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Audrey Meadows, born Audrey Cotter, was an American actress best known for her role as Alice Kramden in the 1950s American television comedy The Honeymooners. Meadows joined the cast of The Honeymooners in 1955, and her performance as the deadpan housewife opposite Jackie Gleason earned her four Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She won one Emmy for her work on The Jackie Gleason Show. Meadows was the only member of the Honeymooners cast to earn residual royalties after the Classic 39 episodes of the show from 1955 to 1956 started airing in reruns.
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What You'll Learn
Audrey Meadows played Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners
Audrey Meadows played Alice Kramden, the deadpan housewife of Jackie Gleason's character, in the 1950s American television comedy The Honeymooners. Meadows was the only member of the cast to earn residual royalties after the "Classic 39" episodes of the show from 1955 to 1956 started airing in reruns. Her brother, a lawyer, had inserted a clause into her original contract that ensured she would be paid if the shows were re-broadcast, earning her millions of dollars. Meadows and Gleason signed a deal to make over a million dollars over a three-year period.
Meadows was initially rejected for the role of Alice Kramden for being "too chic and pretty". However, she managed to convince Gleason by submitting a photo of herself looking "plainer" the next day. Meadows continued to play Alice when The Honeymooners transitioned to a half-hour situation comedy on CBS. She returned to the role again in the 1970s for occasional Honeymooners specials, and her portrayal of Alice became more associated with her than with other actresses who played the character.
Meadows received four Primetime Emmy nominations for her television work, winning one for The Jackie Gleason Show. She also reprised her role as Alice on other shows, including a man-on-the-street interview for The Steve Allen Show and a parody sketch on The Jack Benny Program.
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She was the only cast member to earn residual royalties
Audrey Meadows, born Audrey Cotter, was an American actress best known for her role as the deadpan housewife Alice Kramden on the 1950s American television comedy The Honeymooners. Meadows was the only cast member of The Honeymooners to earn residual royalties after the "'Classic 39" episodes of the show from 1955 to 1956 started airing in reruns.
Meadows' residuals had little to do with her star power and more to do with the foresight of her brother, Edward, a lawyer. When Meadows was negotiating her contract with CBS, her brother advised her to include a residual clause in the contract because he believed that reruns of the show would become valuable. As a result, Meadows earned millions of dollars from reruns of The Honeymooners, making her a millionaire.
At the time, residuals and royalties were uncommon in the television industry as it was still relatively new. When Jackie Gleason, the star of The Honeymooners, signed a deal with CBS in the 1950s, it was the largest television contract in history. However, Gleason had to pay for all production costs, including the salaries of his co-stars. While the exact amounts are not known, it is believed that Meadows earned around $2,000 per week for her work on the series, while other cast members earned less.
Meadows' character, Alice, became strongly associated with her, and she reprised the role on other shows, including The Steve Allen Show and The Jack Benny Program. In addition to her success on The Honeymooners, Meadows earned four Primetime Emmy nominations for her television work, winning one for The Jackie Gleason Show. She also had a successful career outside of acting, serving as a director for the First National Bank of Denver and as an advisory director for Continental Airlines.
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She was initially rejected for the role for being too chic and pretty
In the early 1950s, it was uncommon to see women in Hollywood making large sums of money, especially when standing next to a male leading co-star. However, Audrey Meadows, an American actress born in 1922, became one of the few exceptions to this norm. Meadows is best known for her role as the deadpan housewife Alice Kramden on the 1950s American television comedy The Honeymooners. She portrayed the iconic character of Alice Kramden with such finesse that the character became more associated with her than with other actresses who played the same role.
Meadows' journey to landing the role of Alice Kramden was not straightforward. She initially auditioned for the role but was rejected for being "too chic and pretty". However, Meadows was determined to land the part and altered her appearance for her next audition. She submitted a photo of herself looking plain and drab and ultimately won the role. Meadows' perseverance paid off, and she went on to achieve great success with The Honeymooners, becoming a millionaire in the process.
