She portrayed Rita Wedemeyer, the glamorous new wife of Ralph’s co-worker.
Freda Rosen, who as the blond bombshell Rita Wedemeyer is embarrassingly fawned over by Jackie Gleason and Art Carney on a classic episode of The Honeymooners, has died. She was 87.
A resident of Beverly Hills for more than 50 years, Rosen died Sunday, her family announced.
Her husband was TV writer Arnie Rosen, who won five Emmy Awards for his work on The Phil Silvers Show and The Carol Burnett Show. He died in 1980.
In The Honeymooners episode “Alice and the Blonde,” which first aired in June 1956, Ralph (Gleason) and Ed (Carney) bring their wives (Audrey Meadows, Joyce Randolph) to the apartment of Ralph’s co-worker, Bert Wedemeyer (Frank Behrens), for a rare couples’ evening out.
After introductions, Ralph and Ed make fools of themselves flattering Bert’s new wife, the glamourous Rita, who’s wearing an extremely tight dress and glittery jewelry. Meanwhile, Alice and Trixie, who bought new dresses for the occasion, are ignored by their dopey husbands and not happy about it.
“What a husband you have. He certainly is a treasure,” Rita tells Alice.
“A treasure? He keeps this up much longer he’s going to be a buried treasure,” Alice says.
Later, Rita notes that she and Bert have pet names for each other.
Ralph: “Pet names for each other? Now isn’t that cute. I bet that was your idea.”
Rita: “Yes, it was. Don’t you have certain names you like to call your husband?”
Alice: “Oh, I have several I’d love to call him.”
Rita: “All you have to do is pick out your husband’s outstanding feature and find a name that fits.”
Alice: “Oh, I see. [To Ralph:] Isn’t that a good idea, Tubby?”
A native of New York, Rosen worked as a model and a stage actress but gave up acting to raise her family. The Honeymooners credit is the only one she has listed on IMDb. She and her husband moved to Beverly Hills with their three sons in 1965.
Rosen earned a bachelor’s degree at age 65 and then a master’s degree and counseled couples and individuals for a decade. She volunteered for years at The Maple Counseling Center of Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles Free Clinic.
Survivors include sons Jim, Andy and Don and seven grandchildren. Donations in her name can be made to The Maple Counseling Center.
