In the early 1950s, Jackie Gleason hosted a variety
show, originally titled Cavalcade of Stars on the DuMont
Television Network, before moving to CBS in 1952 as The Jackie
Gleason Show. The versatile, rotund comedian was already
renowned for his clever recurring characters, but the most
popular proved to be himself as a blustery Brooklyn bus driver
named Ralph Kramden, who was always devising one or another
scheme to get rich quick, aided and abetted by his dim-witted,
sewer worker pal Ed Norton, played by Art
Carney.
Art Carney also had many screen and stage roles, including the
portrayal on Broadway of Felix Unger in The Odd Couple (opposite
Walter Matthau as Oscar). He was nominated for seven Emmy
Awards.
Carney had been a busy radio actor before being drafted as an
infantryman during World War II. He participated in the Battle of
Normandy and was wounded in the leg by shrapnel. He walked with a
limp for the rest of his life.
In 1974 he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance
as an elderly man going on the road with his pet
cat in Harry and Tonto.
Although he retired in the late 1980s, he remerged in 1993 to make
a small cameo in the Arnold Schwarzenegger flop
Last Action Hero as Schwarzenegger's second cousin Frank who is
tortured by the movie's main villain.
Carney died at his home of natural causes five days after his 85th
birthday in Westbrook, Connecticut; he was survived by his widow
and children.
Guarding against the typical stereotype and
creating characters that stuck to his forte,
Carney managed to develop into the kind of actor that brought life
and entertainment to his audience. His magnetic
personality attratced millions of viewers to any production he lent
his talents to.
The cache is located just east of the Dallas City Water Treatment
plant and there is parking available not too far away. Of course,
depending on which way the wind is blowing, you may want to
approach this from a different angle.
Coordinates were determined with a WAAS enabled Garmin eTrex
Legend Cx averaged over a 4 minute span to an accuracy of 5.0'.
