Honeymooners Episode Review: "TV Game of The Week":

[Frank Gannucci]

Honeymooners Episode Review: "TV Game of The Week":

With the Super Bowl coming up, I thought I would post this even though it makes no mention of the game and it predates the game by several years.

Episode #168
TV: In 2025, Catchy Comedy showed this sketch and attached it to “Two Below’”(aka ‘Retreat To The Basement’)/ ‘Investing In The Future’ (aka ‘The Big Sell Revue’) in an hour long episode that they incorrectly called Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine. American Scene Magazine may have been a variety show Jackie hosted but “The Big Sell Revue” sketch was part of a special variety show that he hosted called Big Sell Revue. The rest were part of American Scene Magazine but ftom different episodes.
DVD: In 2022, this was released by MPI onto DVD. It’s on Jackie Gleason’s Timeless Treasures and it is attached to “The Big Sell”, “TV Game of The Week”, “The Adoption” (‘66 version), Opening/June Taylor Dancers/Monologue from the 11/23/68 episode of the Jackie Gleason Show, “Six Months To Love” (Color version), “Alice’s Birthday” (Color version), “Lawsuit” (Color version), “Hot Tip” (Color version), “The New Bowling Ball” (Color version), “Norton Moves In” (Color version), “The New Manager”, Jackie saying Goodnight from the 4/19/69 episode of the Jackie Gleason show episode, Ed Norton presents award to Jackie Gleason (2/25/67), a clip of the Great Gleason Express from the 9/20/65 episode of the Steve Lawrence Show & the 2006 documentary Jackie Gleason: Genius At Work.
Air Date: Sat. 10/20/62

A Glea Girl comes on and introduces the sketch. She says that the set that the Kramdens are getting is their first one. What about all the other ones they had? Alice (played by Sue Ann Langdon) is home with the TV installer (played by Frank Marth). The guy came said that this is a great TV set. Of course, the TV doesn't look as good as the TVs of today. He leaves. Alice is very happy with the set. Ralph comes home with food. He is ecstatic that the set came. Ralph: "Did you ever see a prettier set than that? Isn't that the best picture you ever seen of acid going down a man's stomach?" He moves the antenna all over the room to get a better picture. Ed Norton comes in just as Ralph finds a perfect place for the antenna. The place: On top of the ice box.

Ralph asks Ed what he thinks of his new set. Ed, seeing the antenna and not the set, jokingly says that the set looks like his ice box. Ed turns on the set and both of them watch a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Alice: "When Bugs Bunny is over, would you like to go outside and play?" Ralph says that he is not interested in the cartoon. He is only interested in how the set works. When Ed tells him what is on the screen, Ralph watches. Alice goes into the bedroom. Ralph turns off the set. He wants to watch the football game at 2pm. Ed loves the fact that there is soda pop and food. Ralph says that he doesn't mind him watching his TV show, but if he wants refreshments, he is to go upstairs and get his own. Ed: "You're cheap but at least you don't keep that fact a secret." Ed leaves. This dialogue was played for the first time in over 40 years on the Honeymooners 50th Anniversary special in 2002.

Ralph is getting the food ready. Alice comes out. When she hears the fact that Ralph is going to watch the game, she says that she thought that the set was for both of them. Ralph: "It is. This afternoon, I want to watch the football game. Tonight, I will let you watch the fights." Alice says that if Ralph keeps acting this way, there will be a fight but it will be between the both of them. Ralph: "This is the biggest game of the year. I don't want to miss it. Alice says that she will let Ralph watch it. She goes upstairs to Trixie's. Ralph goes into the bedroom.

