The Honeymooners

The Honeymooners  is an American television  sitcom  which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring  Jackie Gleason , and based on a recurring  comedy sketch  of the same name that had been part of Gleason's  variety show . It follows the lives of  New York City  bus driver Ralph Kramden (Gleason), his wife Alice ( Audrey Meadows ), Ralph's best friend Ed Norton ( Art Carney ) and Ed's wife Trixie ( Joyce Randolph ) 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 show occasionally features more serious issues such as  women's rights  and  social status . The sketches first aired on the  DuMont  network's variety series  Cavalcade of Stars , which Gleason hosted, and subsequently on the  CBS  network's  The Jackie Gleason Show which was broadcast live in front of a theater audience. The popularity of the sketches led Gleason to rework  The Honeymooners  as a filmed half-hour series which debuted on 1 October 1955 on CBS, replacing the variety series. It was initially a  ratings success  as the No. 2 show in the United States, facing stiff competition from  The  Perry Como  Show  on  NBC Gleason's show eventually dropped to No. 19, and production ended after 39 episodes (now referred to as the  "Classic 39 episodes" ). The final episode of  The Honeymooners  aired on 22 September 1956, and Gleason sporadically revived the characters until 1978.  The Honeymooners  was one of the first U.S. television shows to portray working-class married couples in a gritty, non-idyllic manner, as the show is mostly set in the Kramdens' kitchen in a neglected  Brooklyn  apartment building. One of the sponsors of the show was  Buick .