The first broadcast was October 1, 1955 with the episode, "TV or Not TV".  After the first Honeymooners episode was broadcast The New York Times said, "An event not likely to worry Frank Sinatra or Dinah Shore.  It was a labored sketch, by no means up to Jackie's best..."

Production costs were reported at upwards of $75,000 for each episode of 'the Honeymooners'.  What is really amazing is that in the first two weeks of Gleason's new contract he filmed five Honeymooners' episodes, one episode of Stage Show, a guest spot on the Red Skelton Show and a Studio One production (based on one of Gleason's stories).  But as everyone knows by now after 39 episodes Gleason pulled the plug.  Gleason said later, "The excellence of the material could not be maintained and I had too much fondness for the show to cheapen it."

Jackie Gleason eventually sold the episodes to CBS.  Art Carney received residuals for a while but Randloph and Gleason didn't receive anything after selling to CBS.  Audrey Meadows may have been the only cast member who saw the potential of the show in the future (or maybe she had a really good manager).  Audrey collected residuals whenever the Honeymooners aired.  Now considering they've hardly not run an episode each week (or even nightly) in the NY/NJ area since 1955 this would seem a pretty good decision she made at the time.

The last of the 'live on film' episodes was performed September 22, 1956.  On September 29th the Jackie Gleason show returned to TV.  With it came more Honeymooners 'sketches' but the 1956-57 season would indeed be the last NY season to feature The Honeymooners.

Art Carney decided to leave the show to devote more time to other acting projects.

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