Ed comes in with a pizza pie. When he goes to touch the set, Ralph yells from the bedroom: "DON'T TOUCH THE SET." Ed brings out more food and makes a mess. Ralph is upset but he gets reminded that he told Ed to bring his own refreshments. Ralph turns on the set to watch the game. Ed asks Ralph if he wants to take bet. Ralph says yes. Ed says that he is a Harvard fan. He brings out his Harvard flag and walks around with it. Ralph, of course, says that Ed is nuts. Ed: "Harvard means a lot to me. For two years, I worked underneath the sewer at the Harvard club." Ralph: "If you stayed there two more years, you would have gotten your bachelor's degree in Stupidity." Ralph puts out his dollar. The game starts. The game is at Harvard Stadium. The opponent is revealed to be Yale. Didn't Ralph say that this game was the biggest one of the year? Ralph is upset that Ed is eating pizza in front of him. Ralph: "Norton, would you like a potato chip?" Ed: "No thanks. I am down here watching your TV set. It wouldn't be fair for me to take one of your potato chips." Ed loves the pizza that he is eating and describes what is on it which includes Fatchumatta's (sp) cheese. Ralph: "Fatchumara's cheese." I think Art meant to say Fatchumara. Ralph than asks for a slice of pizza. Ed says sure. Ed: "A small piece costs 20 cents. The bigger piece is mine." Ralph (yells): "YOU HAVE THE GALL TO COME ON DOWN HERE AND WATCH MY SET AND CHARGE ME TWENTY CENTS FOR SLICE? JUST FOR THAT, IT WILL COST YOU 50 CENTS TO WATCH THE GAME." What a friend. Ed: "You let me watch the game and I will give you two twenty cent slices and a 10 cent piece." Ralph takes the deal. Ed: "Do you have a license of Pay TV?" Ralph: "Gimme that slice."

Both of them are watching the game while Ralph is yelling: "STOP HIM! STOP HIM!" The set goes off. Ed takes the pizza out of Ralph's hand because the set went off. Ed tries to fix the set by banging it. That of course, doesn't work. Ed then takes the back off of it WITHOUT unplugging the set. Ralph suggests unplugging it and plugging it in. Ed does that. Nothing happens. Ed: "Is your chubby little heart satisfied?" Ralph (yells): "SHUT UP!" Ed then takes out a tube and asks Ralph not to drop it. Of course, the tube is hot. Ralph screams in pain and throws the tube. Ed catches it. Ralph suggests getting a repairman. Ed says that he will repair the set for free. Ed takes out what I am assuming is part of the chassis. Ed asks Ralph for a screwdriver. Ralph gets a screwdriver and a hammer. Ed correctly predicts that if he doesn't fix the set, Ralph will hit him with the hammer.

The next scene opens up. By now, all of the set is taken out. Ed discovers that part of his pizza was in the mesh. Ed says that this one "screw" there is causing all the trouble. How can that be? Besides the screw doesn't even look like a screw to me. It looks like a piece of a crowbar. Ed asks Ralph is he has a soldering iron. Oh boy! The janitor comes in and says that at about 2pm, the electricity went off in the whole building. It is back on now. Looks like Ralph and Ed went through all that trouble for nothing. Ed: "Looks like the joke is on me. I disconnected your entire set when the electricity went off in the whole building." Ralph, with hammer in hand, kicks Ed out and orders him to take his food.

Alice comes back and asks Ralph what happened. Ralph: "Don't ask Alice." Alice says that when Ed ran up the stairs, he dropped half his pizza. Ralph: "If he comes back in this place again, I murder him. There isn't a jury in this world that wouldn't set me free." Ed comes hack all happy. Ed: "Harvard won 7-6. I won the bet." He grabs Ralph's dollar. Ed: "If you get the set fixed before the fights tonight, holler out the window so we can watch." Ralph gets up with the hammer in his hand and chases after Ed. He slips on the food. A very unrealistic slip like sound is heard when he does slip. Ralph comes back inside with a slice of pizza on his head. The sketch has ended.

Jackie comes out for the curtain call. He thanks the audience and says that he loves working with Art Carney. He says that Art gets a lot of laughs. So much so, Jackie says that he makes him look bad. Art is also a great dramatic actor according to Gleason. He brings out Art and says that he is currently on Broadway in the show called: "Take Her She's Mine." Jackie says goodnight to the audience.

As the credit rolls, Johnny does the sponsor plugs which include: Parliament Cigarettes, Palmolive Rapid Shave and Purina Dog Chow. Johnny also says to the audience to contribute to the charity: Give United.

At the end of the show, Jack Benny plugs his show as well as to ask people to donate to "Give United." Next, Ed Sullivan plugs the next episode of his show. After that, a graphic comes on the screen. The graphic has the CBS Eye with the words: "This program has been pre-recorded."

In a classic case of life imitating art, a similar situation happened to me and my friend who is also a Honeymooners fan in 2002. His TV wasn't working properly so we spent a few hours trying to fix the problem. (We didn't take the set apart.) After all that, we found out that the reason why it wasn't working properly was due to a switch in the back.

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]

Bump

[Frank Gannucci]

Bump

[Frank Gannucci]

Bump

[Frank Gannucci]

Bump