Honeymooners Episode Reviews:"Honeymooners XMas Party ('51 version)" & more

[Frank Gannucci]

Honeymooners Episode Reviews: "Honeymooners XMas Party ('51 version) & "Here Comes The Bride":

Episode #9:
TV: This special was shown on Disney Channel (yes, THAT Disney Channel) in 1993 and probably in 2000 on TV Land. In 2019, Decades channel aired this episode in two parts, I believe without the Paul Resier parts.
VHS: Has not been released on VHS.
DVD: Attached to "Bread", "Razor Blades", "New TV Set", "Ralph Threatens To Leave", “Ralph and Alice Get Dressed For A Dance Last Night” (aka “The Dance”, "Ring Salesman" (both ESS version & JGS versions), "Quiz Show" (both versions), "Cold", "New Bowling Ball", "The Turkey", "Lost Baby", "Halloween Party", "Pickles", "Jellybeans" & "Six Months To Live."

Honeymooners XMas Party ('51):

The script for this episode is at UCLA Library Special Collections Box 109 Folder 26 Harry Crane Collection.

Paul Reiser introduces us to this episode and provides us with some information.

The episode opens up with Alice decorating the Christmas tree. Ralph comes home with potato salad from DeVitos. She says that he should get it from Krauss'. Ralph explains that at DeVitos that Reginald Van Gleason as running a party and that a lot of people are there including people who came from Connecticut. Ralph, disgustedly, leaves to get potato salad from Krauss'.

Trixie comes in. For whatever reason, she is having trouble with the door. So Alice helps her. Trixie reveals that Ed gave her an orange juice squeezer. You squeeze the oranges on top of Napoleon’s head and the juice squirts out of his ears. Same gift that he would give her in "'Twas The Night Before Christmas." A guy knocks on the door and Trixie answers it. A man mumbles, yet Trixie somehow knows his name and he is delivering a keg of beer here. His name: Fenwick Babbit. Fenwick is played by Jackie Gleason. After placing his beer barrel in the apartment, Trixie goes upstairs to get a pan for Fenwick’s ice. Fenwick asks: "Does she live nearby?" The crowd laughs. Trixie comes back. Fenwick begins to cut the ice. He hits his finger and yells in Ralph Kramden fashion. Doesn’t look like he hit his finger to me. Now I wonder why Alice and Trixie don't come up with the thought that Ralph and him look alike. When Fenwick gets told that this isn’t the Murphy apartment, Alice calls him a big lummox. Wow! That ain’t nice. Fenwick realizes that he is in the wrong apartment and leaves.

Ed comes in and says that he has come with broadway star Jane Pickens. The episode abruptly cuts to Joe The Bartender’s (also played by Gleason) entrance. I wonder if that was because Jane originally sang two songs and Disney & probably subsequently TV Land (if they aired it) didn’t want to pay for the rights to the songs and just edited them out. Of course after hearing Joe speak, Alice, Ed and Trixie don't come up with the thought that he and Ralph look alike. Joe The Bartender reveals something that just happened a few minutes ago at Krauss'. A person came into his bar. Joe says that this person’s name is “The Poor Soul.” What a name, huh? This poor soul comes in and takes the last bit of steak and gives it to a kitten that he bought in from the cold. Fatso Fogarty, also at his bar, sees this and becomes mad. He sets up a nasty practical joke in which he tells him he had "won" a diamond and then handed him a cheap rhinestone. What made the hoax particularly pathetic was that the poor soul, totally taken in, cherished his prize. Alice, moved by the tale, tells Joe to send the poor soul up, and she'll give him a real present. Joe, Jane and Ed leaves. Trixie: "Now that Ed is gone, we can relax."

The poor soul comes up (played by Jackie Gleason in pantomime) comes up. “Tenderly” is played throughout this sketch. Ed somehow was able to identify him. Alice gives him a real present. Once again, Alice and Trixie don't even think that he and Ralph look alike. He gives her the "diamond" and leaves.

We cut back to Paul Reiser. Paul says that this episode was one of the most difficult episodes to make. So hard that Jackie actually had to rehearse (something that he rarely did because of his photographic memory) Since Jackie had to change clothes SIX times, he had to rehearse that so the actors would know how much time to spend on stage between his appearances.

