The Burns and Allen Show with George Burns - Gracie's Murder Mystery - Ep 40 - Aired 1-10-38
2This is one of the old time radio programs of George Burns and Gracie Allen, which aired from 1934-1950. George and Gracie then made the successful jump to television (1950-1958). The iconic comedy duo (and married couple) entertained American audiences for a quarter of a century.
In the coming episodes in the description I will present a more detailed account of the segments of thier output such as Vaudeville, Radio, Motion Pictures, TV etc. For this show, here is vaudeville.
Part 2
Vaudeville
Burns and Allen on the vaudeville circuit in 1924.
Burns and Allen met in 1922 and first performed together at the Hill Street Theatre in Newark, New Jersey, continued in small town vaudeville theaters, married in Cleveland on January 7, 1926, and moved up a notch when they signed with the Keith-Albee-Orpheum circuit in 1927.
Burns wrote most of the material and played the straight man. Allen played a silly, addle-headed woman, a role often attributed to the "Dumb Dora" stereotype common in early 20th-century vaudeville comedy. Early on, the team had played the opposite roles until they noticed that the audience was laughing at Gracie's straight lines, so they made the change. In later years, each attributed their success to the other.
The Burns and Allen team was not an overnight sensation. "We were a good man-and-woman act," Burns said, "but we were not headliners or stars or featured attractions. We were on the bill with them. There would be a star or two stars and a featured attraction, and then we would come—fourth billing in an eight-act show." Their career changed direction when they made their first film.
Info derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burns_and_Allen