A.J. Russell Movies

The Death of Me Yet opens in a typical American small town that turns out to be in the middle of the Soviet Union. As we all know from those Jack Webb-narrated documentaries of the 1950s, the rascally Russians have set up these ersatz American communities in order to train their agents to subtly infiltrate the good ol' USA. The agent of choice in this TV movie is Doug McClure, who poses as a supposedly respectable newspaper editor in a genuine American small town. Darren McGavin plays the US government agent who arrives in town and shakes things up by asking all sorts of probing questions about the above-suspicion Mr. McClure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cesare (Alex Cord) is the foreign car dealer who caters to the jet set. A previous favor by a mobster who saved his life has him indebted to the mafia to repay the kindness. With a stiletto, he kills three enemies of the organization, but is hung out to dry when the gang refuse to acknowledge his actions or even admit they know him. As the police close in on the auto dealer, he is caught between the law and the mob with no protection from either side. Britt Eklund and Barbara McNair are the main female leads. Roy Scheider has a small part in this violent and erotic crime drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A baffling robbery at the Comus Towers art museum becomes a personal matter for Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) when his close friend, the museum owner, is murdered. Inasmuch as the crime took place in a high-rise building, it would seem that a "human fly" was the culprit. At least, that's what the police believe--but Ironside is becoming more and more certain that the robbery was an inside job, and that the criminal is still on the premises. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Future Tonight Show host Johnny Carson made one of his rare acting appearances in this 1957 Playhouse 90 adaptation of George Abbott and John Cecil Holm's 1935 stage farce Three Men on a Horse. Carson plays Erwin Trowbridge, a henpecked husband who makes his living writing sappy verse for a greeting-card company. Erwin also possesses a unique gift: The ability to pick winning race horses (though he would never, ever dare to bet on one). It is thus inevitable that our hero would find himself genteely abducted by a trio of Runyonesque horse players who hang out in a seedy bar. Only one problem: Since there's money involved, Erwin's picking prowess is stymied--so the gamblers must figure out a way to get him over his mental block. Jack Carson (no relation to Johnny), Carol Channing and Edward Everett Horton are among the outstanding supporting players in this delightful comedy, which also features Frank McHugh, who'd starred as Erwin in the 1936 film version of Three Men on a Horse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A doctor from the Gotham Bus Company shows up at the Kramden apartment, intending to give Ralph an examination prior to his promotion to assistant starter. Ralph isn't home, so Alice asks the doctor to come back later. A few minutes later, Alice and Trixie go shopping, leaving Ed behind to tell Ralph about the doctor's impending visit -- but failing to tell Ed about the promotion. When Ralph discovers that the doctor will be coming soon, he assumes that Alice has purchased more life insurance, something he feels she can't afford. As a result, Ralph and Ed conspire to scare off the doctor by pretending to be roaring drunk -- with the expected devastating results. "Check Up" originally aired October 20, 1956, as a ten-minute sketch on The Jackie Gleason Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Alice comes across an old cornet that Ralph used to play in his youth, Ralph ruefully regards the horn as symbolic of all his broken dreams and shattered ambitions. He is shaken out of his doldrums by a chance meeting with a millionaire, who offers his secret for success: make a list of your strengths and weaknesses, build up the plusses and correct the minuses, and let nothing stand in your way. Both Ralph and his pal Norton try to follow this advice -- and as usual, knock themselves out and drive their wives crazy in the process. Though things don't turn out as planned, both men ultimately realize that counting one's blessings is better than regretting one's lost opportunities. Written by A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn, "Young Man with a Horn" originally aired on March 24, 1956. