Ralph sells his bowling ball to get a last-minute Christmas present for Alice.Ralph sells his bowling ball to get a last-minute Christmas present for Alice.Ralph sells his bowling ball to get a last-minute Christmas present for Alice.
- Director
- Writers
- Marvin Marx
- Walter Stone
- Jackie Gleason(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFor many years in syndication, the end of this broadcast was cut but has since been replaced. As the curtain closes Gleason pushes it aside and says; 'Wait a minute' and breaks out of character and begins talking to the audience and has the entire cast come out to take a bow and wishes everybody a Merry Christmas.
- GoofsWhen Ralph gets his Christmas gift from Alice, Gleason flubs his line but recovers. He says, "A bowling bag ball...I mean a bowling ball bag."
- Quotes
Ralph Kramden: You know something, sweetheart? Christmas is... well, it's about the best time of the whole year. When you walk down the streets, even for weeks before Christmas comes, and there's lights hanging up, green ones and red ones, sometimes there's snow and everyone's hustling some place. But they don't hustle around Christmastime like they usually do. You know, they're a little more friendlier... they bump into you, they laugh and they say, "Pardon me. Merry Christmas"... especially when it gets real close to Christmas night. Everybody's walking home, you can hardly hear a sound. Bells are ringin', kids are singing, the snow is coming down. And boy what a pleasure it is to think that you've got some place to go to. And that the place that you're going to, there's somebody in it that you really love. Some one you're nuts about. Merry Christmas.
- Alternate versionsSome syndicated airings cut out the ending of this episode in which Jackie Gleason steps out of character to wish the audience a Merry Christmas.
- ConnectionsFeatured in 'Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen (2022)
There are notes indicating the ending was originally cut for syndication, but I don't recall that, having watched this for more than 50 years!
It's the usual mad dash to get a gift for Alice, this time a Christmas present, and Ralph is in another big mess. It's always fun to watch it all play out, though the strangest thing is the Kramden apartment, which always looks dreary no matter what time of the year it is. Ralph, at the very least, should have gotten curtains for the kitchen window. That, perhaps, would have been the best present, or how about a new tablecloth for that old fashioned kitchen table?
When you compare the Norton's upstairs apartment, it's like they live in a totally different building?
Nevertheless fun stuff, and such a classic episode it's been broadcast even in the summer! Jackie never was credited, but many times he was a co-writer for some of the episodes, at least an idea man, and it's obvious some of his comedy schtick is present.
One of the great tv episodes, long before they got credit, which was originally telecast Christmas Eve, 1955. SEASON 1 EPISODE 13.
- tcchelsey
- Dec 25, 2023
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1