The "Classic 39": 1955/56
The Honeymooners debuted as a standalone half-hour series on October 1, 1955, and lasted for 39 episodes.
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "TV or Not TV" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | October 1, 1955 (1955-10-01) |
| Ralph fights with Norton over a TV they share but is in Ralph's apartment. | |||
| 02 | "Funny Money" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | October 8, 1955 (1955-10-08) |
| Ralph finds a suitcase full of counterfeit money and goes on a spending spree. | |||
| 03 | "The Golfer" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | October 15, 1955 (1955-10-15) |
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Ralph needs to bone up on becoming a good golfer to impress his boss. This episode is punctuated by a hilarious impromptu golfing lesson in the Kramden apartment, including the classic moment when Norton "addresses the ball." Note- In 1996, TV Guide included this episode as part of its '100 Most Memorable Moments in TV History', ranking it #56. |
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| 04 | "A Woman's Work Is Never Done" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | October 22, 1955 (1955-10-22) |
| Ralph and Alice hire a maid to ease Alice's burden of housework. | |||
| 05 | "A Matter of Life and Death" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | October 29, 1955 (1955-10-29) |
| When he sees the vet's report on his mother-in-law's sick dog, Ralph mistakenly concludes that he has only six months to live. | |||
| 06 | "The Sleepwalker" | A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn | November 5, 1955 (1955-11-05) |
| Ralph is forced to deal with a sleepwalking Norton. | |||
| 07 | "Better Living Through TV" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | November 12, 1955 (1955-11-12) |
| Ralph devises a get-rich-quick scheme – selling Handy Housewife Helpers on TV. Features a rare gone-wrong moment when one of the gadgets flies off the handle, forcing Gleason to retrieve it and then ad-lib his way back into the scene. | |||
| 08 | "Pal o' Mine" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | November 19, 1955 (1955-11-19) |
| Ralph finds a gift from Norton that he thinks is for him, but when he discovers otherwise, his friendship with Norton is jeopardized. | |||
| 09 | "Brother Ralph" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | November 26, 1955 (1955-11-26) |
| Alice is forced to find a job after Ralph is temporarily laid off from a union strike at the bus company. But to get the job, Alice has to claim that Ralph is her brother, because a lot of employers don't like to hire married women because of their commitments to home and family. Ralph gets jealous when he realizes that Alice's boss is interested in her. | |||
| 10 | "Hello, Mom" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | December 3, 1955 (1955-12-03) |
| Ralph's foul mood is worsened when he finds out that Alice's mother is coming for a visit until, it's revealed in the end that it's his mother coming for a visit. | |||
| 11 | "The Deciding Vote" | A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn | December 10, 1955 (1955-12-10) |
| Ralph blames Norton when he loses an election for Raccoon Lodge convention manager by one vote. | |||
| 12 | "Something Fishy" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | December 17, 1955 (1955-12-17) |
| Ralph and Norton want to go fishing with their fellow lodge members, but without their wives, who, meanwhile, won't stand for such treatment. | |||
| 13 | "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | December 24, 1955 (1955-12-24) |
| Ralph sells his bowling ball to get Alice a last minute Christmas gift. | |||
| 14 | "The Man from Space" | A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn | December 31, 1955 (1955-12-31) |
| Ralph wants to attend a costume party as Henry VIII, but is forced to improvise when he can't get the money to rent the costume. | |||
| 15 | "A Matter of Record" | A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn | January 7, 1956 (1956-01-07) |
| Ralph throws Alice's mother out of the apartment, and Alice soon follows. In a last-ditch effort to win her back, Ralph records an album to apologize, to her mother and Alice. | |||
| 16 | "Oh, My Aching Back" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | January 14, 1956 (1956-01-14) |
| Ralph feigns illness to avoid visiting his mother-in-law. Then the pain gets real: he injures his back bowling. | |||
| 17 | "The Baby Sitter" "BEnsonhurst 3-7741" |
Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | January 21, 1956 (1956-01-21) |
| Ralph is furious when Alice has a telephone installed, until he finds out how she paid for it. And then he is madder than mad. | |||
| 18 | "The $99,000 Answer" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | January 28, 1956 (1956-01-28) |
| Ralph spends a week learning popular songs to win the jackpot on The $99,000 Answer. | |||
| 19 | "Ralph Kramden, Inc." | A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn | February 4, 1956 (1956-02-04) |
| Norton invests in Kramden, Inc. and thinks he's about to get rich after Ralph is named in someone's will. Naturally, Norton wants his share, too. | |||
