[12] He framed the acts with splashy dance numbers, developed sketch characters he would refine over the next decade, and became enough of a presence that CBS wooed him to its network in 1952. He had also earned acclaim for live television drama performances in "The Laugh Maker" (1953) on CBS's Studio One and William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life" (1958), which was produced as an episode of the anthology series Playhouse 90. For many years, Gleason would travel only by train; his fear of flying arose from an incident in his early film career. The first program was televised on Oct. 1, 1955, with Mr. Gleason as Ralph, and Audrey Meadows playing his wife, Alice, as she had in the past. GLEASON DECREASED WIFES SHARE IN WILL ON DEATHBED, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), First Republic Bank seized, sold to JPMorgan Chase, Widening manhunt for Texas gunman who killed five neighbors slowed by zero leads, Golden Beach police sergeant in stable condition after shooting during chase of car-theft suspects, Skies clear in South Florida as residents clean up from 130-mph tornado in Palm Beach County. Undaunted, he went on to triumph in ''Take Me Along'' in 1959 and appeared in several films in the early 60's, including ''The Hustler'' in 1961, ''Gigot'' and ''Requiem for a Heavyweight'' in 1962 and ''Soldier in the Rain'' in 1963. The phrase became one of his trademarks, along with "How sweet it is!" Honeymooners' star Sheila MacRae dies How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! '', Mr. Gleason's television comedy series from the 50's, ''The Honeymooners,'' became a classic of the medium and was seen by millions year after year in reruns. [12] These included the well-remembered themes of both The Jackie Gleason Show ("Melancholy Serenade") and The Honeymooners ("You're My Greatest Love"). As the funeral was held, the New York City Transit Authority announced that Gleason, whose most vivid role was as bus driver Kramden, will be memorialized by a bus depot named after him. 'Too Much of a Ham to Stay Away'. Jackie Gleason - IMDb Joe would bring out Frank Fontaine as Crazy Guggenheim, who would regale Joe with the latest adventures of his neighborhood pals and sometimes show Joe his current Top Cat comic book. Jackie Gleason Changed Will On Deathbed | AP News [55][56], Gleason met his second wife, Beverly McKittrick, at a country club in 1968, where she worked as a secretary. Jackie Gleasons widow, Marilyn Taylor Gleason, dies The character of The Poor Soul was drawn from an assistant manager of an outdoor theater he frequented. Once it became evident that he was not coming back, Mae went to work as a subway attendant for the BrooklynManhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). Gleason had to be one of the most reviled stars ever -- and with good reason, according to biographer William Henry III. That same year Mr. Gleason disclosed that he had been preserving, in an air-conditioned vault, copies of about 75 ''Honeymooners'' episodes that had not been seen by audiences since they first appeared on television screens in the 1950's and were widely believed to have been lost. Jackie Gleason suffered from declining health before finally succumbing to cancer. The Jackie Gleason Show star died of cancer on June 24, 1987, at the age of 71. "He never wanted to share his problems and sickness with the outside world. A decade before his death, the comedian underwent a surgery that doctors said saved him from a heart attack.
