Jackie gleason married a stripper

Working class New York bus driver Ralph Kramden is always coming up with get-rich-quick schemes for him and his best friend, Ed Norton, who's always around to help him get in (and out of) trouble.

A bus driver and his sewer worker friend struggle to strike it rich while their wives look on with weary patience. One of the most influential situation comedy television series in American history.

The prodigiously talented Gleason became a TV icon after he joined CBS from DuMont, where his work on `Calvalcade of Stars' had established many of his trademark characters, including Reginald Van Gleason III, the Poor Soul and Ralph Kramden, featured here, along with Art Carney, in `Honeymooners' sketches. The Emmy-winning mix also featured guest stars, musical comedy, the glitzy June Taylor Dancers and Frank Fontaine's Crazy Guggenheim character.

This special is a thorough retrospective of Jackie's most popular characters from his 1950's television series, characters that include: Ralph Kramden, Reginald Van Gleason, III, the Poor Soul, Fenwick Babbit and Joe The Bartender. Many of the sketches have not been available or even viewed since their original live broadcasts. Jeff Garlin of Curb Your Enthusiasm hosts the program with feature commentary from Mrs. Marilyn Gleason.

Highlights from the working class hero’s sitcom and hit variety hour that spanned two decades and featured the day’s biggest names in entertainment.

A complete hour-long edition of The Jackie Gleason Show from 1953 with musical guest Peggy Lee, plus a selection of favorite sketches from 1962-1966.

Documentary about the life and times of Jackie Gleason.

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The story begins at the height of Gleason's career. He has it all: women, wealth, and extraordinary power. But he is haunted by memories of his childhood. Gleason spends his formative years entering amateur contests, performing in sleazy night spots. Along the way, he steals gags from the best comics in town and finds love with Genevieve, a dancer whom he marries. But Gleason isn't the ideal husband or even a responsible father as he abandons his family to answer the call of Hollywood. Brash, arrogant, and egotistical, he alienates his directors and the man who discovers him. When he ends up back in New York, Gleason gets one of those rare second chances in the new medium of television, creating some of its most unforgettable characters. But even as Gleason becomes the talk of the tube, his life - ruled by demons of rage, booze, and insecurity - unravels.