View source for The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

{{Infobox television
| show_name                = The George Burns and <br>Gracie Allen Show
| image                    = Burns allen 1955.JPG
| image_size               = 230px
| image_alt                = 
| caption                  = Burns and Allen in 1955
| show_name_2              = 
| genre                    = [[Situation comedy]]
| creator                  = 
| based_on                 = 
| developer                = 
| writer                   = 
| director                 = 
| creative_director        = 
| presenter                = 
| starring                 = {{ubl|
 | [[George Burns]]
 | [[Gracie Allen]]
 | [[Bea Benaderet]]
 | [[Hal March]] (1950–51)
 | [[John Brown (actor)|John Brown]] (1951)
 | [[Fred Clark]] (1951–53)
 | [[Larry Keating]] (1953–58)
 | [[Rolfe Sedan]]
 | [[Bill Goodwin]] (1950–51)
 | [[Harry Von Zell]] (1951–58)
 | [[Ronnie Burns (actor)|Ronnie Burns]]}}
| voices                   = 
| narrated                 = 
| theme_music_composer     = 
| opentheme                = "Love Nest" (1920) by [[Louis Hirsch|Louis A. Hirsch]] and [[Otto Harbach]]
| endtheme                 =
| composer                 =
| country                  = United States
| language                 = 
| num_seasons              = 8
| num_episodes             = 291
| list_episodes            = List of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show episodes
| executive_producer       = 
| producer                 = 
| editor                   = 
| location                 = 
| cinematography           = 
| camera                   = 
| runtime                  = 24–25 minutes
| company                  = McCadden Productions
| distributor              = 
| channel                  = [[CBS]]
| picture_format           = [[Black-and-white]]
| audio_format             = 
| first_run                = <!-- The nation in which the series first aired, if different from country parameter. -->
| first_aired              = {{Start date|1950|10|12}}
| last_aired               = {{End date|1958|9|15}}
| preceded_by              = 
| followed_by              = ''[[The George Burns Show]]''
| related                  = <!-- To be used only for remakes, spin-offs, and adaptations. -->
| website                  = 
| website_title            = 
| production_website       = 
| production_website_title = 
}}

'''''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show''''', sometimes called '''''The Burns and Allen Show''''', is a half-hour television series broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on [[CBS]]. It stars [[George Burns]] and [[Gracie Allen]], one of the most enduring acts in entertainment history. [[Burns and Allen]] were headliners in [[vaudeville]] in the 1920s, and radio stars in the 1930s and 1940s. Their situation comedy TV series received [[Emmy Award]] nominations throughout its eight-year run.

==Production==
{{refimprove section|date=December 2015}}
A  half-hour TV series broadcast October 12, 1950&nbsp;– September 22, 1958, on [[CBS]], ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'' was initially staged live and broadcast every other Thursday at 8 pm ET. In fall 1952, it became a weekly series filmed on the West Coast. From March 1953 through September 1958, ''The Burns and Allen Show'' aired Mondays at 8 pm ET.<ref name="Brooks">Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, ''[[The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present|The Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946–Present]]''. New York: Ballantine Books, 1988 (fourth edition); ISBN 0-345-35610-1</ref>{{Rp|280–281}}

The show was an immediate success.<ref name="NYT GA obit">"Gracie Allen Dead; Comedianne Was 58". ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 29, 1964.</ref> Six episodes were produced live from the [[Brooks Atkinson Theatre|Mansfield Theatre]] in New York, with the stage set as the Burns's living room. The show relocated to the [[CBS Columbia Square]] facilities in Hollywood beginning with the seventh episode.<ref name="Irvin">Irvin, Richard, ''George Burns Television Productions: The Series and Pilots, 1950–1981''. [[Jefferson, North Carolina]]: [[McFarland & Company|McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers]], 2014. ISBN 9780786494866</ref>{{Rp|20–21}}

Ever the businessman, Burns realized it would be more efficient to do the series on film; the half-hour episodes could then be syndicated. From that point on, the show was filmed at General Service Studios without a live audience present; however, each installment was screened before an audience to provide live responses prior to the episodes being broadcast. With 291 episodes, the show had a long network run through 1958 and continued in syndicated reruns for years.

The sets were designed to look like the couple's real-life residence. An establishing shot of the actual house on Maple Drive in [[Beverly Hills, California]], was often used. Although extensively remodeled, that house still exists today—including the study over the garage where George would "escape" from Gracie's illogical logic. Burns lived in the house until his death in 1996, at the age of 100.

