George Burns: A Century of Laughter

stop stop it you're getting zappy oh george another surprise am i getting a one pound box or a two pound box i love daddy that's my favorite candy stop it you're getting nuts oh george if it's just this empty could i have daffy without you nuts he was a bad doctor yeah all his patients were thick you're very observing oh here's a good one have you got a pencil there's a pencil on the back table all right he had a beautiful blonde nurse and even she was sick she was sick yeah she kept begging him to take out her appendix the nurse wanted her appendix taken out yeah every time she went into his private office i could hear her saying now doctor please cut it out gotta light the cigar i can't i can't talk unless i smoke seeing me without a cigar like seeing mrs miller on the middle page of playboy and in my age that's exciting i stand up when i sit down and i dance a little bit i don't kick the back of my head and i don't do splits anymore yeah 395 and get out of bed and have something to do and love what you're doing is terribly important george burns a century of laughter [Music] not only is george a very good personal friend of mine but he's a tremendous friend to everyone in our whole organization it took a lot of years to set up this moment which is a lifetime contract culminating in a celebration of george's 100th birthday at caesar's palace and that's what we're here to celebrate today and here to sign this contract uh here's a song there's a song i sang with the with the with the peewee quartet red rose rag [Music] george burns can you ever remember a time without him well probably not unless you're well over 100 years old that's because for most of the 20th century george burns has been a vital and popular fixture of modern show business with wit and charm burns has triumphed in each new facet of entertainment that he encountered on his fabulous journey from vaudeville to movies from radio to television best-selling author sold-out nightclub and concert entertainer and recording star and the two things burns has said he is most proud of beloved husband and partner gracie allen and dear friend to almost every show business great of our time george burns was born nathan birnbaum on january 20th 1896 in new york's lower east side he was the ninth of 12 children born to lewis and hadassah birnbaum lewis worked in the garment industry and died when nathan was just seven years old it was about this time that nathan acquired his new surname of burns the family lived near the burns brothers cold yard and young nathan and his friends would stuff coal in their clothing to take home local residents seeing the kids pass with their clothes filled with coal which out there goes the burns brothers to complete his new name nathan took his older brother izzy's nickname of george george's earliest exposure to show business may have come by following the organ grinders who plied the streets of the city and soon after george would offer competition when he and his friends began performing on the streets as the peewee quartet i've been singing all my life i started when i was eight years old i sang with three kids the pee wee quartet there was me morty and heshy weinberger mortzy was seven and hershey was six and then there was one kid total mitchell he was five years old he sang base and he handled the business for the act but we let him do that because it worked out so well for us you see when today divided up the coins that the people threw at us being a baby he kept the big ones the nickels and the pennies and gave us the dimes this this was great until one day somebody threw us a quarter we had to explain the facts of life to him when today was six his mother made him quit show business and go to school then we had to change the name of our egg and uh there was a store on the east side called apple bomb suits the boys we went in to see mr applebaum we told him that if he'd give us a suit for free each one of us we'd we would we would call ourselves the apple bound trio applebaum says let me hear your boy's name he heard us and that free artist he said um i'll give you each suit if you don't use my name and and and and the funny the funny thing is i could i i needed that suit i came from a very big family there were there were 12 of us children uh seven sisters and five brothers and we were very close we had to be we lived in three rooms we weren't the poorest people on the block there were people that were poorer but they hadn't come to america yet [Music] as a young man burns was hooked on show business although he didn't have a clear career goal in mind he knew he had to perform he began working under various names and with partners that even included a seal named flipper later while performing a dancing act with hannah siegel the team was offered a 36-week road tour the girl's father wouldn't allow her to go unless the couple were married burns married hannah and 36 weeks later they were divorced which also put george back as a single act george now embarked on a series of ill-fated acts under various names burns would later say after playing a theater i had to change my name because the booker would never give me another job if he knew who i was for the next 75 years george would delight audiences with stories of his early experiences in show business when i was 17 i'd already been in show business for eight years in fact by then i was making my third comeback i changed my name every week i had to i couldn't get a job with the same name twice i remember sitting in an agent's office and he came out he said where could i find harry harris i said i'm harry harris i thought i was he gave me a contract to play the michael theater in brooklyn three days for 15 the contract said harry harris thrills on wheels [Music] it was a bicycle act i was never on a bicycle in my life but i figured for 15 i couldn't be bad so i rented a bicycle went out to the myrtle theater got out on the stage with the bicycle and stood there and held it while i did my egg [Laughter] i sang my opening song i'll be coming back to eliza when i'm finished with the kaiser then i did my big ballad tiger girl and then in the middle of my next number while i was yodeling i happened to look off stage and the manager was doing this i looked down into the pit and the musicians were doing that i looked at the audience and they were doing that you know i never made it to the dressing room the manager came out on the stage and told me i was canceled what really hurt was that the audience gave him a round of applause and the musicians gave him a standing ovation when i was 21 i ran out of names not only read other names i ran out of foal food i ran out of clothes i even ran out of plasters do you know that i wound up doing an act with a chicken it was a novelty act this chicken used to dance on one leg we called the act jack davis and chick fowler my name was chick fowler we opened at the folly theater in brooklyn the chicken was a riot and i laid an egg then the chicken left me and went to work with willie delight and willie used to like to nip a little bit but like most drinkers he hated to drink alone and before you know it the chicken was getting smashed now when you're smashed it's hard enough to dance on two legs but and in no time at all the act couldn't get a job i ran into willie the light i says i hear things are bad he says awful he says i was so hungry last night i pretty near ate my partner i said well you wouldn't do a thing like that he says no but i must admit that i ate the leg she wasn't using by 1922 george still hadn't found a sufficient partner or a successful act but it didn't stop him from auditioning for the top producers of the day i remember that zickfield auditioned for for chorus girls and he threw me out but i tried another time gus edwards was putting on an acting portable called the shoe shine boys i was a little kid then i walked in with my box started the shiny shoes and i sang shine shine fights and zach my name is teddy and i'm always ready my blacking is new and my brushing is fine that's that's that's when that's where we got not only didn't get the job but he took my polish away too yeah but i i never let disappointments get me down i always kept smiling got to be such a habit i even smiled in my sleep and i was sharing a room then with another out-of-work actor who was going around with a girl he was insanely jealous over woke up one night and saw me smiling and thought i was dreaming of her and punched me in the nose things were real rough then but a little voice i was ready to quit the little voice always kept saying inside of me little voice would say all you need is a chance and you'll you'll be great and i finally got that chance i played the the flatbush theater in brooklyn and then the audience bowed me off the stage as i walked off the little voice inside of me said okay so i'm a liar later in 1922 while working in new jersey george was about to lose yet another partner and he would meet the person who would change his life forever gracie allen grace ethel cecile rosalie allen