# A big screen version of the Honeymooners? ...the hell? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457 "2005-04-08T19:43:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/1 "2005-04-08T19:43:41Z")
[Movie site](http://www.honeymoonersmovie.com/) (Flash-based w/sound) How did they sneak this one by? ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/2 "2005-04-08T19:50:46Z")
That rumbling sound that I hear is probably Jackie Gleason rolling in his grave. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/3 "2005-04-08T19:52:34Z")
Sneak it by? Cedric has been promoting it for months. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/4 "2005-04-08T19:54:53Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Sneak it by? Cedric has been promoting it for months. That’s what I get for not watching E!. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/5 "2005-04-08T19:57:57Z")
I had hoped for Queen Latifah as Ralph Kramden and David Alan Grier as Alice. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/6 "2005-04-08T20:19:39Z")
I will happily concede that Gabrielle Union is much hotter than Audrey Meadows. But that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/7 "2005-04-08T22:06:40Z")
The website says itself “Only in theaters June 10th.” A one day run would be pretty sweet. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/8 "2005-04-09T00:08:14Z")
I saw the trailer the other night, and I have to say it has the Cloud of Doom™ hovering over it. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/9 "2005-04-09T13:15:30Z")
It’s funny, how did I figure it was going to be done with an African-American cast as soon as I read the thread title? The Honeymooners is a product of its time. That violent outburst, quasi-abusive husband isn’t funny to people anymore. You can argue among yourselves whether it is a good or a bad thing – but like the town drunk, people are more disturbed than anything by such things. I think this is the primary reason they had to change the overall premise of Bewitched – no one would laugh at the hysterical, kvetching Darren the way they did in its heyday. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/10 "2005-04-09T13:37:24Z")
I am looking forward to it. I think Cedric can pull off the “bombast hiding insecurity” of Kramden very well. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/11 "2005-04-09T18:34:12Z")
> [@ddgryphon](#): > > That violent outburst, quasi-abusive husband isn’t funny to people anymore. Maybe not to you, but the _Honeymooners_ has been running successfully on television for years. People (like me) do like it and think it’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/12 "2005-04-09T18:44:33Z")
As retro-humor, in context of the times, Kramden’s bombast can be funny. In contemporary times that’ll get you fired if you’re not in professional wrestling. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-big-screen-version-of-the-honeymooners-the-hell/298457/13 "2005-04-09T20:50:25Z")
> [@ddgryphon](#): > > It’s funny, how did I figure it was going to be done with an African-American cast as soon as I read the thread title? > > The Honeymooners is a product of its time. That violent outburst, quasi-abusive husband isn’t funny to people anymore. You can argue among yourselves whether it is a good or a bad thing – but like the town drunk, people are more disturbed than anything by such things. > > I think this is the primary reason they had to change the overall premise of Bewitched – no one would laugh at the hysterical, kvetching Darren the way they did in its heyday. I dunno about that. Is the way Ralph treated Alice significantly different than the way Al treated Peg in _Married with Children_? The humor doesn’t come from the threats, it comes from the wife’s (non-)reaction to the threats. It’s funny, because the wife is so clearly unthreatened by her husband’s bombast. She clearly has the power in the relationship, and the audience laughs not at the implicit violence, but at the husband’s impotence and frustration. I’d also argue that the “town drunk” comedic archetype is far from dead, although you are more often going to see it filled by a pothead instead of an alcoholic these days.