User Reviews

Ralph becomes irate when Ed seems more friendly with his foreman than with him. This leads to big time jealousy and a falling out. Ralph refuses to have anything to do with his former best friend. There are several hilarious scenes, especially involving a ring that Ralph put on his own finger (which was to be a gift to the foreman). In a great line, Ralph asks if they have any lard and Alice replies, "I know where there's about 300 pounds of it. Anyway, circumstances cause Norton to be in a hospital and things get pretty weird from there.

The first half is hilarious. Ralph thinks a ring Norton bought for his foreman at work is for him. After all, it does say "For My Pal", so who else could it be for. But then he finds out the truth—trouble is he's already slipped it on a pudgy finger and can't get it off. So not only does Ralph feel betrayed by Norton, but in the process has ruined his buddy's plan for a formal presentation to the foreman. The second half is getting them back together and sentiment replaces a lot of the first-half laughs. But then the series succeeded on heart as well as funny-bone.

It's really hard to say enough about Audrey Meadows as Gleason's "straight man". Without her steadfast down-to-earth presence to play against, his blustery antics would not get the contrast that hypes them. How she can keep a dead-pan expression in the face of his antics is a real tribute to her talent. I expect she broke up after many a 'take'. Anyway, she's on good display here along with the rest of the classic cast.