George Burns

George Burns became a comedian, actor, and writer whose partnership with Gracie Allen moved from vaudeville to radio, film, and television. Gracie is his affectionate memoir of Allen, published by Putnam in 1988, more than two decades after her death. Burns recounts their marriage and professional partnership while distinguishing Allen’s celebrated stage persona from the intelligent performer who shaped their act. Their comic arrangement evolved when Burns recognized that Allen’s apparently illogical lines drew the strongest response, leaving him to perfect the role of straight man. The book becomes both a true-love story and a portrait of early show business, enriched by memories of performers such as Jack Benny and Fred Astaire. Its warmth grows from Burns’s knowledge of Allen as wife, collaborator, and exacting professional. Gracie gives readers George Burns in a reflective mode, using his familiar timing and humor to preserve the private character, working discipline, and enduring influence of the performer beside him.