozen of the other.” Ed says that he has $12.18.”

Ralph: “Isn’t there somewhere else you can get the money? How about your pals in the sewer?” Ed: “Maybe I can FLOAT a loan. Maybe I can DIP into the SLUSH Fund.” Ralph says that he is about to punch Ed. Ralph said that this can make them rich. With a lot of dough, that can show that Alice & Trixie. Ralph: “I’m sick and tired of hearing Alice call me stupid. “ Ed: “Now is your chance to prove it.” Ralph suggests Ed get money from Ed’s rich uncle in Bayonne. Ed said that his (Ed’s) uncle is broke. He said that he lost it in the crash. The crash: A truck backed into his Bush Bar. Stuff was everywhere and people were slipping. Ralph: “I don’t know why I get mixed up with you. It probably is because I am sentimental.” What a thing to say to your friend. Ralph says that he could put this on the market himself and make millions. All he has to do is go to a bank or his relatives. But, because he is sentimental, he is thinking of both him and Ed claims Ralph. Ralph: “I figured that if you are the friend of a friend; give him a helping hand on the ladder of success.”

Ed blows his nose out of sadness. Ed: “You are so lovable. If I let you down right now, I would be a rat.” Ed loans him the money…from his shoe. Ralph says that if he said anything up to now that hurt his feelings that he doesn’t hold a grudge. Ralph gives Ed his pomegranate. Ed is happy. Ralph claims that he and Ed are on their way to being rich. They will move out and get a new circle of friends like motion picture stars. Yeah sure. We all know that isn’t true. Ed tells Ralph to hold the phone. After thinking about it, Ed has come to this conclusion. He wants to go along with Ralph and be a millionaire. But, he won’t forget his friends. He doesn’t want to change. He wants to remain the same old lovable Ed Norton. There is one important thing that he knows about the word “success.” After many diligent hard years working on his trade in the sewer. The important thing is: “You meet the same people on the way up as you do on the way down.” This line was mentioned in “On Stage.” Only thing is that in that episode, Ralph said it and Ed responded by saying the same thing along with: “Happens to me every day in the sewer.” They leave.

Jackie Gleason comes on stage and says goodnight.

Johnny Olsen does the sponsor plug which is the Speidel watch that is so flexible that you can tie it in a knot. After the credit roll, a still (with then actor Ronald Reagan) appears and the CBS announcer says that the General Electric Theater will return to its normal time slot "next week" and than a still for Jack Benny's old show appears and the announcer says that Jack's show will return "next week." Than another still comes on that says that the program was pre-recorded even though Jackie says that this show was being done live.

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 Groups You're A Riot! & Amazon.com.