Gracie Allen

Date of Birth

26 July 1895, San Francisco, California, USA

Date of Death

27 August 1964, Hollywood, California, USA (heart attack)

Birth Name

Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen

She and her husband-to-be became the comedy team of Burns & Allen in 1922 (she was the daft one). They remained spouses and performing partners until her passing.

Attending secretarial school, Gracie was invited by her roommate to Union Hill, NJ, to see if she was interested in working with either member of an act that was splitting up. The act was George Burns and Billy Lorraine, and she chose George.

In 1922 she and George Burns made their first performance at the Hill Street Theatre in Newark, NJ, where they were paid $5 per day. George saw that the audience not only found Gracie's character funny but they fell in love with her, and he did, too. He immediately changed the act to give her all the funny lines and played her straight man. They became a hit.

George Burns called Gracie "Googie", while she called him "Natty".

Interred along with husband George Burns at Forest Lawn (Glendale), Glendale, CA, in the Freedom Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Heritage.

Had one blue eye and one green.

The 1939 film The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939) was especially written for her by the creator of Philo Vance, writer S.S. Van Dine. It was one of the few times she worked without her husband, George Burns.

Most people did not know when she was born, as her birth certificate was lost during the California earthquake in 1906, and she was usually evasive about her age. Her family was even forced to guess her birth date for her death certificate, settling on 1902. Her true age would not be revealed until 1972, when the 1900 Census became public, and gave her actual birth year as 1895.

Began having mild heart attacks in the late '50s, which continued until her death in 1964.

Has a type of flower named after her.

During her run on "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" (1950), she stood only 5 feet tall and weighed a dainty, petite 100 pounds.

The words "Together Again" are engraved on her and George Burns' crypt at the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, CA. This inscription replaced the previous one, "Good Night, Gracie,which appeared on the crypt prior to Geoge's death. She is interred to the left of him as you view the crypt, not above him as has been previously reported, along with the explanation that George "wanted her to have top billing".

She and George Burns have two adopted children, Sandra Burns and Ronald John (Ronnie Burns).

Started out in an Irish dancing group called "The Allen Sisters" with her three older sisters, Bessie, Hazel and Pearl.

Her father left the family - her, her mother, her three sisters and one brother when she was 5 years old, and she never spoke of him again.

When she went to work with George Burns, she was engaged to another man. It took four years for George to change her mind, but they went on to become one of the best remembered couples in Hollywood history.

"The Burns & Allen Show" (on CBS and NBC from 1934 to 1950) was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1994.

Declined only one photo session request in her career, when she was asked to pose outside a mental hospital; husband George Burns compared this to having Mae West pose outside a brothel.

Had a fear of water and drowning; took swimming lessons secretly to be able to teach her children.

Staged a mock Presidential campaign in 1940; the theme of her campaign speech appeared to be "My girdle is killing me."

Suffered occasional migraines, which sometimes lasted for days; the only thing that seemed to help was a tight bandana, and bed rest in absolute quiet.

Accidentally spilled a pot of boiling water on her arm as a child, which left a bad scar she kept concealed for the rest of her life (her one big wish was to wear a strapless evening gown and no gloves, just once).

Their running gags: Gracie's endless relatives, the elaborate search for Gracie's "missing brother" (who actually left town in the wake of the publicity), Gracie's infatuation with matinée idol Charles Boyer, Gracie's enthusiasm for George's singing.

The annual Gracie Allen Awards are presented by American Women in Radio and Television, Inc., to programs by, for and about women.

Graduated from Star of the Sea School for Girls [now co-ed] in San Francisco; graduation ceremony was held in the Columbia Theatre [now American Conservatory Theatre] on 19 June 1914.

In 1949 she missed a radio show when she had a migraine so bad she couldn't get out of bed. She was replaced by Jane Wyman, who had won the Best Actress Oscar earlier that year. It turned out to be the only performance she missed in over 35 years of performing with George Burns.

Her idol and first childhood crush was Charles Chaplin.

In the early 1940s, during the height of their popularity, George Burns had a brief extra-marital affair. He apologized to Gracie by giving her a new coffee table, and nothing more was said about it. However, years later, when Gracie was serving coffee to a friend in their living room, George overheard her say, "You know, I wish George would have another affair. I really need a new coffee table".

