Honeymooners Episode Reviews: “Art Carney Presents Jackie With An Award” & more:

[Frank Gannucci]

Honeymooners Episode Reviews: “Art Carney Presents Jackie With An Award” & “Rafifi, Brooklyn Style”:

Episode #185
DVD: In 2022, this was finally rereleased onto DVD. It’s on Jackie Gleason’s Timeless Treasures and it is attached to “Two Below” (aka “Retreat To The Basement”), “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, “Big Sell”, 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. 2/25/67

A Jackie Gleason Show In Color DVD "Bonus Feature"

This is not really a bonus feature, but it does feature Art Carney dressed up as Ed Norton talking to Jackie with Gene Kelly right by Jackie's side. I figured I would review it. It's on disc 1 and it's a part of the episode that aired on Sat. 2/25/67

Art Carney comes out as Ed Norton with a fake manhole cover that says award. Art makes a comment to Jackie in regards to his weight. Ed says that this is his first time on TV. What about the other times like the time he was on Beat The Clock? He asks Gene if he can wave to his wife's mom. Gene says yes. So Ed waves to a lady backstage by turning hsi back and waving. Ha!

Jackie is laughing during all this as Ed gives him the "Sewer Workers Humanitarian Award." He calls it the Soggy Award. He says that they give it to people off all walks of life. He lists people that have been given the award supposedly. He gives it to Jackie and than asks Gene to hold onto it. Gene does and walks off stage.

Ed than reads a funny poem that the sewer workers wrote in honor of his birthday. In the poem, Jackie's then real-life age is mentioned which is 51. In the poem, Ed says that before Jackie knows it, he will be 52.

Ehhh, not much of a Honeymooners skit if it is one.

Episode #186 (Syndicated episode #15)
DVD: Attached to "Without Reservations."
Color Episode Title: “Rififi, Brooklyn Style.”
Lost Episode Title: “Great Jewel Robbery.”
Air Date: Sat. 3/4/67

"Rafifi, Brooklyn Style":

On my copy of this episode that I have on DVD, the TV channel now known as Youtoo America airs the wrong Nick Clooney intro. Prior to March 2005, Youtoo always aired intros by Nick at the start of every episode of this show for some reason. Maybe because prior to 2003, this show except for the first ten episodes, did not see the light of day. He says that the viewers are going to see "Life Upon The Wicked Stage" rather than "Rififi, Brooklyn Style." I wonder if this was due to "Life Upon The Wicked Stage"'s musical clearance issues which caused that episode not to be shown on YTA TV for some time when YTA TV started showing the Color Honeymooners. I'm not sure if they made this error every time they aired this episode.

The June Taylor Dancers come by a jewelry store and sing a song about jewelry. After that, they leave. Ralph comes by. Ralph is collecting money from all the bus drivers for a wedding present for the boss' daughter. He hopes the gift will mean a raise for the drivers--and maybe a promotion for him. He meets with Ed at the jewelry store. Ed didn't even recognize that this was a jewelry store from the outside. Ralph is having each driver pitch in $5. Ralph: "When he realizes who idea it was to make the collection to get a gift, who do you think is going to get the promotion?" Ed: "The guy who she is marrying, who else?" Ralph wants to have this collection so he can get promoted. All the drivers said Ralph is doing this only to get in good with the boss. Since there are 50 bus drivers and each chipped in $5, Ed assumes that the collection is up to $250. Ralph: "$245. One of the bus drivers didn't chip in." Ed: "Who was it?" Ralph: "Never mind." Wow, Ralph didn't chip in to his own collection? Gee, that's a surprise. A clerk comes by and Ralph asks him if this is a good jewelry store. Clerk: "The Montonyea (sp?) is great. We have branches in London, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Stockholm & Coconut Grove." Ed: "So does Dairy Queen." Ralph tells him of his situation. The clerk shows Ralph & Ed some of the jewelry. The first piece of jewelry is a Sterling Silver Pickle Fork. Ralph hates that. Ralph says he has $245 to spend. Ed suggests a cigarette lighter that plays "Me and My Shadow." The clerk says it would be appropriate to pick out something for the bride and the groom. Ralph: "Why should I pick out something for the groom? I hardly know the BUM." Ralph likes the 14 carat gold watch the clerk shows him. It costs $246 plus tax. Ralph buys it with $1 from his own money. Ralph gets it delivered to his apartment. Ralph & Ed sing: "You Got To Have An Angle."

