So on this date in 1895, yes, you read that right,1895, one of the great comic actors of all time was born, Gracie Allen. From the time she began performing with her husband George Burns in vaudeville in 1922, until they finished production on their TV show in 1958, Americans loved the antics of Gracie. I have fond memories of the George Burns and Gracie Allen TV show. I remember watching it in the afternoon,so it must have been in the 60s when I was watching because the show ended its regular run in 1958, but reruns were shown on CBS in the daytime throughout the 60s.
There are many full episodes on YouTube. While I was watching the beginning of one last night. Gracie and her neighbor. Blanche Morton were talking about Gracie’s son Ronnie’s 21 birthday. As I watched, I was trying to place the actress playing Blanche.So I went to Wikipedia, and read about the show, and when I saw the actresses name Bea Benaderet, I remembered. Bea would go on to play Kate Bradley, the mom in Petticoat Junction!
Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie “Gracie” Allen (July 26, 1895[1][2] – August 27, 1964), was an American comedienne who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns. For contributions to the television industry, Gracie Allen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6672 Hollywood Boulevard….
….The legend was born of their vaudeville routine and carried over to both radio and television. As the show wrapped up Burns would look at Allen and say “Say good night, Gracie” to which she would usually simply reply “Good night.” Popular legend has it that Allen would say, “Good night, Gracie.” According to George Burns, recordings of their radio and television shows, and several histories of old-time radio (John Dunning’s On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, for example), Gracie never used the phrase. The confusion may have been caused by Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. Stars Dan Rowan and Dick Martin used a similar sign-off routine wherein Rowan would tell Martin to “Say good night, Dick.” Martin’s reply was always “Good night, Dick.” It seemed like something Gracie Allen would have said.
George Burns himself said as much in an interview years later, adding that, surprisingly enough, no one ever thought of having Allen say “Good night, Gracie” Read More
George did say Good Night and bid a fond farewell to Gracie in 1964, when she died, while watching a Spencer Tracy movie on television. George would live another 32 years before he died in 1996, at the age of 96!
George and Gracie are interred in the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. The engraving on the marker at their resting place reads, “Gracie Allen and George Burns—Together Again,” A fond remembrance for a very funny couple. So Happy Birthday, Gracie! I hope you and George have a wonderful day wherever you may be!!
Here’s a clip from the show as Gracie tells a story. I’ve watched this three times and loved it each time
