Alice didn't flinch because this was a TV show. In real life, if a man threatened a woman like this, she would be terrified. By the way, I remember being a child and watching this TV show, and never finding it funny. Even as a child, I did not like how he spoke to his wife and found it disturbing and intimidating.

@@MaryC-co8fm If she didn't know him, or knew his threats were real, then yes, she would. Alice *knows* her hubby, she knows he'd never raise a hand against her and makes the gesture out of childish frustration. That's why it's funny.

@@tacitus6384 I'm assuming that you are a man. Women are hard wired to be frightened by male aggression: whether it is a raised voice, a threatening posture, a verbal threat. Alice may not have been scared, but most women would be. I don't think it was cool back then to show threatening situations as funny and still don't. But, we can simply agree to disagree. It was a popular show back then so many people must have found it funny.

@@MaryC-co8fm Yeah and IRL most people won't get up to the zany things these guys do in this show. It wasn't a 'threatening situation', because we, the audience, knew he never would, she knew he never would, he even knew he never would. We were laughing at his childish frustration. I don't think your perspective is invalid, I just think that in the context in this show, everything was in alignment for his childish antics to be seen as amusing, because everyone knew she was in no danger, we were just laughing at him being a child.

Teko kuulle Acehnese-hana keumanusiaan mai on lui a initialement accordé de le récupérer han har ret til at forhindre andre i at tage det fra ham hij krijgt meer sporten op zijn ladder Omnes hic sunt incolumes

That's because she was an actress. In real life, a wife would have been scared to death if her husband threatened her like this.

I agree. The way he spoke to her wasn't funny at all and obnoxious.

I remember watching this show as a child. I didn't find it funny, and I was disturbed by Ralph's threatening his wife. Even as a child, I didn't like it. And it sure hasn't aged well now, in my opinion.

@@MaryC-co8fm I watched it as a child and had - and have - a very different reaction. In my opinion it’s aged impeccably well, multitudes better than so many shows following in its wake that have supposedly shown a “gentler” side of life. To each their own. You dislike it. I love it. Only goes to show that humor is relative.

@@spb7883 I was looking at Gleason's history. I think that the show reflected more of his own anger and frustration about life, rather than a social statement. His father deserted the family; his mother died when he was young because of something that he inadvertently did. He was left on his own, but determined to make it to the big time. He developed a reputation as a hot-head, smoked six packs of cigarettes a day, went from woman to woman. He had a love child by one lady while he was married. Many marriages and divorces. I think his own issues were what we saw on this show, rather than a reflection on the working class. My family was more working class, as were our friends, and I didn't see any of the men treat their women this way.

Right. Super obnoxious how he spoke to her.

I agree with you; it's mesmerizing.....she is mesmerizing