Better Living Through TV

Infobox Television episode
Title =Better Living Through TV
Series =The Honeymooners


Caption =A petrified Ralph watches Norton breeze through a can opening demonstration.
Season =1
Episode =7
Airdate =November 12, 1955
Production =n/a
Writer =Marvin Marx and Walter Stone
Director =Frank Satenstein
Guests =
Episode list =
Prev =The Sleepwalker
Next =Pal O' Mine

Better Living Through TV is the 7th episode of the TV series The Honeymooners. Ralph and Norton try their luck pitching an all-in-one kitchen utensil on late-night TV.

Plot

Ralph believes he finally has found his perfect get-rich-quick scheme. He bought a product from someone at the Bus Depot, which is an all-in-one kitchen utensil: it slices, it dices, it opens cans. Actually, he didn't buy just one - he bought the whole box the man was selling, a 1,000 of them. His plan is to go on Late Night TV, place an ad for the utensils, and get rich from the profits. Alice, as usual, is very skeptical and refuses to have any part of this whatsoever, but Ralph is determined to prove her wrong.

Teaming up with Norton, Ralph and Norton go over the commercial they're going to make themselves. Norton would greet everyone "out there in TV land", and complain about needing so much time to do simple tasks. Ralph would then come in from a side door, announcing himself as "The chef of the future." Ralph would show how the same tasks Norton does can be done so much quicker with their utensil.

Everything goes fine, until they're informed that they'll be going on the air in a couple of minutes. Suddenly, Ralph gets panic striken at the thought of going on live to millions of people across America. Norton, on the other hand, remains calm, even saying, "Testing, 1, 2, 3, testing; how now brown cow?" Once the commercial starts, Ralph nervously walks out to the kitchen - then runs back in to the side door, before being pushed back out again. Norton nails all his lines perfectly, but Ralph stammers through his "Ch..ch..chef of the future!" Then when it comes time to show how quick the utensil is compared to other tools, they start by coring an apple - except that Norton is able to core an apple in a couple of seconds, while Ralph requires a lot of time (and needing to practically cut the apple open) to do the same thing. Ralph then nervously tries to open a can with the utensil, but winds up hitting his thumb instead and running around the kitchen stage, screaming and running into part of the set, causing it to fall after Norton quickly gives the number where they can call for the utensil, before yelling over Ralph's screams, "And now back to Charlie Chan!"

Facts

*Original airdate: November 12, 1955
*Themes: Scheme; Ralph Vs. Alice; Ralph Is Fat; Ralph Vs. the World

Quotes

Norton: Tell me, O Chef of the Future, can it core a [sic] apple?
Ralph: Ohhh, it can core a apple.

Norton: I wish that someone would invent a household utensil that would do the work of all of these... am I coming through out there?

Ralph: $2,000, Alice, that's big, big, big! This is probably the biggest thing I ever got into.
Alice: The biggest thing you ever got into was your pants.

Norton: If my wife Trixie is watching this and when I come home she says, "I told you so," I'm gonna belt her right in the mouth!

Ralph: "(to Norton)" I wish you'd stop talking like that, nervous. You're gonna get yourself all Norton.

Ralph: Nobody's 100%, Alice.
Alice: You are. You've been wrong every time.

Trixie: Do you have to smoke that cigar?
Norton: Please? It's the only link left with the old me.

Ralph: Just remember, you can't put your arms around a memory.
Alice: I can't even put my arms around you.

Norton: And now, back to Charlie Chan!

Ralph: Tin Can, ha-ha.