Back to the episode. Trixie says that they are showing some Christmas Specials on TV, so she asks Alice if they can watch it on Alice's TV Alice says that the TV is n the brink. Rudy the Repairman comes by to fix it. Rudy is played by Jackie Gleason and once again by looking and hearing Rudy speak, Alice and Trixie don't think that Ralph and he look alike. Alice explains all the trouble she is having with some of the channels. Some of the channels that I think she talks about: 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, and 13. Now, since I used to live in North Jersey and about an hour away from New York, I can tell you that those channels in real life do exist (and that channel 2 has been a CBS affiliate forever.) And do you know what? The channel 11 that Alice is talking about would start to carry reruns of the Honeymooners four years later and has carried them for the better part of 50 years. Rudy, after hearing Alice's strange problems, brings in Whitey. Whitey talks to Ralph in language that is not real English. But Rudy understands him anyway. Great comedy. Rudy talks to Whitey about a dead horse. Rudy makes a pass at Alice and Trixie, destroys the television set, and departs. Alice tells Trixie that it doesn't really matter, since she just had the set on trial.

Ed Norton comes in. Ed explains that he saw two guys bringing a horse into their truck. Trixie explains to Ed that it was two what happened with those two men and how they “attempted” to fix Alice’s TV. Ed: “They found a dead horse in it?” Trixie: “Yeah, stupid.” Ed looks like he is about to hit Trix. Something that Ralph ordinarily does in later episodes. A man who is the son of person named Cardini comes in after. Ed: “he’s a terrific juggler." Cardini’s kid starts juggling things. The person who played him is doing a great job. Ed even joins in. Both Ed and the juggler leave.

We cut back to Paul. Paul says that Jackie’s favorite character was Reggie Van Gleason III. Reggie was rich & flamboyant. Those things Jackie would become later in his life since at this time, he wasn’t very rich and flamboyant at all.

Back to the episode. Alice says that Ed is always looking to help someone. Trixie then says a get-rich-quick idea that Ed had. He had an idea of making tires last forever by putting helium into them instead of air. Ed read that dirigibles are filled with air to keep them up. Ed figured out that way if the tires are three feet off the ground, they wouldn’t burst. (What?) I wonder if Joyce meant to say balloons. When Alice asks her how the tires would move on air, Trixie says that Ed had another idea. The idea: To raise the roads. Ha! That is not an idea that Ralph would get.

Ed comes back in and Reginald Van Gleason comes in (played by Jackie Gleason). An old Disney Channel logo comes on the screen indicating that my copy was taped off Disney. He brings in gifts for Ed, Trixie, and Alice. He also brings in his band (from Jimmy Ryan’s café according to Reggie) and June Taylor Dancers. The band plays a song VERY loudly and Gleason dances with the dancers. Try doing what Reggie is doing in an ordinary apartment at night in real life and you will probably get a TON of complaints (and maybe get kicked out too.) Once again, Alice, Ed and Trixie don't come up with the conclusion that Reggie and Ralph look and probably sound alike (maybe except for Reggie's mustache). Reggie and his whole entourage leave. Ed: "Reggie is okay in my book." Ed says that in Reggie's limo, he watches wrestling. Not on TV, he watches wrestlers wrestling each other in the limo in a pro wrestling match. Oh God! Trixie is afraid to leave because another star may drop by. Alice says that she wonders where Ralph is. Ed says to Trixie that he will give her what every woman wants on her hand, that being rubber gloves. Ha!

Ed and Trixie leave. Ralph comes by with a policeman. Alice explains the whole situation to the policeman and leaves. Ralph reveals what happened. After he returned the original potato salad, he had to walk two LONG blocks to Krauss only to find out that Krauss was asleep. He knocked so hard on his door that he knocked out the window and got in trouble with the police. Ralph says that after 13 years of marriage, every Christmas gets better and better. 25 years later in an ABC Special, Ralph and Alice say that they are celebrating 25 years of marriage (the writers thought that that would be appropriate since that show marked the 25th anniversary of the show.) Anyway, Alice and Ralph exchange gifts. Ralph opens his gift first and finds out that Alice gave him rubber-lined gloves. Alice gets an orange juice squeezer from Ralph. The same gift that Ralph will giver again in "'Twas The Night Before Christmas." They hug and kiss.

