Joyce Randolph
Randolph in The Honeymooners in 1953
Born
Joyce Sirola

(1924-10-21) October 21, 1924
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1949–2000
Spouse
Richard Lincoln Charles
​
​
(m. 1955; died 1997)​
Children1
RelativesTim Redding (grandnephew)
Signature

Joyce Randolph (née Sirola; October 21, 1924) is an American retired actress, best known for playing Trixie Norton on the television sitcom The Honeymooners.

Early life and career

Randolph was born in Detroit, Michigan, on October 21, 1924, and she is of Finnish descent.[1][2][3] 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.[4] She moved to New York City in 1943 to pursue an acting career. She took roles on Broadway and landed various television roles.[3]

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.[3] 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.[3]

The Honeymooners

Randolph is the last surviving cast member of The Honeymooners[5] which included Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton, Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden, and Randolph as Thelma "Trixie" Norton.

Randolph also portrayed Trixie in skits on The Jackie Gleason Show.[6] 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."[7]

As claimed by Randolph, 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.” Joyce 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 between cast members, everyone showed up on Saturdays to film the show in front of a live studio audience.[8]

Other career

On Broadway, Randolph appeared in Ladies Night in a Turkish Bath (1950).[9] After she became identified with the Norton character, she seldom found other parts. "For years after that role," Randolph said, "directors would say: 'No, we can't use her. She's too well known as Trixie."[10] She performed in summer stock musicals, made commercials, and had a few guest appearances on TV 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

Randolph in 2006

Randolph married Richard Lincoln Charles, a wealthy marketing executive, on October 2, 1955, the day after The Honeymooners premiered. Richard Charles died in 1997 at age 74. Their son, Randolph Richard Charles (born 1960), is a marketing executive.[3]

She is the grand-aunt of former Major League Baseball pitcher Tim Redding.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "'The Honeymooners' Star Joyce Randolph Turns 97". Forbes. October 21, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Randolph, Joyce". The Lambs, Inc. December 28, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Collins, Glenn (January 27, 2007). "For TV's Trixie, the Honeymoon Lives On". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  4. ↑ Merwin, Gregory (February 1956). "Truly a 'Honeymooner'". TV Radio Mirror. 45 (3): 68–69, 102–103.
  5. ↑ "Happy 91st birthday to Joyce Randolph, Trixie Norton of The Honeymooners". MeTV. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "JOYCE RANDOLPH 2015 INTERVIEW: Jackie Gleason / Honeymooners / Ripper the Clown Podcast". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ Niemietz, Brian. "'Honeymooners' star Joyce Randolph gives her approval to pandemic era series 'The Honeyzoomers'". nydailynews.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Joyce Randolph". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ 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.
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