Burns and Allen are one of the most beloved couple in old time radio. They got started, like many of the greats of old time radio, in vaudeville, which is really just the touring popular entertainment in America prior to movies. Gracie was the sparkplug of the act, always the center of attention. George played the foil, the guy vainly trying to make sense of the ditzy world of Gracie. By the early 30s, Gracie was probably the best known woman on radio. Gracie often sang in a voice that showed she was also an excellent comedienne songstress.
By the early 1940's, Burns decided that their act needed a change.He decided that the audience knew Gracie's and his reactions well enough that it would be possible to play off them, and create situations something like screwball comedy, but with the Burns and Allen touch. Jack Benny and Burns and Allen worked much the same way with their comedy.Vaudeville's snappy patter and give and take jokes, good even if the audience didn't know you, could be developed into running gags and put-downs based on character. Burns was always astute when it came to comedy - he lead the brainstorming sessions that wrote the shows, and carefully edited his writers with the final word on what was cut and what stayed. Elvia Allman play Gracie's friend Tootsie Sagwell and Gale Gordon and Hans Conried made frequent appearances.
So in 1942, George and Gracie became, in their characters, the perfectly normal husband and wife that is, if Gracie's non sequiturs and impulsive behavior could be considered perfectly normal. For Gracie, of course, it was perfectly normal, and the American public continued their love affair with her.The shows had names after the sponsors, such as Maxwell House Coffee Time, or The Ammident Show - it was the Burns and Allen show to the public. Other fine radio actors were a part of the fun. Mel Blanc did the happy postman, and was also famous for his zany characters on The Jack Benny Show, and his own Mel Blanc Show. Elliott Lewis, a veteran of many radio "bit" parts on the Burns and Allen shows of the 40s.
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Please enjoy these 273 old time radio episodes:
Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
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06.18.1945 | gracie tries to make george look young |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. June 18, 1945. Sponsored by: Swan Soap. After George is m... | |
06.25.1945 | george prepares to entertain troops |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. June 25, 1945. Sponsored by: Swan Soap. George and Gracie... | |
09.20.1945 | new house |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. September 20, 1945. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O (with "... | |
09.27.1945 | burns and allen |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. September 27, 1945. George and Gracie are moving into their new home. ... | |
10.04.1945 | dating advice |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. October 4, 1945. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O Pudding. G... | |
10.18.1945 | meredith is getting married |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. October 18, 1945. NBC net, KFI, Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, J... | |
11.01.1945 | george the butler |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. October 25, 1945. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O Pudding. ... | |
11.08.1945 | george lands movie part as wolf |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. November 8, 1945. Program #96. , AFRS rebroadcast. George becomes conv... | |
11.22.1945 | george inherits five thousand dollars |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. November 22, 1945. , AFRS rebroadcast. Uncle Marvin has left George $5... | |
11.29.1945 | george goes to college |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. November 29, 1945. NBC net, KFI, Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, ... | |
01.03.1946 | taking in a veteran |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 3, 1946. George and Gracie decide to help a returning soldier ... | |
01.10.1946 | gracie uplift society |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 10, 1946. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O Pudding.... | |
01.17.1946 | the beverly hills uplift club |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 17, 1946. Program #106. , AFRS rebroadcast. Gracie and her Upl... | |
01.24.1946 | kay kyser guest |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 24, 1946. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O Pudding. ... | |
02.07.1946 | marriage contest |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. February 7, 1946. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O. George a... | |
02.21.1946 | georges job in washington |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. February 21, 1946. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O (with th... | |
03.14.1946 | george sells chicken farm |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. March 14, 1946. Gracie decides to start a matrimonial bureau. Last w... | |
04.04.1946 | little white lies |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. April 4, 1946. , AFRS rebroadcast. How did the fender get smashed up? ... | |
04.11.1946 | gracie joins litery club |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. April 11, 1946. , syndicated. George's issue of, "Cowboy Love Tales"... | |
04.25.1946 | sydney strotz guest |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. April 25, 1946. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O Pudding. Th... | |
05.02.1946 | charles boyer guest pt1 hour special |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. May 2, 1946. Sponsored by: Jell-O Pudding, Maxwell House Coffee, Bird... | |
05.02.1946 | frances langford and mel blanc guests pt 2 hour special |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. May 2, 1946. Sponsored by: Jell-O Pudding, Maxwell House Coffee, Birds... | |
05.09.1946 | harpo marx guest |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. May 9, 1946. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O Pudding. Graci... | |
05.30.1946 | guest ben gage |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. May 30, 1946. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O (with "The Je... | |
09.05.1946 | georges allergies |
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BURNS AND ALLEN
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