In 1962 and 1963, Jackie Gleason hosted a variety show called The American Scene Magazine, which was basically the same as every Jackie Gleason variety show — same characters, same running bits, same catch phrases. The main change from Gleason's earlier shows was that Art Carney was not a regular and that Frank Fontaine was, usually playing his mentally-challenged character, Crazy Guggenheim. This is a Joe the Bartender sketch…and they all went pretty much like this one, except that later on, they'd end by have Crazy sing a serious song…and Fontaine would inexplicably drop the idiot voice and character to do so.
This sketch is kinda funny because they get to talking about the movie, The Hustler, in which Gleason had recently appeared. And get a load of the great reading that one of the "Glea Girls" (Jackie's coterie of lovely models) gives the opening. Do we think this woman was hired for her ability to deliver a line? And awaaay we go…
