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Auction Name: 2025 October 24 The Stewart Berkowitz Television Treasures Hollywood/Entertainment Signature® Auction
Lot Number: 89001
Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/7429*89001
The Honeymooners (CBS TV, 1955-1956), Jackie Gleason "Ralph Kramden" Signature Bus Driver Uniform. Of all the characters Jackie Gleason created for his earliest sketch comedy routines beginning with Cavalcade of Stars (DuPont, 1949-1952), his turn as the boisterous, blowhard bus driver Ralph Kramden was the runaway audience favorite. So much so that in 1955 Gleason decided to suspend the variety show format in favor of a new series dedicated only to the trials and tribulations of Kramden and the working class world he inhabited as a New York City bus driver. Alongside his wife Alice (Audrey Meadows), his best friend Ed Norton (Art Carney), and Ed's wife Trixie (Joyce Randolph), The Honeymooners was born, and the 39 episodes that ran from October 1955 to September 1956 would become the definitive work of Gleason's illustrious career. What made this show such a cultural juggernaut? Perhaps it was the cozy, confined setting inside the Kramden's Brooklyn apartment, a time-tested formula found in other beloved sitcoms. Perhaps it was the characters' capacity to deliver honest, unglamorous reflections of postwar American urban life with an undeniably humorous bent. Perhaps it was the brilliance of the show's writing, which balanced timely, socially conscious themes with razor-sharp comedic timing. Or perhaps it was the long-running syndication following the show's end, which saw episodes air on a continuous cycle that restarted every two months for decades, thus becoming entrenched in our shared cultural memory. Most likely it was a combination of all these things that helped skyrocket The Honeymooners into the rarefied air of pop culture greatness. Gleason's choice to make Ralph's character a city bus driver could not have been more deliberate: a working class everyman, nameless to most, who drifts through the crowded city shuttling his passengers from place to place and soaking up their stories along the way, bringing home an honest reflection of the city outside and the shared desire for upward mobility in a brutal, unforgiving world. The authenticity with which Gleason perfected this character was so meaningful to the visibility of working class workers that Kramden (the character) was given honorary membership to the real New York City bus drivers' union, Local 100. He was honored by them with a Union pin, which then became a fixture of Kramden's uniform. After Gleason's death in 1988, a city bus depot in Brooklyn was renamed in his honor. A robust bronze statue of the character welcomes travelers to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 40th St. and 8th Avenue in Manhattan. Presented here is an extremely rare vintage original (2) piece bus driver's uniform worn by Gleason as Ralph Kramden, consisting of (1) navy blue denim-colored wool worker's jacket, with zip front notch lapels, two large button-flap chest pockets, waist cinch with blue ivory buttons and matching wrist buttons, retaining internal Brooks Uniform Co. maker's label to neckline, and (1) pair of matching navy blue wool pants with zipper front and button closure, retaining matching internal Brooks Uniform Co. maker's label. A vintage original yellow and green bus driver's Union pin is affixed to the jacket, proudly placed over the left breast, as delivered to Gleason by the Union during production of the series and worn by his character in many episodes, reading, "Transit Workers Union of America / CIO / Local 100 / 1955". Also included is a LOA from Jackie Gleason on his eggshell blue personal stationery, dated September 8, 1983, with secretarial signature and transmittal envelope postmarked September 9, 1983 with Gleason's Florida residence stamped to verso, written to members of "R.A.L.P.H.", the Honeymooners/Ralph Kramden Fan Club, apologizing for their prior difficulty in tracking down a Kramden uniform and delivering to them an "absolute genuine article" directly from his personal collection. The ensemble was maintained by the members of R.A.L.P.H. until its initial sale at Sotheby's in 1999. Items exhibit mild production wear and age including some thread pulls and mild staining to interior of jacket. Overall extremely well-preserved and presenting beautifully almost 70 years after production of the series. Items are accompanied by a white button-up shirt, black tie, socks, suspenders, and black leather dress shoes for display purposes. In all, this is an excessively rare example on offer - the only 2-piece Jackie Gleason Ralph Kramden costume from the "Classic 39" episodes of The Honeymooners we have ever handled. Provenance: Originally from the personal collection of Jackie Gleason; Sotheby's, New York, "Collectors' Carrousel", June 12, 1999, Lot #24; later sold by private treaty to Dr. Berkowitz, March 2022. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From The Stewart Berkowitz Television Treasures Collection.
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