was born on july 26 1906 in san francisco her father was a song and dance man who also ran a dance school from the family's home gracie made her stage debut at age three at 14 she joined her sisters in an irish dancing act known as the allen sisters as a teenager gracie and two of her sisters were part of an act starring larry riley when the act was booked into hoboken only riley's name appeared on the theater's marquee gracie quit the act traveled across the river to new york and enrolled in secretarial school but shortly after a friend persuaded gracie to go back to new jersey and meet a young performer who was looking for a new partner the man of course was george burns and my name then was smiling frankie davis in smart songs and syncopated pattern my opening number was the birds sweetly singing in perfume flowers are bringing in the windows worn out it's passing by bye i love to sing and after my opening song i looked out in the audience and i spotted gracie sitting in the tenth row this wasn't hard to do she was the only one left so i leaned over the footlights and i thanked her for staying and she said now you can do something for me help me with my dress it's caught in the seat i did and that night we had our first date and i was short of money and i went out to see the manager and i walked into his office and i says how do you do i'm smiling frankie davis how did you like my act and he punched me right in the mouth from then on i was known as plain frankie davis the new team's first break came in 1925 when they were booked for a 16-week run on the orpheum circuit by 1926 burns and allen was an established act and were earning big bucks playing the keith's theater chain on january 7th 1926 gracie allen just 19 years old and george burns almost 30 were married by a justice of the peace i borrowed two dollars from gracie to pay for the marriage license that's true he borrowed five imagine the predicament i was in didn't have two dollars for the marriage license i had to borrow two dollars from gracie he borrowed five i was so embarrassed you know come to think of it finally got it he still owes me three dollars change [Music] i wonder if i have a better bag in early 1927 the team really hit the big time when they played the palace theater in new york in 1929 while playing in new york burns and allen were asked to substitute for fred allen in a warner brothers vitaphone short with the arrival of sound vaudeville stars with their brief and well-rehearsed routines have become an attractive property to the film studios after finishing the film the couple left for england where they were booked into various night spots they were an immediate hit and the bbc signed burnsen allen for a 26-week radio engagement for the first time millions of people could hear the comedy routines that the team had polished to a luster traveling the american vaudeville circuit well gracie which one of your brilliant relatives will we talk about tonight brilliant houses you're making it difficult for me i know i am well there's so many of them it's gonna be hard to choose yeah just it's just a family of geniuses i guess there's no such thing as a as a normal album well i couldn't agree more the one we're most proud of was mozart along the famous conductor and composer mozart is he living yet not yet you're right is he living yet not yet right what uh what kind of music did he write well the first thing he wrote was his symphony 97 that's the first thing yes well he figured he'd have a better chance that people didn't think he was just after all those years and all those partners george had finally figured out the secret to success and the secret's name was gracie i'm george burns gracie allen's husband for the benefit of those who've never seen me before i'm what is known as show business as a straight man know what a straight man is i'll tell you after the comedian gets through with a joke i look at the comedian and then i look at the audience like this that is known as a pause i must say so myself i'm famous for my pauses when i'm really rolling this is one of my ad-libs and there's another thing a straight man must know he must repeat everything the comedian says for instance if gracie should say a funny thing happened on the streetcar today i say a funny thing happened on the streetcar today naturally her answer gets a scream then i do one of my famous forces uh you know i've been a straight man so long that from force a habit i uh i repeat everything i went out fishing with a fella once and he fell overboard and he hollered help help help and i said help help help while i was waiting for him to get his laugh he drowned so you see to be a straight man you you have to have a talent you have to develop this talent then you gotta marry her like i did upon returning to the united states paramount pictures signed the team to appear in a series of comedy film shorts in all burns and allen appeared in 12 one reelers for the studio but george and gracie had one more obstacle to overcome although the duo had been a hit on radio in england back home they were turned down for an nbc radio show the network's reason was that the public wouldn't accept gracie's squeaky voice so the team returned to the vaudeville circuit in 1930 while playing the palace theater eddie cantor invited gracie to appear on his radio program without george burns not only allowed gracie to appear he even wrote a routine which cantor performed with gracie just one week later rudy valley who was credited with discovering such stars as milton berle and edgar bergen invited burns and allen on his popular radio show the couple were smash and in february 1932 the team became regulars on the cbs radio's the robert burns panatella program which also starred the guy lombardo orchestra the team created a national sensation with a continuing routine which centered around gracie looking for her long-lost brother in this picture she's explaining to george that her brother looks like the missing jigsaw puzzle piece in 1932 burns and allen traveled to hollywood to appear in their first feature film paramounts the big broadcast in all burns and allen would appear in three of the big broadcast films to promote the first big broadcast movie the couple also appeared in this 1932 short hollywood on parade with bing crosby see it glad to see you let's go looking good now i'm thinking of death you come out to be in that big picture you mean a big broadcast yeah it's right yeah kind of you know george i've wanted to tell you for a long time i've seen you on the screen heard you over the air and worked with you in the theater i really think that you have one of the finest acts in your business oh thanks very much i mean that sincerely thanks i certainly wish i could say something nice about you well you could if you were as big a liar as i am i'll see you later bang just a minute i was wondering george you know the young lady in your act uh miss allen grayson yeah i'm sure she's delighted you like i think she's a charming girl i i i like her myself he's a beautiful girl too i think so i was wondering if you could fix it up for me to meet miss out now do you like our act or do you like misalignment well i likes the act and i like smizela sort of likes servers yeah with me it's like i say well i'll have you meet miss allen gracie uh this is gracie allen and i i i oh martin downey oh no rudy valley gracie that's bing crosby oh now y'all got to change your name nobody will know glad to see you thank you having a nice time in california oh yeah getting around a lot about the spots no i'm not getting around very much that's all well i was wondering here you ever wonder sure i wanted through the fields picking poppies i mean i was wondering if you'd like to go out with me well why should you be an exception gracie i was wondering if you liked one oh i would think i loved it you really was yes would you like to go out tonight oh i'm sorry i can't make it tonight i have an engagement my husband you're married oh yes did you know oh [Music] well i did the best i could being i'll feed his hand way way bye now the following year burns and allen were back in another paramount film international house come here uh there's a man outside with the rash is that the dishes model with free wheeling and floating power or is it lasting yes yes it's a coupe you know what a coupe is oh sure my father's got one only he parked his in the middle 1933 was proving to be a banner year for burns and allen they were enjoying success in films and on the radio where cbs gave the couple their own program and they finished the year with another film for paramount college humor 1934 saw more films including six of a kind many happy returns and we're not dressing stop it stop it you're getting daffy oh george another surprise am i getting a one pound box or a two pound box i love daffy that's my favorite candy stop it you're getting nuts oh well george if it's just the same to you could i have dappy without nuts there was no question that by 1934 burns and allen had become major stars and they were given the star treatment