WARNING to “Honeymooners” fanatics who may be thinking about bidding on furniture from the show’s kitchen set when they come up for auction this weekend: The items are NOT the originals.
The furniture was part of the “Honeymooners” set when Jackie Gleason revived the adventures of the Kramdens and Nortons for the Miami Beach-based “Jackie Gleason Show” in the 1960s.
They’re part of a group of “Honeymooners”-related objects scheduled to be auctioned at Sotheby’s this Saturday at 2 p.m. The auction house hopes to get $10,000-15,000 for the kitchen set. The other items include a bus driver’s uniform worn by Gleason in the 1950s ($10,000-15,000), aprons worn by Alice Kramden and Trixie Norton ($600-800), and various figurines and sketches of “Honeymooners” characters.
The kitchen set – including a table and chairs, ancient stove and icebox, and a kitchen sink – are certainly similar to the ones seen for decades on “Honeymooners” reruns. But the original furniture seen on the syndicated “Honeymooners” shows that first aired on CBS in 1955 and ’56 (and lovingly referred to by fans as “the classic 39”) has been missing for years, according to “Honeymooners” expert Bob Columbe.
He’s one of the owners of the “Honeymooners” objects being put up for sale at Sotheby’s. He and co-owner Peter Crescenti are two Long Island residents best known for creating the Royal Association for the Longevity and Preservation of Honeymooners (RALPH), which campaigned for the continuation of “The Honeymooners” on TV back in the 1980s.
RALPH was disbanded nearly 10 years ago because, Columbe explains, the group’s goals were largely achieved since “The Honeymooners” shows are widely available today on videocassette and laserdisc. In addition, Nick at Nite’s TV Land will add the show to its lineup next January. And Ch.11 still holds the rerun rights under a contract that doesn’t expire until Dec.31, 2002 (although “The Honeymooners” hasn’t been seen regularly on Ch.11 since December 1997).
For the last 10 years, “The Honeymooners” kitchen set has been on display at the Brooklyn Historical Society – important objects since “The Honeymooners” took place in Bensonhurst and Gleason grew up in Bushwick. But with the Society closing its doors later this month for a two-year renovation, Columbe and Crescenti felt the time was right to auction off the furniture and other “Honeymooners” holdings.
“The Honeymooners” set won’t be part of the museum’s permanent collection when it reopens in spring 2001.
*CHANNEL SURFING: A viewer poll on Ch.9 news last Wednesday night takes first prize as the stupidest survey ever featured on a local TV newscast. The burning survey question: “Who will be the most enduring entertainer, Ricky Martin or Jennifer Lopez?” A better question would be: How’d Ernie Anastos keep a straight face when he announced this one? … Speaking of Ch.9, the station has picked up the new action series “Dream Team,” starring Martin Sheen, for weekends next fall. … How will NBC fill the one-week gap between the demise of “Another World” on June25 and the premiere of “Passions” on July5? With Wimbledon tennis, which will preempt much of NBC’s daytime schedule the week of June28-July2.
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