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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03.17.1949 | george has a cold |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. March 17, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. George has caught ... | |
03.10.1949 | gracie the girl scout leader |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. March 10, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. The Girl Scouts ar... | |
03.03.1949 | gracie smashes into a parked car |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. March 3, 1949. , syndicated. Gracie has had a traffic accident with ... | |
02.24.1949 | gracie wants george to become a doctor |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. February 24, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Gracie voluntee... | |
02.24.1949 | gracie wants george to be a doctor |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. February 24, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Gracie voluntee... | |
02.17.1949 | george collects alley cats |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. February 17, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Gracie tells gu... | |
02.10.1949 | gracie sends sam spade to jail |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. February 10, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. West coast broa... | |
02.10.1949 | gracie and the girl scouts |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. February 10, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. West coast broa... | |
01.27.1949 | gracie plans a unique birthday present for george |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 27, 1949. , syndicated. George's birthday is coming up. Grac... | |
01.20.1949 | cesar romero steals bills grlfriend |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 20, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Gracie sees to i... | |
01.06.1949 | guest gregory peck |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 6, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Gracie sees a Gre... | |
12.16.1948 | guest james mason |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. February 17, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Gracie tells gu... | |
11.25.1948 | turkey swallows a wedding ring | ||
11.25.1948 | thanksgiving program |
+ The Burns and Allen Show. November 25, 1936. KHJ, Sponsored by: Campbell's Tomato Juice, Schaef... | |
11.18.1948 | whos the boss |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. November 18, 1948. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Who is the boss... | |
11.11.1948 | 15th wedding anniversary |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. November 11, 1948. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. It's the Burns'... | |
10.28.1948 | gracie wants money for a new dress |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. October 28, 1948. George asks Gracie to buy him some long underwear. G... | |
10.07.1948 | kleptomanics |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. October 7, 1948. , AFRS rebroadcast. Gracie's having Geor... | |
09.30.1948 | the new neighbors |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. September 30, 1948. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. The first show... | |
09.03.1948 | guest james mason |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. November 15, 1954. CBS-TV net origination, syndicated rebr... | |
05.27.1948 | spiritualism |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. May 27, 1948. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Gracie is intereste... | |
05.20.1948 | gracies mother |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. May 20, 1948. , AFRS rebroadcast. Gracie's mother is staying with the ... | |
05.13.1948 | gracies problem with salesmen |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. May 13, 1948. , AFRS rebroadcast. Is Gracie an easy touch? She can't s... | |
05.06.1948 | judsons sister and the oil well |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. May 6, 1948. , AFRS rebroadcast. George has gotten the bills for Graci... | |
04.29.1948 | george is finally getting a new car |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. April 29, 1948. , syndicated. After a three-year wait, George's new ... |
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BURNS AND ALLEN
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