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Carney was a comic singer with the Horace Heidt orchestra. He began his film career in 1941 with an uncredited role in Pot o` Gold, a feature film starring James Stewart and Paulette Goddard, playing -- naturally enough -- a member of Heidt`s band. Carney, a gifted mimic, made most of his living on radio, playing character roles and impersonating celebrities. In 1941 he was the house comic on the dance-band-remote series, Matinee at Meadowbrook. One of his radio roles during the 1940s was the fish Red Lantern on Land of the Lost. In 1943 he played Billy Oldham on Joe and Ethel Turp, based on Damon Runyon stories. He appeared on The Henry Morgan Show in 1946-47. He impersonated FDR on The March of Time and Dwight D. Eisenhower on Living 1948. In 1950-51 he played Montague`s father on The Magnificent Montague. He was a supporting player on Casey, Crime Photographer and Gang Busters. As Charlie the doorman on The Morey Amsterdam Show (on both radio and TV in 1948-50), he uttered the catchphrase, "Ya know what I mean?"
In 1950 Jackie Gleason was starring in a New York-based comedy-variety series, Cavalcade of Stars, and played many different characters. One regular character was Charlie Bratten, a lunchroom loudmouth who insisted on spoiling a neighboring patron`s meal. Art Carney, established in New York as a reliable actor, played Bratten`s mild-mannered victim, Clem Finch. Gleason and Carney developed a good working chemistry, and Gleason recruited Carney to appear in other sketches, including the domestic-comedy skits featuring The Honeymooners. Art Carney gained lifelong fame for his portrayal of upstairs neighbor and sewer worker Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason`s Ralph Kramden. The success of these skits resulted in the famous filmed situation comedy The Honeymooners and the Honeymooners revivals that followed. Beyond The Honeymooners, Carney served as Gleason`s sidekick and troupe member during many of the Gleason`s years on television, which included several CBS runs of the Gleason variety show and some Honeymooners specials on ABC. Gleason picked Carney to play Norton because he realized that Carney was so funny that Gleason would have to work twice as hard to get laughs. This "competition" between the two was likely a factor in the program`s consistently high level of humor. In fact, at one point during the 1950s, Carney was getting more media attention than Gleason, prompting Gleason to scale back Carney`s participation for a few episodes. Popular demand restored Carney to prominence in the Gleason shows.
Carney`s good-naturedly goofy portrayal of Norton continues to influence pop culture, particularly by inspiring the Hanna-Barbera characters, Yogi Bear and Barney Rubble. Art Carney also had many screen and stage roles, including the portrayal on Broadway of Felix Unger in The Odd Couple (opposite Walter Matthau as Oscar). He was nominated for seven Emmy Awards and won six.
Biography Credit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Carney
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US Army. Carney went to Normandy in July of 1944 as a replacement to the 28th Division in position around St Lô. He was part of a 30 calibre machine gun squad. On 15 August 1944 he had just taken up his position and was hit in the right leg by mortar shrapnel. After receiving field treatment, he was sent back to Britain and then the US. He once said of his military career, "Never fired a shot and maybe never wanted to. I really cost the government money."
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