I lot of people probably don't like this episode since it's a great departure from traditional episodes. I liked it because it's a great X-Mas episode and it offers a change of pace. Jackie Gleason must have had to do some quick costume changes in this episode since this episode (like all the other ones in the 50's) were done live.

Paul wishes us Happy Holidays!

I should also mention that these Paul Reiser specials played the same (albeit updated versions) of the early 50’s version of The Jackie Gleason Show theme song.

Episode #10
TV: Hasn’t been seen on TV since its original “airdate”.
VHS & DVD: Hasn’t been released.

"Here Comes The Bride":

In the early 2010s, it was revealed that this as long as some other sketches were rumored to have been shown on TV. I am going to assume that the script for this one and the Classic 39 are on and the same.

As I said, I don't have "Alice’s Sister Argues With Her Husband” but since it is to believed an earlier version of "Pickles", I thought I would post the review for "Pickles." The script for this episode is at UCLA Library Special Collections Box 110 Folder 6 Harry Crane Collection.

To see the finished script, click here: http://www.springfieldspringfield.co...episode=s04e22

At the Raccoon dinner, everybody is celebrating the fact that Brother Stanley Saxon is getting married but of course, everyone is saying that this is a bad thing in Stanley's life. Ed: "Stanley, if I were you I would get out of town tonight." Ralph says a few words. He says he feels responsible because he's the one who got Stanley and his fiancée Agnes (Alice's sister) together. Now Stanley has to deal with Ralph's mother-in-law as well as Ralph. Stanley is taking all of this in stride. Not only that, but he thinks that everybody is kidding. The dinner ends. Ralph & Ed talk to Stanley. Stanley says he's moving into Agnes' mother's house. Ralph: "You can't do that Stanley. You will be making the biggest mistake of your life. After me and Alice got married, I had to move in with her mother. Those were the most miserable years of my life." Stanley: "I don't want to argue with her." Ed: "Then why are you getting married?" Stanley says that Agnes parents are nice people. Ralph disagrees of course and makes reference to Koloff being on The Red Skelton Show. Ralph: "This is the 20th century." When this episode was made, it was the 20th century. Now it's the 21st century of course. Ralph says that a husband's home is his castle and that a man is king of the castle and he makes all the orders that he likes and when Agnes insists to move in with her mother, he should say no." Ralph says that he will see Stanley at the wedding tomorrow. They leave.

The next night after the wedding, the Kramdens return home. Garrity takes one look at Ralph and laughs. Ralph: "Go ahead Garrity laugh. For your information, I did not get this outfit from an undertaker." Ralph emerges into the house with a black tuxedo and hat. Ralph and Alice talk about what a cute couple Stanley and Agnes made. Alice: "Agnes had plenty of chances. Stanley wasn't the only one. There were other people who wanted her to get married." Ralph: "I can name three myself. Her parents and the caterer." Ralph says he will go to sleep and asks Alice to take the tux down to the place where he rented it tomorrow before noon because if it arrives one second later than noon, he has to pay extra money. Ralph tries to go to sleep. A knock on the door is heard and it's Agnes who's crying. Agnes (yells): "STANLEY IS A BEAST! HE'S A BEAST!" Ralph overhears that they got into a fight. Agnes said that after the wedding, he just changed. She says all the things that Ralph told him (without mentioning Ralph's name) and Ralph hears it. Ralph doesn't want Agnes sleeping over and for him to sleep in the kitchen. Alice & Ralph agree to go over to Stanley's and ask him what made him change his mind. Ralph changes his mind (of course, he doesn't want Alice to know that he is the guilty one.) Ralph asks Alice to go to bed. Ralph sleeps the best way he can in the kitchen. Ralph: "I have a BIG mouth."

