[Jaysin]

you mean you watched them live on TV back in the 1950’s?

[TomGuy]

you mean you watched them live on TV back in the 1950’s?

I actually do not recall watching them during their initial run, but I watched many episodes in reruns. There were many half-hour comedy shows in early TV.

Many of those early programs were filmed in front of live audiences. They usually would have 2 session per episode and select the better one for TV broadcasting.

The Honeymooners started as a segment on The Jackie Gleason Show. It started as a short skit/segment and expanded due to its popularity.

We got our first TV (b/w) in 1956.

[Albion Wilde]

you mean you watched them live on TV back in the 1950’s?

I did, as a child. There was one episode on the show (not the Honeymooners part) when Gleason and a bunch of others -- maybe the June Taylor dancers -- were running in a circle around a wall with two doors. They'd emerge from one door running, and then run back into the other door to the backstage, and out again, etc. It was funny to see Gleason, and Person of Girth, running on his light Irish feet!

There was dry ice backstage making smoke. Then, at one point, Gleason didn't emerge with the rest of the runners. The band struck up and repeated some obvious "entrance" music, but ne never came back out. Turns out he had slipped on some of the dry ice backstage and broke his leg!

I wasn't sure I was remembering it correctly, so I just now did a search and the NYT archive syncs up: JACKIE GLEASON HURT; Comedian Falls on Stage During Televising of His Show

Fortunately, it had been planned as the final skit, because they had to ad lib the rest of the program. Live TV! You never knew what to expect!