One [[running gag]] of the TV show involved a closet full of hats belonging to various visitors to the Burns household, who would slip out the door unnoticed and leave their hats behind rather than face another round with Gracie. The format had George watching all the action (standing outside the [[proscenium]] arch in early live episodes; watching the show on TV in his study towards the end of the series) and breaking the [[4th wall|fourth wall]] by commenting upon it to the viewers. Another running gag was George's weekly "firing" of announcer [[Harry Von Zell]] after he turned up aiding, abetting, or otherwise not stopping the mayhem prompted by Gracie's illogical logic.

[[File:Burns and Allen 1953.JPG|left|thumb|300px|Burns and Allen in 1953]]

During the course of the eight-year run, the TV show had remarkable consistency in its cast and crew.  The episodes were produced and directed by [[Ralph Levy]] (1950–53); [[Fred DeCordova|Frederick de Cordova]], later director of NBC's ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' (1953–56); and [[Rod Amateau]] (1956–58). The original writing staff consisted of Sid Dorfman, Harvey Helm, [[Paul Henning]], and William Burns (George's brother). Later writers included Nate Monaster, Jesse Goldstein, Norman Paul, and Keith Fowler. The associate producer was Al Simon, the director of photography was [[Philip Tannura]], A.S.C., and the editor was Larry Heath. The show's primary sponsor was [[Carnation Evaporated Milk]], later alternating with [[B.F. Goodrich Company|B.F. Goodrich]] (1952–55, 1956–57), and [[General Mills]], for [[Betty Crocker]] (1955–56, 1957–58).

[[Bea Benaderet]] carried over from the ''[[Burns and Allen]]'' radio show, portraying neighbor Blanche Morton, but over the course of the series, four different actors played her husband. The character's first name was "Harry", the same first name as the real-life announcer [[Harry Von Zell]], requiring the writers to craft dialogue that would distinguish the two characters' names. Blanche's husband Harry Morton was first portrayed by [[Hal March]] (October–December 1950), then [[John Brown (actor)|John Brown]] (January–June 1951), and after that, [[Fred Clark]], until 1953. In one episode, "Morton Buys Iron Deer/Gracie Thinks George Needs Glasses", George walks on-stage and freezes the scene just before Harry's entrance and explains that Clark has left the show to perform on [[Broadway show|Broadway]]. He introduces [[Larry Keating]], who enters, and then calls over Bea Benaderet to introduce the two saying, "This is Larry Keating and he is going to be your husband now". The pair greet and chat briefly, complimenting each other on their previous work. George remarks that if they are going to be so nice to each other, no one will believe they are married. Burns then gives a cue, Blanche resumes her position, and the scene continues where it stopped as if nothing had happened. The new Harry enters and Blanche hits him in the head with a catalog for spending $200 to buy an iron deer.

Also appearing in the TV series were Burns and Allen's two children. [[Ronnie Burns (actor)|Ronnie]], adopted in 1935, and Sandra, adopted the year before,<ref>"Burns and Allen Adopt Boy". ''The New York Times'', September 28, 1935.</ref><ref name="Life">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a1MEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=Life+magazine+Gracie+Ends+Act+with+George&source=bl&ots=fHFosZcTLQ&sig=D9T8CuTQt_zDADJ0YUpxfX7fIIM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=59ZgVKLABoepyQTM9IKYDw&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Life%20magazine%20Gracie%20Ends%20Act%20with%20George&f=false|title=Gracie Ends Act with George|publisher=''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]''|date=September 22, 1958|pages=88–93|accessdate=2014-11-10}}</ref> first appeared in the third-season episode, "Uncle Clyde Comes to Visit" (January 1, 1953), playing themselves. The teenagers are in the Burns living room, threading a [[16&nbsp;mm film|16&nbsp;mm]] projector with that night's episode. In voiceover, George introduces them, and tells the audience that they have been away at school and that is why we have not met them before. Ronnie made a guest appearance on the episode, "Gracie Gives Wedding in Payment of a Favor" (October 18, 1954), playing a character named Jim Goodwin, and was introduced to the audience at the episode's conclusion. Ronnie joined the regular cast October 10, 1955,<ref>Adams, Val, "News of Television", ''The New York Times'', September 25, 1955.</ref> playing himself, but cast as a young drama student who tended to look askance at his parents' comedy style.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0122863|title=Ronnie Burns profile|publisher=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=2014-11-10}}</ref> Their daughter, Sandra, declined becoming a regular member of the cast, although she appeared in a few episodes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567506|title=Sandra Burns profile|publisher=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=2014-11-10}}</ref> as a classmate of Ronnie. In one episode, Ronnie's drama class puts on a vaudeville show to raise funds for the school. Gracie hosts the show while Ronnie and Sandy deliver an impersonation of their famous parents along with one of their classic routines. Since Ronnie played himself, Gracie closed the segment with a wisecrack: "The boy was produced by Burns and Allen."

