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| Ralph Cramden or Jackie Gleason |
Do you remember “The Jackie Gleason Show” and "The Honeymooners"? My parents
watched it regularly, which meant I watched it as well. Pretty young, but I
noticed some elements that have given me pause.
Oh, the June Taylor dancers were amazing. Being so young, the precision was clear with “How
did they do that?”
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| Over head camera shot |
But, the show itself disturbed me. Art Carney was great; he had comedic sense, Ed Norton,and somehow put up with Jackie Gleason who was Ralph Cramden . But, Jane Meadows? I loved
her. She was so dry, didn’t burst out in
laughter, seemed to stay married with Jackie, never intimidated, and put up living in that dismal
apartment.
Gleason’s And-away-we-go
must have seemed funny, and How-sweet-it-is, but why? My parents understood the innuendos, but to me, seven-year
old me, I watched Gleason's face. Somehow it frightened me.
And then there’s his fist, rage-filled face “To the moon,
Alice! To the moon!” She never blinked an eye or flinched.
A peek into the lives of the Cramdens, YouTube
What is funny about a bully? Is Ralph a bully? You would have to check Gleason's history, his fame, where he started, and where he ended. Then you would have to make a decision yourself.