The next morning, Ralph wakes up. Thinking he's sleeping on the bed, he says: "We got to do something about this mattress Alice. It's murder." In his half-consciousness, he walks out of the apartment and falls down the stairs. Ralph comes back into the apartment and realizes where he's been sleeping and that Agnes is still in their home. Ed comes in and when he hears that Agnes is sleeping over, he says: "This is the first time that I ever heard of a couple taking separate honeymoons." Ralph tells him what's going on. Alice comes out and says that Agnes doesn't plan on leaving anytime soon. She is also very upset, so she asks them to not say anything about the marriage. Ed (seeing Agnes in Alice's clothes): "I haven't seen you since the wedding. How are you?" Agnes cries and goes back into the bedroom. Ed wonders why Stanley has been acting the way he has been and when Ralph thinks that he's about to bring up the fact that Ralph told him all those things, he asks Ed to go home. Ralph and Alice concoct a plan. They will invite Stanley over for dinner and Stanley and Agnes will witness Ralph boss around Alice, that way they will get back together. Alice goes along. Just as when Ralph thinks that Ed will spill the beans about Ralph giving Stanley the information, he kicks him out.

While Ralph is not at home, Stanley arrives. Stanley and Agnes embrace. Agnes says that she's at fault. Stanley disagrees. Stanley: "It was my fault darling one. I should have never listened to Ralph." Stanley blabs the information that Ralph told him that eventually caused the marriage to break up. Alice is steaming mad. Alice: "How dare Ralph interfere like that." Ralph comes home and bosses around Alice. It all falls on deaf ears. Ed comes down and tells a story on how Trixie can't go to the movies because he said so. The newlyweds leave in happiness. Ed: "Ralph, I had no idea it worked so fast." Ed leaves. Ralph apologizes for interfering in their marriage and if anybody tried to tell him how to run his marriage, they will get hurt. Alice accepts his apology. They hug and kiss.

On the sponsor materials version, at the end, Jack plugs Buick.

Check this out from the old Honeymooners Message Board Section on imdb.com. Someone posted this:

"This episode bothered me for the fact that everyone in it other than Norton behaved worse than Ralph. Ralph's advice was well-meaning and although he went over the top with his king of the castle rant, the gist of what he was saying, that A) staying with in-laws after you are married (especially HIS mother in law) is a bad idea, and B) the man has a voice in the marriage also, was correct. He didn't intend on wrecking their marriage, he was just trying to give Stanley some cojones which Stanley clearly lacked.

It's obvious that Agnes was bullying Stanley the entire time they were together, and now Stanley stands up for himself for the first time and she runs away crying that he's a beast. Instead of crying to mommy which is where she wanted to stay anyway, she imposes herself on Ralph and Alice in their cramped apartment. And Alice, after marginal convincing from Agnes, agrees to let her sleep in the bed, forcing Ralph to spend the night on a wooden chair!!! What an inconsiderate bitch. And the only solution she can think of is to talk to Stanley???!!!! Why doesn't she stand up for her husband and insist that as sorry as she is that their marriage fell apart there's no space in the apartment for her sister's freeloading ass?

And then Stanley, who spent an entire relationship's time being estrogen-whipped until Ralph gave him some confidence, caves in to his whiny bratty wife and snitches on Ralph to Alice!!! Isn't that a violation of Raccoon lodge code? Yeah Ralph gave him the advice but he chose to follow it, and instead of owning up to his "mistake" (although personally I'd say that was the wisest thing he ever did and his apology was unnecessary, she was already throwing herself at him) he turns around and says Ralph put him up to it which proves him to be every bit as weak-minded as we all suspected him to be from the beginning. He must not have had much going for him because he and control-freak Agnes clearly married each other out of desperation. Ralph alluded to that with his comment about Agnes practicing to be a bride for 20 years. Even Alice made subtle hints about her failures at keeping a man with her comment about her waiting for the right fella to come along. Yeah, the right fella for Agnes was someone as feeble as Stanley who would swallow all of her *beep* whole. Any man with any self-respect says "bye, bitch!" to Agnes fairly soon.

To top it all off, Agnes calls Ralph a troublemaker right in front of him when he arrives home from work. Uh, bitch, this is the same troublemaker who let you sleep in his bed the night before at the expense of his back, which has been known to be somewhat of a liability. Agnes should have been slapped.

The moral of every episode is that Ralph is in the wrong. However in this episode Ralph did nothing wrong, and although his advice did not work the way it was intended he was treated very unfairly."

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

[Frank Gannucci]

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[Frank Gannucci]

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