The Jackie Gleason Show in Color was shot from the Miami Beach Auditorium (now known as the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts), and opened with the scene of a speed boat heading toward the Miami Beach shore and closed with Gleason boasting that "Miami Beach audiences were the greatest in the world." He was an avid promoter of Florida's "sun and fun" that brought in hordes of vacationers, boosting the state's economy.
The Honeymooners was considered the first official television spin-off and was the continuing story of a New York bus driver and his best pal sewer worker struggling to become successful in the Big Apple, while their ever-loving wives looked on with patience. Even though Kramden was rough-spoken, the show was an American favorite inspiring a devoted audience of hard-working, blue-collared workers.
The Jackie Gleason Show in Color consists of four episodes with special guest stars and friends entertaining with comedy, dance and song. The first show on the disc aired November 23, 1968, featuring Frankie Avalon, Red Buttons, and Phil Silvers, and the beloved Honeymooners in "Six Months to Live."
The second Show aired December 7, 1968, with guest stars Morey Amsterdam (and his cello), Red Buttons, and Florence Henderson. The Honeymooners performed a skit entitled "Alice's Birthday."
The third episode had an original air date of January 4, 1969, with Jan Murray, Red Buttons, and with Nipsy Russell performing some hip teen dances. The Honeymooners performed their "Lawsuit" sketch.
On January 25, 1969, the final episode aired with Milton Berle, Edie Adams, George Carlin, and Morton Storm.
As the beloved, multi-talented working-class hero, Jackie Gleason entertained audiences with The Jackie Gleason Show that proved to be an Emmy winner and high in ratings. Gleason's series was cancelled in 1970 as part of the CBS rural purge to attract younger audiences, and was sliced along with shows like The Original Amateur Hour, The Red Skelton Hour, and Petticoat Junction. However, in December 1970, CBS began airing selected reruns of The Jackie Gleason Show in prime time on Sunday nights.
The Jackie Gleason Show in Color is a television classic featuring headliners from Hollywood that will bless your memory. Be advised that the recordings are from older source material and may contain imperfections. This is family comedy for all audiences. However, one thing I noticed is that Gleason smokes cigarettes in the Show that would not now be condoned, but was very much in the older days. These episodes are four of a larger collection, and are edited with exclusions from the full shows. However, this is vintage entertainment and would be an asset to your library with many hours of star performances to enjoy.
