We now return to the Fabulous Fifties, where we see one of the greatest TV series of all time AND the first TV spinoff, this being Jackie Gleason's The Honeymooners.
The Honeymooners began as a series of recurring skits on The Jackie Gleason Show and proved to be so popular that it soon spun off as its own series. From the IMDb:
This is one of the greatest TV shows of all time. If you have never seen this, you're in for a real treat. Ralph (Jackie Gleason) is a bus driver for the Gotham Bus Company. He lives in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn with his long-suffering wife Alice (Audrey Meadows). His best pal is the sewer worker who lives upstairs, Ed Norton (Art Carney). Ralph is always scheming to make money. His ideas never work. The things I like best about this show are a) the writing -- introduced phrases that are now part of the American language ("To the moon, Alice!") b) the directing -- look what they did with three cameras that never moved! c) the acting, esp. the improvisation when gags failed -- remember, this was live TV!
So successful was the series, and it is indeed hilarious, that Hanna-Barbera copied the concept in their animated series The Flintstones, narrowly escaping a lawsuit by Jackie Gleason. The show's sponsors wanted at least two more seasons, but, incredibly, Jackie Gleason ended the show after just the one season. Why he did so is explained in the second video below. The first video is of the first episode, and YouTube seems to have them all, including the famous 'Lost episodes'.
The IMDb has many good anecdotes on the show, particularly its cast, which was perfect. How Audrey Meadows got the role of Alice is the stuff of legend, So take a break and watch Ralph and Ed in action, bearing in mind that this all took place almost 65 years ago now.
Next up: The Jackie Gleason Show - also required viewing among my family. Great entertainment with every kid's favorite skit: Joe the Bartender and Crazy Guggenheim - Hiya Joe!