User Reviews

I just don't know!! How does one pick the top or favourite HONEYMOONERS episode? The episodes which have received nearly constant showings reveal a true Cornicopia of Comic Masterpieces, especially the 1955-56 run. Each one seems as good as the next. It's apparent that Mr. Jackie Gleason & Company had hit their Zenith during this period.

Nominees For The Best HONEYMOONERS Episode are:

CHEF of the FUTURE

The BENSONHURST BOMBER

A WOMAN's WORK IS NEVER DONE (HIRING THE MAID)

Of all the Nominees and many other deserving recipients my winner is- The BENSONHURST BOMBER! This show gets the nod because it has such an easy method of recognition in conversation. All one needs to do is say the now famous quotation: "...my friend Harvey!" and we all know the reference.

Old Folks, Boomers, Middle Aged, Young Adults, Teens and Kids all know Ralph, Alice, Norton and Trixie. They will be on our TV air waves long after this writer has turned up his toes, six feet under.

Perhaps Audrey Meadows said it best. It was in an interview shortly after Mr. Gleason's passing. She said that CBS News wanted her to do a video taped segment in which she would don the house dress of Alice Kramden once more. She would be seated at the kitchen table on a set which would be a facsimile of their apartment on the Jackie Gleason Show. She was to be sad, and sobbing because Ralph had died.

Miss Meadows declined most emphatically. Her reply to the interviewer was, "No. I wouldn't do that. Ralph didn't die. Jack died. Ralph will never die!" Dear Audrey, we most enthusiastically second the motion!

Ralph, with the help of Ed, ends up with a fight being set up between him and some sort of gorilla. He shoots his mouth off to this guy and has to go underground to avoid him. He almost gets out of it, but Norton keeps pushing the envelope and they end up at a gym. The best scenes are a pool hall scene at the beginning and Norton trying to instruct Ralph on pugilism. Ralph is great at being a coward when the chips are down and this is no exception.

Norton's hilarious line after Harvey's gone. One of his best moments. Of course Ralph and "The Beast" are a good laugh.

The poolroom hi-jinks are a real hoot. Ralph and Ed settle in at the pool table for a friendly game. But how long will it take for Ed to finally shoot. You know all the knuckle warm-ups and arm-stretches he does before writing anything. Here he's got a warm-up routine that may last all night, that is, until Ralph finally blows his top waiting. Then along comes this little milquetoast guy with a squeaky voice, claiming he and his friend Harvey have first dibs on the table. Naturally, Ralph guffaws at the pipsqueak, even when the little guy says his friend Harvey is even bigger than he is. After all, Ralph figures, how tough can a guy named Harvey possibly be. So they shove the little guy aside. And then Harvey arrives.

Fans of Alice should skip this entry since she's only got a cameo appearance. In my view, it's a really good entry except for the climax that seems out-of-place for the series as a whole. Even so, Gleason gets to do his injured bull moose roar that still has my walls shaking.