The Honeymooners used to come on at 10PM at our house. They were reruns. The kids in the house were in bed but we could hear it from our bedrooms. More about that in a moment. I started recording them a few weeks ago off of WGN TV in Chicago. One of the cool things our DirecTV guide provides is a "First Aired" date. The episode we watched last night first aired March 17, 1956. I love having that information. By the time we were listening to them from our bedrooms in the 60s, they were in syndication. There were only 39 episodes in syndication and they were coming on every weeknight so a little basic math will tell you that you've seen/heard them all after 8 weeks. In our house, this routine went on for years. As we all got older, we were able to stay up and watch them. I've seen them all but haven't watched an episode in its entirety in a long time. Seeing them again now after many years is like seeing an old friend. I still know what's going to happen, still know every punch line, and still laugh when it's delivered. They are outrageously dated. How many viewers have ever seen an icebox or a wind-up record player in real life? This one hasn't. The show is more than just classic comedy, as if that wouldn't be enough, and it's much more than just a blast from the past. It's Americana.
10 days until football season ...
Quote of the Day
When you come down the street, there aint no other side!
Ed Norton, The Honeymooners
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Why were the Honeymooners so special and why does their magical chemistry still have a hold on television viewers today?"
