On This Day in History, February 26: ‘The Great One’ — Jackie Gleason
On Feb. 26, 1916, Herbert John Gleason was born in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. He attended P.S. 73 and played ball in the P.S. 137 schoolyard. His high school was John Adams. He was known to hang out in Saratoga Park.
At the beginning of the 1940s, Gleason played a few small roles as comic relief in such films as Navy Blues (‘41), Orchestra Wives (‘42) and Springtime in the Rockies (‘42). He couldn’t get the good parts he wanted in films so he deserted Hollywood for a career in other media.
Television proved a bonanza for Gleason, including the series “The Life of Riley,” in which Gleason played a Brooklyn character, Chester A. Riley. The “Jackie Gleason Show” became a top comedy show on the tube. It led to the spin-off series “The Honeymooners” from 1955-56.