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Anticipating a surprise birthday party in his honor, Ralph makes a great show of entering his apartment and expressing bug-eyed surprise -- only to discover that no such party is to take place. Unbeknownst to Ralph, Alice has elected to forego the party in favor of having the apartment redecorated. Naturally, this enterprise will have to be carried out in secret, but the decorator (Alexander Clark) inadvertently spills the beans by leaving his glove in the apartment. Stumbling across the glove, Ralph characteristically jumps to the usual wrong conclusion and assumes that Alice is having an affair with a strange man -- an assumption "proven" when he overhears the decorator telling Alice "I usually try to get the husband's consent"! Originally telecast on March 17, 1956, "Pardon My Glove" was written by A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hoping to go into business for himself (though exactly what business is never made clear), Ralph Kramden talks his pal Ed Norton into a $20 investment; in exchange, Ed is appointed Vice President. After a week, it is fairly obvious that Ralph Kramden, Inc. will probably never turn a profit, but salvation seems to be at hand when Ralph discovers that wealthy widow Mary Monahan has mentioned her in his will. Anticipating a huge chunk of the old lady's $40 million, Ralph tries to con Ed into giving up his percentage of the business. Needless to say, Ralph's share of Mary Monahan's "fortune" is not quite what he expected. Written by A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn, "Ralph Kramden Inc." first aired on February 4, 1956. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having lost his temper with one too many of his passengers, Ralph is in danger of losing his job. His boss offers an alternative: Ralph will pay a visit to the Gotham Bus Company psychiatrist to get to the root of his anger. Despite protestations that he isn't a "mental case," Ralph agrees to talk to the shrink -- who, after careful deliberation, decides that the cause of Ralph's hostility is his "irritating" pal, Ed Norton. Ordered to break up his friendship with Norton, Ralph can't bring himself to speak to Ed in person, so he writes a letter. Ed finds the letter, misinterprets it as a suicide note, and vows to stick to Ralph forever to keep his best friend from doing something rash. Meanwhile, Ralph goes to great lengths not to bump into Norton, even accidentally -- and when he sees Norton staring at him from every corner, Ralph becomes convinced that he is a mental case after all! "A Little Man Who Wasn't There" originally aired as a 38-minute sketch on the February 12, 1955, edition of The Jackie Gleason Show. The sketch was repeated November 4, 1967, in color and with songs, as an episode of Gleason's Miami-based variety series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alice is less than thrilled when Ralph gives her a cheap, secondhand vacuum cleaner as a 15th wedding anniversary present. As expected, the machine immediately goes on the blink -- and when Ed Norton offers to "fix" the vacuum, he nearly sucks Ralph's tongue from his mouth. In a rage, Ralph throws Ed out, saying that he never wants to see him again. Later on, Ralph loses the election for convention manager of the Raccoon Lodge by a single vote. Assuming that Norton voted against him, Ralph is more determined than ever that Ed will never darken his doorway again -- but in typical Honeymooners fashion, it is Ralph, and not Ed, who ends up apologizing for the whole misunderstanding. Originally telecast on December 10, 1955, "The Deciding Vote" was written by A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Proving once again that he has a BIG MOUTH, Ralph Kramden starts a rumor that he's going to be appointed assistant traffic manager at the Gotham Bus Company. To that end, Ralph begins sucking up to his boss, Mr. Harper. Claiming to share Harper's interest in golf, Ralph is taken aback when the boss invites him to play a few holes -- especially since Ralph has never held a golf club in his life. With the reluctant assistance of his pal Ed Norton, Ralph tries to master the game of golf within three days, while Alice stands by silently with her usual "I told you so" expression. Written by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone, "The Golfer" remains one of the funniest Honeymooners episodes, -- especially when Norton demonstrates the proper method of "addressing the ball." This classic installment first aired on October 15, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ralph has tickets for the World Series, but Alice wants him to attend the wedding of her sister Sally (played by Patti Pope, the wife of frequent Honeymooners supporting player George Petrie -- who plays Sally's fiancé in this episode). In order to get out of this social commitment, Ralph and Ed convince Sally and her sweetheart Stanley to elope on the eve of their wedding. What follows is a slapstick ballet involving thrown suitcases, balky ladders, a suspicious cop -- and a surprise ending, dictated by real-life events. "Game Called on Account of Marriage" originally aired October 2, 1954, as a 34-minute sketch on The Jackie Gleason Show.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide