In talking with a younger person about comedy today he mentioned that he had seen one of the classic “The Honeymooners” DVDs with episodes from the 50s and loved it. I explained to him how (literally and figuratively) big Gleason was, right up until his death in the early 80s. And how he was the inspiration for Fred Flintstone.
Now a catch phrase of his has had a second life on a popular episode of “Family Guy.”
The timing of this talk today was interesting. I have a major corporate show this Saturday night and in preparing my customized materials (some jokes and some topical-news related standup) I have been priming my comedic pump by watching some classic comedians — one of them Gleason…his shows from the 50s, 60s and even the last four ABC specials he did that depicted The Honeymooner’s cast as spry senior citizens doing the same comedy that again “killed” the Miami studio and national home audiences.
I told this person today that during the 50s Gleason had a catch phrase that caught on really big: as bus driver Ralph Kramden he’d get exasperated with his wife Alice and say “One of these days POW! right in the kisser!” He eventually came under criticism for it by those who said it made light of domestic abuse (Ralph would never touch Alice, who really ran the household and Ralph loved her) although he revived it a bit in his later years.
But here’s a collection of excerpts (done by a You Tuber) of Gleason using the catch phrase that was all the rage in the 50s and that Family Guy’s Peter uttered over and over:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbCv6b96OK0&feature=player_embedded
Gleason and the incredible actress comedienne Audrey Meadows who played his wife Alice even did a song in one episode using the phrase — a song for which Gleason himself wrote the music and lyrics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEAOGZwmIhAHere’s the bit from Family Guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJRB19vqlGE&feature=related
PS: Gleason was and is my all time favorite comedian. His death was a huge personal loss to me.
A large amount of Gleason’s timeless The Honeymooners TV material (from the 60s, 70s and 80s) is now available on DVDs.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.