The inimitable Gracie Allen was born on this date, somewhere between 1895 and 1906 (various dates are given). She was dancing with her sisters on the Vaudeville stage as “The Four Colleens” when she hooked up with George Burns in 1922. They clicked, on stage and off, and were married in 1926.
By 1932, they took their act to radio and in 1950, transitioned to television. They remained a hit until Gracie retired in 1958. 1932 was also the year they began their movie career, appearing in several Paramount shorts. Gracie appeared without George in “The Gracie Allen Murder Case” in 1939.
“Burns and Allen” was one of the most successful husband and wife teams in American entertainment history. George would feed the straight lines. Gracie would respond with byzantine logic which somehow always made sense in it’s own way. Zany is a word that seems to pop up regularly in descriptions.