Marvin Marx Movies

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, Rovi

To earn extra money for the Christmas season, Alice takes a part-time job at an obstetrician's office. Seeing Alice and Trixie enter the office, Ralph jumps to the conclusion that he is about to become a father. Meanwhile, Trixie's husband Ed assumes that he will soon be hearing the patter of little feet. As both Ralph and Ed draw up grandiose plans for their as-yet-unborn sons, Alice and Trixie return to the apartment -- whereupon the two husbands fall all over themselves pampering their "pregnant" spouses. Eventually, of course, the truth is revealed, and the sketch ends with a tender, loving monologue, courtesy of Ralph Kramden. "Expectant Father" originally aired November 3, 1956, as a 16-minute component of The Jackie Gleason Show. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When he is summoned to the local IRS office to explain an irregularity in his income tax form, Ralph panics? With the help of his pal Ed Norton, Ralph nervously re-examines his tax return, seeking out any and all example of unreported income -- including a ceramic horse with a clock in its stomach, which he won in a pinball contest. The next morning, Ralph and Ed present themselves before the IRS examiner, preparing to make a clean slate of things and to throw themselves on the mercy of the government. Without giving away the ending, suffice to say that our heroes are in for a bit of a surprise. As hilarious and timely today as it was when first telecast on April 7, 1956, "The Worry Wart was written by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