It's also Alice's birthday. Trixie gives Alice a Sterling Silver Candle Snapper. Alice's mother (played by the original Alice, Pert Kelton) comes by with an expensive dress. Alice's Mom: "When you are married to Ralph, you need EVERYTHING." Trixie leaves. Alice and her mother complain about the living conditions as well as Ralph. They sing: "Why Didn't You Marry Someone With Dough?" in which Alice's mother says she is impartial when it comes to Ralph. Alice says that Ralph hasn't given her anything yet. Alice goes into the bedroom. Ralph comes home. Alice's mom: "Hello Ralph." Ralph: "How could you tell it was me?" Alice's mom: "I can hear the floor sag." A battle royal of an argument between the two of them starts which includes trading insults like Ralph saying to Alice's mom: "You were never Alice's age." Ha! The mother shows her disdain for the stove. Ralph then wants to fight Alice's mother. Alice's Mom: "Chicken! Chicken! Chicken!" Ralph: "Crow! Crow! Crow!" A delivery boy from the jewelry store arrives with a package that contains a watch Ralph bought for the boss's daughter. Alice thinks it's her birthday gift and is ecstatic. She praises Ralph up and down to her mother and saying that he's the best husband in the world. Sure. Ralph is ashamed to admit the truth that he forgot Alice's birthday. Alice's Mom: "I'm glad you thought of your wife and not of a scheme to get in good with your boss." Alice tells Ralph of her guilt of her thinking that he forgot her birthday.

At the bar with Ed, Ed tells Jacko the bartender to put more bisch (sp?), chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream and a cherry in his drink. Ralph tells him about his problem. The bus drivers will kill him if Ralph didn't give the watch to the boss' daughter. Ralph says they will tie one of his legs and arms to a bus each and the other leg and arm to another bus each and each one will drive in a different direction and thus Ralph will get killed. Ed suggests lying to Alice and her mother. Ralph says that he mother is the originally lie detector. Ralph: "Alice's Mother is just as trusting as Kurt Douglas on an army dentist." They come up with a scheme on how to get the watch back without letting Alice know it isn't hers. Norton will get one of his pals to pose as a burglar, hold up the Kramdens, and take the watch. Ralph will eventually meet up with him to get the watch back. His friend is Joe Torre. I wonder if they got his name from the now Executive Vice President of MLB Operations. Joe happens to be an amateur manager. He ends up calling his friend on a pay phone and it's a party line so his friend doesn't want to reveal where he works so Ed says that both he and his friend, who is an amateur actor, work in a bank and that Ed saved his friend from drowning in the small loans department. Ha! The plan is set. While Ralph and Norton were devising their plan, a real crook overhears them and decides to show up at the Kramdens' before Norton's friend gets there.

At home, some cops arrive to sell tickets to the Policeman's Ball and Ralph thinks that his plan is going to be foiled. So Ralph concocts a scheme to get the cops out of there much to Alice's chagrin. Fortunately for Ralph, they end up leaving. When the real crook shows up saying: "Stick 'em up!" Ralph thinks he is Norton's friend and is acting badly and asks him to come in again when Alice is in the room. When he shows up, Ralph thinks he's Norton's friend and practically hands him the watch. Alice asks Ralph to do something. He "attempts" to punch him and the crook punches Ralph in the stomach. Ralph hallows in pain in typical Ralph fashion. While the crook's examining the goods, Alice plunks him with a frying pan and knocks him cold. She rushes out to call the cops, but Ralph revives him and sends him on his way, with some extra loot to boot. Ralph thinks that the title of "amateur actor" really belongs to Ed's friend and that is the last time that he ever listens to Norton. When Ed shows up wit crook get up and tells him that his friend couldn't make it, Ralph realizes what he has done.

Later, Ralph says that he will not go down to work tomorrow or anymore (he won't dare say the real reason why). So he covers it up, by saying that Saudi Arabia is looking for welders and he wants to apply for the job. Ralph tells Alice the real story about him forgetting her birthday and the watch. He apologizes. Ralph sings: "I Don't Deserve A Wonderful Girl Like You." The cops catch the crook and recover the watch. The cop shows Ralph the crook and the woman who captured him...Alice's Mom. Alice is heartbroken, but she returns the watch. Alice's Mom gets told the story and says that Ralph should be given the watch. Alice's Mom wants to kill Ralph herself. Ralph runs away from Alice's Mother

During the curtain call, Jackie says that this is a special night. He mentions that Pert Kelton was the original Alice. He introduces some of the cast members (Art, Pert, Shelia & Jean.) On a side note, I'm glad that Audrey was picked rather than Pert as the Alice during the lost episodes and Classic 39. I saw some Pert Kelton clips during the Honeymooners 50th Anniversary Celebration and Pert looked ugly compared to Audrey.

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.