Second Bananas: An Appealing Bunch
We’ve cherry-picked 10 classic TV pairings that made unforgettable fruit salads
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Courtesy Everett Collection
Ed Norton
En español | Would Ralph Kramden have killed in The Honeymooners without classic sidekick Ed Norton? “The chemistry was there right from the beginning,” Art Carney recalled on pal Jackie Gleason’s death in 1987. Even when teaching Gleason to dance “The Hucklebuck” or “address” a golf ball, Art gave Jackie the spotlight.
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CBS via Getty Images
Ethel Mertz
“Holy Man Friday, Batman!” The screamingly obvious conclusions reached by Adam West’s Batman were hailed as brilliant deductions by Burt Ward’s Robin. Guess which actor got paid minimum wage — and had to do his own dangerous stunts?
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ZUMA Press, Inc. /Alamy
Robin
The physical mismatch alone told you panicky Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife (Don Knotts) was playing second fiddle to his poised sheriff (Andy Griffith) on The Andy Griffith Show. Barney would knock off his own hat when saluting, making you relieved he was allotted just one bullet. “Aw, shucks, Andy!”
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Corbis
Rhoda Morgenstern
Sanford and Son was driven by an inside joke: Fred Sanford (comedian Redd Foxx) was the petulant child (“You big dummy!”), while his son Lamont (Demond Wilson) was the hardworking adult who kept him out of trouble. And it worked beautifully; sometimes the best sidekick makes a top banana look perfectly rotten.
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Hulton Archive / Stringer/Getty Images
Barney Fife
Barbara Feldon’s cool Agent 99 made Don Adams look like a stumblebum as Agent 86 on Get Smart. It could have been her cute pixie cut, or her eye-rolling at Max’s latest idiocy. But would you believe it was actually her voice? 99’s honey-throated purr ideally offset Max’s grating squawk.
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NBC via Getty Images
Lamont Sanford
En español | Would Ralph Kramden have killed in The Honeymooners without classic sidekick Ed Norton? “The chemistry was there right from the beginning,” Art Carney recalled on pal Jackie Gleason’s death in 1987. Even when teaching Gleason to dance “The Hucklebuck” or “address” a golf ball, Art gave Jackie the spotlight.
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Castle Rock Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection
George Costanza
En español | Would Ralph Kramden have killed in The Honeymooners without classic sidekick Ed Norton? “The chemistry was there right from the beginning,” Art Carney recalled on pal Jackie Gleason’s death in 1987. Even when teaching Gleason to dance “The Hucklebuck” or “address” a golf ball, Art gave Jackie the spotlight.
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Photos 12 / Alamy
Agent 99
En español | Would Ralph Kramden have killed in The Honeymooners without classic sidekick Ed Norton? “The chemistry was there right from the beginning,” Art Carney recalled on pal Jackie Gleason’s death in 1987. Even when teaching Gleason to dance “The Hucklebuck” or “address” a golf ball, Art gave Jackie the spotlight.
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Courtesy Everett Collection
Timmy Martin
En español | Would Ralph Kramden have killed in The Honeymooners without classic sidekick Ed Norton? “The chemistry was there right from the beginning,” Art Carney recalled on pal Jackie Gleason’s death in 1987. Even when teaching Gleason to dance “The Hucklebuck” or “address” a golf ball, Art gave Jackie the spotlight.
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ABC via Getty Images
Barney Rubble
En español | Would Ralph Kramden have killed in The Honeymooners without classic sidekick Ed Norton? “The chemistry was there right from the beginning,” Art Carney recalled on pal Jackie Gleason’s death in 1987. Even when teaching Gleason to dance “The Hucklebuck” or “address” a golf ball, Art gave Jackie the spotlight.
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En español | Would Ralph Kramden have killed in The Honeymooners without classic sidekick Ed Norton? “The chemistry was there right from the beginning,” Art Carney recalled on pal Jackie Gleason’s death in 1987. Even when teaching Gleason to dance “The Hucklebuck” or “address” a golf ball, Art gave Jackie the spotlight.
