Gracie Allen
Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian and comedian. She became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, appearing with her on radio, television, and film as the duo Burns and Allen. Allen was born with heterochromia, giving her two different color eyes; one blue and one green.
About Gracie Allen in brief
Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian and comedian. She became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, appearing with her on radio, television, and film as the duo Burns and Allen. For her contributions to the television industry, Gracie Allen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6672 Hollywood Boulevard. Allen was born with heterochromia, giving her two different color eyes; one blue and one green. Some discrepancy exists as to her date of birth. Depending on the source, Allen is alleged to have been born on July 26 in 1895, 1896, 1902, or 1906. All public vital records held by the City and County of San Francisco were destroyed in the earthquake and great fire of April 1906. In the census taken on April 15, 1910, for San Francisco’s 39th Assembly District, Enumeration District 216, Page 5A, Grace Allen is listed. She was married on January 7, 1926, on stage at the Palace Theatre in Cleveland by a justice of the peace. In his book Gracie: A Love Story, Burns later explained that he noticed Allen’s straight lines were getting more laughs than his punchlines, so he cannily flipped the act over—he made himself the straight man and let her get the laughs. The reformulated team, focusing on Allen, toured the country, eventually headlining in major vaudEville houses.
Many of their famous routines were preserved in one- and two-reel short films, including Lambchops, made while the couple was still performing onstage. Burns attributed all of the couple’s early success to his own brilliance as a straight man. He summed up their classic act in a quip: ‘All I had to do was say: ‘Gracie, how’s your brother?’ And she talked for 38 years. And sometimes I didn’t even have to remember to say that.’’ In the early 1930s, like many stars of the era, they usually caused ordinary problems by negotiating ordinary problems. The show’s format changed into the comedy vehicle for which they are best remembered: “flirtation, logic, and logic.” Burns realized that they were simply too old for their original show. He changed the format in the fall of 1941 and changed the show’s name to Gracie and George. The couple was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1966, co-star Bea Benaderet said of Allen in 1966: \”She was probably one of the greatest actresses of our time. The show originally was originally a continuation of their original act… The show was originally called ‘Flirtation’ Allen was married to George Burns until he realized that the original act was too old. She died in 1964.
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