The Honeymooners - Classic 39 Episodes
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Movie Reviews of The Honeymooners - Classic 39 Episodes
Movie Review: The Honeymooners Classic 39 Episodes
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great product especially since I am a huge Honeymooners fan. Great set of classics.Movie Review: The Show that Changed Western Civilization Forever
Summary: 5 Stars
Once upon a time, and that time was not so long ago, women (the weaker sex, the distaff side) were portrayed in comedies as childlike idiots. The celebrated Lucille Ball made her fame by acting like an imbecile. As Lucy Ricardo, she'd hatch these hair-brained schemes, and when they'd blow up in her face, she'd put on that standard wide-eyed look of panic that was considered funny at the time. When, at the end, she'd get caught, she'd do what any normal 6-year-old would do, she'd begin bawling, and everyone'd go Awwwwww! Poor Lucy! Nor was Lucy the only child-woman presented. There were Joan Davis ("America's Queen of Comedy") and Gail Storm as My Little Margie, who, when her zany scheme backfired, would look into the camera and gargle (that was considered the zenith of humor in them there days).
There was nothing unusual about these early TV shows, and another such show had its roots back in Vaudeville. Gracie Allen not only portrayed a child-woman, but she seemed delusional too. I leave it to you to adjudge the validity of this view of women, but it was an accurate reflection on how women were regarded in our society. They were all nuts, of course, all hysterical, easily reduced to tears, fainted regularly, and could not be trusted with any responsibility, but we loved them as we love our children, even the retarded ones, and besides, we wanted to get into their girdles.
Just as the late-night comedians of today have only two basic jokes (George Bush is an illiterate hayseed and Bill Clinton is a sex hound), comedians back then had only one joke - women drivers. (Example punch line: "But officer! I was only GOING one way!").
Then, on October 5, 1951, everything changed. It was a cataclysm of epic proportions. A paradigm shift. A sea change. [Add your own hyperbolic clich? here.] Suddenly, Father no longer Knew Best. The wife with the sarcastic mouth became the norm, and now the men were the child idiots who made the funny noises and whose harebrained schemes were certain to end in humiliation. At the show's end, they were the ones who came whimpering back to their wives, the grown-ups of the house, with sheep-eatin' grins and their tail between their legs (so to speak).
From that day on, in all situation comedies without exception ("Home Improvement", "The Simpsons", &c.) women were the only responsible adults, and men were the goofs who just wanted to go bowling and drink beer. But The Honeymooners changed everything, not just situation comedies. Three years after The Honeymooners was introduced, there came Gail Davis (1925-1997) as sharp-shooting sherif's assistant Annie Oakley:Vol 1 TV Series. Formerly, women were supposed to be afraid of guns - even being in the same room with a gun would result in hysteria. It was a the man's job to protect women and children. (In the movies, when a man and woman were being chased over rough terrain by a mob of armed outlaws, the woman would invariably twist her ankle and fall, leaving herself to the hero to carry her to safety.) Now, suddenly here was this petite woman with a big gun shooting badmen in every episode (since she just carried a hand gun, she only shot the guys in the hand). Eventually, lady detectives and lady spies would be shown.
But the influence of The Honeymooners was not merely limited to entertainment. Prior to the show, there were no women judges - indeed, there were few women attorneys. Women were typically homemakers or, if spinsters, librarians. Women would occasionally rise to serve in government assemblies, but those were flukes, and the women (e.g., Jeannette Rankin, who voted against both W.W.I and W.W.II) were not taken seriously. When a woman was somehow elected to the city council, the newspapers would say nothing about her ministrations, but they would be certain to run, on a regular basis, a photo of the lady alderman wearing her ridiculously-gaudy flowered hat.
Of course, women never became heads of state. The few women rulers who had existed had gained their uncertain power merely by hereditary succession when the previous king failed in his duty to produce any male issue. But after The Honeymooners, and only in the English-speaking world where The Honeymooners has been shown -e.g., Canada and the United Kingdom- women became elected as prime ministers. (Germany and South American nations followed their lead only much later.) As of this writing, it seems likely that a woman will be elected the President of the United States - something utterly unthinkable before The Honeymooners.
How ironic it is that modern feminism began with Jackie Gleason - or whomever conceived of the show. If that person is yet alive, I says we hang him from the nearest cellphone tower! We had a good thing going back then, guys! Women would fetch us our pipe and slippers before cooking our meals and washing our clothes, but now we're expected to serve them and go back to candles for illumination. During most of past human existence, a bride came with a dowry - her father paid you handsomely to take his daughter off his hands. Now, you pay and continue to pay, until you lose half of everything you've earned prior to your divorce, including your pension.
Now we must ask permission (get it in writing!) before a seduction (is that word even permitted?), and the universities teach the buncombe that in ancient times there were matriarchal societies ruled by women. Now, jokes about women drivers are unheard of. The brethern of Islamic societies see this, and no wonder they're hostile.
The influence of television on society cannot be denied. Two handsome guys were shown cruising Route 66 in a Corvette, and suddenly 'Vette sales skyrocketed. (The same is now true of Glocks.) Even during a severe winter, kids dress in light clothing, because that's the way people on TV dress. They assume that's normal, as people on TV don't wear caps and scarves and mittens. And marriage in America today is typically an uxorious relationship, all because we saw it on The Honeymooners.
Movie Review: Wonderful!
Summary: 5 Stars
The product is great. I gave it to my fiance as a Christmas gift and he is beyond pleased with it. Thank you!!!Movie Review: The BEST TV COMEDY SERIES of all time...
