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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11.25.1940 | rehearsing next weeks show |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. November 25, 1940. Sponsored by: Spam, Hormel Chili Con C... | |
06.23.1949 | robert young preparing for england trip |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. June 23, 1949. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. The last show of th... | |
01.25.1950 | ronald reagan |
+ The Ammident Show. January 25, 1950. Sponsored by: Ammident Toothpaste. George is reharsing his s... | |
12.22.1942 | santa and the pirates |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. December 22, 1942. Sponsored by: Swan Soap, Spry. A Chris... | |
12.23.1941 | santas workshop |
+ The New Burns and Allen Show. December 23, 1941. Program #12. Sponsored by: Swan Soap. A fun fant... | |
09.28.1949 | second courtship |
+ The Ammident Show. September 28, 1949. Sponsored by: Ammident Tooth Paste/Powder. Gracie wants Ge... | |
11.23.1943 | secret lover of loretta young |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. November 23, 1943. Sponsored by: Swan Soap. Gracie has wr... | |
04.10.1947 | selling the house |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. April 10, 1947. Sponsored by: Maxwell House. Gracie gets the idea to s... | |
01.29.1948 | separate vacations |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 29, 1948. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Blanche convince... | |
09.07.1943 | shortage of husbands |
+ The Burns and Allen Show. September 7, 1943. Sponsored by: Swan Soap. Gracie discovers that there... | |
10.05.1949 | south pacific |
+ The Ammident Show. October 5, 1949. Gracie tries to get George to replace Ezio Pinza as the lead ... | |
05.27.1948 | spiritualism |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. May 27, 1948. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee. Gracie is intereste... | |
03.17.1941 | st patricks parade |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. March 17, 1941. Sponsored by: Hormel. The broadcast origi... | |
10.13.1942 | successful marriage manual |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. October 13, 1942. Sponsored by: Swan Soap (encyclopaedia ... | |
03.27.1940 | surprise party platform |
+ The Hinds Honey and Almond Cream Program. March 27, 1940. Sponsored by: Hinds Honey and Almond Cr... | |
05.29.1940 | sweeping into |
+ The Hinds Honey and Almond Cream Program. May 29, 1940. Sponsored by: Hinds Honey and Almond Crea... | |
06.12.1940 | swiss family robinson |
+ The Hinds Honey and Almond Cream Program. June 12, 1940. Sponsored by: Hinds Honey and Almond Cre... | |
04.25.1946 | sydney strotz guest |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. April 25, 1946. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O Pudding. Th... | |
01.03.1946 | taking in a veteran |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 3, 1946. George and Gracie decide to help a returning soldier ... | |
11.25.1948 | thanksgiving program |
+ The Burns and Allen Show. November 25, 1936. KHJ, Sponsored by: Campbell's Tomato Juice, Schaef... | |
11.18.1940 | thanksgiving show |
+ Gracie couldn’t make it to the show on account of her Grandaddy being sick and it’s not that G... | |
01.18.1950 | the beauty shop |
+ The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. March 10, 1958. CBS-TV net, syndicated rebroadcast. "Ronni... | |
01.17.1946 | the beverly hills uplift club |
+ Maxwell House Coffee Time. January 17, 1946. Program #106. , AFRS rebroadcast. Gracie and her Upl... | |
04.24.1940 | the biggest in the world |
+ The Hinds Honey and Almond Cream Program. April 24, 1940. Sponsored by: Hinds Honey and Almond Cr... | |
N/A | santas workshop |
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BURNS AND ALLEN
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