when they attended the broadway premiere of billy rosa's production of jumbo at the hippodrome theater george burns and gracie allen gracie say hello to everybody hello everybody now well jumbo is opening say something jumbo yeah jumbo well all i can say about jumbo is in 1935 burns and allen appeared in here comes cookie and love and bloom with jack benny the burns and benny friendship is legendary dating back to their earliest days in show business the two men and their wives were all lifelong best friends benny and burns exchanged appearances on each other's shows many times their ongoing routine about george's singing and jack's violin never failed to delight the audience [Applause] your show can't miss now look at the talent you've got you got grable bergen bobby darren the hermes pan dancers jeff alexander's music and of course me jack you um you left somebody out oh i'm sorry your director greg garrison well what show am i on i know i'm working i'm wearing makeup george look i was getting around to you after all this is an hour show isn't it well see if you can squeeze me in before the closing credits [Music] look you've got the most important job you don't realize you got the most important job on this whole show oh you're the host the host well good now what does the host do are you kidding what does look when all of these great performers get up and do their wonderful numbers who's the fella who does this i i do this what a talent [Music] you're right jack i don't think there's anybody in show business who has a better pair of palms than i have i got a surprise for you i'm not only going to be the host but i'm going to sing with gravel with bergen with darren with the hermes pan dances with the jeff jeff alexander's orchestra and when the show was over i'm singing with our director greg garrison [Music] george you got me wrong see i love your singing i think you've got a style that's your own you got a great voice you do sure look i've never told you this but after a golf game when you take a shower at hillcrest country club i always take the shower next to yours just to hear me sing i don't even turn on the water really jack george many a day i've come home to marry dirty but happy [Music] you sure it's not to save money on towels you're corny but look george i really love your singing well jack uh i've never told you this before this just goes for me i don't care about anybody else to me you're one of the world's greatest violinists you think so oh yes you're just as good as as as as a as uh what's his name uh yasha haifa joshua hyphens no i mean so well jack you're just as good as as as a as isaac still isaac stern oh george i mean and jack you're just as good as as as um rubenstein he's a pianist burns and allen's success on radio and in films brought more than financial rewards it gave them stability gone were the days of traveling the vaudeville circuits from town to town it was time for a home and a family in 1936 the couple adopted their first child sandra a year later they moved to beverly hills and adopted their son ronnie also in 1936 burns and allen appeared in college holiday in 1937 burns and allen received co-star billing with fred astaire in rko's damsel in distress not only did the team provide the film's laughs they also danced with a stare in the movie's oscar-winning dance routine back on radio the burns and allen show was more popular than ever gracie once said george tells me we've been on the radio for nearly six years now but whenever i turn the radio on in the house i never get me in 1938 burns and allen reunited with bing crosby for the paramount release college swing and in 1939 the team made their last picture together honolulu gracie made three films without george the gracie allen murder case mr and mrs north and two girls and a sailor in all the team had made 14 feature films but according to burns gracie never really felt comfortable making films or on radio she once told a reporter my hands are cold and clammy my face is hot and sometimes i really fumble my lines but george loves it because the audience loves it let's go down to the bar and have a drink say pop you're a fast worker well i have to work fast i'm getting all [Music] oh you missed [Music] in 1940 burns and allen pulled off another great radio stunt when gracie threw one of her many hats into the political ring and ran for president her campaign slogan was down with common sense vote for gracie but by 1942 their radio program was showing some signs of slowing down george recognized the problem the couple were still doing a boyfriend girlfriend act george said everyone knew we were married and had growing children so george instituted major format changes added new characters and from that time on burns and allen portrayed themselves as married hello are you there well we're here george burns and gracie now we find george and gracie at breakfast george how many lumps do you want in your coffee two thanks is there anything interesting in the paper today or is it just news just news say you're lucky to have the paper mr las vogel's dog is always chewing it up i wish that snoopy neighbor would keep his dog away from here yesterday morning he bit little off an annie in the funny section it wasn't long before george came up with yet another stunt for gracie this time it was the piano concerto for index finger gracie actually performed the bees all over the country including carnegie hall george's show business instincts helped to keep the program fresh and gracie in the public eye by the end of the 1940s 45 million listeners tuned in for each show and the couple were earning almost 10 000 a week by 1950 it was clear the television was about to explode on the national scene and many radio stars were making the switch to the upstart media it didn't catch george by surprise in fact burns had a meeting with cbs chairman william paley in 1948 about a television show reportedly it was paley himself who came up with many of the show's unique elements but george wasn't sure and they also had to convince gracie who was very nervous about memorizing new lines each week in 1949 cbs assigned director ralph levy to shoot a demo film the film was shown to carnation foods who immediately agreed to sponsor the show but burns was still worried as he once said radio is like stealing money you just stood there with a piece of paper in your hand with television burns and allen had to be concerned with props cues and learning lines george also insisted on doing a show every other week giving the team and the writers more time to prepare for each show finally on thursday night october 12 1950 the audience gathered at the mansfield theater in new york at 8 pm the burns and allen show one of radio's most successful programs made its television debut and justice burns and bill paley had discussed almost two years earlier instead of the show opening like a standard situation comedy george burns came out alone in front of the audience introduced himself and did an opening monologue much like the stage manager in the play our town burns introduced gracie and the show began well now i'd like you to see where gracie and i live that's our home we live in beverly hills that's the inside of our house that's the outside right there that hedge gracie planted that hedge in the back we have a garden [Music] that's my gracie that's my razor too and that's nothing i gotta tell your story about her she uh she was oh the mortons our neighbors they live next door looks like they've done their week's marketing the role of blanche morton was played by bee ben aderin a veteran radio actress who had also played the role of blanche on the burns and allen radio program in later years ben aderid would play the roles of aunt pearl on the beverly hillbillies kate on petticoat junction and the voice of betty rubble on the flintstones hal march was the first of four actors who would play the role of harry morton on television he had also played the role on radio [Music] i uh i don't have to tell you that they're not newlyweds now that you've met gracie and the mortons like to have you meet a fellow that's been with us for a lot of years and i can safely say that bill goodwin is america's most loved announcer bill goodwin was another veteran of the burns and allen radio show who also followed the show to television [Applause] well it's now three hours later but first i gotta tell you a little story about the mortens you see uh harry and his partner he's in the insurance business they uh oh there's gracie at the door i'll be back in a minute george hurry up the critics raved about the show the new york times said burns and allen have made the transition from radio seen effortless and variety said burns and allen have clicked with one of the best shows of the year by december of 1950 the burns and allen show had moved to los angeles where the program was done live for the west coast and a kinoscope was shipped to new york for broadcast two weeks later a year later the program was sent to new york live on the new coaxial cable from which a kinescope was made