One of tvs funninest men died today. Art Carney of the Honeymooners whose Ed Norton was arguably the funniest character in tv history passed away. A tv guide ranking of funny characters ranked Norton second only to Louis Depalma on Taxi. I would reverse that and in fact put Gleason's Ralph Kramden ahead of Louis too. Gleason and Carney were as good as a comic duo got, playing off each other to laughs that are as funny the 10th time around as they were the first.
Besides Ed Norton, Carney proved he was also a good all around actor. He won a well deserved Oscar for a man trying to reconnect with his family in "Harry and Tonto." To me, though his best film role was in the mystery movie "The Late Show" where the pairing of Carney with Lily Tomlin in a movie that was not primarily a comedy was surprisingly wonderful.
Musical fans may also remember him backing up Caroll Oconner in the uneven tv version of "Of Thee I sing." Carney's peformance as the confused vice president was the best thing about this version.
A wonderful talent who always seemed like a nice guy too, Carney will be really missed by fans of tv comedy and other mediums, but the Classic 39 episodes of the Honeymooners were just realeased on DVD last week and even before that, there was no doubt these would last forever and showcase Carney's talent forever too.
Besides Ed Norton, Carney proved he was also a good all around actor. He won a well deserved Oscar for a man trying to reconnect with his family in "Harry and Tonto." To me, though his best film role was in the mystery movie "The Late Show" where the pairing of Carney with Lily Tomlin in a movie that was not primarily a comedy was surprisingly wonderful.
Musical fans may also remember him backing up Caroll Oconner in the uneven tv version of "Of Thee I sing." Carney's peformance as the confused vice president was the best thing about this version.
A wonderful talent who always seemed like a nice guy too, Carney will be really missed by fans of tv comedy and other mediums, but the Classic 39 episodes of the Honeymooners were just realeased on DVD last week and even before that, there was no doubt these would last forever and showcase Carney's talent forever too.
