Plot: What’s it about?
I have seen most of The Honeymooners episodes on laserdisc and I’ve liked most of them, to be sure. The show has become a television classic, with great work from Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Joyce Randolph, and Audrey Meadows. Since I like the series, I am very happy to see that MPI has started to release some episodes, especially since they’ve changed their approach to issuing the series on disc. After a first disc was released as a solo title, I was worried MPI might opt to issue all single discs, but that wasn’t the case. Now MPI has chosen to release entire box sets and in this case, that means a total of four discs. I prefer this method and I think fans will also, as it makes it easier to pick up a lot of episodes in one fell swoop. This great four disc collection is the second boxed set collection released and rest assured, it is packed with hilarious content. I commend MPI for releasing one of television’s true classic programs, as well as doing so in these terrific four disc collections. I’ve included a breakdown of what’s included on each disc below and in case you don’t want the entire set, MPI also offers each volume as a solo edition.
Volume 5
1. The Next Champ
2. Expectant Father
3. The Honeymooners Greatest Battles (Bonus Episode)
Volume 6
1. Move Uptown
2. Lucky Number
3. The History of the Lost Episodes-First Season (Bonus Feature)
Volume 7
1. A Little Man Who Wasn’t There
2. Goodnight Sweet Prince
3. Ralph’s Diet
4. Gleason’s Honybloopers Vol. 1 (Bonus Feature)
Volume 8
1. My Fair Landlord
2. The Cold
3. Halloween Party
4. Lost Job
5. Ralph’s Sweet Tooth (Bonus Episode)
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame transfers, as intended. As I mentioned in my review of the first boxed set collection, the images here show signs of wear & age, but look acceptable in the grand scheme. I’ve seen VHS editions of the show that were so battered, it was impossible to watch them, so I was relieved to see stable, if flawed visuals present on these discs. The prints have dust, debris, and blemishes evident, but the contrast is smooth and remains on the mark, so in the end, the images here are watchable, just not as clean as we’d like.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is adequate, but alsoshows some signs of wear and age. The vocals seem clean and easy to understand most of the time, but some spots are harsh and can be hard to decipher. The music and sound effects both fall under the same banner, usually solid, but sometimes a little on the bad side. I am not as pleased with the audio here, but it is far from as bad as it could be, so I won’t knock the score too much. It could be a lot better, this is true, but given the age & condition of the material, it also could have been much worse.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You’ll find some kind of bonus content on each disc and if you look in the episode guide, you’ll find out which disc contains what.