for broadcast to the west coast three hours later on january 4th 1951 hal marge had returned to new york to appear in another program and later went on to host the 64 000 question the role of harry morton was taken over by british-born actor john brown brown was a veteran radio actor who had appeared in many series hey break it up they can hear you people a block away now come on get together make up and kiss kiss him i wouldn't kiss him with a set of borrowed lips we'll borrow some anyway and while you're about to get the rest of the equipment [Music] look you can't have everything so harry hasn't got much sex appeal so blanche isn't as attractive as she used to be is that any reason to carry it sure he hasn't got sex what do you mean blanche isn't attractive well i i didn't i happen to think that harry's right i wouldn't trade myself where were we um oh yeah don't you dare hit me with that hammer who's hitting you with a hammer happen to have the hammer in my hand after just 10 shows brown was gone there's some mystery as to why john brown left the program reportedly his name was on one of the infamous black lists of the period and later he was actually called to appear at one of senator mccarthy's hearings where he refused to testify in any event burns announced that brown had left because of quote other commitments in may of 1951 fred clark became the third actor to play the role of harry morton on [Music] kelly in her trailer and the three reasons i shouldn't have come home for lunch as long as she parked this trailer right on my new lawn she'll ruin it oh harry don't be childish it'll ruin the lawn before it'll hurt the trailer why do i live here why didn't i settle down space captain calling rocket patrol do you read me rocket patrol speaking origin space captain we signed a big space balloon what are your orders let big balloon have it roger listen you've got no squawk coming because you've had a very full life with me yeah what's it been full of just hi folks oh hello mr buntel hello harry hi harry hey this is going to be quite a wedding tonight i saw gracie outside and she said the cutest thing i'll bet she did i saw all those fellas putting the flowers around on the patio and i said to gracie what are they delphiniums she said the tall one might be but the two i met are frenchmen [Applause] congratulate my husband he's going to be best man tonight in september of 1951 announcer bill goodwin left the program and once again as he had done with previous cast changes burns used his unique way of addressing the audience directly to make the announcement i'm sorry to stop the show but i i gotta tell you about bill goodwin [Music] bill uh bill bill goodwin has gone to new york to be starred in his own television show and we want to wish him every success and happiness and from now on harry bonzell will be a permanent member of our cast and i know you're going to like him because harry is a fine personality okay on with the show harry von zell would remain with the burns and allen show for the rest of its television run you see that carnation has the consistency of cream it's heavy enough to whip and there's good rich cream in every drop so what does carnation do for a large cup of coffee like this or a small cup of coffee like this one here well carnation will do just what you want it to do carnation will make any cup of coffee taste a lot better see carnation gives coffee a rich full-bodied flavor flavor that has plenty of good solid satisfaction in it and certainly that's what you want in coffee taste flavor goodness and that's what carnation gives you that a good many uh coffee lovers millions of them in fact prefer carnation in their coffee to cream and there's one other thing carnation the milk that whips costs less than half as much as cream so it pays off it pays in economy as well as taste to cream your coffee with carnation and now here is carnation's own contented couple george and grayson [Music] tracy let's drink a toast to our sponsor all right uh not yet you see tonight marks the beginning of our second year on television for carnation and not yet not yet so uh to carnation may they always be contented now gracie oh look aren't these flowers beautiful oh yes i will oh they're lovely i wonder who they're from well i want you to oh dear you know it wasn't i silly a year ago yeah i thought i could get carnation milk by milk incarnations gracie you you you certainly were yes but now when i milk a carnation i don't expect anything you're much smarter this year say good night good night good night [Applause] [Music] in the fall of 1952 burns announced the program would be filmed burns understood that the program could have great future value in reruns to pay the additional cost of filming burns formed mccadden productions and began filming the shows at the hollywood center studios the sponsors carnation and b.f goodrich paid mckadden a fee of 35 000 per program any cost overruns came out of burns and allen's pocket on october 9th 1952 the show not only went to film but it also became a weekly series later in 1952 burns appeared in a special highlighting the opening of cbs's new television city in los angeles [Music] i can't i can't find anything around this building do you know where margaret whiting is rehearsing uh down in studio 31 i think where's gracie oh uh jack sent her to the state capitol she's the official escort for governor warren gracie yeah that takes a lot of courage well if you didn't have cards you wouldn't be governor i've got a wonderful idea uh how about you and i doing a duet a duet yeah uh george who sent you over here dinah shower margaret this is my own idea oh well listen there's a lot of singers on this program have you tried everybody oh well all right i'll tell you what let's ask the sportsman to join us and we'll make it a winner however it might as well be spring do you know it i'll fake it yeah well uh what uh what key does mario lanza sing this in uh d-flat one-tone high-five i'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string that i'd say spring fever but it isn't even spring vaguely discontented like a nightingale without a song to sing i keep wishing i was somewhere else from a man i'm as busy [Applause] [Music] way that it might as well be free it might well be hey wait a minute fellas george you can finish this you won't let me well yes i will would you boys like the finisher yes [Applause] in 1953 fred clark was offered a role in the broadway production of tea house of the august moon and with george and gracie's good wishes left the show larry keating a veteran announcer and actor took over the role and george made the following on-air announcement this is blanche's fourth husband on the show so if you single girls want a little tip get into television it gives me great pleasure to introduce larry keating wait a minute this is the fourth time you've been in this morning looking for george what's going on well as you are aware the accountants club is holding its annual banquet and i have been selected chairman of the entertainment committee well in a moment of carelessness brought on by conviviality and a few sips of blackberry cordial i agreed to furnish six musicians for the evening six musicians honey that's gonna cost you a lot of money true but i have devised a clever rules i will invite george to sing at the banquet now he will be so delighted at this rare opportunity i feel sure he will offer to pay for the musicians himself that's a pretty sneaky trick and what makes you think you'll fall for it well you know how george feels about a singing yeah something the way bridget vardo feels about her towel in 1954 fred de cordova became the producer director of the burns and allen show and stayed with the program until 1956. it was about this time that cbs was feeling pressure from nbc which had started to air some of its shows in color so cbs paid for one episode of the burns and allen show to be filmed in color and it was broadcast on october 4th 1954 burns mccaben productions was becoming busy along with filming commercials for their own show and others burns became the co-producer of the bob cummings show which began a five-year hit run in 1955 and was later called love that bob in syndication george's best friend jack benny's program was still being broadcast live on cbs but benny filmed six shows at the macadam studios one classic episode has jack scheming to get his pals george burns and bing crosby to appear on his show the ever penny-pinching benny appeals to their good old days in vaudeville when they had an act called goldie fields and glide actually goldie fields and glide was a real act that burns was part of so first we'll listen to george talk about the real act from a 1960 special and then we'll look back at the classic 1954 jack benny show version my name was jimmy glyde i did an act then called goldie fields and glide goldie's right name was jaime goldberg i found him in the laundry used to sing while he died in shirts sang a little bit like anna mariel baguette but the trouble was he couldn't sing without any so on the stage