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Joyce Randolph

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Joyce Randolph
Randolph in The Honeymooners (1955)
Born
Joyce Sirola

(1924-10-21)October 21, 1924
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedJanuary 13, 2024(2024-01-13) (aged 99)
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1943–2000
Spouse
Richard Lincoln Charles
​
​
(m. 1955; died 1997)​
Children1
RelativesTim Redding (grandnephew)
Signature

Joyce Randolph (née Sirola;[1] October 21, 1924 – January 13, 2024) was an American actress of stage and television, best known for playing Trixie Norton on The Jackie Gleason Show and the television sitcom The Honeymooners.

Early life and career

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Randolph was born in Detroit on October 21, 1924, and was of Finnish descent.[2][3][4] As a teenager, she acted with the Wayne University Workshop. After she finished high school, she began working in retail sales for a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Detroit. When a touring company of Stage Door played in Detroit, she auditioned, got a part, and performed for the rest of the tour.[5] She moved to New York City in 1943 to pursue an acting career. She took roles on Broadway and landed various television roles.[4]

In 1951, she was seen in a Clorets commercial by Jackie Gleason and was asked to appear in a skit on Cavalcade of Stars, Gleason's variety show on the DuMont Television Network. Soon after, she was cast as Trixie in The Honeymooners.[4] Several New York columnists referred to her as the "Garbo of Detroit". "That's still a mystery ... I was a nobody in Detroit. Why Garbo? Well, she was Scandinavian—and so was I", responded Randolph.[4]

The Honeymooners

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Cast of The Honeymooners in 1955; Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton, Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden and Joyce Randolph as Trixie Norton

Randolph originally portrayed Trixie in skits on The Jackie Gleason Show and The Honeymooners, which included Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton, Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden, and Randolph as Thelma "Trixie" Norton.[6][7] In a September 2015 interview, Randolph said that she did not portray Trixie Norton in Honeymooners revivals due to personal and geographic reasons; in addition, Randolph stated that Gleason considered her to be "the quintessential Trixie."[8]

Randolph in 1955

Randolph said that asking Gleason to give her more lines was out of the question. "You don't even talk to Jackie, let alone ask for anything," Randolph said. "He didn't talk much, and he didn't like to rehearse much." Randolph talked about a hectic workload for filming the show, with getting all 39 episodes shot within a calendar year. Though she stated there was not much conversation among cast members, everyone showed up on Saturdays to film the show in front of a live studio audience.[9]

Other stage and TV roles

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On Broadway, Randolph appeared in Ladies Night in a Turkish Bath (1950).[10] Randolph was typecast after leaving The Jackie Gleason Show and seldom found other acting roles. "For years after that role," Randolph said, "directors would say: 'No, we can't use her. She's too well known as Trixie.'"[11] She performed in summer stock musicals, made commercials, and had a few guest appearances on television shows, including her reprisal of Trixie Norton (along with Audrey Meadows reprising her role as Alice Kramden) in the 1991 episode "Fur Flies" in Hi Honey, I'm Home!.

Personal life

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Randolph in 2006

Randolph was the grand-aunt of former Major League Baseball pitcher Tim Redding.[12]

Death

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Randolph was the last surviving cast member of The Honeymooners.[6] She died of natural causes at age 99 at home in Manhattan's Upper West Side on January 13, 2024.[13][1]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1952–1957 The Jackie Gleason Show Thelma "Trixie" Norton
1955–1956 The Honeymooners Thelma "Trixie" Norton
1991 Hi Honey, I'm Home! Thelma "Trixie" Norton

References

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  1. ^ a b "'The Honeymooners' star Joyce Randolph, who played Trixie Norton, dies at 99". AP News. January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "'The Honeymooners' Star Joyce Randolph Turns 97". Forbes. October 21, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  3. ^ "Randolph, Joyce". The Lambs, Inc. December 28, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Collins, Glenn (January 27, 2007). "For TV's Trixie, the Honeymoon Lives On". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  5. ^ Merwin, Gregory (February 1956). "Truly a 'Honeymooner'". TV Radio Mirror. 45 (3): 68–69, 102–103.
  6. ^ a b "Happy 91st birthday to Joyce Randolph, Trixie Norton of The Honeymooners". MeTV. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 521. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  8. ^ "JOYCE RANDOLPH 2015 INTERVIEW: Jackie Gleason / Honeymooners / Ripper the Clown Podcast". YouTube. September 14, 2015. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  9. ^ Niemietz, Brian (January 16, 2021). "'Honeymooners' star Joyce Randolph gives her approval to pandemic era series 'The Honeyzoomers'". Daily News. New York. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  10. ^ "Joyce Randolph". Internet Broadway Database\. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Miller, Bryan (February 6, 1994). "Trixie and Alice stuck in Endless TV honeymoon". Wisconsin State Journal. Wisconsin, Madison. The New York Times. p. 9 F. Retrieved March 12, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Noble, Marty (January 22, 2009). "Rose over the 'Moon about Redding; New Mets pitcher sure to provide lots of material for broadcasts". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  13. ^ Barnes, Mike (January 14, 2024). "Joyce Randolph, Trixie on 'The Honeymooners,' Dies at 99". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
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