(Another) Unscary Halloween

The Eye-Dancers

Oct 31

Last year at this time, I wrote about going contrary for Halloween. Instead of Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees and zombies and werewolves and vampires and ghosts and ghouls and Vincent Price and the undead and mummies and monsters and things that go bump at 3:00 a.m., I decided to swim against the current and spend the spooky holiday with lighthearted, comical fare.

And this year . . . I will do it again! Maybe we can start a movement, a trend. Unscary Halloweens! For me, 2023 has been a hard year, and the last thing I want to do is watch a horror movie or a violent TV show. No. Give me something fun and light, something that puts a smile on my face.

The difference between last year's unscary Halloween and this year's version of the same? Last year, I sampled an assortment of comedies--a couple of different sitcoms, some old Tonight Show interviews, a few scenes from my favorite funny movies. But this Halloween, I will be more targeted, more specific. I will narrow it down to a single old show--The Honeymooners.

For whatever reason, I have always loved The Honeymooners. It aired many years before I was born, but that doesn't matter. There is nothing like the black-and-white presentation, the live TV aspect of the show, where, occasionally, the actors flub their lines, the genuine, unstaged reaction of the live studio audience, the hilarious comedy of the show, the often heartwarming (if formulaic) endings. It's a simple show, the majority of which takes place in the small kitchen of a Brooklyn apartment. But the simplicity adds to the warmth and the humor. Also, as a student of history, including pop history, all my life, I enjoy watching a live television show from the mid-1950s.

Throw in the incredible cast, with Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, and Audrey Meadows, and you have a sitcom for the ages. It was a trendsetting series, leading directly to The Flintstones. And the dynamic between the loudmouthed but lovable Ralph Kramden (Gleason) and the innocent, childlike Ed Norton (Carney) paved the way for many future sitcom characters and relationships.

Which episodes to watch? That is the question. Maybe "The Worry Wart," where Ralph is sent a notice from the IRS about his tax return and Norton is there to help him. One of the funniest episodes in television history. Maybe "Young at Heart," when the gang goes roller skating, trying to relive their youth. Maybe "Twas the Night Before Christmas," where Ralph ends up being ashamed of the present he bought his wife, Alice, only to learn, at the end, that he is the gift she cherishes. Or maybe "The Golfer," where Norton (who knows nothing about golf) tries to teach Ralph (who also knows nothing about golf) how to play the game--right in the tiny Kramden kitchen. Or perhaps "The $99,000 Answer" in which Ralph prepares for a game show where he selects the category of popular songs by studying virtually every piece of music ever written ahead of the show, only to be stumped when his time arrives for real.

Or maybe all of them! Maybe, just maybe, I'll pop some popcorn (old school, on the stove top with real kernels and real butter), sit back, and watch half a dozen episodes.