when he'd sing his motions would go something like this from time to time in every climb blessings come from above all and then he turned the iron when he got to a slave well we were not a very we we were not a very attractive trail goalie would sing like he was ironing and i'd sing like i'm still holding the pictures under my arm anyway we were booked for three days you guessed at the michael theater in brooklyn monday morning we were hosting iraq i was in the middle of um oh haha tomorrow i love you when the manager walked down the stage and he said day glide aren't you the willing sex she said if you notice on the program mentions all the acts you take a look at number two see the name of sex who used to be joe healey who said love is like the months the only hour when you get at the heart it goes to your facebook love you're full of lungs like cats [Music] i never answered them i just wiped the makeup off my collar stuck my pictures under my arm left goldie went back to the laundry fields went into the insurance business tonight turned out to be williams and brown and williams singers dances and roller [Music] skaters [Music] [Applause] [Music] now [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] will be shining just for you [Music] for you [Music] oh [Music] in october of 1955 burns's macadam production scored another hit with the people's choice according to a story in look magazine when the producer was pitching george the show he explained this fella comes out of the woods and it's jackie cooper he's followed by a dog who says george jumps in the dog says the producer said yes the dog george turned to his associate and said give him the money they walk into that park and see a whole statue of me i'll be a dead pigeon covered by live pigeons as far as the burns and allen show george felt it was time to freshen it up a bit so in 1955 he made two format changes first he changed the locale from california to new york and the first episode of the 1955 season has the entire cast traveling to new york on the train the second change was adding a son and the audience was introduced to a fully grown twenty-year-old ronnie burns which was of course burns and allen's real adopted son running once again burns show business instincts proved on target and ronnie quickly became a teenage heartthrob complete with a recording contract and his own fan club another burns innovation was his magic television set which allowed him to watch his own show in progress and make comments about the plot to the audience george called it his 21 inch keyhole if george wasn't busy enough as the star of his own show and head of a successful production company he took time out to narrate the 1956 film the solid gold cadillac in 1958 gracie announced she was going to retire friends the press and the public pleaded with her to reconsider but she was tired and her health was suffering from the hectic schedule the final original episode number 299 of the burns and allen show aired on september 15 1958. burns and allen had been on america's airwaves continuously for more than 25 years for the first time since 1932 america would no longer be treated to new installments of the team's memorable comedy banner like these classic moments what'd you do today well i went to the beauty shop and i met clara bagley and she was going to the doctor's so i was along with her well that was very nice of you but the minute i got in the doctor's office i knew he was no good you know he was a bad doctor yeah all his patients were sick you're very observing oh here's a good one have you got a pencil there's a pencil on the back table all right he had a beautiful blonde nurse and even she was sick she was sick yeah she kept begging him to take out her appendix the nurse wanted her appendix taken out yeah every time she went into his private office i could hear her saying now doctor please cut it out oh believe me i'm glad my sister hazel is only two-thirds married hazel is only two-thirds married well sure only she and the minister showed up oh yes i remember the groom couldn't get away from his wife i remember oh yes vividly vividly as oh men look gracie uh i know that you're all worked up but i wouldn't let this get out of the house because if it does you're going to be laughing ah let them laugh they laugh at all intelligent women they even laughed at jonah box but she went right ahead and built it built built what the ark the ark was built by a man the person who built the ark was a woman noah how could i know she's been dead for you oh there's someone at the door oh no wait a minute george it must be mr douglas the principal of our neighborhood school i phoned him to come over come in the the the principal yes i want to see if the school is good enough for mimi's children oh i see hey oh hi burnses oh hello i thought you were mr douglas oh no well we do look a lot like gracie but i'm darker than kirk douglas kirk douglas george did you hear that i didn't know that he was the principal of a neighborhood school tell blanche maybe we can go to night school come on honey you'll get busy and finish autographing those carnation cookbooks i can finish getting dinner rolling really of course i don't know oh hi where's harry well he was lying down but he'll be over as soon as he shaves and puts on his shoes why does he shave his feet he started when he was very young he uh wasn't tall enough to reach his face you should have been with me this afternoon after we finished uh shopping i went to the zoo did you have fun oh yes you know professor bradford said we should eat like animals oh and you went there to see how the animals eat them yes yeah and i got a few good ideas of course we could never afford to eat ten dollar bills like the elephants do in fact i don't think that the uh the elephants eat ten dollar bills oh sure there was a sign that said do not feed elephant peanuts ten dollars fine oh harry morton you struck me i gave you a little shove like that you did not you pushed me hard like that i can't stop like that very hard like that soft like that um once upon a time on a beautiful christmas morning scrooge and bob cratchit and tiny tim went for a walk in the woods while their breakfast was cooling so uh this little girl saw the breakfast cooling and she decided to taste it so she tried the first bowl and it was too hot and she tried the second bowl and it was too cold and she tried the third bowl and it was just right and she ate it all up that was goldilocks no it was porridge i had the same power it's a tall fella i played in portugal it guess who got all the money walt disney well gracie and i will be back again in two weeks and i was just told that we're about uh 40 or 50 seconds short and i'd love to do some little thing but we're not prepared i am they say uh it's uh it's a very it's mr kelly very high to time these shows the time these shows unless you know how long you've got to do [Music] uh yes and he said to me he said well gracie here's to your health let's dink bottoms up well well isn't that kind of an awkward position [Music] it's almost impossible to imagine anyone else replacing gracie but one person who actually tried it was jack benny burns and benny often performed a hilarious takeoff at charity affairs and this performance from a 1954 jack benny television show well gracie say hello hello hair looks very pretty tonight i know i had it done at the beauty parlor oh and george i heard the most wonderful joke over there you want to hear it no it's all up there had everybody dying laughing well let's let's hurry well one fella said to the other fella if you don't think so brother you ought to see my wife is uh is this the whole joke oh no there was a lot of stuff ahead of it that i didn't hear you see but this is the line that had everybody dying laughing uh gracie i i i don't think you ought to tell it too risque two naughty heads let's let's uh let's talk about your brother all right which one should we talk about the one who's married or the one who's in love the one who's in love willie the tall one the one that has the scar on the chin oh the the appendicitis scar now appendicitis is on the stomach you see if yeah i know but willie was ticklish down there so they have battery uh how is willie willie or will he broke his back you know oh broke his back an economy is left-handed broke his back because he's left-handed you see he had a doughnut in his right hand pocket and when he tried to take it out with his left hand broke his back yes [Applause] well the next time he's got a donut in his right hand pocket tell him to try to take it out with his right hand that's hard to do when you got your pants on backwards pants on backwards you see he was wearing two pair of pants he had one on front words and one on backwards so that he could go either way yeah that's when the truck hit him the uh the truck what truck the truck that didn't have its lights lit well why didn't the truck have its lights lit because he had his pants the man in the truck have his pants on backwards or did will he have his pants on backwards oh george you're