Had a driver's license, issued under her married name, Grace Burns. Was once pulled over by a policeman, who thought the license was fake because it didn't give her last name as Allen.

Although she was in love with another man when they first met, George Burns carried a ring in his pocket until she finally agreed to marry him.

Pictured with husband George Burns on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp, issued 11 August 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" (1950).

George Burns

Date of Birth

20 January 1896, New York City, New York, USA

Date of Death

9 March 1996, Beverly Hills, California, USA (natural causes)

Birth Name

Nathan Birnbaum

As a child, he attended P.S. 22 and left after the fourth grade due to economic reasons.

Interred along with his wife Gracie Allen at Forest Lawn (Glendale), Glendale, California, USA, in the Freedom Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Heritage.

Uncle of Lou Weiss, chairman emeritus of William Morris Agency, who got his mail-room start in agency business with help of 'Uncle Nate'.

Was a regular on the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts." He was even a guest of honor in 1978.

"The Burns & Allen Show" (on CBS and NBC from 1934 to 1950) was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1994.

At the time of his Oscar win, he was the oldest recipient of an Oscar. He was 80 when he won the 1976 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for The Sunshine Boys (1975/I). This record was surpassed by Jessica Tandy in 1990. However, as of 2007 he still is the oldest recipient of an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Best friends with fellow comedian Jack Benny, who also served as best man at his and Gracie Allen's wedding. Burns loved playing jokes on Benny, almost as much as watching him laugh (and pound the floor) afterward.

Actually wore a hairpiece for most of his performing career; appears briefly without it in The Sunshine Boys (1975/I).

He and Gracie Allen continued to play single, even years after they were married; declining ratings prompted George to "update" the act on-air. He said later, "We were the only couple on radio who got married because we had to".

Took the name "Burns" from the Burns Brothers Coal Company, whose trucks he'd stolen lumps from growing up, to help heat the family home. "George" was a sobriquet his brother occasionally used.

Until his death he smoked as many as ten cigars a day.

Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. Pg. 78-80. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387

His first marriage was in name only. In the early 1920s he was doing a ballroom dancing act with Hannah Siegal, and they were offered a 36-week contract to go out on the road. When her dad objected to her traveling with a young man outside the bonds of matrimony, George and Hannah got married so as not to turn down the offer. When they returned from their three-month engagement, they divorced.

In the beginning of their partnership, Gracie Allen played the straight character and Burns had the funny lines. When he realized Gracie got more laughs, he switched their roles.

Daughter Sandra Burns adopted 1934, son Ronnie Burns adopted 1935.

Discovered Ann-Margret and made her his opening act in Las Vegas.

He was in very fragile health and could not attend his 100th birthday celebration in person.

Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 82-84. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Was originally supposed to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of his best friend, Jack Benny, but he was so overcome with emotion after trying that he let someone else do it.

In the movie 18 Again! (1988) Burns' character celebrates his 81st birthday, although Burns himself was already 92 years old.

In the early 1940s, during the height of their popularity, Burns had a brief extra-marital affair. He apologized to Gracie Allen by giving her a new coffee table, and nothing more was said about it. However, years later, when Gracie was serving coffee to a friend in their living room, George overheard her say, "You know, I wish George would have another affair. I really need a new coffee table".

Was very good friends with Harpo Marx.

Interviewed around the time of the death of wife Gracie Allen in the summer of 1964, he described her as being his "next breath".

The whales in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) were named George and Gracie after Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen.

Although Gracie Allen was in love with another man when they first met, he carried a ring in his pocket until she finally agreed to marry him.

According to Phyllis Diller's autobiography "Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse", in the late 1960s Broadway producer David Merrick approached Burns with the idea of him playing Horace Vandergelder in "Hello, Dolly!" with his good friend Jack Benny in drag as Dolly Levi. The intention was to turn Broadway on its ear and revive flagging interest in the show, which had been running since 1964, originally with Carol Channing as Dolly Levi. This idea never came to fruition. (Diller did appear in the show for 3 months in 1970.).

He was awarded 3 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Live Theatre at 6672 Hollywood Boulevard; for Motion Pictures at 1639 Vine Street; and for Television at 6510 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Pictured with wife Gracie Allen on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp, issued 11 August 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" (1950).

Brother of William Burns.

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