The Honeymooners: Ed Norton's Group And Their Antics

Ed Norton, played by Art Carney, is one of the four principal characters in the American television sitcom 'The Honeymooners', which aired from 1955 to 1956. Norton is Ralph Kramden's best friend and upstairs neighbour. He is married to Trixie, Alice Kramden's best friend, and works as a sewer worker. Norton is known for his innocent and guileless nature, often falling for Ralph's get-rich-quick schemes and getting himself into comedic situations.

Explore related products

The Honeymooners: "Classic 39" Episodes

$16.95 $39.99

The Honeymooners: "Classic 39" Episodes

$34.12 $39.99

The Honeymooners - Classic 39 Episodes

$34.12 $39.99

The Color Honeymooners - Collection 1

$44.79

The Honeymooners : Lost Episodes 1951-1957 (The Complete Restored Series)

$72 $79.5

The Honeymooners

$4.29

Ed Norton was a sewer worker

Ed Norton, played by Art Carney, was a sewer worker and Ralph Kramden's best friend in the American television sitcom, The Honeymooners. Norton lived upstairs from Ralph and his wife, Alice Kramden, in their Brooklyn apartment building. The show, which aired from 1955 to 1956, revolved around the lives of Ralph, a bus driver for the fictional Gotham Bus Company, and his wife, as well as their neighbours, Ed and his wife, Thelma "Trixie" Norton.

Norton's character as a sewer worker was often depicted as innocent and guileless, which sometimes led to arguments with Ralph. Despite their differences, the two men were close friends, with Norton often getting involved in Ralph's get-rich-quick schemes. Norton's occupation as a sewer worker was also referenced in one of Carney's recordings, "The Song of the Sewer", which he sang in character as Norton.

Carney's portrayal of Ed Norton gained him lifelong fame and numerous accolades, including seven Emmy Award nominations and six wins. In addition to his success as a sewer worker, Carney's character also introduced phrases that became part of American language, such as "To the moon, Alice!" The show itself was highly influential, impacting later shows such as "The Flintstones" and influencing generations of TV sitcoms.

Norton's character also provided comedic relief and support to Ralph and Alice. In one episode, Norton tries to calm Ralph down when he is worried about his taxes being investigated. Despite his well-meaning attempts to help, Norton's suggestions are often outlandish, such as suggesting that Ralph stand on the 18th Amendment when questioned about his taxes.

Explore related products

The Honeymooners: "Classic 39" Episodes

$34.12 $39.99

The Honeymooners (Full Screen Special Collector's Edition) by Cedric the Entertainer

$19.72

The Honeymooners: Valentine Special

$11.47 $14.98

The Honeymooners Classic 39 Collection, Vol. 1: TV or Not TV, Honeymooners Highlights [VHS]

$34.12 $39.99

The Honeymooners (Full Screen Special Collector's Edition)

$31.99

The Honeymooners - Classic 39 Episodes

$34.12 $39.99

He was Ralph Kramden's best friend

Ed Norton was Ralph Kramden's best friend on the American television sitcom, The Honeymooners. The show, which aired from 1955 to 1956, centred on the lives of New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden, his wife Alice, and Ralph's best friend, Ed Norton, and Ed's wife, Trixie.

Ed Norton, played by Art Carney, was an American sewer worker of the 20th century. He was described as better-read, better-liked, more worldly, and more even-tempered than Ralph Kramden, despite his unassuming manner. Ed was a member of the New York City sewer department, and he described his job as a "Sub-supervisor in the sub-division of the department of subterranean sanitation, I just keep things moving along". He was also a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served in World War II.

Ralph Kramden, played by Jackie Gleason, was a bus driver for the fictional Gotham Bus Company based in New York City. He was short-tempered and frequently resorted to bellowing, insults, and hollow threats. However, he was also a soft-hearted man who loved his wife and was devoted to his best friend, Ed Norton. Ralph enjoyed bowling and playing pool, and was a member of the Loyal Order of Raccoons, a fictional organisation featured in the show.

The two friends often met for lunch on a park bench, and their adventures formed the basis of many episodes of the show. One notable episode involved Ralph suing Ed over a television set that Ed had won in a raffle. Despite their differences, Ralph and Ed's friendship remained a constant throughout the series, providing a source of comedy and heartwarming moments.

