This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant
With the holiday season upon us, it is only fitting to share my one of my favorite television holiday episodes from The Honeymooners entitled “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” It was the 13th episode from Season 1 first airing on December 24, 1955.
(L to R) Art Carney, Joyce Randolph, Audrey Meadows, and Jackie Gleason.
Ralph pawns his new bowling ball in exchange for money to buy Alice a present. On Christmas morning, Alice hands him her gift first–a bowling bag for his new bowling ball. She insists he put his new ball in the bag, which is when Ralph confesses that he’s sold his bowling ball.
After they exchange gifts, the cast comes forward on stage and break the 4th wall to express their holiday greetings to the live TV audience….which is probably one of my favorite parts of the episode.
Here’s a few minutes from Ralph explaining the meaning of Christmas.
The Honeymooners is an early American television sitcom created by—and starring—Jackie Gleason and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of his variety show. It follows the lives of New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden (Gleason), his wife Alice (Audrey Meadows) and his best friend Ed Norton (Art Carney) as they get involved with various schemes in their day-to-day living. Most episodes revolve around Ralph’s poor choices in absurd dilemmas which frequently show his judgmental attitude in a comedic tone. The ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas episode was a part of the “Classic 39” episodes of The Honeymooners are the ones that originally aired as a weekly half-hour sitcom on CBS from October 1955 to September 1956.
Wishing you a happy holiday season and prosperous 2021!
An avid record collector, lover of all desserts and sometimes seen wearing multiple Swatch watches, Dave has been lending his voice for over 20 years heard on such prominent brands as Intel, RCA, Eddie Bauer, Kellogg‘s, Pizza Hut, Lexus, and infomercial giants Guthy-Renker and Beachbody. His narration projects include Japan’s preeminent automobile series Best Motoring International and Hot Version, along with GTChannel, QVC, Universal Music Enterprises, and ViSalus Sciences.