Hartford, Nov 12: Art Carney, who played Jackie Gleason's sewer worker pal Ed Norton in the American TV classic ‘The Honeymooners' and went on to win the 1974 Oscar for best actor in ‘Harry and Tonto,’ has died at 85. Carney died in Chester, Connecticut, on Sunday and was buried yesterday after a small, private funeral. He had been ill for some time.
The comic actor would be forever identified as Norton, Ralph Kramden's bowling buddy and not-too-bright upstairs neighbour on ‘The Honeymooners.' the characters appeared in various forms from 1951 to 1956, and the show was revived briefly in 1971.
With his turned-up porkpie hat and unbuttoned vest over a white t-shirt, Carney's Ed Norton with his exuberant “Hey, Ralphie Boy!'' became an ideal foil for Gleason's blustery, bullying Kramden.
Carney won three Emmys for his role and his first taste of fame.
"The first time I saw the guy act," Gleason once said, "I knew I would have to work twice as hard for my laughs. He was funny as hell."
Bureau Report