Explore related products

The Newlywed Table: A Cookbook to Start Your Life Together

$14.99 $55.65

Norton 360 Deluxe 2025, Antivirus software for 5 Devices with Auto-Renewal – Includes Advanced AI Scam Protection, VPN, Dark Web Monitoring & PC Cloud Backup [Download]

$24.99 $89.99

Norton 360 Premium 2025, Antivirus software for 10 Devices with Auto-Renewal – Includes Advanced AI Scam Protection, VPN, Dark Web Monitoring & PC Cloud Backup [Download]

$29.99 $99.99

Norton 360 Deluxe 2025, Antivirus software for 3 Devices with Auto-Renewal – Includes Advanced AI Scam Protection, VPN, Dark Web Monitoring & PC Cloud Backup [Download]

$19.99 $74.99

Norton Utilities Ultimate for 10 Devices, Keep your devices running like new - for Windows PC, Android and iOS (Download)

$39.99

Norton 360 Platinum 2025, Antivirus software for 20 Devices with Auto-Renewal – 3 Months FREE - Includes Advanced AI Scam Protection, VPN, Dark Web Monitoring & PC Cloud Backup [Download]

$34.99 $129.99

Trixie Norton was Ed's wife

Trixie Norton, played by Joyce Randolph, was Ed Norton's wife in the American television sitcom "The Honeymooners". The show aired from 1955 to 1956 and centred around the lives of New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden, his wife Alice, Ralph's best friend Ed Norton, and Ed's wife Trixie. Trixie was Alice's best friend and was portrayed as a wholesome housewife, in contrast to the original portrayal of the character by Elaine Stritch as a burlesque dancer.

Trixie did not appear in every episode and had a less developed character than the other three main characters. She is shown to be somewhat bossy towards her husband, and in one episode, she is surprisingly depicted as a pool hustler. Trixie is also a foil to Ed, just as Alice is to Ralph, but often offscreen. The Nortons' apartment is always noticeably better-furnished than the Kramdens, and Trixie is known to be the inspiration for Betty Rubble in "The Flintstones".

The character of Trixie Norton was based on the recurring comedy sketch "The Honeymooners", which was part of Jackie Gleason's variety show. Gleason created the sitcom and played the role of Ralph Kramden. The show was broadcast live in front of a theatre audience and employed a number of standard sitcom clichés and plots, such as jealousy, get-rich-quick schemes, and comic misunderstandings.

The name of the character, Trixie, was not actually the character's real name, as revealed by Randolph in a 1999 interview. In one scene, she describes the moment where the big reveal was made: "I’m on the stand in a courtroom scene and it was so good. I’m on the stand and they ask me my name and I say, ‘Thelma Norton.'”

Explore related products

Norton 360 Premium, Antivirus software for 10 Devices with Auto-Renewal – Includes Advanced AI Scam Protection, VPN, Dark Web Monitoring & PC Cloud Backup [Key Card]

$39

Norton 360 Standard 2025, Antivirus software for 1 Device with Auto-Renewal – Includes Advanced AI Scam Protection, VPN, Dark Web Monitoring & PC Cloud Backup [Download]

$19.99 $69.99

Norton AntiVirus Plus 2025, Antivirus software for 1 Device with Auto-Renewal – Includes Advanced AI Scam Protection, Password Manager and PC Cloud Backup [Download]

$14.99 $49.99

A275OP Sandpaper, 9X11 Sanding Sheet, 220 Grit Sandpaper for Intermediate to Finish Sanding, Very Fine Sand Paper for Wood, Stainless Steel and Glass, Pack of 100

$85.39

Bench and Pedestal Abrasive Wheel, Type 01 Straight, Aluminum Oxide, 1" Arbor, 6" Diameter, 1" Thickness, Coarse Grit (Pack of 1)

$26.74

Knife Sharpener Combination Grit Oil Stone - Sharpening Stone with Fine/Coarse Combination, 8 x 2 x 1, Red/Black

$30.89

Ed supported Ralph's get-rich-quick schemes

Ed Norton, played by Art Carney, is Ralph Kramden's best friend and neighbour in the American television sitcom, The Honeymooners. Norton is a sewer worker, and his wife, Trixie, is Alice Kramden's best friend.

