A Quick Look at TV: THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW

   The George Burns And Gracie Allen Show was one of a number of popular television adaptations of radio series. Basically, the show detailed an exaggerated version of the everyday lives of the famous comedy team. Situations would arise due to misunderstandings involving level-headed straight man George, his scatterbrained bride Gracie, their neighbors the Mortons, and befuddled program announcer Harry Von Zell. On one level, it was a typical sitcom about showbiz personalities. On another level, it was often quite surreal. George could speak directly to the audience (as he did on stage) and frequently made jokes about the show being a show. Eventually, his character got a television set which played The George Burns And Gracie Allen Show and gave him supernatural awareness of what the other characters were up to. He would even joke about casting, and the need to extend scenes right in the middle of them! Of course, the real linchpin to the series was Gracie. Her mixed-up spitfire would take the most innocent remark and misunderstand it to cartoonish levels, such as hearing Harry note that he could save $300 on his income taxes if he were married, and taking it to mean he would pay her $300 to find him a bride! Early episodes were kinescoped live, but the long run was shot on film and edited before a screening for a studio audience to record the laugh track. Episodes usually ended with a live-shot routine with George and Gracie doing one of their stage bits. Their son Ronnie joined the cast as a regular, playing himself as a heart-throb and wanna-be dramatic actor. The Mortons were played by Bea Benaderet and a series of actors who played Harry. The first Harry to last long enough to make the character his own was Fred Clark. This version of Mr. Morton was a skinflint opportunist with an endless appetite. Eventually, Larry Keating took over the role and Morton became an intellectual CPA who tried to rectify bothersome situations through his gentle prudence. Bea remained Bea throughout. Gracie eventually tired of doing the show and wanted to quit, but George was handling the contracts and kept renewing her commitment to the series. He got away with this until 1958 when, after 292 episodes, Gracie finally got to walk away from what was still a wildly popular show. It lived on in syndication, and became a TV staple for decades. It still airs on stations like MeTV.