Gracie
Allen
1906-1964
Vaudeville,
Radio, Television, Film
Gracie Allen was one of the great comediennes
of the twentieth century.  She
was born in 1906 in San Francisco to an Irish Catholic show
business family. Her father, George Allen, was a noted song
and dance man. Her sister spoke Gaelic. Gracie began on stage
at age three performing an "Interpretative Irish Dance."
Working in Vaudeville, she met and teamed up with George Burns
in 1922. The two married in 1926 and performed together the
rest of their lives. One form or another of the George Burns
and Gracie Allen Show ran on radio from 1934 to 1950 and on
CBS Television from 1950 to 1958. Gracie was the scatterbrained
illogical character opposite Burns as the straight man. They
also made twenty plus film’s together. She retired in
1958 and died in 1964. Burns lived past 100 and continued
working. The phrase of "Say 'good night', Gracie"
is still remembered today.
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