Ed often supports Ralph's get-rich-quick schemes, although his innocent and guileless nature is sometimes the source of arguments between the two men. In one episode, Ralph wants to win a $100 prize in a local furniture store's competition by guessing how many jelly beans are in a jar. He buys a similar jar and thousands of jelly beans to practice his guess. When he wins, he discovers that the prize is a $100 gift certificate that can only be redeemed after buying $1,000 worth of furniture. Ralph uses money that Alice had saved to buy a dress, which causes an argument between the two friends.

In another scheme, Ralph and Ed want to buy a hot dog stand in New Jersey but need $600 to do so. They are forced to borrow money from friends, relatives, and finally a bank. Mr Foster, the banker, refuses to lend them the money until Norton mentions that they plan to work their regular jobs at night and run the hot dog stand during the day. Impressed by their dedication, he approves the loan.

Ralph also gets the idea to write hit songs when he learns that the Raccoon Lodge has paid a professional songwriter a lot of money to write a theme song for them. He recruits Norton to play the piano and write the music to his lyrics. After many failed attempts at writing love songs, lullabies, and holiday songs, they finally hit on a novelty song and take it to a publisher. Ralph is crushed when the publisher says he wants to bring in a professional songwriter to write lyrics to Norton's music. In a rare gesture of unselfishness, Ralph steps aside for Norton's sake.

Ralph also plans to win the annual Raccoon costume contest and $50 prize by borrowing $10 for a professionally made costume. When he asks Ed for the money, Ed shows him the costume he already rented that morning. Ralph gets angry, claiming Ed stole his idea, and tries to get the money from Alice instead. She refuses, and Ralph decides to make his own costume, a man from outer space. However, Ed ends up winning the prize for his "man from space" costume, while Ralph wins for his "pinball costume".

Explore related products

Norton 360 Deluxe, Antivirus software for 5 Devices with Auto-Renewal – Includes Advanced AI Scam Protection, VPN, Dark Web Monitoring & PC Cloud Backup [Key Card]

$34.49

Grinding Wheel, Premium Blue Bench and Pedestal Ceramic Alumina Bench Grinder Wheel, 6 Inch Grinding Wheel, Pack of 1

$56.99

Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Bundle, 1 Year Subscription - 5 Devices - All-in-One Protection for your Devices, Online Privacy, and Identity, Activation Required [Subscription]

$99.99

(662610-58002-20PK) Bear-Tex Gray 6" x 9" Color Prep Scuff Pad, (Case of 20)

$36.01

Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Bundle, 1 Year Subscription - 10 Devices - All-in-One Protection for your Devices, Online Privacy, and Identity, Activation Required [Subscription]

$109.99

Norton 360 for Gamers 2024, Multiple layers of protection for up to 3 Devices – Includes Game Optimizer, Gamer tag monitoring, Secure VPN and PC Cloud Backup [Download]

$38.37 $89.99

Art Carney played Ed Norton

The Honeymooners, which aired from 1955 to 1956, was created by and starred Jackie Gleason, and was based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. Carney, who was already an established and reliable actor in New York, had previously worked with Gleason on the comedy-variety series Cavalcade of Stars, where he played Clem Finch, a mild-mannered lunchroom patron opposite Gleason's loudmouth character, Charlie Bratten.

Carney's chemistry with Gleason led to him being recruited for the Honeymooners sketches, which eventually led to the creation of the sitcom. Carney's character, Ed Norton, was the best friend of Ralph Kramden (played by Gleason), a bus driver for the fictional Gotham Bus Company based in New York City. Norton was married to Trixie (Thelma), played by Joyce Randolph, who was Alice Kramden's best friend. Trixie did not appear in every episode and had a less developed character than the other three leads.

Carney's portrayal of Norton was so popular that it influenced the creation of the character Barney Rubble in the animated sitcom The Flintstones, which started as a Honeymooners parody. Carney himself also gained fame for his portrayal of Norton, and was offered several lead roles on television. He went on to star in his own variety show from 1959 to 1960 and in several television specials, including Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf in 1958.

Frequently asked questions