'Mooners Monday: "Trapped," part 1: How about shooting a little pool?

Trapped is one of the better entries in the Classic 39, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of just the first 8 minutes or so. The episode opens in the pool hall, which is one of my favorite non-apartment settings. It starts with Ralph playing pool without Norton, which is a nice change of pace. It's mainly to set up a joke, as Ed enters and rattles Ralph as he is about to set a house record by sinking an 18th ball in a row (is it just me, or does that seem like a paltry house record?), but I kind of like that Ralph doesn't just waste all his time shooting pool with Norton. No, sometimes, like on a Saturday afternoon, he will waste a few hours shouting pool without him.

I enjoy the pool sequences that take place on The Honeymooners. Jackie Gleason and Art Carney were both accomplished players and were trusted to hold their own with a cue when needed (and remember that the Lost Episodes aired live). It looks like there is one little miscue (har har har HAR de har HAR) in this one, though:

Ralph announces he is going to sink a ball in the corner, but he overdoes it, and the ball rockets back out of the pocket. Gleason and Carney just ignore this, though, because Ralph needs to be shooting again for the next gag. Norton sets his cigar down on the table, and Ralph of course leans over to get a better angle and burns himself:

The thing that fascinates me most in this opening sequence, however, is what I believe may be the single most underappreciated joke in series history, and it happens before they start their game. The two flip for the break, Ralph calls heads, and Ed claims victory after a quick toss (and the coin falls off his arm, no less!). As he slinks off with a sketchy, "Tails! Iiiii break!," Ralph challenges him, saying, "Don't you think I should see that coin?"

So Norton grabs the "kern" from his pocket, shows the "tails" side, and Ralph bitterly concedes: "Go ahead and break."

Now, I think this is hilarious (and reminiscent of the "Heads I win, tails you lose" incident that occurs in "TV or Not TV"). The joke is that Ralph accepts this despite there being no way of knowing the coin actually landed heads.

Yet there is nary a peep from the audience. Does the joke not work? I suspect that it just doesn't register for whatever reason. It's too bad. I repeat, it's hilarious! It's also nice to get proof every now and then that Ralph can be as dopey as Ed.

Unfortunately, there is no response. This is why I consider this little bit the single most underappreciate joke in the history of the show. It doesn't earn a paltry response; it earns ZERO response. It stands out as an awkward moment in a great episode.