Gracie: A Love Story - Hardcover

George Burns

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399133844 ISBN 13: 9780399133848

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1988

Synopsis

"SAY GOODNIGHT, GRACIE..."

With those now familiar words, George Burns and Gracie Allen bid farewell to devoted audiences at the end of each of their broadcasts throughout the Golden Age of radio and television. Now, in this moving audio portrait, George Burns tells the story of his life with Gracie, the dizzy comedienne whose "illogical logic" charmed America. Burns recalls their first meeting, the vaudeville tours, family days in Hollywood, and their lasting friendship with Jack Benny and other entertainment greats. Here is one of America's most beloved comedians remembering the woman he loved best and the extraordinary life they shared together.

About this title

About the Author:

Born Nathan Birnbaum in New York City in 1896, George Burns began his career in vaudeville at an early age. In 1925 he met Gracie Allen, who became his wife and comedy partner on stage, in radio, film and television. After the classic "Burns and Allen" television series ended in 1957, he began his solo career. In 1975 he won an Oscar for his role in the film "The Sunshine Boys,' and in 1977 he starred in "Oh, God" with John Denver. Best known for comedic performances, George Burns is also the author of How to Live to Be 100 or More, Dear George, Living It Up, The Third Time Around, Dr. Burns' Prescription for Happiness and I Love Her,That's Why. He lives in Beverly Hills, California.

From Publishers Weekly:

The 92-year-old Burns here tells a true-love story of the life he shared with his wife, who died in 1964. The author (ne Nathan Birnbaum) was a Jewish kid from Brooklyn when he met Grace Allen, who was raised in an Irish-Catholic family in San Francisco. Both were struggling vaudevillians when they married in 1928, but as "Burns and Allen," they gradually advanced into the big time. Describing their professional and personal life together, Burns fills the book with infectious humor, although one feels his loss. Clearly he wants readers to know Grace, an intelligent and endearing woman far different from "Gracie," whose exquisitely timed "illogic-logic" quips made her world famous. The memoir's great appeal is further strengthened by accounts of early vaudeville and anecdotes about Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Fred Astaire, the Lunts and other friends. It should be a bestseller.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0399133844
• ISBN 13: 9780399133848
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 319