Between the ages of 0 and 4, my two favorite shows were, inexplicably, I Love Lucy and the Honeymooners. No one in my family knows why I was drawn to these pioneering sitcoms over programming more suited to my demographic. Or why I preferred these particular black-and-white shows over honorable others like Dick Van Dyke. Or if I even understood what I was watching.
What they did know is that I was comfortable watching Lucy get in and out of every scenario imaginable but needed to hold someone's hand for the first 30 seconds of each
Honeymooners episode. Here's why: In the opening credits, there is a depiction of Ralph Kramden's face - bearing an ear-to-ear grin - projected onto the moon. For whatever reason, that image was "hide under the covers" scary to me.
In New York, WPIX Channel 11- currently the CW, formerly the WB - shows a Honeymooners marathon on New Year's Day and has been doing so for as long as I remember. Every 30 minutes is a chance to face my fear, which is both thrilling and terrifying. I can't remember the
exact moment I got over Gleason's face - if I ever truly did - but I remember to respect it. And to respect the moon. And Alice.
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