JACKIE GLEASON SHOW: Poor Soul Christmas 1967?

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DickLindsay
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JACKIE GLEASON SHOW: Poor Soul Christmas 1967?

Postby DickLindsay » Sun Jun 28, 2015 12:18 am

Does anyone remember this episode of the Jackie Gleason show? I believe it was December 1967. THe entire show featured Gleason's character, the Poor Soul, who fell asleep and dreamed he was in various fairy tales such as THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE, etc and it featured the, then current, honeymooners cast of Sheila MacRae, Jane Kean and Art Carney. At the end of the show, the Poor Soul awakened and had a gold key (key to the city) hanging around his neck.

For several years, the show was repeated around the Christmas Holidays but now it is gone. I cannot find it anywhere (several of the "color honeymooners" episodes have emerged on dvd sets, but I don't believe this particular episode is there).

thoughts?

Richard M Roberts
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Re: JACKIE GLEASON SHOW: Poor Soul Christmas 1967?

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sun Jun 28, 2015 6:10 am

DickLindsay wrote:Does anyone remember this episode of the Jackie Gleason show? I believe it was December 1967. THe entire show featured Gleason's character, the Poor Soul, who fell asleep and dreamed he was in various fairy tales such as THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE, etc and it featured the, then current, honeymooners cast of Sheila MacRae, Jane Kean and Art Carney. At the end of the show, the Poor Soul awakened and had a gold key (key to the city) hanging around his neck.

For several years, the show was repeated around the Christmas Holidays but now it is gone. I cannot find it anywhere (several of the "color honeymooners" episodes have emerged on dvd sets, but I don't believe this particular episode is there).

thoughts?



Welcome to the group Dick.

I remember the show, but haven't seen it since the late 60's. Oddly enough, late Gleason is like late CBS Red Skelton, harder to see than the earlier stuff.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Jim Roots
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Re: JACKIE GLEASON SHOW: Poor Soul Christmas 1967?

Postby Jim Roots » Mon Jun 29, 2015 9:06 am

They did some repackaging of the Gleason show in the early 1980s which ran on TV for a brief time (weeks, not months, let alone years). I remember seeing some of them while waiting for supper to be ready, which means they ran at about 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Regrettably, I can't remember much about what was included and what was cut out, other than the musical interludes and the June Taylor Dancers bits being eliminated. I think they were half-hour boil-downs.

Anybody else remember these syndicated cutdowns?

Jim
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Richard M Roberts
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Re: JACKIE GLEASON SHOW: Poor Soul Christmas 1967?

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon Jun 29, 2015 2:50 pm

Jim Roots wrote:They did some repackaging of the Gleason show in the early 1980s which ran on TV for a brief time (weeks, not months, let alone years). I remember seeing some of them while waiting for supper to be ready, which means they ran at about 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Regrettably, I can't remember much about what was included and what was cut out, other than the musical interludes and the June Taylor Dancers bits being eliminated. I think they were half-hour boil-downs.

Anybody else remember these syndicated cutdowns?

Jim



Yes, I recorded some of these off our public television station, they were half-hour curdowns of the early 60's shows, the "American Scene Magazine" period on black and white video. No Honeymooners segments, but a lot of Frank Fontaine as I recall.


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Jim Roots
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Re: JACKIE GLEASON SHOW: Poor Soul Christmas 1967?

Postby Jim Roots » Tue Jun 30, 2015 8:15 am

Fontaine has been so totally erased from entertainment history, it's hard to believe how popular he was on Gleason's show. Kids loved him for his Crazy Guggenheim character. Adults loved him for his deep, rich singing voice. I gave my mother his LP, "I'm Counting On You", for Christmas one year. I think it's still in her old home somewhere.

Jim
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Re: JACKIE GLEASON SHOW: Poor Soul Christmas 1967?

Postby Gary Johnson » Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:37 pm

People probably assume that Fontaine was some overnight discovery of Gleason's. Well over at N-Ville they would. No one here at SCM would dare assume that.
It was radio where he got his start showcasing his many characters and it was the Benny show (as usual) that put him over on top after making two guest appearances in 1950 and stealing the programs. From there he wrote his own meal ticket with radio, TV, records and movie appearances. It was said he had just as many characters as Gleason and Skelton, but unlike those stars the public only wanted Fontaine's Crazy -- which had to be limiting. As a kid I was amused and entertained by him bantering with Gleason every week across the bar, but even then I could see it was a one-way schtick. Sometimes he would break out in song in a deep bass, like Jim Nabors, which I found even more disturbing.

Gleason and Fontaine almost got together a decade earlier when Frank was approached to host Gleason's summer replacement show in the early 50's, but he didn't want to be in NY away from his family then. He had a large family and it sounds like they dictated his work habits. By the 70's poor health began dogging him. Supposively he collapsed during a Jerry Lewis Telethon appearance in 1970. Did anyone remember seeing that live? During the same time he got into tax troubles with the IRS (what is it about comics and back-taxes?) and Sinatra had to organize a benefit in his honor to pull him out of debt. He died from a heart attack, ironically right after performing a charity show and presenting a large check to heart research.

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DickLindsay
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Re: JACKIE GLEASON SHOW: Poor Soul Christmas 1967?

Postby DickLindsay » Fri Jul 03, 2015 4:43 pm

I actually remember seeing the POOR SOUL episode I described being shown on Public TV in NYC (channel 21) back in the 80s. I forgot to tape it, and it was never shown again. Was hoping someone had it.


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