George Burns was born 119 years ago today. Born Nathan Birnbaum, Burns was a comedian, actor and writer. He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio and television. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became familiar trademarks for over three-quarters of a century. Burns met Grace Allen, who began in vaudeville around 1909 and teamed as an Irish-dance act, The Four Colleens, with her sisters, Bessie, Hazel and Pearl. She met Burns and immediately launched a new partnership, with Gracie playing the role of the straight man and George delivering the punchlines as the comedian. Burns knew something was wrong when the audience ignored his jokes but snickered at Gracies questions. He cannily flipped the act around: After a Hoboken, New Jersey performance in which they tested the new style for the first time, Burns hunch proved right. Gracie was the better laugh-getter, especially with the illogical logic that formed her responses to Burns prompting comments or questions. At the age of 79, Burns career was resurrected as an amiable, beloved and unusually active old comedian in the 1975 film, The Sunshine Boys, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He continued to work until shortly before his death, in 1996, at the age of 100. Here, Burns and Allen do their “Uncle Otis” comedy routine.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 05:05:33 +0000
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