REVIEW: Jackie Gleason’s comedy — how sweet it is
Photo: Courtesy of Time Life / Provided by Foundry Communications with permission.
Jackie Gleason was a comedian best remembered for his starring role on The Honeymooners, one of the funniest and most influential sitcoms of any generation. As Ralph Kramden, Gleason set a standard that was followed by many other performers, and TV viewers still watch his antics in reruns.
Fans of the actor may be surprised to know that Gleason found much success on several other shows and in movies as well. The Jackie Gleason Show was a variety program that aired in the late 1960s and featured many celebrity guests. The show’s unreleased episodes have now been released on DVD thanks to Time Life.
The new DVD compilation features four never-before-released episodes, which include three Honeymooners sketches that have been in the vault for decades. For Gleason fans, this Time Life release is a real treat.
Besides Gleason, viewers can check out the comedy bits of many other greats, including Milton Berle, Red Buttons, Nipsey Russell, Florence Henderson, Frankie Avalon and a young George Carlin.
To be honest, it’s a little strange to view Gleason’s performances in color because he’s so associated with the black-and-white scenes of the original Honeymooners. But this was the late 1960s, the same time period of Star Trek, and more families were purchasing color televisions for the first time. This meant that the TV programming amped up the color, and The Jackie Gleason Show followed suit. The sets, backgrounds and wardrobe choices are vibrant and flashy, with many highlighted colors popping off the screen.
The actual comedy on the programs holds up, especially for fans of physical comedy. Gleason was a master of using his full body to gather laughs. He would dance across the stage, shake his eyebrows, flail his arms and often scream out of the side of his mouth. He was a man full of life.
Many of the catch phrases are also present and accounted for, including, of course, “How sweet it is.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Jackie Gleason Show in Color is now available on DVD from Time Life. The compilation consists of four never-before-released episodes and three Honeymooners sketches. Click here for more information.
