Customer Reviews

Jackie Gleason's Honeybloopers [VHS]

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4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is some of the funniest cuts from the honeymooners I have ever seen. You should see them too.If you love comedy you'll love these.

I bought this tape for my parents for Christmas based on the previous reviewer's comments, and I'm afraid that we all strongly disagree. First of all, 80-90% of the tape has nothing to do with the Honeymooners show; there are instead clips from Jackie Gleason's variety show. Second, these are not "bloopers" such as props falling or the cast members making funny slip ups or anything like that. As the clips are shown there is a narrator trying to explain what is going on, but it is not very funny at all. I say watch the original shows instead.

The comedic genius of Jackie Gleason and Art Carney were never more evident than in this tape of bloopers from the classic "Honeymooners" television show. It was live television, so when something didn't go right, it was up to the performers to ad lib their way through the scene. Props failed, people flubbed their lines and actors and actresses tripped and slipped, yet the show HAD to go on, and it did.
As blooper tapes go, this is one of the best, because the unforeseen modifications to the action are often funnier than what was intended would have been. Gleason's ability to use a facial expression to drag out a scene is a perfect contrast to the stoic poker face of Carney, who was more than a sidekick in their comedic banter. Although it is a bit grainy, this tape demonstrates comedians at their best, making it up as they go.

Recorded in SP mode and hifi sound, MPIs HONEYBLOOPERS offers decent quality clips of vintage 16mm films. The audio on these is somewhat muffled compared to the voiceovers, but still clear with a good sound system. Total running time: 45 minutes. (This program is not available on DVD.)

What are here characterized as "bloopers" are more precisely actors adjusting to unforseen events. Considering the nature of live broadcast, the folks here acquit themselves quite well.

The program opens with a Gleason monologue that's disrupted by backstage clamor. Then, Jackie rambles (it's called "stretching") about Leroy Anderson while a dance number set is made ready. In a live "Beat the Clock" Honeymooners sketch, Audrey Meadows forgets her lines and Jackie covers for her.

In other vignettes, Gleason has problems with a skittish horse, he drops a steamer trunk on a fence and it falls over, and in an embarrassing moment, Jackie turns his back to zip up his fly during a Honeymooners segment from his variety show. Next, he stalls for time by dancing and doing impressions. Cast members slip and fall during a hectic pie fight skit.

The finale to the "Beat the Clock" episode doesn't seem to have any errors, but in another live Honeymooners sketch entitled "Game Called on Account of Marriage," Gleason deftly changes the plot when a building facade won't support the weight of him on a ladder.

Transferred from Jackie Gleason's personal collection, there are currently six editions of the HONEYMOONERS LOST EPISODES series. This is a link to BOXED SET 1.

I am a huge Honeymooner fan and was delighted to receive this tape as a birthday gift. I didn't know it existed. I expected to see line flubs and funny mishaps from the original 39 episodes that were edited out. Not so. As another reviewer stated much of this video is about Gleason's other show, not the Honeymooners. You can tell that the makers of this tape struggled to make a video out of what little they had to work with. It is entertaining, because it centers around the comic genius, Jackie Gleason, but for Honeymooner fans, it's disappointing.