George Burns I Wish I Was 18 Again

American comedian, actor, and author

George Burns
Burns in 1961
Born	Nathan Birnbaum (1896-01-20)Jan 20, 1896 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	March 9, 1996(1996-03-09) (aged 100) Beverly Hills, California, U.Southward.
Resting identify	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.Southward.
Other names	Nattie, Nate
Occupation	Actor television receiver host comedian writer singer
Years active	1928–1996
Spouse(southward)	Gracie Allen (yard. 1926; died 1964)
Children	two, including Ronnie Burns

George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, singer and writer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebrow and cigar-fume punctuation became familiar trademarks for over three-quarters of a century. He and his wife Gracie Allen appeared on radio, television and film every bit the one-act duo Burns and Allen.

At the historic period of 79, Burns experienced a sudden career revival as an amiable, beloved and unusually agile comedy elder statesman in the 1975 picture show The Sunshine Boys, for which he won the Academy Honor for Best Supporting Role player. Burns, who became a centenarian in 1996, connected to piece of work until simply weeks earlier his death of cardiac abort at his dwelling house in Beverly Hills.

Early life [edit]

George Burns was born Nathan Birnbaum on January 20, 1896 in New York City,^[ane] the 9th of 12 children born to Hadassah "Dorah" (née Bluth; 1857–1927) and Eliezer Birnbaum (1855–1903), known as Louis or Lippe, Jewish immigrants who had come to the United States from Kolbuszowa, Galicia, now Poland.^[two] Burns was a member of the Kickoff Roumanian-American Congregation.^[3]

His father was a substitute cantor at the local synagogue but usually worked equally a coat presser. During the influenza epidemic of 1903, Lippe Birnbaum contracted the flu and died at the historic period of 47. Burns, called Nattie or Nate at the time, went to work to assistance support the family, shining shoes, running errands and selling newspapers.^[4]

When he landed a chore as a syrup maker in a local candy store at age seven, Burns was "discovered", as he recalled long after:^[5]

Nosotros were all about the aforementioned historic period, six and 7, and when nosotros were bored making syrup, we used to practice singing harmony in the basement. One day our letter carrier came down to the basement. His proper noun was Lou Farley. Feingold was his real name, only he changed it to Farley. He wanted the whole globe to sing harmony. He came down to the basement in one case to evangelize a alphabetic character and heard the four of us kids singing harmony. He liked our style, and so we sang a couple more than songs for him. Then we looked up at the head of the stairs and saw three or four people listening to the states and smiling. In fact, they threw down a couple of pennies. And then I said to the kids I was working with: no more chocolate syrup. It'southward bear witness business from now on.

We called ourselves the Pee-Wee Quartet. We started out singing on ferryboats, in saloons, in brothels, and on street corners. We'd put our hats downwardly for donations. Sometimes the customers threw something in the hats. Sometimes they took something out of the hats. Sometimes they took the hats.

—George Burns

I of the Burns brothers' first regular gigs was operating the curtains at the vaudeville and nickelodeon theatre of Frank Seiden, father of Joseph Seiden, who would later become a Yiddish picture producer.^[vi] Burns started smoking cigars when he was 14.^[7]

Burns was drafted into the United States Army when the U.South. entered World War I in 1917, only he failed the physical examination considering he was extremely nearsighted.^{[ commendation needed ]} To hide his Jewish heritage, he adopted the phase proper name by which he would be known for the residual of his life. He later claimed that he selected the proper name of George Burns because there were 2 active star professional person baseball game players with the proper name (George H. Burns and George J. Burns, unrelated), each of whom would accumulate more than 2,000 hits and hold some major-league records. Burns too was reported to have taken George from his brother Izzy (who had outset adopted the name because he hated his own) and Burns from the Burns Brothers Coal Company, from whose trucks he would steal coal every bit a youth.^[viii] ^[9] ^: 33

His kickoff wife was Hannah Siegel (phase name Hermosa Jose), one of his dance partners. The marriage lasted 26 weeks and only occurred because Siegel's family unit would not permit her to tour with Burns unless they were married. They divorced at the finish of the tour.^[9] ^: 58

Burns normally partnered with a girl, sometimes in an adagio dance routine, sometimes in comic patter. Though he had an apparent flair for comedy, he never quite clicked with any of his partners until he met Gracie Allen, a immature Irish Catholic woman, in 1923. "And all of a sudden," he said in later years, "the audience realized I had a talent. They were right. I did have a talent—and I was married to her for 38 years."^[10] Burns wed Allen in 1926.^[7]

Burns, Allen and children merely before sailing for Hawaii in 1938

Stage to screen [edit]

Burns and Allen began their career in motion pictures with a serial of comic brusque films in the late 1920s and early 1930s, such as The Big Broadcast (1932), International House (1933), Vi of a Kind (1934), The Big Broadcast of 1936, The Large Broadcast of 1937, A Damsel in Distress (1937) and Higher Swing (1938) with Bob Hope and Martha Raye. Honolulu (1939) would exist Burns'southward final film for nearly 40 years.

In 1938, Paramount producer and managing managing director William LeBaron was planning a vehicle for Burns and Allen to team with established star Bing Crosby, with a script written past Don Hartman and Frank Butler. However, the story did fit Burns and Allen'southward style, and so LeBaron ordered script rewrites to fit 2 male costars: Crosby and Bob Hope. The project became Route to Singapore (1940), the first in a long-running and popular serial of "Road" films.

Radio stars [edit]

Burns and Allen first appeared on radio as the one-act relief for bandleader Guy Lombardo. In his memoir The Third Fourth dimension Around, Burns shared a letter from a college fraternity complaining that its weekly dance parties were interrupted by Burns and Allen routines.

Burns and Allen institute their ain show and radio audience, first airing on February fifteen, 1932. Their show was based on their classic stage routines and sketch comedy in which their style was woven into multiple smaller scenes, in a mode like to that of the short films that they had made in Hollywood. They were also known for clever publicity stunts, such as Gracie's hunt for her missing brother that carried over into guest spots on other radio shows.

The couple was portrayed at starting time as single, with Allen the object of Burns'southward affections besides equally those of other cast members. Bandleaders Ray Noble (known for his phrase "Gracie, this is the beginning time we've ever been alone") and Artie Shaw played beloved interests for Gracie. Vocaliser Tony Martin too played Gracie's unwilling love interest whom she comically threatened to fire if he would non reciprocate her romantic interest.

Over fourth dimension, as ratings declined and with their audience's close familiarity with their existent-life marriage, Burns and Allen adapted their radio show in the autumn of 1941 to present them every bit a married couple. Artie Shaw, who also appeared equally a character in some of the show'south sketches, was the show'southward bandleader at one time. Allen's character too inverse slightly during this era, every bit she would often at present be mean to Burns.

As this format grew stale over the years, Burns and his fellow writers redeveloped the prove as a situation comedy in the fall of 1941. The reformat focused on the couple'south married life and their friends and neighbors, including Elvia Allman as Tootsie Sagwell, a man-hungry spinster in love with Bill Goodwin. The characters of Harry and Blanche Morton became a mainstay of the program.

Equally with The Jack Benny Program, the new George Burns & Gracie Allen Show portrayed Burns and Allen as entertainers with their own weekly radio show. Goodwin remained, and the music was now led by Meredith Willson (afterward to be better known for composing the Broadway musical The Music Man). Willson also played himself on the show as naïve, friendly and shy with women. The new format's success made information technology one of the few archetype radio comedies to completely reinvent itself and regain nifty success.

Supporting players [edit]

The supporting bandage during this phase included Mel Blanc as the melancholy, ironically named "Happy Postman" (his catchphrase was "Remember, keep smiling!"); Bea Benaderet (subsequently Cousin Pearl in The Beverly Hillbillies, Kate Bradley in Petticoat Junction and the vocalization of Betty Rubble in The Flintstones) and Hal March (later more famous as the host of The $64,000 Question) as neighbors Blanche and Harry Morton; and the various members of Gracie'due south ladies' club, the Beverly Hills Uplift Society. One running gag during this menses, stretching into the television era, was Burns's questionable singing vocalization, as Gracie lovingly referred to her husband equally "Carbohydrate Throat." The show received and maintained a Top x rating for the residue of its radio life.

New network [edit]

In the fall of 1949, later on 12 years at NBC, the couple took the show back to its original network CBS, where they had risen to fame from 1932 to 1937. Their good friend Jack Benny reached a negotiating impasse with NBC over the corporation he set up upward ("Amusement Enterprises") to package his show, the better to put more of his earnings on a capital letter-gains basis and avert the 80 percent taxes slapped on very high earners in the World War 2 period. When CBS executive William S. Paley convinced Benny to move to CBS (Paley, among other things, impressed Benny with his attitude that the performers make the network, not the other way effectually, every bit NBC chief David Sarnoff reputedly believed); Benny in turn convinced several NBC stars to join him, including Burns and Allen. Thus, CBS reaped the benefits when Burns and Allen moved to tv in 1950.

Telly [edit]

George Burns and Gracie Allen, 1955.

On television, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Evidence put faces to the radio characters audiences had come to love. A number of significant changes were seen in the testify:

A parade of actors portrayed Harry Morton: Hal March, The Life of Riley alumnus John Brownish, veteran flick and goggle box character role player Fred Clark, and future Mister Ed co-star Larry Keating.
Burns often broke the fourth wall, and chatted with the home audition, telling understated jokes and commenting wryly well-nigh what show characters were doing or undoing. In later shows, he would really turn on a television and watch what the other characters were up to when he was off-camera, so return to foil the plot.
When announcer Bill Goodwin left after the get-go season, Burns hired announcer Harry Von Zell, a veteran of the Fred Allen and Eddie Cantor radio shows, to succeed him. Von Zell was cast as the adept-natured, hands confused Burns and Allen announcer and buddy. He also became 1 of the show's running gags, when his involvement in Gracie'southward harebrained ideas would get him fired at least once a calendar week by Burns.
The first shows were simply a copy of the radio format, consummate with lengthy and integrated commercials for sponsor Carnation Evaporated Milk by Goodwin. However, what worked well on radio appeared forced and plodding on television receiver. The bear witness was inverse into the now-standard situation comedy format, with the commercials distinct from the plot.
Midway through the run of the television set prove the Burns's two children, Sandra and Ronald, began to make appearances: Sandy in an occasional vocalization-over or brief on-air role (often as a telephone operator), and Ronnie in various small roles throughout the fourth and 5th seasons. Ronnie joined the regular cast in season vi. Typical of the blurred line between reality and fiction in the evidence, Ronnie played George and Gracie's on-air son, showing up in the second episode of flavor vi ("Ronnie Arrives") with no explanation offered as to where he had been for the past v years of the testify. Originally his character was an aspiring dramatic role player who held his parents' comedy way in addled antipathy and deemed it unsuitable to the "serious" drama educatee. When the show'southward characters moved back to California in season vii afterward spending the prior yr in New York City, Ronnie'southward character dropped all apparent interim aspirations and instead enrolled in USC, becoming an inveterate girl chaser.

Burns and Allen also took a cue from Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's Desilu Productions and formed a visitor of their own, McCadden Corporation (named afterwards the street on which Burns's brother lived), headquartered on the General Service Studio lot in the heart of Hollywood, and set up up to film tv set shows and commercials. Besides their own hitting show (which made the transition from a bi-weekly alive series to a weekly filmed version in the fall of 1952), the couple'southward visitor produced such television series as The Bob Cummings Show (subsequently syndicated and rerun as Love That Bob); The People'south Choice, starring Jackie Cooper; Mona McCluskey, starring Juliet Prowse; and Mister Ed, starring Alan Young and a talented "talking" equus caballus. Several of their practiced friend Jack Benny's 1953–55 filmed episodes were also produced by McCadden for CBS as well.

The George Burns Show [edit]

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ran on CBS Television from 1950 to 1958, when Burns at concluding consented to Allen'southward retirement. The onset of middle trouble in the early on 1950s had left her exhausted from total-time piece of work and she had been anxious to stop, but could not say "no" to Burns.

Burns attempted to go along the testify (for new sponsor Colgate-Palmolive on NBC), simply without Allen to provide the archetype Gracie-isms, the show expired subsequently a year.

Wendy and Me [edit]

Burns afterwards created Wendy and Me, a sitcom in which he co-starred with Connie Stevens, Ron Harper, and J. Pat O'Malley. He acted primarily as the narrator, and secondarily as the adviser to Stevens' Gracie-like character. The first episode involved the almost 70-year-one-time Burns watching his younger neighbour'due south activities with amusement, just every bit he would spotter the Burns and Allen television bear witness while it was unfolding to become a spring on what Gracie was up to in its last two seasons. Once again as in the Burns and Allen television show, George frequently broke the quaternary wall by commenting direct to viewers. The series only lasted a year. In a promotion, Burns had joked that "Connie Stevens plays Wendy, and I play 'me'."

The Sunshine Boys [edit]

After Gracie'southward death in 1964, George immersed himself in work. McCadden Productions co-produced the telly serial No Time for Sergeants, based on the hit Broadway play; George also produced Juliet Prowse's 1965–66 NBC situation one-act, Mona McCluskey. At the same time, he toured the U.South. playing nightclub and theater engagements with such diverse partners every bit Carol Channing, Dorothy Provine, Jane Russell, Connie Haines, and Berle Davis. He also performed a series of solo concerts, playing university campuses, New York's Philharmonic Hall and winding up a successful flavor at Carnegie Hall, where he wowed a capacity audience with his evidence-stopping songs, dances, and jokes.

In 1974, Jack Benny signed to play one of the atomic number 82 roles in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer moving-picture show version of Neil Simon'southward The Sunshine Boys (Reddish Skelton was originally the other, simply he objected to some of the script's linguistic communication). Benny's health had begun to fail, however, and he advised his manager Irving Fein to permit longtime friend Burns fill up in for him on a series of nightclub dates to which Benny had committed around the U.S.

Burns, who enjoyed working, accepted the job for what would be his start feature film appearance for 36 years. As he recalled years later:^[5]

"The happiest people I know are the ones that are notwithstanding working. The saddest are the ones who are retired. Very few performers retire on their ain. It'southward usually because no one wants them. Six years ago Sinatra announced his retirement. He's still working."—George Burns

Ill health had prevented Benny from working on The Sunshine Boys; he died of pancreatic cancer on Dec 26, 1974. Burns, heartbroken, said that the only fourth dimension he ever wept in his life other than Gracie's expiry was when Benny died. He was chosen to give i of the eulogies at the funeral and said, "Jack was someone special to all of you, simply he was so special to me ... I cannot imagine my life without Jack Benny, and I volition miss him then very much."^[11] Burns and so broke down and had to be helped to his seat. People who knew George said that he never could really come up to terms with his beloved friend's death.

Six weeks before filming started, Burns had triple bypass surgery.^[12]

Burns replaced Benny in the picture show as well as the order bout, a movement that turned out to be one of the biggest breaks of his career; his wise operation as faded vaudevillian Al Lewis won him the 1975 University Accolade for All-time Supporting Actor, and permanently secured his career resurgence. At the historic period of 80, Burns was the oldest Oscar winner in the history of the Academy Awards, a record that would remain until Jessica Tandy won an Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy in 1989.

Oh, God! [edit]

In 1977, Burns fabricated some other hit film, Oh, God!, playing the omnipotent championship role opposite vocalist John Denver as an hostage just addled supermarket manager, whom God picks at random to revive his message. The image of Burns in a sailor's cap and light springtime jacket as the droll Almighty influenced his subsequent comedic work, likewise every bit that of other comedians. At a celebrity roast in his accolade, Dean Martin adjusted a Burns fissure: "When George was growing up, the Top 10 were the Ten Commandments".

Burns appeared in this character along with Vanessa Williams on the September 1984 cover of Penthouse mag, the issue which contained the notorious nude photos of Williams, as well every bit the first appearance of underage pornographic film star Traci Lords. A blurb on the cover even announced "Oh God, she's nude!"

Oh, God! inspired two sequels Oh, God! Volume II (in which the Almighty engages a precocious schoolgirl played by Louanne Sirota to spread the give-and-take) and Oh, God! Y'all Devil—in which Burns played a dual part equally God and the devil, with the soul of a would-be songwriter (played by Ted Wass) at stake.

Afterward films [edit]

After invitee-starring on The Muppet Prove and Alice,^[13] Burns appeared in 1978'due south Sgt. Pepper's Alone Hearts Society Ring, the film based on The Beatles' album of the aforementioned name. In 1979, at the age of 83, Burns starred in two feature films, Just You and Me, Child and Going in Style. Burns remained active in films and TV by his 90th altogether. Ane of his last films was 1988'due south 18 Again!, based on his half-novelty, half-country music-based hitting single, "I Wish I Was xviii Once again". In this film, Burns played an 81-year-old self-fabricated millionaire industrialist who switched bodies with his awkward, artistic, 18-year-old grandson (played by Charlie Schlatter).

Burns also did regular nightclub stand-up acts in his later years, normally portraying himself as a carnal quondam man. He e'er smoked a cigar onstage and reputedly timed his monologues past the amount the cigar had burned downwardly. For this reason, he preferred cheap El Producto cigars as the loosely wrapped tobacco burned longer. Burns once quipped "In my youth, they chosen me a rebel. When I was eye-anile, they called me eccentric. At present that I'm old, I'yard doing the same affair I've ever washed and they're calling me senile."^{[ citation needed ]}

Arthur Marx estimated that Burns smoked around 300,000 cigars during his lifetime, starting at the age of xiv. In his final years, he smoked no more than four a solar day and he never used cigarettes or marijuana, claiming "Expect, I tin can't go whatever more than kicks than I'm getting. What can marijuana do for me that show business hasn't done?" His final feature film part was the cameo office of Milt Lackey, a 100-year-old stand-upward comedian, in the 1994 one-act mystery Radioland Murders.

Final years and death [edit]

Crypt of George Burns, in the Freedom Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Glendale

Burns was still appearing at major hotel/casinos in Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe during the early 1980s. When Burns turned 90 in 1986, the urban center of Los Angeles renamed the northern end of Hamel Road "George Burns Road."^[14] City regulations prohibited naming a metropolis street later a living person, but an exception was fabricated for Burns.^{[ citation needed ]} In commemoration of Burns's 99th birthday in Jan 1995, Los Angeles renamed the eastern finish of Alden Bulldoze "Gracie Allen Drive." Burns was nowadays at the unveiling ceremony (one of his last public appearances) where he quipped, "It's good to be here at the corner of Burns & Allen. At my age, it'due south practiced to be anywhere!"^[fourteen] George Burns Road and Gracie Allen Drive cross just a few blocks west of the Beverly Center mall in the centre of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Burns remained in good wellness for most of his life, in part cheers to a daily exercise regimen of pond, walks, sit-ups, and push-ups. He bought new Cadillacs every twelvemonth and drove until the age of 93. After that, Burns had chauffeurs drive him around. In his afterward years, he also had difficulty reading fine print.

Burns suffered a caput injury later falling in his bathtub in July 1994 and underwent surgery to remove fluid in his skull. Burns never fully recovered and his performing career came to an end. In February 1995, Burns, in what would be his last television set appearance, was presented with the very commencement SAG Lifetime Achievement Award past the Screen Actors Club. In December of that yr, a month before his 100th birthday, Burns was well enough to nourish a Christmas party hosted by Frank Sinatra (who turned lxxx that month), where he reportedly caught the flu, which weakened him further. When Burns was 96, he had signed a lifetime contract with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to perform stand-up comedy in that location, which included the guarantee of a show on his centenary, Jan twenty, 1996. When that solar day really came, nevertheless, he was too weak to evangelize the planned operation. He released a argument joking how he would love for his 100th altogether to have "a night with Sharon Stone."

On March 9, 1996, 49 days later his centenary, Burns died in his Beverly Hills home.^[15] His funeral was held three days subsequently at the Wee Kirk o' the Heather church in Wood Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale.^[15] As much as he looked forrad to reaching the age of 100, Burns also stated, nearly a year before he died, that he also looked forward to death, maxim that on the 24-hour interval he would dice, he would be with Gracie over again in Sky. Upon being interred with Gracie, the crypt's marker was changed from, "Grace Allen Burns—Dear Married woman And Mother (1902–1964)" to "Gracie Allen (1902–1964) & George Burns (1896–1996)—Together Again". George had always said that he wanted Gracie to have top billing.

Legacy [edit]

George Burns has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: a move pictures star at 1639 Vine Street, a television star at 6510 Hollywood Boulevard, and a alive performance star at 6672 Hollywood Boulevard. The first 2 stars were placed during the initial installations of 1960, while the third star ceremony was held in 1984,^[16] ^[17] in the new category of live operation, or live theatre, established that year.^[18] Burns is besides a member of the Tv Hall of Fame, where he and Gracie Allen were both inducted in 1988.

He is the subject field of Rupert Holmes'south one-actor play Say Goodnight Gracie.

Bibliography [edit]

Burns was a bestselling writer who wrote ten books:

Burns, George; Hobart Lindsay, Cynthia (1955). I Honey Her, That'south Why: An Autobiography. Simon and Schuster.
Burns, George (1976). Living Information technology Upward; or, They However Dear Me in Altoona!. Putnam. ISBN978-0-399-11636-0.
Burns, George (1980). The Tertiary Time Around. Putnam. ISBN978-0-399-12169-2.
Burns, George (1983). How to Live to Be 100 – Or More than: The Ultimate Nutrition, Sex and Exercise Book (At My Age, Sex Gets 2nd Billing). Putnam. ISBN978-0-399-12939-1.
Burns, George (1984). Dr. Burns' Prescription for Happiness:* *Buy Two Books and Call Me in the Morning time . Putnam. ISBN0-399-12964-2.
Burns, George (1985). Love George: Advice and Answers from America'south Leading Expert on Everything from A to B . Putnam. ISBN0-399-13105-1.
Burns, George (1988). Gracie: A Love Story. Putnam. ISBN978-0-399-13384-8.
Burns, George; Fisher, David (1989). All My Best Friends. Putnam. ISBN978-0-399-13483-8.
Burns, George; Goldman, Hal (1991). Wisdom of the 90's. Putnam. ISBN0-399-13695-9.
Burns, George (1996). 100 Years, 100 Stories. Putnam. ISBN978-0-399-14179-9.

Filmography [edit]

Features

The Big Broadcast (1932) equally Himself
International House (1933) as Doctor Burns
College Humor (1933) as Himself
Vi of a Kind (1934) as George Edward
Nosotros're Non Dressing (1934) as Himself
Many Happy Returns (1934) as Himself
Love in Bloom (1935) as Himself
Here Comes Cookie (1935) as Himself
The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935) as Himself
The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936) equally Mr. Platt
Higher Vacation (1936) as George Hymen
Winterset (1936)
A Dryad in Distress (1937) every bit Himself
Higher Swing (1938) every bit George Jonas
Honolulu (1939) as Joe Duffy
The Solid Aureate Cadillac (1956) equally the Narrator (vocalism)
The Sunshine Boys (1975) every bit Al Lewis
Oh, God! (1977) equally God
Movie Moving-picture show (1978) as Himself – Introductory Segments (uncredited)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Social club Band (1978) as Mr. Kite
But Yous and Me, Kid (1979) as Bill
Going in Style (1979) every bit Joe
Oh, God! Volume Two (1980) as God
Ii of a Kind (1982) as Ross "Boppy" Modest
Oh, God! You lot Devil (1984) as God / Harry O. Tophet
xviii Again! (1988) equally Jack Watson / David Watson
A Century of Cinema (1994) (documentary)
Radioland Murders (1994) as Milt Lackey (last movie appearance)