Starting in the fall of 1955, Burns and Allen often reappeared after the end of the episode, before a curtain decorated with the names and locations of the various theaters where they headlined in their vaudeville days. They would perform one of their signature "double routines", often discussing one of Gracie's fictional relatives (including "Death Valley Allen" the prospector, "Florence Allen" the nurse, "Casey Allen" the railroad man). Burns always ended the show with, "Say goodnight, Gracie", to which Allen simply replied, "Goodnight." She never said, "Goodnight, Gracie", as legend has it. Burns was once asked this question and said it would have been a funny line. Asked why he did not do it, Burns replied, "Incredibly enough, no one ever thought of it."{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

In March 1953, ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'' joined ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' as part of the CBS Monday-night [[primetime]] lineup. As a result, the show entered the top 30 television programs in the [[Nielsen ratings]] ranking at number 20. For the 1954–1955 season, it ranked number 26, and for both the 1955–56 and 1956–57 seasons it was number 28.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

With ''I Love Lucy'' ending its six-year run on CBS in the spring of 1957, the television network wanted to renew the Burns and Allen series, but by this time, Allen had grown tired of performing. Nevertheless, Burns committed both of them for another year, which would be their eighth—and last—on television.<ref name="Gracie Love Story"/>{{Rp|274}}

Allen announced her retirement on February 17, 1958, to be effective at the end of the current season.<ref name="Gracie Love Story">[[George Burns|Burns, George]], ''Gracie: A Love Story''. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1988. ISBN 0399133844</ref>{{Rp|275}}

[[File:Gbgallen.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"It really was her last scene, the last time she appeared on a stage", Burns wrote of the episode filmed June 4, 1958.<ref name="Gracie Love Story"/>{{Rp|279}}]]

Burns and Allen filmed their last show on June 4, 1958.<ref name="LAT GB obit">{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1996-03-10/news/mn-45422_1_george-burns |title=George Burns, Comedy's Elder Statesman, Dies |publisher=Oliver, Myrna, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', March 10, 1996 |accessdate=2014-11-10}}</ref>{{Rp|3}} The filming was an emotional experience, although nothing was said about it being Allen's last performance. At the wrap party, Allen took a token sip of champagne from a paper cup, hugged her friend and co-star Bea Benaderet, and said "Okay, that's it." After a brief last look around the set, she said, "And thank you very much, everyone."<ref name="Gracie Love Story"/>{{Rp|279–280}}

"She deserved a rest," Burns said when Allen devoted herself to gardening and being a housewife:<blockquote>She had been working all her life, and her lines were the toughest in the world to do. They didn't make sense, so she had to memorize every word. It took a real actress. Every spare moment—in bed, under the hair dryer—had to be spent in learning lines. Do you wonder that she's happy to be rid of it?<ref name="NYT GA obit"/></blockquote>

Burns attempted to continue the show with the same supporting cast but without Allen. ''[[The George Burns Show]]'' lasted one season (October 21, 1958&nbsp;– April 14, 1959) on [[NBC]].<ref name="Brooks"/>{{Rp|281}}

Following a mild heart attack in the 1950s,<ref name="Gracie Love Story"/>{{Rp|21}} Allen suffered a series of angina episodes over a number of years.<ref name="Gracie Love Story"/>{{Rp|284, 307}} She had a major heart attack in 1961.<ref name="Gracie Love Story"/>{{Rp|289, 310}} She lived a slower but comfortable retirement for another three years, often appearing in public with her husband, but never performing. Gracie Allen died August 27, 1964,<ref name="NYT GA obit"/> as Burns was underway with his short-lived [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] sitcom, ''[[Wendy and Me]]'', with [[Connie Stevens]] and a cast including [[Ron Harper (actor)|Ron Harper]], [[James T. Callahan]], and [[J. Pat O'Malley]]. All the TV shows were produced under the banner of McCadden Productions, a company run by George Burns which he named after the street on which his brother William lived.<ref name="Gracie Love Story"/>{{Rp|293}} McCadden also produced the iconic TV show, ''[[Mister Ed]]''.<ref name="Gracie Love Story"/>{{Rp|294}} The McCadden catalog is owned by Sony Pictures Television.

