Dial J for Janitor

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“Dial J for Janitor”
The Honeymooners episode
Ralph's stint as janitor ends with a bang.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 38
Written by	A.J. Russell and Herbert Finn
Directed by	Frank Satenstein
Guest stars	Luis van Rooten (Mr. Johnson)
Production no.	n/a
Original airdate	September 15, 1956
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "The Bensonhurst Bomber" "A Man's Pride"
List of The Honeymooners episodes

Dial J for Janitor is the 38th episode of the TV series The Honeymooners. Ralph decides to save some money by becoming the new building janitor - but quickly finds out there's more to the job than he thought. The title is a parody of the Alfred Hitchcock film Dial M for Murder.

[edit] Plot

The hot water is out again in the Kramden household, and Ralph gets fed up with the janitor being so slow in repairing things around the building. When Ralph talks to the super about it, he informs Ralph that they need to get a new janitor. Whoever takes the job will get free rent and a small fee. Ralph thinks he finally found the solution to his money problems - he'll be a janitor during his off-work hours, and this way he'll be pulling in two salaries and living rent-free.

Despite Alice's worries about being able to handle two jobs at once, Ralph soon has a board installed in the apartment. With it, people can call him and let him know what needs to be fixed. In this manner, he'll be more efficient than if he were to wait for people to yell out the window what they needed.

One big drawback with the new switchboard is the loud buzzing sound it gives off when people call the apartment. However, it quickly becomes obvious that besides the loud, annoying buzz, the main problem is that people keep calling him at all hours of the day and night, asking for him to fix their apartments. One morning, Ralph decides to go downstairs to the basement before work, to release a valve on a pipe to let water through. However, as he tries to wedge his way in to reach the valve, he soon becomes stuck! Norton exclaims, "I think this is a situation where the spirit is willing but flesh is just too much!" Eventually, the police and firemen are called in to get Ralph out - thus ending his stint as the building janitor. Eventually, Norton takes his place as the janitor.

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• In some scenes Ralph is wearing a hat from Martin Paint. Martin Paint was a local New York City paint store franchise for many years.

• There is a miscue on the sound effect of the telephone buzzer on the new janitor phone installed in the wall in Ralph's apartment and Gleason has to ad-lib by hitting the phone with the palm of his hand.