Gleason statue unveiled in Manhattan

A bronze statue of comedian Jackie Gleason was unveiled in New York City Monday

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York commuters can start paying daily homage to the city's most famous bus driver.

An 8-foot-tall statue of Jackie Gleason, aka Ralph Kramden of "The Honeymooners," was unveiled Monday at the entrance to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan.

TV Land, which shows reruns of the popular 1950s series, commissioned the sculpture in the first of an ongoing effort to honor "TV Land Landmarks."

Sculptor Larry Nolan appreciated the early public reaction to the statue, which shows Gleason wearing a bus driver's uniform and carrying a lunchbox.

"It was wonderful," he said. "People seemed to like it, and it brought a smile to a lot of people's faces."

Another one who would have smiled was Gleason himself, said Joyce Randolph, who played Kramden's neighbor Trixie on the series.

"He would love it," she said of the late comedian. "He would just adore it."