trying to confuse me i'm confusing you um willy had his pants out the man on the truck why didn't he have his lights left the man in the truck why didn't he have his lights left because he didn't have to it was in the daytime well if it was in the daytime didn't he see your brother coming oh he didn't know it was my brother he didn't he just saw two pair of pants coming towards him so he drove right up yeah in 1958 george burns was 62 years old he told variety i'm too old to retire so keeping everyone from the cast of the burns and allen show minus gracie the george burns show premiered on nbc in october of 1958. she did that mr jessup is tough he's seen 12 acts and only picked two judy and i'll never make it i'll just relax and don't be nervous i'm not nervous mr burns it doesn't make a difference to me whether he likes us or not difference bit of difference i'm so nervous the way she said it the first time sounded right look look there's nothing to be nervous about you just go out on the stage and you you do the act like they took me months to put it together for you now you know your routine don't you yeah we start with a dance i dance song open with the jokes i gave they're great jokes i've done them for years then you do your song and then you do your dance ronnie it's ridiculous for us to be this nervous yeah well i'll just count to ten relax one two three what comes out to that you'll be fine when you get out on the stage when this show goes to broadway you'll go with it thank you very much max well judy say hello to the audience hello you know i had to wait you were late oh ronnie i'm sorry i was at the doctor's office when while i was sitting in the waiting room i heard the funniest joke would you like to hear it well sure i think everybody would well this one man said to the other man and wait until you see my wife that's the whole joke oh no there was some stuff ahead of it that i didn't hear but that was the line that made everybody laugh thank you kids i'm sorry but i'm afraid i can't use you it's not exactly what i need for my review thank you sir you heard the man i thought you were fine but the show just wasn't the same without gracie and even after format changes nbc dropped the program in april of 1959 george had been around too long to let anything get him down for long and soon he was back on the air joking around with his pals jack benny eddie cantor and georgie jessel when they all appeared in a 1959 special how do you like that guy we come on a show to do him a favor he's doing the whole thing himself take the cigar away from burns and what do you got a very old bobby darin you're right you know he repeats everything you say just like every other straight man the other day i saw him on the street and i says george how's your brother willie so he says to me how's my brother willie then i had to think of a funny answer boy how did the show look oh george you were just great you were you were magnificent i could hear you sing forever you don't need anybody well i know you'd love it look fellas i'm going out to introduce the pals number yeah now when we sing together it's my show so please don't sing too how do loud like that don't sing too loud how do you like that [Music] will always be passed what you do is okay with me just what is wrong with the girl of today is the problem this world has to face they blame it on this and they blame it on that but they don't seem to get any place god [Music] says [Applause] i will be [Music] george decided it was time to go back on the stage so with the help of his writers they put together a nightclub act which he began to perform in lake tahoe in las vegas along with his own routine he would work with various female partners including carol channing and his discovery ann margret another performer who appeared with george during this time was bobby darin here's burns and darren from a 1960 tv special thank you bobby you're a delight thank you very much mr burns a lot has happened to you in the last year yes sir how does it feel to be 24 years old and to be one of the top recording stars you know you know the same thing could have happened to me but when i was 24 edison was 24 and he hadn't invented the phonograph yet actually i was really lucky mr burns sure was because after all i owe most of my success to just one man bobby you don't have to say that yes i do sir cause after all where would i be without the guy that wrote mack the knife [Music] yeah well that that's that's who i was thinking of too uh although bobby i did have a little to do with your success i didn't write mac tonight but i wrote elvis presley's draft board and got elvis in the army that didn't hurt you either oh no it sure didn't sure didn't hurt at all no same mr burns yeah would you do me a favor sir would you write another letter for fabian look bobby how about singing a little song together mr burns i'd love to i really would but you know the last time we did the show both of us sang a song together and there might be a sameness you know it just might why don't uh say i have an idea why don't you sing a song with betty gravel betty grebel huh yeah yeah that might be an idea mm-hmm sure i mean after all you you've uh helped me enough why don't you do it to somebody else i mean why did you do it why did you do it for somebody else is what i meant no betty grable yeah she she's a beautiful girl and we could do a boy and girl number certainly and and and i could give her every fight lion this is gonna break your heart but i've decided not to sing with you well i guess you just have to take the good with the bad [Music] by now george's desire to sing had become a running gag as we've seen earlier he failed in his attempt to sing with margaret whiting and bobby darren later in the 1960s show he tried again this time with polly bergen and betty grebel now which will it be i'd love to george but i've got laryngitis she got it from me cooked all right will you dance with me what did you say george do you girls happen to have a relative and gunsmoke named chester all right no singing no dancing how about taking a little walk with me oh whoa sure later in the show jack manny defends george's right to sing well well sort of george has had that voice down in them all these years a lot of years and it's improving [Music] right now his voice is like like a rare old wine like a fine old cheese [Music] george burns has got as much as any of the big singers of today i don't care who you mentioned frank sinatra dean martin perry como arthur rubenstein's a piano what do i know about singer [Music] george jack i know what you're trying to do and believe me you're doing it please i want you to remember that george has been a star in show business for thirty years thirty-two thirty-seven years thirty-seven and you may ask me why ask me why ask me how but but that showbiz [Music] although gracie was enjoying retirement she did make a few appearances like this one where the friars club honored burns and allen on the other hand george was keeping very busy performing and producing television shows in 1961 mchadden productions helped develop the hit show mr ed which ran and first run from 1961 to 1966. during the early 60s burns continued to successfully perform in nightclubs and theaters but he had television on his mind burns began working on a new show idea as a tune-up for his return to regularly scheduled television in 1964 he hosted abc's hollywood palace augustus jay mccann was a handfuck married man he has been fighting with his wife since married life began [Music] isn't that nice that's one of my big hits that was especially arranged for me by john philip souza's father i introduced that song in altoona and it swept the whole town but the trouble was i was the middle of the first chorus and they swept me out with it one night today you know i love to sing i wake gracie up in the middle of the night two or three times a week i sing her a song and we go back to sleep again it works we've been having marriage for 38 years if betty fish had done that he still would have been married part of george's hosting duties was to introduce next week's hosts assisting him is a very young raquel welch said so nice to see you and raquel you better go to my dressing room get some aspirin you're going to catch gold goodbye raquel wish my son ronnie was there in the summer of 1964 burns was busy preparing his new show wendy and me for a fall start on abc in addition his company mccadden was producing another show no time for sergeants which was also slated for the 1964 through 1965 season and abc was making sure to get the word out gentlemen howdy i'm sammy jackson i know you're the star of no time for sergeants but this other fella looks really is he i'm fatty duke you don't look like him mr burns that's ben crosby thank you his show comes on right after yours on monday night thanks kid hello babe hello george a delightful comedy called wendy and me is that your show george that's right big connie stevens plays wendy and me as me and uh what are you calling your show uh the bing crosby show will he let you