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Harry Crane (né Kravitsky; April 23, 1914 – September 13, 1999) was an American comedy writer who helped to create the concept for The Honeymooners and its signature characters. New York Times: "Harry Crane, 85, Who Helped Create 'The Honeymooners'" by Nick Ravo Monday September 20, 1999 Variety: "Harry Crane" by Doug Galloway September 16, 1999
In the 1950s, he began working in television with the DuMont Television Network. Crane successfully recommended Jackie Gleason, whom he knew from his time as a comedian in New York, to DuMont as host for their show the Cavalcade of Stars. In 1951, while working with Joe Bigelow on Cavalcade of Stars, Gleason asked them to produce a sketch of him as a working class Brooklyn guy with a nagging wife. The two created the characters Ralph and Alice Kramden, who became a recurring act in Gleason's show. The act eventually became a standalone program entitled The Honeymooners on CBS, which ran from 1955 to 1956. Crane wrote comedic scripts and jokes for many comedians including Jimmy Durante, Abbott and Costello, the Marx Brothers, Milton Berle, and Jerry Lewis. He also wrote jokes for singers including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, Perry Como, Alan King, Dean Martin, Eddie Fisher, Red Skelton, Liberace and Henny Youngman.
Crane wrote for the Academy Awards in 1957 and 1959; the Golden Globes in 1968; and the Emmy Awards in 1968, 1971, 1973 and 1974. In 1965, he resuscitated the Dean Martin Show which had been suffering from poor ratings and added the concept of the celebrity roast; Split Sider News: "The Head Writer at the End of an Era" BY Michael Barrie May 28, 2015 he was nominated for an Emmy in 1966-67 for his efforts.
In 1958, Crane married his second wife, Lillian Reifman (1918-2010) to whom he remained married until his death. Los Angeles Times: "Lillian Crane" May 28, 2010 Crane mentored her son from a previous marriage, writer Ed Scharlach. Crane is the grandfather of the television actresses Melissa Gilbert and Sara Gilbert and actor Jonathan Gilbert. His daughter Stephanie Crane was in a relationship with Bill Cosby's son, Ennis Cosby who was killed in 1997 while on his way to visit her. New York Daily News: "'Honeymooners' Creator Harry Crane Dead at 85" by Bill Hutchinson September 16, 1999 Crane was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.
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