BURNS, GEORGE; AND ALLEN, GRACIE

born Jan. 20, 1896, New York, N.Y., U.S. died March 9, 1996, Beverly Hills, Calif. born July 26, 1895, San Francisco, Calif. died Aug. 27, 1964, Hollywood, Calif. original names Nathan Birnbaum and Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen American husband-and-wife comedy team that was popular for more than three decades in vaudeville, radio, film, and television. Both came from theatrical backgrounds. Burns, one of 12 children, began his career at age 13 as a singer in the PeeWee Quartet, later performing as a dancer, skater, and comic. Allen made her vaudeville stage debut as a small child with her father, the singer and dancer Edward Allen. At age 14 she dropped out of school to form a vaudeville act with her sisters, but by the time she met Burns in the early 1920s she had abandoned her stage career and taken work as a stenographer. They formed a partnership and were married in 1926. Burns and Allen headlined their own show on American radio for 17 years. Relying on clever domestic humourwith Burns as the wry, cigar-brandishing straight man to Allen's malaprop-prone chatterboxthe couple made 13 feature films together, including The Big Broadcast (1932), International House (1933), Love in Bloom (1935), and College Swing (1938). Allen also appeared without Burns in The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), Mr. and Mrs. North (1941), and Two Girls and a Sailor (1944). In 1940 she ran for U.S. president on the Surprise Party ticket. On television, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (195058), a situation comedy about the private lives of a show business couple, featured Burns as the stage manager of each episode, interrupting the plot with asides, commentary, and explanations to the viewing audience. Allen retired from show business after the show's run ended. Burns returned from the semiretirement that began with his wife's death in 1964 to costar in The Sunshine Boys (1975), for which he received an Academy Award for best supporting actor. He then went on to star in such films as Oh, God! (1977) and its sequels and Going in Style (1979); his last film appearance was in Radioland Murders (1994). Burns was highly regarded for his dry wit, comic timing, and rapid-fire delivery. He was the author of several volumes of memoirs describing his long career in show business. Additional reading Gracie Allen's and George Burns's careers are chronicled in Cheryl Blythe and Susan Sackett, Say Good Night, Gracie! (1986), on the history of their television show; and Cynthia Clements and Sandra Weber, George Burns and Gracie Allen (1996), covering stage, radio, television, and film, with a biographical essay. Martin Gottfried, George Burns and the Hundred-Year Dash (1996), is a biography.