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Audrey Meadows revealed that she and Jackie Gleason usually weren't kissing at the end of a ''Honeymooners'' episode
Your favorite television moment is a sham!
If you were to watch any random episode of The Honeymooners and place a bet that the end of the episode would resolve itself with a "Baby, you're the greatest!" and a sweet kiss, you'd have a good chance of winning that bet. While not the staple conclusion for every episode of the series, the recurring moment is heartwarming enough that it has become one of the more recognizable moments of the iconic series.
However, you might be shocked to find out, over sixty years after the original show had wrapped, that the moment so ingrained in fans' memories isn't as real as they thought.
According to an interview with Audrey Meadows, known as Ralph's better half, Alice Kramden, she and Gleason weren't actually kissing during those moments. Meadows confirmed to The Washington Post, "Nope. It was off to the side. Even though it looked like he was kissing me."
However, the trick was so believable that even Meadows' family members were fooled. She explained, "An aunt of mine was so cute. She said, 'Oh darling, I think Mr. Gleason has a sneaker for you when he says 'Baby, you're the greatest,' and he kisses you.'" Meadows replied, "I hate to disappoint you, Aunt Christine, but he doesn't really kiss me."
But while some of the grand physical gestures between Ralph and Alice were pretend, the affection between the two was legitimate. Meadows claimed, "Oh God, Jackie was so marvelous to work with. He was really, absolutely, a comic genius."
In her book, Love Audrey: My Life as a Honeymooner, Meadows also wrote, "He [Gleason] never demanded attention but was the spark of any gathering. A good mimic, he could imagine outrageous pseudo-events for characters, as we all know. Rarely did he tell jokes, but he acted out situations using those expressive eyes and animated features to create inspired lunacy. Jackie was Jackie — the world's merry man, having a marvelous time and taking you along for the ride."
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