On the eve of his marriage to Alice's sister Agnes, Stanley Saxon, a fellow member of Ralph's lodge, is given a stern lecture by Ralph, asserting that the husband is always "the king of the castle." As a result, mild-mannered Stanley tries to exert his new-found superiority on Agnes, nearly ending the marriage before it has even started. Regretting the mess that he's made -- and worried that Agnes will move into the Kramden apartment permanently -- Ralph, with the help of his pal Ed, stages an elaborate charade, extolling the pleasures and rewards of married life. Need we add that, in the process, Ralph comes to appreciate his own wife Alice all the more? Best line: "Boris Karloff seems like a nice guy when he's dancing on The Red Skelton Show. . .You ever seen him in Frankenstein? That's the real Boris Karloff!" First telecast on February 25, 1956, "Here Comes the Bride" was written by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Envious of some fun-loving teenagers (one of whom is played by Ronnie Burns, the son of George Burns and Gracie Allen), Alice insists that Ralph take her out and do some of the things they did way back when they were young. After a disastrous effort to learn the latest teen slang ("I'll kiss ya later -- I'm eating a potato") and a crash course in the new dance craze "The Hucklebuck," Ralph reluctantly takes Alice roller skating, with Ed and Trixie Norton along for the ride. The session at the skating rink is likewise a bust, with Ralph inevitably falling on his keister. Happily, however, the foursome realize that they don't really have to act young to think young. Best bit: star Jackie Gleason improvising a warm-hearted monologue when the episode runs a bit short of material at the end. Originally telecast February 11, 1956, "Young at Heart" was written by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After several weeks' worth of reruns, The Honeymooners closed out its first (and only) weekly season with three first-run episodes, beginning September 8, 1956, with "The Bensonhurst Bomber." While shooting a few balls at the local poolroom, Ralph and Ed manage to incur the wrath of a burly tough guy named Harvey (George Mathews). Ralph tries to avoid fisticuffs, but thanks to Ed's well-meaning "assistance," Harvey challenges Ralph to a fight at Kelsey's Gym. Realizing that he'll get creamed, Ralph works out a scheme whereby he will stage a phony fight in front of Harvey, in order to convince the bigger man that he, Ralph, can take care of himself. To this end, Ed arranges for one of his fellow sewer workers -- who is even more muscular than Harvey -- to "take a dive." Needless to say, things don't quite work out as planned. "The Bensonhurst Bomber" was written by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally seen as a 37-minute sketch on the March 26, 1955, edition of The Jackie Gleason Show, "The Adoption" is easily the most poignant and heartrending of all the Honeymooners episodes. Anxious to adopt a baby, Ralph and Alice go to great lengths to impress Miss Lawrence (Anne Seymour) of the adoption agency -- even passing off expensive borrowed furniture as their own. Touched by the Kramdens' desperation, Miss Lawrence agrees to locate a child for them, only to be taken aback when Ralph expresses anger that the baby is a girl and not a boy. Ultimately, Ralph comes to accept and love little "Ralphina," but his happiness, and Alice's, is tragically short-lived; the birth mother regrets putting the child up for adoption and wants her back. Though "Adoption" delivers the usual quota of laughs -- especially when Ralph and Ed rehearse the nightly feeding ritual -- the emotional finale lingers longer in the memory than any of the previous comic set pieces. A new musical version of The Adoption" was telecast as a one-hour special in the spring of 1966, sparking a Honeymooners revival that lasted until 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ordered to go on a strict diet by a bus company supervisor, Ralph struggles to lose ten pounds in less than a week. His ordeal is made even more grueling when next-door neighbor Mrs. Manciotti hides all the food for her husband's birthday party in the Kramden's icebox. Assuming that Ralph will not be home until the food is removed, Alice agrees to help her neighbor out -- but Ralph comes home early, setting the stage for a brilliant spoof of The Lost Weekend, with food substituting for booze. An expanded version of the 1953 Honeymooners sketch "Ralph's Diet," "A Weighty Problem" clocked in at 48 minutes, nine seconds -- the longest Honeymooners effort to date. It was originally telecast April 16, 1955, on The Jackie Gleason Show. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ralph hits the ceiling when he receives a telegram announcing that "Mother" is going to pay a visit. Telling Alice that her mother is not welcome in the Kramden apartment, Ralph punctuates his argument by storming out and spending the night with Ed and Trixie Norton -- thereby sparking another argument, this time between Ed and Trixie. Eventually, Ralph is made to realize that he's been a "moax" all along, and, once again, that wife Alice is "the greatest." Capped by an unexpectedly poignant finale, "Hello, Mom" was written by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone (with an uncredited assist from star Jackie Gleason, who lifted his curtain speech from an earlier TV paean to motherhood). This episode originally aired on December 3, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ralph's latest get-rich-quick scheme involves raising $200 to purchase 2,000 "Handy Housewife Helpers," thereby cornering the Brooklyn franchise for this not exactly in demand gadget. Alice refuses to bankroll Ralph's scheme, citing his various other "surefire" business enterprises, including no-calorie pizza and wallpaper that glows in the dark. Thus, Ralph enlists Ed in his newest venture, whereupon the two buddies purchase air time on a local TV station to advertise the Handy Housewife Helper to the eager public. Playing respectively "The Chef of the Past" and "The Chef of the Future," Ed and Ralph go through the rehearsal of their commercial with the greatest of ease -- but when airtime actually comes, Ralph panics at the notion of being seen by millions of "Late Late Show" aficionados. Though the script by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone contains some hilarious verbal bits ("Can it core -- a -- apple?"), some of the episode's funniest moments were completely ad-libbed, notably Ralph's reaction to a malfunctioning prop ("Maybe we oughta say somethin' about spear-fishing") and the collapsing set at fadeout time ("Now back to Charlie Chan!"). "Better Living Through TV" first aired on November 12, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Ralph pooh-poohs Alice's insistence that housework is indeed work, she decides to get a real job so that she can hire a maid. Several amusing plot twists later, the Kramden apartment is invaded by a statuesque domestic named Thelma (Betty Garde), who claims to be too "sickly" to do any of the heavy work. Ralph eventually fires Thelma plus three other maids, and as a result, it is Ralph and Norton who end up doing all the housework -- with the usual chaotic results. Honeymooners stock player Frank Marth appears as Mr. Wilson, head of the employment agency. First telecast October 22, 1955, "A Woman's Work is Never Done" was written by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After several years as a recurring sketch on The Jackie Gleason Show, The Honeymooners graduated to its own, weekly half-hour filmed series on October 1, 1955. The first of the "Classic 39" episodes was "TV or Not TV," in which Alice Kramden demands that her bus-driver hubby Ralph buy her a television set. Unable to afford such a luxury, Ralph shares the cost of the TV with his friend and neighbor Ed Norton -- thereby sparking a battle royal over choice of programs (Ralph prefers such late late show movies as "Rhythm on Ice," while Ed is a devotee of Captain Video). Best line: "I don't wanna look at that icebox, that stove, that sink, and these four walls. I wanna look at Liberace!" "TV or Not TV" was written by Marvin Marx and Walter Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi