The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

This is the television show that broke all the molds. There was no comedienne at the time (or for that matter, any time) better than Gracie! No one could act that dumb! She was poetry to watch. As George used to say, he stood while Gracie talked! What a pair they were. If you can find it, rent the episode about the checkbook. I got dizzy just watching! We can only hope that Nick at Nite goes back further than the 60s for the real classics of TV!

Back in the days before supermarket tabloids, there was a story that most Hollywood insiders already knew. George Burns and Gracie Allen, two stage performers who had made their names in the post-vaudeville era, loved each other. For real. Keeping in mind that this wonderful show is often contrasted to I LOVE LUCY -- where the stars ended up in one of the most public divorces Hollywood has ever seen -- that fact is worth remembering. Also worth remembering is that Burns basically played himself. And in his case, playing himself meant playing of the most charming, talented, and gifted storytellers in the world. George Burns practically invented comic timing. And he was a well-liked individual. (So well liked that years later when they were casting the role of GOD, giving him the part was a no-brainer!). Also interesting is the use of the hidden camera to watch the other characters. Not only a "show inside a show," but anticipating a trend that was decades away. Marshall McLuhan was a young man when this show aired, but somehow you know he watched it. Bottom line, not merely a show, a piece of history. With commercials. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I'm sure that Rose, the character that Betty White played in Golden Girls , was based on Gracie Allen.

The timeless comedy of George Burns and Gracie Allen moved to television in 1950 when Gracie brought her own unique perspective to all kinds of situations. The fourth wall was broken as George replete with cigar in hand gave a commentary to what Gracie was doing.

Gracie certainly marched to her own beat. The dialog between her and George was great, but we knew that George from years of living with her took her zany nonsequiters as they came. Not so their neighbors the Mortons who were played by Bea Benedaret and Fred Clark later replaced by Larry Keating.

But if strangers came Gracie's way they left questioning their sanity, she was so sure always. And George always amused at the people two steps behind his wife.

Gracie Allen was the funniest woman that ever walked the planet. Nobody else even close. The show came to an end because she wanted to retire. She died in 1964 and as we know George hit the century mark before being called home. George could never see himself not in show business, Gracie who had a heart condition needed the retirement.

But their legacy to comedy is unchallenged.

Gracie Allen and George Burns were truly a match made in comedy heaven. Although Gracie played a ditzy but lovable wife to George. They had an ideal marriage til death do their part in real life. Gracie Allen played the ditzy wife perfectly but she wasn't really a ditz. She was smart and intelligent who had the audience fall in love with her just like George did. Their onscreen and offscreen marriage worked well for all of us. Sadly Gracie left decades before George. Together they were impeccable comedy duo.