| 20 | "Young at Heart" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | February 11, 1956 (1956-02-11) |
| Ralph tries to prove to Alice that he can still do all the things he used to do when they were younger. | |||
| 21 | "A Dog's Life" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | February 18, 1956 (1956-02-18) |
| Ralph thinks he's found a great idea for a new food product, not realizing it's actually dog food. | |||
| 22 | "Here Comes the Bride" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | February 25, 1956 (1956-02-25) |
| Ralph nearly ruins the imminent marriage between a fellow Raccoon Lodge member and Alice's sister, Agnes after he provides some advice to the groom. This episode contains a veiled reference to Willie Mays, who was, by then reaching the peak of his baseball career. Ralph says that, out of habit, Alice's sister caught the bouquet herself. Alice says it was because her foot slipped to which Ralph responds, "If my foot could slip like that, I'd be playing Center Field for the New York Giants." | |||
| 23 | "Mama Loves Mambo" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | March 3, 1956 (1956-03-03) |
| Ralph and Norton have to deal with a new neighbor, who is unwittingly winning their wives' hearts – and their cooking time. | |||
| 24 | "Please Leave the Premises" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | March 10, 1956 (1956-03-10) |
| The Kramdens and the Nortons are at war with a rent increase of $5, though the only one who really wants to fight is Ralph. | |||
| 25 | "Pardon My Glove" | A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn | March 17, 1956 (1956-03-17) |
| Alice tries to surprise Ralph for his birthday, but her plans are ruined because of his jealousy. | |||
| 26 | "Young Man with a Horn" | A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn | March 24, 1956 (1956-03-24) |
| Ralph tries to improve himself in the hopes of securing a civil service job. | |||
| 27 | "Head of the House" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | March 31, 1956 (1956-03-31) |
| After boasting that he is the boss of his household, Ralph accepts a bet that he can command Alice to cook a special dinner. | |||
| 28 | "The Worry Wart" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | April 7, 1956 (1956-04-07) |
| Ralph frets after being summoned to his local IRS office, to clear up a mysterious tax problem. | |||
| 29 | "Trapped" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | April 14, 1956 (1956-04-14) |
| Ralph witnesses a murder and arrives home a nervous wreck. And for good reason: the killers are after him. | |||
| 30 | "The Loudspeaker" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | April 21, 1956 (1956-04-21) |
| Thinking he is about to be named Raccoon of the Year, Ralph prepares an acceptance speech. | |||
| 31 | "On Stage" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | April 28, 1956 (1956-04-28) |
| When Ralph is asked to take the lead in a play, he lets it go to his head. | |||
| 32 | "Opportunity Knocks But" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | May 5, 1956 (1956-05-05) |
| Ralph gets a chance to impress his boss and earn a promotion, but Norton gets the job instead. | |||
| 33 | "Unconventional Behavior" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | May 12, 1956 (1956-05-12) |
| Ralph and Norton are sure to be a riot at the annual Raccoon convention... if they ever manage to get out of Norton's "trick" handcuffs. | |||
| 34 | "The Safety Award" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | May 19, 1956 (1956-05-19) |
| Ralph wins an award as the safest bus driver in the city, but gets into an accident on the way to the award ceremony. | |||
| 35 | "Mind Your Own Business" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | May 26, 1956 (1956-05-26) |
| Norton loses his job in the sewer and starts selling steam irons door-to-door. Ralph, convinced of Norton's success, wants to do the same. | |||
| 36 | "Alice and the Blonde" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | June 2, 1956 (1956-06-02) |
| Alice and Trixie feel unappreciated after being ignored by Ralph and Norton. | |||
| 37 | "The Bensonhurst Bomber" | Marvin Marx and Walter Stone | September 8, 1956 (1956-09-08) |
| Ralph (with Norton's help) inadvertently challenges a tough guy to a boxing match. | |||
| 38 | "Dial J for Janitor" | A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn | September 15, 1956 (1956-09-15) |
| Ralph decides to save some money by becoming the new building janitor, but quickly finds out there's more to the job than he thought. | |||
| 39 | "A Man's Pride" | Leonard Stern and Sydney Zelinka | September 22, 1956 (1956-09-22) |
| When Ralph runs into one of Alice's old boyfriends, he pretends to run the Gotham Bus Company to impress him. When the guy sees Ralph again, he recites to him a poem that was meant to be a jab at Ralph's weight when they were younger: "Some kids are small and some kids are tall, but Fatso Kramden is the only kid who walks down the hall...wall-to-wall." |
Read more about this topic: List Of The Honeymooners Episodes
Famous quotes containing the word classic:
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