The Old Belly Trick
There’s something to be said about being prepared for a scene, but when it comes to some actors, they know how to make the most out of the unpredictable. While Jackie Gleason didn’t come to work prepared in the traditional sense, he was prepared to expect the unexpected.
Due to the fact that he didn’t like to rehearse his lines, this made it easy for the actor to forget his lines. Instead of stammering on set, or allowing for a long pause for awkward moments, Gleason used this as an opportunity to add to his character’s idiosyncrasies. Every time you see Gleason pat his belly on The Honeymooners, odds are is he forgot a line. The actor did this whenever he couldn’t remember Ralph’s lines.