The show's producers, including Jackie Gleason, initially believed that Meadows looked "too pretty" to play the role of Alice Kramden. To address this, Meadows returned to the audition dressed down, with no makeup, wearing an old dress, and her hair unfixed. Her strategy worked, and she was selected for the role, unbeknownst to the producers that she was the same woman who had previously auditioned. This anecdote showcases Meadows' quick thinking and dedication to landing the part.
Meadows' talent and hard work earned her widespread recognition and numerous accolades. She received four Primetime Emmy nominations for her television work, winning one for The Jackie Gleason Show. In addition to her success with The Honeymooners, Meadows also appeared in feature films and worked with Dean Martin on his television variety shows and celebrity roasts. She later returned to situation comedy in the 1980s, playing the mother-in-law on Too Close for Comfort.
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She reprised her role as Alice on other shows
Audrey Meadows joined the cast of The Honeymooners in 1955, and her role as Alice Kramden made her a very rich woman. She earned around $1,000 per episode, and with about 39 episodes, that was a lot of money for a small star. Meadows was the only member of the Honeymooners cast to earn residual royalties after the "Classic 39" episodes of the show from 1955 to 1956 started airing in reruns. Her brother Edward, a lawyer, had inserted a clause into her original contract, which entitled her to payment if the shows were re-broadcast, earning her millions of dollars.
Meadows reprised her role as Alice Kramden on other shows, including a man-on-the-street interview for The Steve Allen Show, where Steve Allen was her brother-in-law. She also played Alice in a parody sketch on The Jack Benny Program. Meadows returned to play Alice after a long hiatus when Gleason produced occasional Honeymooners specials in the 1970s.
In addition to her work on The Honeymooners, Meadows had a diverse career in television, film, and business. She appeared in a 1960 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents titled "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat", one of the 17 episodes in the 10-year series directed by Hitchcock himself, and a rare light-hearted one. She also worked with Dean Martin on his television variety shows and celebrity roasts. In the 1980s, Meadows returned to situation comedy, playing the mother-in-law on Too Close for Comfort. She guest-starred on The Red Skelton Show and voiced the role of Bea Simmons, Grandpa Simpson's girlfriend, in an episode of The Simpsons. Her last work was on the sitcom Dave's World, in which she played Kenny's mother.
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She earned millions of dollars for her role
In the early 1950s, it was uncommon to see women in Hollywood earning large sums of money, especially when standing next to a male leading co-star. However, Audrey Meadows, who played Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners, became a millionaire from her role. Meadows and her co-star, Jackie Gleason, signed a deal in 1955 where they would make well over one million dollars during a three-year period. Meadows herself noted that this was "more money than [she] ever thought [she'd] see as long as [she] lived".
There were a few factors that contributed to Meadows's high earnings. Firstly, her brother Edward, a lawyer, had inserted a clause into her original contract that ensured she would be paid if the shows were re-broadcast, resulting in residual royalties. This clause earned her millions of dollars, especially as she was the only member of the Honeymooners cast to earn residuals after the "Classic 39" episodes of the show from 1955 to 1956 started airing in reruns. Secondly, the fact that The Honeymooners had half-hour episodes meant that Meadows could work less for more money. While exact amounts are hard to pinpoint, it is believed that Meadows earned around $2,000 per week for her work on the series, a significant sum at the time.
In addition to her earnings from The Honeymooners, Meadows also had success in other areas of her career. She earned four Primetime Emmy nominations for her television work, winning one for The Jackie Gleason Show. She also had a successful career outside of acting, serving as the director of the First National Bank of Denver for 11 years and as an advisory director of Continental Airlines from 1961 to 1981. She was actively involved in the airline's marketing programs, including the design of uniforms and aircraft interiors. Meadows also published her memoirs, Love, Alice: My Life As A Honeymooner, in 1994, two years before her death in 1996.
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Frequently asked questions
Audrey Meadows joined the cast of The Honeymooners in the 1950s when the show became a half-hour situation comedy on CBS.
Meadows played the character of Alice Kramden, the wife of Jackie Gleason's character.
In 1955, Meadows and her co-star Jackie Gleason signed a deal to make over one million dollars over a three-year period.
