George Boyle
Audrey Meadows, born Audrey Cotter in 1922 in China, was an American actress best known for her role as the deadpan, tart-tongued housewife Alice Kramden on the 1950s American television comedy The Honeymooners. Meadows joined The Honeymooners in 1955, replacing Pert Kelton as Alice Kramden, whose bus driver husband, Ralph, threatened her weekly with a fist-propelled trip to the moon. 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.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of joining The Honeymooners | 1955 |
| Role | Alice Kramden |
| Replaced | Pert Kelton |
| Year of death | 1996 |
| Age at death | 71 |
| Cause of death | Lung cancer |
| Year of publishing memoir | 1994 |
| Title of memoir | Love, Alice: My Life As A Honeymooner |
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What You'll Learn
Audrey Meadows replaced Pert Kelton as Alice Kramden in 1955
Pert Kelton was the original actor to play Alice Kramden in The Honeymooners comedy sketches on the DuMont Television Network's Cavalcade of Stars. These sketches formed the basis for the 1955 sitcom The Honeymooners. However, Kelton was abruptly dropped from her role due to being blacklisted, and her producers explained that her departure was based on alleged heart problems.
Meadows continued to play the role of Alice Kramden in the Classic 39 episodes of the show from 1955 to 1956. She was the only member of the Honeymooners cast to earn residual royalties when these episodes started airing in reruns, as 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.
Meadows returned to play Alice in the 1970s when Gleason produced occasional Honeymooners specials.
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She was initially rejected by Jackie Gleason for being too glamorous
Audrey Meadows was an American actress who portrayed the iconic role of Alice Kramden, Ralph's wife, in the 1950s American television comedy The Honeymooners. She was the younger sister of Hollywood leading lady Jayne Meadows.
When Meadows first auditioned for the part of Alice Kramden, Jackie Gleason rejected her, saying she was too pretty to be believable as Ralph's wife. Determined to get the part, Meadows submitted a photo of herself the next day in which she looked much plainer. She wore frumpy clothes, no makeup, and had her hair unfixed, aiming for a generally world-weary attitude.
Gleason, not recognizing the woman in the photo as Audrey Meadows, told his producers that she was "Alice" and to find her. When he found out it was indeed Meadows, he said that any actress that determined to get the part deserved it, and he hired her. Meadows played a dumpy and sweet and sensitive housewife Alice to Gleason's lumpen Ralph. The character of Alice became more associated with Meadows than with the others who played her, and she reprised her role as Alice on other shows as well.
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 that ensured she would be paid if the shows were re-broadcast, earning her millions of dollars.
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Meadows was the only cast member to earn residual royalties
Audrey Meadows, the actor who portrayed Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners, is considered one of the first actors to receive residual payments for her work. She is also believed to be the only cast member who earned residuals for reruns, including the show's star, Jackie Gleason. Meadows' brother, Edward, a lawyer, advised her to have a residual clause written into her contract with CBS, as he believed that reruns of the show would become valuable. This clause entitled Meadows to residual royalties after the "Classic 39" episodes of the show from 1955 to 1956 started airing in reruns, earning her millions of dollars.
The residual payments earned Meadows far more money than she made for her initial appearances on the show. Residuals and royalties were uncommon at the time, as television was still a relatively new medium. When Jackie Gleason signed a deal with CBS in the 1950s, it was the largest television contract in history, but he had to pay for all production costs, including his co-stars' salaries. While exact figures are hard to determine, it is estimated that Meadows earned around $2,000 per week for her work on the series, while Joyce Randolph, another cast member, is believed to have earned about $500 per week.
Meadows' portrayal of Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners made her the most famous and best-loved actor in that role. She received four Primetime Emmy nominations for her television work, winning one for The Jackie Gleason Show. Meadows' association with the character of Alice was so strong that she reprised the role on other shows, such as The Steve Allen Show and The Jack Benny Program.
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She earned four Primetime Emmy nominations for her television work
Audrey Meadows earned four Primetime Emmy nominations for her television work, with one win for The Jackie Gleason Show. She was nominated for her work on The Honeymooners for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (then for "In a Regular Series") at the 8th Primetime Emmy Awards. However, she lost to Nanette Fabray in Caesar's Hour.
Meadows replaced Pert Kelton as Alice Kramden, the long-suffering wife of Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners. She 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 was so perfect for the role that she became more associated with Alice than the other actresses who played her. She 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.
Meadows was initially rejected for the role of Alice Kramden by Jackie Gleason, who said she was "too pretty" to be believable as Ralph's wife. Determined to land the part, Meadows submitted photos of herself in frumpy clothes and no makeup, looking much plainer. This time, Gleason did not recognize her and told his producers that she was "Alice" and to find her. When he found out it was Meadows, he hired her, saying that any actress that determined to get the part deserved it.
In addition to her work on The Honeymooners and The Jackie Gleason Show, Meadows appeared in a 1960 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents titled "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat", one of 17 episodes in the 10-year series directed by Hitchcock himself. She also starred in feature films, including That Touch of Mink (1962) and Take Her, She's Mine (1963). Later in her career, she returned to situation comedy, playing Ted Knight's mother-in-law in the 1980s sitcom Too Close for Comfort from 1982 to 1985.
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Meadows passed away from lung cancer in 1996
Audrey Meadows, the revered actress who played the iconic role of Alice Kramden in the classic sitcom "The Honeymooners", passed away from lung cancer on February 3, 1996, just five days before her 74th birthday.
Meadows' death came after a year-long battle with the disease, which she had kept concealed, even from her close relatives. The actress, a longtime smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1995 and was given a year to live. She chose to decline any treatment other than palliative care and died peacefully after slipping into a coma.
Meadows' portrayal of the feisty, working-class housewife Alice Kramden opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph in "The Honeymooners" cemented her place in the pantheon of television comedy's greats. She was the second actress to play Alice, and her performance became so associated with the character that she reprised the role on other shows, including a man-on-the-street interview for "The Steve Allen Show" and a parody sketch on "The Jack Benny Program".
Beyond "The Honeymooners", Meadows had a diverse career in television and film. She earned four Primetime Emmy nominations for her work, winning once for "The Jackie Gleason Show". She appeared in films such as "That Touch of Mink" (1962) and "Take Her, She's Mine" (1963), and later in her career, she played Ted Knight's mother-in-law in the 1980s sitcom "Too Close for Comfort". In addition to her acting, Meadows served as the first female director of the First National Bank of Denver for 11 years and was an advisory director of Continental Airlines from 1961 to 1981, contributing to various marketing programs.
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Frequently asked questions
Audrey Meadows joined The Honeymooners in 1955, replacing Pert Kelton as Alice Kramden.
Meadows joined The Honeymooners because Jackie Gleason deemed her a better fit for the role of a working-class Brooklyn housewife than Pert Kelton.
Meadows was a singer and a USO performer during World War II. She also worked in television and on Broadway before joining The Honeymooners.