use that name oh yeah we grew up together no time for sergeants wendy and me and the bing crosby show every monday night on abc [Music] on august 27 1964 while at home gracie began to suffer chest pains although she had suffered a previous heart attack a few years earlier she had fully recovered george rushed her to the hospital but she died later that evening gracie allen was 58 years old the funeral was held on the following monday the outpouring of love and affection from fans and fellow performers was overwhelming many stars attended including edward g robinson milton berle bobby darin and sandra d bob hope and danny k nancy and ronald reagan b benederit and of course jack benny at the eulogy georgie jessel said the act is over the bow music stated the building will have to be changed to george burns alone so be it but the hope of mankind is that the play is never over when the curtain falls it rises again ironically wendy and me premiered less than one month after gracie's death wendy you're not gonna tell me about the birds and the bees oh no there's been enough gossip about them already but the program was in trouble from the start abc had scheduled it against the andy williams show and the lucy show but george did everything he could to promote the program and his co-star connie stevens including this 1965 appearance on the hollywood palace donna you're absolutely darling oh thanks george you know but there's one thing that's been puzzling me and i'm going to ask you about it oh why did you pick me to play wendy you know that part is silly i mean i'm a pretty good dramatic actress you know well i pictured the night we're in the restaurant together remember we were there with some people oh you mean the night the waiter said do you want any shrimps and i said no i'd rather go out with tall fellows that's tonight i knew you were a great dramatic actress let's do something together okay uh mitch and mr burns key please [Music] my kid brother he no that's the other song it's reminiscent listen what you're missing that tuna keeps you swaying my butt that music sounds so sweet i just can't keep still on my feet because ragtime music to me is a perfect tree because it can't be beat at the ball when you're feeling kind of blue [Music] something strange and wonderful was happening to burns after all those years of encouraging gracie to take center stage people were now looking at burns in a new light and they loved what they saw confirmation of his newfound personal appeal came when comedians like rich little began doing george burns impressions those were great impressions thank you but you left out one of the great personalities in show business i did yeah yes you did oh sorry you know it really is a tremendous thrill [Applause] that's jack benny i'm i'm thinking of a singer a singer oh this is ben crosby you know it's a great joy you're not a great thrill to be on the uh [Applause] [Music] this is a fella that sings a tone higher than bean and smokes a cigar groucho smoke me me do me oh let me ask you this question lord said house house your brother uh which one do you mean george they are the the one with the uh with the the appendicitis scar up up there now appendicitis is on the stomach although wendy and me was dropped after one season burns took it philosophically after all it wasn't the first time george had been cancelled why was that i was playing in a theater in them in schenectady and after my first song i was cancelled and i didn't have fair to go back to new york and there was a guy on the bellies to shoot another fellow out of a cannon and he helped me he shot me as far as newark but i hitch i had a hitchhike the rest of the way there was it was very hard to pick up another cannon that time of the night after wendy and me burns returned to performing live on stage and he never missed the opportunity to get in a few jokes about his best friend jack benny and jack betty's gimmick is being stingy that's not true when i played las vegas jack benny came on to see me and the minute he saw the crap table he ran over to the table and grabbed the dice in fact they were still talking about the next day do you know that he held the dice for one hour and 45 minutes finally threw them and rolled a crap lost a dollar somebody had to hold him for an hour and 45 minutes and now here's the only man that jack benny ever takes out to dinner that's because he makes him laugh george burns in 1966 burns appeared on the hollywood palace hosted by bing crosby the two had first appeared on the screen together more than 30 years earlier thank you thank you very much excuse me while i put this holder in my cigar at my age that's exciting 16 beautiful chorus girls on the bill and i'm dressing next door to crosby but the funny thing is crosby thought he was dressing next door to the chorus girls and i thought i was dressing next door to them and there's a little hole in the wall between our two dressing rooms naturally i took a little peek through the hole and there was crosby peeking back at me i think he's got bad eyes he whistled at me twice see the bad eyes are very bad judgment gotta light the cigar i can't i can't talk unless i smoke seeing me without a cigar like seeing mrs miller on the middle page of playboy and at my age that's exciting wait a minute just a minute now hold it hold it here sugar throat i want to tell you bring up a point with you i notice there's a little hole in the wall between our two dressing rooms i'll use it enjoy yourself bing i'll tell you what let's sing a little song together and i promise to plug up the hole oh no no don't plug up the hole no i'm copying the design on those pink striped shorts of yours my age that's very exciting met your mikey how can't it miss i can't miss you you did one like that how can it miss oh you did it before well look this verse fits any chorus take here's a temple play with it let's hear it when the chorus goes like this oh you're nobody nobody tell somebody [Music] it's not and it's the money that's important but gold won't bring you no it won't so you want to go do what you want to do i don't care who the world all the world's still gonna be the same it's the same you'll never change you can't afford to be all alone on the shelf just as sure as sure as the star stars shine above i don't want to be feeling sad and lonely you're nobody nobody until somebody really loves you yes find yourself a loving baby and now from the hollywood palace here is your host the man who makes all america laugh especially jack benny [Applause] in 1967 burns who is now over 70 years old was still delighting audiences with his show business stories and his never-ending attempts to sing duets with other performers you know people are always asking me why i i use a cigar on the stage for the same reason that perry como sits on the stool and the jackie gleason works with a cup of coffee the reason for the props is that actors get nervous in front of an audience but if it's a good audience you don't need these things and from past experience i could look at an audience and tell immediately whether it's going to be a good or a bad audience [Applause] [Music] [Applause] i wonder he has to sit down to drink this stuff [Music] mitchell mikey old little johnny warner was sitting in the corner of a swell cafe eating his heart away because he had no girl hold it hold on i must tell you something we've got a very very exciting show tonight got some great novelty acts and we've got the king family enzo stewarty lainey kazan and they all sing great but the reason that they're all in the show the producers figured with all these wonderful voices there wouldn't be room for mine but i'm the host i'll make room at another table sat a girl in maple with a fellow who johnny knew in his head began to whirl wait wait wait you know the producers keep giving me that stuff they said george you're supposed to be a comedian well i got news for them i'd rather sing than be a hit [Music] and we got into a big argument they wanted me to do comedy and i wanted to sing so we we compromised tonight i'm going to sing some of my jokes you know the difference between me and these other singers on the show is that they need you when they exit they need your applause to bring them back but not me i'm coming back anyway [Applause] in the early 1970s burns was a frequent guest on many television programs including here comes the stars a celebrity roast show hosted by his old friend georgie jessel eddie that seems to be a fine cigar there's a wonderful aroma it ought to be it's very expensive is that so tell me is that cigar you're smoking expensive i hope so i found it [Applause] uh eddie what do you pay for your cigars two dollars two dollars a piece i paid two dollars for cigar first i dance with it in 1975 burns received a special award from princess margaret for his contribution to a royal charity show burns was almost 80 years old and once again his life was about to take another surprising turn jack benny had been cast to star in the film version of the sunshine boys but he passed away shortly before filming