JACKIE GLEASON ON BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL

[Ultimajock]

its been a very long time since i saw an episode of his show(the jackie gleason show not the honey mooners).in the 60`s and 70`s didn`t he sit at a small table with his cigarette and obvious alcholic drink handy?

...actually, I think that would have been the 1961 talk show titled The Jackie Gleason Show, which replaced You're In the Picture for the remainder of that disastrous game show's planned run. I don't recall a chair and table being a regular part of the final variety version of The Jackie Gleason Show...

 

[cd637299]

Oh, by the by....we are coming up on the 50th anniversary of Jackie's most famous (infamous?) moment:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You're_in_the_Picture

cd

 

[anotherguyTN]

I think weren't there times Gleason was on stage drinking what was supposed to be coffee, but he'd act like it was spiked?

My parents liked his show and I watched it with them, but I remember liking The 50's Honeymooners best and not liking the color ones that are on ALN now. To me all the music was a waste of time. I only remember bits and pieces of the rest of his 60's show and not really liking it. I did like him in Smokey and the Bandit though.

Also, how accurate was the biography movie of Gleason with Brad Garrett that was on CBS in the early 2000's? I never got to see that.

 

[cyberdad]

How sweet it is....

Much as I love The Honeymooners, I wish we still got to see Gleason's other great characters today, as well.
Joe the Bartender (sticking his finger in the glass to stop the head from overflowing).
Reggie Van Gleason III ("oooooo, boy, you're fat")
The Loudmouth
The Poor Soul

...And away we go!

I think Reggie Van Gleason III and the Poor Soul were Gleason's personal favorites. I believe the loudmouth you're referring to was Charlie Bratton. IIRC, these sketches usually took place in a diner with Art Carney. The Carney character would be trying to enjoy a meal/cup of coffee, etc. Gleason's character (Bratton) would barge in....be loud/rude/obnoxious/pompous. The skits ended when Gleason would finally (and mercifully) leave, and Carney would say the line "One of these days I'm gonna KILL that man!".

After Ralph Kramden, the Bratton character was my favorite. I believe Gleason once said all of his characters were based....for better or worse....on an aspect of his own personality. According to Donna McCrohan's 1978 book on "The Honeymooners" many of the place names, running gags, etc., also had their origin in real life places and experiences in the neighborhood where Gleason grew up. That wasn't limited to just the Honeymooners. IIRC, The "Joe the Bartender" sketches in the later Gleason shows were an amalgam of a local neighborhood tavern and Toots Shoor (sp?).

As for the "spiked coffee" gag, I think it may have been real. Or there may have been times when it wasn't supposed to have been real, but turned out to be. Some of his reactions and expressions seem too spontaneous to have be scripted. (Often followed by the line "ooooo, that's good!")

 

[ixnay]

This was a well done documentary of the comedy legend. My wife and I were watching it Friday evening.

I couldn't watch it even if I wanted to. We have DirecTV but can't afford BIO.

Someone mentioned the decency rally in Miami. In late 1975/early 1976 when I was in 9th grade, they showed a film of it bion in chapel at my Christian school. It was held at the Orange Bowl stadium. I only remember the marching bands and the white gloved color guards.

Perhaps my biggest memories of Gleason (and they're vague) are watching his variety show (especially the bartender and color Honeymooners skits [remember Flakey Wakey cereal?]). Don't know if this has been mentioned, but IIRC his MasterCard spots were running when he died.

Reggie Van Ixnay III

 

[NeilRattigan]

anotherguy, I saw the Gleason bio that CBS aired. For the most part it was accurate, although it only had him married twice, and Gleason was married 3 times. It accurately portrayed Gleason as someone who supervised the entire production of his shows, but never rehearsed. It also looked back at his unhappy childhoold, and how it was reflected in The Honeymooners.

I liked it. And I hope it airs again soon.

 

[ixnay]

On my way up from MD to attend a friend's son's wedding on Long Island in 2008, as I was descending the ramp from the Verrazano Bridge onto the Belt Parkway, I spotted a sign saying "Welcome to Brooklyn/How Sweet It Is!"

ixnay