ENGLISH LIT 344 / COMEDY & SATIRE Who's Who in American Comedy
A popular star in the early days of television; he did both comedy and serious acting (known for his role as Minnesota Fats in "The Hustler). His style was brash and hard-edged and is best seen in his portrayal of Ralph Cramden in the "The Honeymooners." The following clip shows Gleason as "Joe, the Bartender," one of the regular characters on his show. Other included "Reggie Van Gleason" and "The Poor Soul," both derived from comic archetypes. (Of special note in this clip is the appearance of Frank Fontaine as "Crazy Guggenheim," a character that would be politically incorrect today due to his handicap. (See Josh Blue, a comedian with Cerebral Palsy.)
[For more details on these people, check their listing in Wikipedia, but note--this is one of the rare times I can accept the use of Wikipedia as a source. I have found that most of the information there about these people is reliable.]
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