==Episodes==
{{Main|List of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show episodes}}

==Accolades==
[[File:Burns allen 1952.JPG|thumb|200px|Burns and Allen in 1952]]
''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'' received the following [[Primetime Emmy Award]] nominations:
* 1952: [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series|Best Comedy Show]]<ref name="NYT Awards">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/tv/show/155872/George-Burns-and-Gracie-Allen-Show/awards?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A9%22} |title=George Burns and Gracie Allen Show |publisher=''The New York Times'' (Baseline StudioSystems) |accessdate=2014-11-08}}</ref>
* 1953: Best Situation Comedy Series<ref name="Emmy Database">{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominations/award-search |title=Emmy Awards Database |publisher=The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |accessdate=2014-11-08}}</ref>
* 1954: Best Situation Comedy Series<ref name="Emmy Database"/>
* 1954: Bea Benedaret, Best Series Supporting Actress<ref name="Emmy Database"/>
* 1955: Best Situation Comedy Series<ref name="Emmy Database"/>
* 1955: Gracie Allen, Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series<ref name="Emmy Database"/>
* 1955: Bea Benedaret, Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series<ref name="Emmy Database"/>
* 1956: Gracie Allen, Best Actress, Continuing Performance<ref name="Emmy Database"/>
* 1957: Gracie Allen, Best Continuing Performance by a Comedienne in a Series<ref name="Emmy Database"/>
* 1958: Gracie Allen, Best Continuing Performance by a Comedienne in a Series<ref name="NYT Awards"/>
* 1959: Gracie Allen, Best Continuing Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042111/awards?ref_=tt_awd |title=Awards, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show |publisher=Internet Movie Database |accessdate=2014-11-10}}</ref>

In 1997, the 1954 episode, "Columbia Pictures Doing Burns and Allen Story", was ranked #56 on [[TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time]].<ref>"Television's Best Episodes". ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'', June 23, 1997, page 06A.</ref>

==Home media==
The [[kinescope]] recordings of the live telecasts from the 1950–1952 seasons of ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'' are thought to be in the [[public domain]]; they are available on "dollar DVD" collections and have rerun as part of [[America One]]'s public domain sitcom rotation and on public television stations.

A select number of episodes were released on VHS by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment|Columbia Tristar Home Video]].
* 1992: ''Burns and Allen Christmas''. Burbank, California: Columbia Tristar Home Video, 1992, VHS 92763, ISBN 978-0-8001-1532-6. Contains the episodes "Company for Christmas" (6.12) and "Christmas in Jail" (7.13).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldcat.org/title/burns-and-allen-christmas/oclc/27031561&referer=brief_results |title=Burns and Allen Christmas |publisher=Burbank, CA: [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment|Columbia Tristar Home Video]], 1992; [[WorldCat]]  |accessdate=2014-11-19}}</ref>

==References==
{{more footnotes|date=November 2014}}
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|author1=Blythe, Cheryl  |author2=Sackett, Susan |lastauthoramp=yes |title=Say Good Night, Gracie!: The Story of Burns and Allen|location=New York|publisher=E.P. Dutton|year=1986|isbn=0-525-24386-0}}
*{{cite book|author=Burns, George|title=Gracie: A Love Story|location=New York|publisher=Putnam|year=1988|isbn=0-399-13384-4}}
*{{cite book|author1=Burns, George |author2=Lindsay, Cynthia  |lastauthoramp=yes |title=I Love Her, That's Why! |location=New York|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=1955}}
*{{cite book|author1=Clements, Cynthia |author2=Weber, Sandra  |lastauthoramp=yes |title=George Burns and Gracie Allen: A Bio-Bibliography|location=Westport, Conn. |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=1996|isbn=0-313-26883-5}}
*{{cite journal |last=Eagan |first=Eileen |year=1996 |title=‘Our Town’ in Cold War America: The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950–1958) |journal=Film & History |volume=26 |issue=1-4 |pages=62–70}}
*{{cite journal |last=Morris |first=J.K. |date=March 1953 |title=Gracie Allen's Own Story: Inside Me |journal=Woman's Home Companion |page=127}}
*{{cite book|author=Staples, Shirley |title=Male-Female Comedy Teams in American Vaudeville, 1865–1932 |location=Ann Arbor, Mich. |publisher=UMI Research Press |year=1984|isbn=0-8357-1520-5}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0042111}}
* {{Tv.com show|the-george-burns-and-gracie-allen-show/}}
* [https://archive.org/details/GeorgeBurnsGracieAllen-Thanksgiving Public domain episode on the Internet Archive]

{{DEFAULTSORT:George Burns And Gracie Allen Show}}
[[Category:1950 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1958 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1950s American television series]]
[[Category:1950s American comedy television series]]
[[Category:American television sitcoms]]
[[Category:Black-and-white television programs]]
[[Category:CBS network shows]]
[[Category:English-language television programming]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of people]]
[[Category:Television series based on radio programs]]