Short subjects

Lambchops (1929) as George the Beau
Fit to Be Tied (1930) as a Necktie Customer
Pulling a Os (1931) equally a Man with a Bone
The Antique Shop (1931) as Customer
Once Over, Calorie-free (1931) as a Barbershop Customer
100% Service (1931) as George
Oh, My Operation (1932) equally the New Patient
The Babbling Volume (1932) as George
Your Hat (1932) equally a Hat Salesman
Permit's Dance (1933) as George, a Sailor
Hollywood on Parade No. A-9 (1933) as Himself (uncredited)
Walking the Baby (1933) as George
Screen Snapshots: Famous Fathers and Sons (1946) as Himself
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Grows Up (1954)
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Beauty (1955) as Himself
All About People (1967) as Narrator
A Look at the World of Soylent Green (1973) every bit Himself
The Lion Roars Again (1975) as Himself

Discography [edit]

Albums [edit]

Twelvemonth	Anthology	Chart positions		Label
Twelvemonth	Anthology	U.S. Country	U.S.	Label
1973	George Burns Sings	—	—	Buddah
1975	An Evening with George Burns: Alive at Shubert Theater	—	—	Pride
1980	I Wish I Was Xviii Again	12	93	Mercury
1980	George Burns in Nashville	—	—
1982	Young at Centre	—	—
1992	As Time Goes By			Adjourn

Singles [edit]

Year	Single	Chart positions					Album
Year	Single	U.South. Country	U.S.	Can Country	CAN	Tin can AC	Album
1980	"I Wish I Was Eighteen Once again"	fifteen	49	8	25	19	I Wish I Was Xviii Once more
1980	"The Arizona Whiz"	85	—	—	—	—	I Wish I Was Xviii Once more
1981	"Willie, Won't Y'all Sing a Song with Me"	66	—	—	—	—	George Burns in Nashville

Soundtracks [edit]

1978 – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Order Ring (soundtrack)

Radio series [edit]

The Robert Burns Panatella Show 1932–1933; CBS

In their debut series, George and Gracie shared the nib with Guy Lombardo and his orchestra. The pair launched themselves into national stardom with their commencement major publicity stunt, Gracie's ongoing search for her missing brother.

The White Owl Programme 1933–1934; CBS
The Adventures of Gracie 1934–1935; CBS
The Campbell'south Love apple Juice Program 1935–1937; CBS
The Grape Nuts Plan 1937–1938; NBC
The Chesterfield Plan 1938–1939; CBS
The Hinds Honey and Almond Cream Program 1939–1940; CBS

This series featured another wildly successful publicity stunt which had Gracie running for President of the United States.

The Hormel Program 1940–1941; NBC

Advertised a brand new product called Spam;^[nineteen] this evidence featured musical numbers by jazz peachy Artie Shaw.

The Swan Soap Prove 1941–1945; NBC, CBS

This series featured a radical format change, in that George and Gracie played themselves as a married couple for the outset time, and the show became a full-fledged domestic situation comedy. This was George'due south response to a marked drop in ratings under the old "Flirtation Act" format (every bit he later recalled, he finally realized "our jokes are likewise young for united states").

Maxwell Firm Java Fourth dimension 1945–1949; NBC
The Amm-i-Dent Toothpaste Bear witness 1949–1950; CBS

Boob tube series [edit]

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show 1950–1958; CBS

Broadcast live every other week for the outset 2 seasons, 26 episodes per year. Starting in the tertiary flavor, all episodes were filmed and broadcast weekly, forty episodes per yr. A total of 291 episodes were created.

