Freda Rosen, Actress on a Memorable Episode of 'The Honeymooners,' Dies at 87

hollywoodreporter.com ^ | September 23, 2016 | Mike Barns

[Morgana]

She portrayed Rita Wedemeyer, the glamorous new wife of Ralph's co-worker.

Freda Rosen, who as the blond bombshell Rita Wedemeyer is embarrassingly fawned over by Jackie Gleason and Art Carney on a classic episode of The Honeymooners, has died. She was 87.

A resident of Beverly Hills for more than 50 years, Rosen died Sunday, her family announced.

Her husband was TV writer Arnie Rosen, who won five Emmy Awards for his work on The Phil Silvers Show and The Carol Burnett Show. He died in 1980.

In The Honeymooners episode "Alice and the Blonde," which first aired in June 1956, Ralph (Gleason) and Ed (Carney) bring their wives (Audrey Meadows, Joyce Randolph) to the apartment of Ralph's co-worker, Bert Wedemeyer (Frank Behrens), for a rare couples' evening out.

[bimboeruption]

My favorite show of all time...

No swearing, no potty humor, no groping...How did they make us laugh so hard?

[W.]

They used their brains instead of showing their asses. And I remember the show first-run.

[JPG]

Rita Wedemeyer: We have pet names for eath other.
Ralph: Pet names for each other? Now, isn’t that cute. I betcha that was your idea.
Rita Wedemeyer: Yes, it was. Don’t you have certain names you like to call your husband?
Alice: Oh, I have several I’d love to call him.
Rita Wedemeyer: All you have to do is pick out your husband’s outstanding feature, and find a name that fits.
Alice: Oh, I see.
[to Ralph]
Alice: Isn’t that a good idea, Tubby?

[Fiddlstix]

.....How did they make us laugh so hard?

They were real entertainers. People with real talent.

[bimboeruption]

Me too...on my Grandma’s DuMont.

[bimboeruption]

A time when we could sit with the entire family, from the oldest to the youngest, and watch TV without being embarrassed by what we saw and heard on the screen.

[wally_bert]

I watch ME-TV and some of the other retro channels and TCM for just about all regular TV. As a rule the people on screen were better than than vast majority now.

[Mjaye]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH_5vmekOtY

[delchiante]

then if I recall,
there was a bang zoom under his breath to Alice, correct ?

[Morgana]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJbSWY-ZhMA

[Fiddlstix]

To The Moon, Alice!

[Fiddlstix]

Yes indeed.

[clintonh8r]

Me, too. And it’s still funny today.

[windcliff]

ping

[W.]

For me, it was 1959 in San Diego, watching Mother's little B/W 13" at the ripe old age of 3. I remember watching Sky King and The Untouchables, then, too, with Wal-ter Win-chell setting up the stories For Eliot Ness and the boys... Also Neville Brand as Capone. Brand was cool on Laredo, too, I loved that show!

[April Lexington]

Comic brilliance. I sorely miss the quality of life in those days when the dollar was strong and the United Sates ruled the world. We had it all...

[April Lexington]

or... comedic brilliance... you decide...

[April Lexington]

Truly a class act. In public and in private. RIP and thank you!

[April Lexington]

Post of the day... Post of the day... No swearing, no potty humor, no groping... How dd they make us laugh so hard... You nailed it. Talent vs the stuff on TV today. Remember Red Skelton thanking you for inviting HIM into YOUR living room? Classy people for sure...