Jackie Gleason on 20/20 - Part 1

To The Moon…Jackie Gleason - February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987 - From Minnesota Fats in the 1961 drama ‘The Hustler’ with Paul Newman to his role as Buford T. Justice in the ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ series and , of course, Ralph Kramden in ‘The Honeymooners’, John Herbert Gleason, better known as Jackie Gleason, won our hearts with his unique visual and verbal comedy style. Gleason grew up at 328 Chauncey St. in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. He later used that very same address for Ralph and Alice Kramden, characters on ‘The Honeymooners’. On December 15, 1925, Gleason’s father collected his hat, coat and paycheck, leaving the insurance company that he worked for and his family permanently. Gleason fought his way through a rough childhood and became interested in the arts. He soon began putting together acts with friend Sammy Birch and working as Master of Ceremonies on the New York club circuit. By age 24 Gleason was appearing in films such as ‘Navy Blues’ with Ann Sheridan and Martha Raye and ‘All Through the Night’ with Humphrey Bogart. His television career took off when he became one of the rotating hosts on DuMont's ‘Cavalcade of Star’s’ variety hour in 1950. Gleason added flashy dance numbers and character sketches to the show. He became so well known that CBS hired him on to host its variety hour in 1952. That show eventually changed its name to ‘The Jackie Gleason Show ‘and became the country's second-highest-rated television show during 1954–1955. Jackie Gleason kept his health problems private; he was known to smoke up to 4 packs of cigarettes a day and died of heart related problems on June, 24 1987. Gleason’s memorable characters will live on in American Culture for years to come. After all, how could we forget ‘Ralph Kramden’ and his infamous quote ‘To the Moon Alice’?