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Art Carney on the realism of The Honeymooners
"People accepted us that way," said the actor.
Surprisingly enough, while Art Carney was a bold and daring actor, he was notably shy and introverted in person. “Whatever I’ve done in this business, I’ve done from instinct and from watching other people and learning,” said the actor during an interview with the Copley News Service. “I’m very Irish, which means I’ve got sentiment and humor. But I’m a very private guy. I’ve always got to have a character to play. I could never, ever, go out there and be Art Carney. I always know the character I’m playing. But I’m not sure, really, who Art Carney is.”
Despite this identity crisis, Carney assured audiences that the reason a series like The Honeymooners was so successful was that audiences could recognize the characters. You either are Ralph Kramden, or you know a Ralph Kramden.
“We were believable in what we did, Jackie Gleason and me,” said the actor. “He was Ralph Kramden, the bus driver, and I was Ed Norton, the guy down in the sewer, and people accepted us that way in The Honeymooners.”
Of course, this speaks to the talent of the cast, but also the excellent writing of The Honeymooners. Carney said that audiences seemed to understand the sitcom as something much greater than a work of fiction. “People just didn’t think we were acting,” said the actor. I didn’t know what they thought we were doing, but they just never thought of it as acting.”
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