Summary: 5 Stars
Once upon a time, about a year after my birth, in the mid 1950's, a television "situation" comedy appeared on black and white screens across the nation, with 39 filmed (rare for those times) episodes of unbelievable, eternal, unforgettable, enduring, pure gems of entertainment which had never been seen before, except perhaps for some early "I Love Lucy" entries. But even those pale by comparison to this collection of absolute joy. Any fan, even semi-fan of Jackie Gleason's "The Honeymooners" will want/need this collection, and price/value, this is probably the best DVD purchase any Amazonian shopper can make. It's a must buy in fact, even if one needs to balance their living expense budget as to what is absolutely necessary to own, versus something that is a luxury.
When Jackie Gleason (the original "great one" before Wayne Gretzky) started a sketch/variety/music show in the early 50's on CBS, one of his recurring comedy sketches was of "The Honeymooners," which told the simple tales of an overweight, common man, Brooklyn bus driver Ralph, with big dreams and disappointments, his long-suffering but loving (and lovely) wife Alice, and their neighbor pals, crazy Ed Norton, a sewer worker, and his wife Trixie. The orginal brief sketch segments would prove to be so popular that Gleason later just turned to these characters in a sort of spinoff, but in a full, filmed half-hour length series of its own. Later, Gleason turned back to sketch and variety, but as before, "The Honeymooners" remained in more shorter episodes, and later and hour long color versions were to come because of simple fan demand, and so much more.
The generally shorter and only slightly less memorable "lost episodes" of "The Honeymooners" were never filmed, but saved to primitive video captures, and are available for purchase elsewhere on Amazon, but in my opinion, they fall short of this DVD set, which contains the high quality and original "classic 39" when this was a weekly series all of its own. For those with the bread, and for any true Honeymooners fan, the "lost episodes" are also worth scrimping and saving for (as I think they are rather overpriced), but any basic Honeymooners fan will want to get this first collection, and proceed on from there. Jackie Gleason's "Honeymooners" would later be reincarnated in a 1960's hour long, color version, albeit with different actresses playing Alice and Trixie, but from memory alone (as I have not seen the hour color episodes in many moons), even those are or should be a must buy for true Honeymooners super-fans.
What makes the original 39 "classic" episodes such an eternal joy, is really quite simple, especially compared with nearly every other "situation comedy" that came before or after it. This show was and remains simply "funny." And that came from the writing, the execution, the cast, the characters, and the "situations" which developed in each and every story. There has never been such comic (and at other times seriously touching) genius on television, period, before this show, and since to this very day.
While so much has already been written about, and probably said better than I could about this TV icon/legend of a show, while one could break it all down with greater depth and meaning, the plain fact is that this was and remains television's highest achievement as far as just plain "funny" goes. Every single one of these 39 episodes is a treasure, full of unforgettable moments and cast/character interactions, scripted lines and situations, unscripted and ad-libbed ones (as this was filmed before a live audience, something almost unheard of at the time), and every single episode is a comedy-candy treat to watch and re-watch over and over again. For the latter reason alone, this is truly a must-buy for any and all DVD collectors of "comedy."
Watching this series, which featured the most plain "set" in TV comedy history, a true fan cannot help to be amazed at the "replay" value here. No other comic television series or collection has ever come close to this, and I doubt any ever will. But while earlier and later, other TV series would present so many more episodes in number, this, a scant 39 episodes worth, will forever remain that which all other TV comedy series are judged against. This is, again, just simply funny, down-to-earth, comic/pathos genius, and even replaying certain segments and lines and moments from memory alone, can still provide infinite private and shared laughs.
That really is the hallmark of any great work of art/comedy, the ability of simple memories alone to make one giggle or laugh, even in the middle of the night or day, and even during tough times when life beats us down into sadness and depression. The "populist" and "common-man" nature of this collection and series, has the ability to touch the best in even the least of us all, and whatever one's position in life, almost everyone will find a lot to simply love about this great work of art/comedy. And reason to go on, and hope for the best, from this crazy thing we call existence. For if laughter is truly a medicine, this is the best prescription ever created.
While Honeymooner fans and fanatics will always find endless enjoyment from the "classic 39" for various reasons, the fact is, I have always identified with this whole general idea on my own personal levels. One being an appreciation for the simple art of something being just pure "funny," two, being as how I grew up in just such a lower-lower middle class upbringing myself but one, bottom line, filled with love, and three, my father (sans the weight), who died young but was a great fan and introduced me and my brother to this long ago, and who strangely enough, looked almost exactly like Jackie Gleason.
To this day, for personal and objective reasons alike, this collection, which I bought for myself as well as for my brother as a gift, represents the height of TV situation comedy, and TV comedy in general. Each and every episode included here, is "classic," and for good reason. A true Honeymooners fan will never get tired of these. Unlike most other DVD's and DVD collections, this is one you will watch again and again. Nicely packaged, produced, presented, and excellently priced as I write this, this is worth its weight in gold, every penny. Every single episode is a total winner. And every episode itself, is pure gold, period.
For any true-blue Honeymooners fan with the means, you just, MUST buy this. You'll never regret the purchase. In fact, I'm sure it will be eventually be seen by you as the best money you ever spent, on just about anything...
Movie Review: Simply perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
Funniest show ever created, funniest two men in television history, and both facts will remain so until the end of time. No argument, hands down, case closed. The end...........