Customer Reviews

Gleason

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Brad Garrett's portrayal of Jackie Gleason is so convincing that for most of this TV movie we forget it's a "TV movie", which tend to play a little superficially. My only criticism of his acting is that it lacked energy. He seemed to have paid serious attention to the Great One's mannerisms and expressions but once the cameras started to roll, he apparently forget to inject real bouyant Life into the mix.
I do not agree that Kristen Dalton's Alice is impressive. Audrey Meadows was a great actress who was also funny. Dalton's take is purely "feminist"-aggressive in the modern sense [not that there's anything wrong with that] but Meadows tempered it with the underlying, inescapable truth that she deeply loved this man. To use an over-used noun, Meadows' decidely ahead-of-her-time feminism was "nuanced" and filled with pathos. For the historians, it appears that her 1952 audition is not exactly scripted accurately here.
The movie ends with a 1980s interview, apparently based on the "60 Minutes" telecast. Garrett's Gleason says he wishes that he did another Honeymooners season. Although it's been written that Jackie did consider doing new episodes in 1959, most evidence I've read is that he was secure in closing down the spin-off (39) filmed shows: the ratings were disappointing *and* the quality was so remarkable that he knew another season could only bring disappointment.
Perhaps some mention should have been made of Gleason's *versatility*: his composing and conducting; drammatic acting, etc. If the producers wanted to focus in on the The Honeymooners first go-'round in the '50s, may I point out another omission: I feel that many fans do not know that Jackie did not win an Emmy for those "Classic 39" - it went to Phil Silvers.

I enjoyed this movie and it captured the time period perfectly. Brad Garrett is in top form as Gleason and you truly get the essence of the man. My one complaint is that this movie really sanitized his life making the portrait incomplete. Gleason was known to be exceptionally generous and also could be unbelievably cruel, neither of which this movie conveyed in full form. But there is no gripe about the acting, which is five stars all the way around. But this film only scratches the surface of the life and complexity of the man who was known and loved as "The Great One"

Kristen Dalton, who plays the reporter girlfriend of USA's psychic Johnny on the popular show "the Dead Zone", is excellent in this film playing Audrey Meadows, the long-suffering wife of Jackie Gleason in the Honeymooners.

It is really an incredible job of acting by Ms. Dalton, and worth the price of admission to this particular film, which originated as an HBO Films project.

The film is doubly funny because all of the classic Honeymooner skits are played out in the film over and over again.


--MMZ

Back in the 1970's, my Uncle Johnny worked as a chauffeur in NYC. One night he was told to pick up Gleason at the 21 Club (21 W 52nd St.). Gleason entered the stretch Caddy, obviously "well lit", and barked out the name of his next watering hole. My Uncle thought for a moment and realized that the place was on the same street, about three (3) store fronts away. He backed up the limo, arriving at his destination in about 10 seconds. Without skipping a beat, Gleason unleashed in his inimitable style, "What kept you!". He "greased" him with a $20.00, opened the door and rolled out.

The reviewer who said Gleason's life was sanitized was correct. I saw the entire miniseries on TV and it glossed over Gleason's hard drinking and his mean side.

Also, iirc, it glossed over Gleason's huge interest in UFOs. Gleason actually had a house built upstate that looked like a UFO. And Gleason swears that he was taken to Area 51 by Ike and saw aliens in a deep freeze.

A UFO house wasn't the only unusual thing Gleason built. Gleason was a notoriously heavy drinker - but could still quote Shakespeare when blotto - and hung out at Toots Shor's bar in NYC. When he started broadcasting from Miami Beach, he had the entire Toots Shor's bar dismantled, shipped to FL and rebuilt backstage at his set. He even had Toots Shor himself flown down to mix his drinks.

Gleason was quite a guy and Brad Garrett captures him well. But this show WAS definitely sanitized. The Great One would not be amused.

Received quickly and in perfect condition. I will buy from you in the future and recommend you to my friends.

Are you a Honeymooners fan? If you are, you will enjoy this video about Jackie Gleason's life and how the Honeymooners program came to be.

Gleason

For the price of this movie you won't regret. The acting is super and the movie takes you back to the memories of watching the Jackie Gleason show.

The story line could have been better, but it was a pleasure to watch this man's portrayal of the Great One. He had the voice and the moves down and it was a pleasure for huge fans like us to watch. Anyone who was and is a real fan should get this.

Brad Garrett portrays The Great One, Jackie Gleason. Jackie wanted to be a funny guy from a young age... but he wan't a natural. This is where his genius came in... Gleason BECAME the Great One. His start as an emcee and his rounds in the clubs helped him to develop his comedic talent until he was ready for the new medium of television. He was the right person at the right time in the right place (with the right agent!). However, Gleason had his own personal demons which effected his relationships with others.

The acting of all the characters in this DVD is great, but Garrett is awesome in this. I've only ever seen him in Raymond and had no idea of what a really great actor he is. This is a terrific movie.