This is the first time America met Ralph and Alice Kramden…it was October 5, 1951 on Dumont’s “Cavalcade Of Stars”.

In July of 1950, Jackie Gleason took over as host of Dumont’s ‘Cavalcade Of Stars’. The original hosts were Jack Carter and then Jerry Lester with Morey Amsterdam filling in occasionally. By the middle of ’51 Gleason and his writing staff developed an idea for a sketch based on the popular radio show ‘The Bickersons’.

Gleason wanted a realistic portrayal of life for a poor husband and wife living in Brooklyn. The couple would fight almost constantly, but ultimately show their love for each other. After rejecting titles like The Beast, The Lovers, and The Couple Next Door, Gleason and his staff settled on ‘The Honeymooners’ for the name of the new sketch.

The debut sketch on October 5, 1951 was six-minutes and the tone of these early sketches was much darker than the later series, with Ralph exhibiting extreme bitterness and frustration with his marriage to an equally bitter and argumentative middle-aged woman. By the way, Kelton was nine years older than Gleason.

Due in part to the success of these sketches, ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ became a huge success for DuMont. It increased its audience share from nine to 25 percent. Gleason’s contract with DuMont expired in the summer of 1952, and the financially struggling network was unable to re-sign him. That’s when he moved to CBS and ‘The Jackie Gleason Show’ debuted September 20, 1952 from CBS Studio 50, now known as The Ed Sullivan Theater. The rest as they say is history! Enjoy and SHARE! -Bobby Ellerbee

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