The George Burns Show 1958–1959; NBC

An unsuccessful attempt to continue the format of the Burns and Allen bear witness without Gracie, the rest of the cast intact.

Wendy and Me 1964–1965; ABC

George plays narrator in this curt-lived series, just as he had in the Burns and Allen show, but with far less on-screen fourth dimension, as the focus is on a young couple played by Connie Stevens and Ron Harper. Stevens is, essentially, playing a version of Gracie's character.

George Burns One-act Calendar week 1985; CBS

Another short-lived serial, a weekly comedy anthology programme whose simply connecting thread was George's presence equally host. He does not appear in any of the actual storylines. He was 89 years old when the series was produced.

References [edit]

^ Newcomb, Horace (2004). Encyclopedia of Television. Vol. 1, A–C (Second ed.). Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. p. 369. ISBN9781579583941. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
^ Epstein, Lawrence J. (2011). George Burns: An American Life. McFarland & Company. p. 189. ISBN9780786487936. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved Jan 12, 2016.
^ Lueck, Thomas J. (January 24, 2006). "Downtown Congregation Vows to Repair Roof or Build Afresh". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
^ "Archives | the Philadelphia Inquirer". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved Feb 17, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Marx, Arthur. "Ninety-eight-year-old George Burns Shares Memories of His Life". Cigar Addict. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2007. Comedian George Burns is not only a living legend, he's living proof that smoking between 10 and 15 cigars a solar day for 70 years contributes to ane's longevity.
^ Burns, George (1955). I Honey Her, That's Why! an Autobiography. Simon and Schuster. p. xiv. ISBN9781456636425.
^ ^a ^b "George Burns, Laughing All the Way". Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
^ Lawrence J. Epstein (2011). George Burns: An American Life. McFarland. p. 18. ISBN978-0-7864-5849-three. OCLC 714086527.
^ ^a ^b Burns, George (November 1988). Gracie: A Beloved Story. New York: K.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN978-0-399-13384-8. 'The one issue that never came up between Gracie and me was religion. Gracie was a practicing Irish gaelic Catholic. She tried to go to Mass every Dominicus. I was Jewish, but I was out of practice. My religion was ever treat other people nicely and be ready when they play your music. Mary Kelly, who was also Irish gaelic Catholic, wouldn't ally Jack Benny considering she didn't want to marry out of her religion, merely Gracie didn't seem to care. In fact, I was a lot more concerned virtually what my mother thought than I was most Gracie'.
^ Burns, George (1989). How to live to exist 100—or more: the ultimate diet, sex, and do book. Penguin Group USA. p. 61.
^ "'Well!' Jack Would Have Said at the Turnout of the Stars". People. March 13, 1975. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved Feb 27, 2012.
^ Natale, Richard (March 11, 1996). "George Burns: A Legend Laid To Residuum". Daily Diverseness. p. 26.
^ Garlen, Jennifer C.; Graham, Anissa M. (2009). Kermit Civilisation: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets. McFarland & Company. p. 218. ISBN978-0786442591.
^ ^a ^b "The Corner of Burns & Allen". Seeing-Stars.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2000. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
^ ^a ^b Krebs, Albin (March 10, 1996). "George Burns, Straight Man And Ageless Wit, Dies at 100". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014. He died at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif., said his manager, Irving Fein. ...
^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame – George Burns". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on Dec 28, 2017. Retrieved Dec 28, 2017.
^ "George Burns – Hollywood Star Walk". Los Angeles Times. March ten, 1996. Archived from the original on January five, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame – History". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
^ "George Burns and Gracie Allen Spam Ad". Woman'south 24-hour interval. Gallery of Graphic Design. November one, 1940. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2012.

External links [edit]

George Burns at IMDb
George Burns at the Internet Broadway Database
George Burns at AllMovie
Home of George Burns & Gracie Allen-Radio Television Mirror-Dec 1940 (page 17)
Georgeburns.com at the Wayback Machine (archived July 11, 2011)
FBI Records: The Vault – George Burns at vault.fbi.gov

goinsappredery.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Burns