The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show: A Comedy Masterpiece

by Guy Belleranti


A number of notable comedies graced television in the early 1950’s. One of the best had to be The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.

Playing a married couple (as they actually were in real life) named appropriately enough George Burns and Gracie Allen the two captured viewers and held them for the show’s eight year, 1950 to 1958, run.

The program was set in the couple’s home with Burns playing the unflappable husband and Gracie playing his scatterbrained, illogically logical wife. Each week Gracie would become involved in loony escapades, often with her friend Blanche.

The show actually began as a live broadcast before later adopting the standard taped-to-be-shown format.

George Burns would begin each episode by facing the audience and giving a brief monologue about what the audience was about to see, all the while holding his famous trademark cigar. At various points during the show he would turn to the camera and philosophize with unflappable straight-faced ease about Gracie and her current situation.

Indeed, the two were a masterful team. And no wonder: they had been performing together since the 1920’s, first in vaudeville and then on radio. Interestingly, early in their careers it was Gracie who played the straight-faced character and George the scatterbrained one.

Other important characters in the program included Gracie’s friend Blanche Morton, played by Bea Benaderet, and Blanche’s cantankerous husband, Harry. Harry was played by several actors during the series run including Hal March, John Brown, Fred Clark and Larry Keating.

Another person to appear on the program was George and Gracie’s adopted son, Ronnie. Appearing in some of the later year episodes, Ronnie, like his parents, played himself.

When Gracie retired in 1958, George went solo for a year with The George Burns Show.

Gracie passed away in 1964 at the age of 69. George Burns, meanwhile, continued in show business for years and years making guest appearances on all sorts of programs and appearing in a number of movies, most notably the 1977 hit Oh, God! Burns, in fact, lived to be 100, passing away in 1996.

Today, a number of the best episodes of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show are available on DVD. Comparable in quality to I Love Lucy this program deserves to be seen by and enjoyed by new generations of comedy fans
 

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