DVD
Review | The Honeymooners (Classic Episodes)
Written by: Kage
Alan
Oh, this one takes me back. No, not back to when
the show first aired. Geez…that was in 1955 and my mother was
like…only 5 years old. It was a bit before my time. However, when I
was 8 or 9, a local Detroit channel used to air the episodes on Friday
or Saturday nights just before we’d go to pick mom up if she worked
late. Maybe I didn’t get as much of the verbal humor and banter, but
I fell in love with Jackie Gleason’s physical comedy. Even going back
through these 39 episodes, I’m amazed the man didn’t go into cardiac
arrest while on the set. He was all over the place!
Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason, “Nothing In Common”)
is under the impression that he’s got it made in life…or will shortly if
any of his attempts to strike it rich would ever pay off. He’s a bus
driver in New York City and living with his wife, Alice (Audrey Meadows,
“Too Close For Comfort”), in a less-than-upper-class apartment. While
Ralph feels they live in the lap of luxury, Alice thinks differently.
Not only do they have old appliances that usually break down, but they
also don’t have many of the same amenities that other couples have, like
television, vacuum cleaners, etc. Why don’t they have these things?
Because Ralph is cheap and can’t hold on to his money to save his life.
He loves his bowling and membership at the Raccoon lodge among other
frivolous things.
Living upstairs from the Kramdens are best friends
Ed (Art Carney, “Firestarter”) and Trixie (Joyce Randolph, “Everything’s
Jake”) Norton. While Ralph’s job may not seem like the best one in the
world, it’s nothing compared to poor Ed who works in the city’s sewer
system. Still, the two try to make the best of everything and Ed falls
for every hair brained scheme that Ralph comes up with. Whether going
on TV to sell a product for the kitchen or approaching a magazine to
sell a story that Ralph only has 6 months to live, both men often get
into more trouble than they can handle and with hilarious results. The
women are the only two who have any brains and aren’t afraid to speak
their minds, especially Alice. She rarely puts up with Ralph’s
shenanigans and is frequently told that he’s going to send her “to the
moon”.
Why these two every got married is often a mystery,
but just when you think the show couldn’t get any meaner, Ralph shows
that he’s really a big ol’ pussycat. Jackie Gleason may have had an
interesting reputation behind-the-scenes, but his talent in front of the
camera and ability to please an audience is undeniable. He was talented
and his co-stars allowed him to shine while either holding their own
with him or allowing themselves to be the foil for him. In any case,
the show worked.
Paramount has released the 39 classic episodes in
their original full screen ratios. Despite the age of the shows, video
quality is still quite good and will hopefully remain well preserved
through the years. Audio quality is as good as can be expected.
Because this was filmed in front of a live studio audience and the
microphones weren’t quite perfected for capturing the actors’ voices
like they are today, there are times when it’s difficult to hear what
they’re saying. Fortunately, we’ve got subtitles! Extras include the
original series opening and closing (footage that’s not been seen since
1956) and a 25-minute special called “The Honeymooners Anniversary
Special” (DVD Version…whatever that means), hosted by Audrey Meadows.
There’s some vintage interview footage to be found in the special, but
everything is surrounded by tons of footage from the show. While I
would have preferred a bit more meat, I’m VERY pleased to see that
Paramount included it here.
Oddly enough and I’m not sure why, I never
consciously put it together that “The Flintstones” was simply a cartoon
version of “The Honeymooners”, only for kids. I believe it occurred to
me on a subconscious level, but I never actually verbalized it before.
Weird. Well, I like the live show better than the cartoon anyway and
couldn’t be happier to see it finally arrive on DVD. They’ve been
available on VHS for a number of years, but considering that the quality
goes downhill rather quickly on VHS, DVD should hold up much longer.
This show is a classic in every sense of the word and I hope entire new
audiences come to experience the joy and pleasure it’s brought to so
many before it.
Show Rating:
A
DVD Special Features: C
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