was to begin burns was asked to step in for his best friend and play opposite walter matthau the film was inspired by the comedy team of smith and dale here's burns getting some tips from the real joe smith it was perfect casting after all george had also been a member of a legendary comedy team walter matthau george burns are making a movie about a vaudeville team who have been the funniest men in america for 43 years and have hated every minute of it i haven't seen him in 11 years i haven't spoken to them in 12 years can't stand them but i don't hate them [Music] on the set of the sunshine boys george burns was asked who he felt were the funniest men of all time on myself burns had done it again he received rave reviews and the 1975 academy award for best supporting actor burns said if you stay in the business long enough and get old enough you get to be new all over again george burns an old friend and walter mouth our new friend ladies and gentlemen again excellent scenario there they are the sunshine boy if i were you i'd stop thinking about using a cigar holder like i'm using it you don't need it now but when you get to be my age when you put a cigar into a holder it's exciting cbs celebrated burns oscar with a television special in 1976. playing a vaudeville comedian was natural for burns but what could prepare him for his next film role in the 1977 release oh god well nothing but 80 years of living and his own unique personality time magazine raved burns impeccable and legendary timing is essential to working miracles as it is to telling jokes burns maintains a dignity that must surely be appreciated in heaven later that year burns was back on cbs hosting the people's command performance in 1978 burns returned to the screen in two films movie movie and sergeant pepper's lonely hearts club band where the octogenarian entertainer kept pace with rockstars peter frampton and the bee gees burns always seemed to have the knack of pairing himself with younger performers here's george and a very young wayne newton from 1965. wayne you're absolutely marvelous thank you very much mr burns thank you ask yeah how old are you i'm 22. how many records have you sold 3 million [Music] we're both in the same league i'm 3 million years old sold 22 records let me ask you something where did you where did you get this singing style well i have a confession to make mr burns i must admit that i've learned an awful lot from watching the real old-timers you're dead yes sir paul anka frankie avalon oh wayne i'd love to sing with you but unfortunately i can't why not your manager asked me not to in a business preoccupied with youth byrne's age was just the opposite and cbs even pushed it when george hosted his own 100th birthday party special albeit prematurely in 1979 george was back on the screen and just you and me kid with brook shields and the critically acclaimed going in style in the film george plays the ringleader of a gang of senior citizens played by art carney and lee strasberg the trio decide to rob a bank to relieve their boredom and get more than they bargained for the 1980s had george busier than ever with two sequels to oh oh god book two and oh god you devil on television there were cable and network specials and in 1985 less than a year shy of his 90th birthday burns became the oldest person to host his own tv series george burns comedy week a short-lived comedy anthology series for cbs how busy was george well incredibly in 1985 people magazine voted burns one of the busiest people in the world and the awards were also pouring in including the kennedy center and the association of variety artists in 1988 byrne celebrated his 92nd birthday by playing an 81 year old swinging bachelor in the film 18 again and what a milestone it is lots of cherished friends of mr burns turned out tonight to lend their best wishes i i wish him what god has given him so far and may it ever continue we were at his 80th we were now we were at his 90th now this 92 and it's not far from 100 i'm sure he'll be here i think it's marvelous i think it's great i think he's a man who deserves it george was not only celebrating his 92nd but also promoting a new film 18 again which co-stars charlie schlatter what are you going to wish for this birthday what do i wish well another martini to cap off 1988 george wrote the best-selling book gracie a love story and would later go on to write numerous books in 1989 burns and allen were inducted into the television hall of fame and it seemed fitting that along with tv pioneers red skelton david suskind huntley and brinkley and david walper george's dearest friend jack benny would also be inducted the burns and benny friendship has given all of us such wonderful memories i really think you're the greatest well if you if you really feel that way i just happen to have my violin here i don't oh there it is yeah well well well i just happen to have my piano here really there it comes [Music] george you mean you're going to sing while i play let me ask you a question you're going to play while i sing [Music] [Music] [Applause] it seemed with each new birthday more and more people wanted to celebrate with george and in 1991 hollywood threw a star-studded birthday bash for the 95-year-old burns she said no he said yes she said yes a year later while celebrating his 96th birthday he was asked what it was like being a legend you don't wake up in the morning say i'm george bernstein when i got up i said the legend is getting up god is getting up only when i get paid to be my age to be 95 and get out of bed and have something to do and love what you're doing it's terribly important i stand up and i sit down and i dance a little bit i don't kick the back of my head and i don't do splits anymore you know in march of 1992 burns took to the spotlight in a gala honoring him for his many charitable contributions and once again the stars showed up to pay tribute to you well because it's important to be alive at my age to do everything anything i'm glad in 1993 burns now 97 years old was still packing him into nightclubs and theaters all over on november 11th caesar's palace announced they were signing burns to a lifetime contract and talked about plans for celebrating his first 100 years of performing comedian arsenio hall was also there to honor burns [Music] last time i used a friend like this before i signed something benjamin franklin never slowing down a week later burns was in palm beach for another sold out show earlier in the day he talked with the press what was it like making the transition from radio to television it was easier for me you know that i regret she was with me i said [Music] where's she bearing what where is gracie berry [Music] it seemed george burns was indestructible he once said retire never i'm making old age fashionable that's why it was such a shock when in october of 1994 burns had to be rushed to the hospital to have a dangerous buildup of fluid drained from his brain his longtime friend and manager irving fein held a news conference but they decided they better do this so they went ahead and monday night they operated it was a small short operation and uh he came through it fairly well but the entertainer isn't out of the woods yet he's in intensive care now and he's improving every day the doctor i spoke to both dr cooper and dr sugarman a few minutes ago and they both think he'll be out of intensive care tomorrow and then the hospital for five or six or seven days george burns still performs despite his age and he's even performing in intensive care he's had three or four nurses and he's doing his act and singing some of his songs and they were all laughing and he was having a good time but any man who could play god three times can't be counted out and remarkably three months later there was the 99 year old george burns being honored just outside the very same hospital he had been recently rushed to so what's george burns secret well he said it this way i love show business and i'm lucky to have spent my whole life in it i would rather be a failure at something i love than a success at something i hated to do failure indeed here's what president ronald reagan once said about george i just couldn't turn down this opportunity to say a few words about george burns this bionic geriatric this sun city fonzie the only man i know who does fool mother [Music] nature i'm in the autumn of the year and i think of my life as vintage wine from find old kegs from the brim to the dregs poured sweet and clear it was a very good year [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so thank you very much and and don't forget to stand for one of these new cookbooks gracie gracie what why are you whispering well i autographed so many books that my arm fell asleep and i don't want to wake it up say good night [Music] uh [Applause]

Channel: RetroMike VHS

Views: 41,578

Keywords: george burns, vhs, goodtimes, video, goodtimes video, comedy, classic, classic comedy, 1996, burns and allen

Id: -thrUkXKWdg

Length: 100min 59sec (6059 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 30 2021