Enjoy two free comedy episodes of The Burns & Allen Show w/ George Burns & Gracie Allen

A) 3/7/44 w/ guest, Alan Ladd

B) 2/1/50 w/ guest, Al Jolson

George Burns and Gracie Allen – a real-life married couple – performed a comedy routine with Gracie as the funny woman and George as the straight man. Millions of radio listeners truly believed Gracie was as dumb as she sounded which was a tribute to both her comic brilliance and the top-notch scripts. For two decades the duo had a weekly following on radio, which culminated with a decade-long television show. George and Gracie continually revised their act, moving from vaudeville crossfire to full-stage situation comedy. At first, their characters were not romantically linked. In 1936, Gracie decided to help educate singer Tony Martin about the opposite sex by flirting with him. Actor Paul Douglas, then an announcer, was also on the receiving end of Gracie’s affections in 1938. It was only later that George’s character began pursuing Gracie. By 1942, Gracie’s flirtations with other men had been shelved and the program evolved into a husband and wife situation comedy series with occasional guest stars. Ever the businessman, George Burns (and wife Gracie) left NBC and signed a lucrative contract with CBS that included television. Gracie was hesitant about TV at first but quickly discovered that she was a pro in front of the camera. On TV, George would often break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience while Gracie continued to play dumb. In 1958, after eight years on television, Gracie retired and after her passing, George kept himself busy by acting in films. He earned an Oscar for his role in The Sunshine Boys and starred as “God” alongside John Denver in the Oh, God! films.