Burns and Allen underated???

[Fakeem]

I recently discovered reruns of the George Burns & Gracie Allen show on Antennae TV, and can't understand how this show wasn't a bigger hit in either first run or syndication. What was their competition at the time of it's original airing? All I know, so far, is that only 4 of their 8 season were in the Top 30 of Neilson's ratings, which seems criminally unjust IMHO.

Also, I read that the Ronnie's Fan Club episode was pulled from syndication. I know Antennae TV just skipped showing that episode in favor of a Season 5 show, but what was the reason? I found it online and can't see what was so bad. I've seen and heard worse on reruns of All In The Family, on the same network!!

Adding to that fact is that a companion episode, that continues the plot from that episode just aired, makes them pulling the Fan Club episode seems even stranger.

 

[KeithE4]

I recently discovered reruns of the George Burns & Gracie Allen show on Antennae TV, and can't understand how this show wasn't a bigger hit in either first run or syndication. What was their competition at the time of it's original airing? All I know, so far, is that only 4 of their 8 season were in the Top 30 of Neilson's ratings, which seems criminally unjust IMHO.

The main reason I can think of, having not been born when the TV show began but have seen most episodes since, is that Gracie was too old for the role. Being a "ditz" for laughs was considered OK for a younger woman, like Suzanne Somers on Three's Company or Gracie on radio. But by the time the TV show came on, Gracie was pushing 60 -- too old for such a role -- and was in poor health, besides. She retired in 1958 and died in 1964 at age 69.

George, of course, was ageless, and really came into his own once he didn't have to play straight man to his wife. As he once said (paraphrasing -- I don't remember the exact quote): "Gracie retired in 1958. I went into show business that year."

 

[semoochie]

Many of the old TV shows that had a long run in Radio, recreated those plots for the new medium. That may also have had something to do with it. It worked for Jack Benny but his show was more visual to the point that it's hard to imagine him being so popular on radio. That look was priceless!

 

[landtuna]

Many of the old TV shows that had a long run in Radio, recreated those plots for the new medium. That may also have had something to do with it. It worked for Jack Benny but his show was more visual to the point that it's hard to imagine him being so popular on radio. That look was priceless!

Benny made good use of sound effects on radio and had a larger assortment of oddball characters than did B and A.

 

[semoochie]

Benny made good use of sound effects on radio and had a larger assortment of oddball characters than did B and A.

. Yes but it's not like Burns & Allen weren't popular on radio. Another possibility is that because the show didn't depend so much on the visual aspect for its success, perhaps, a sizable part of the audience still listened on radio, at least until the late 50s. Incidentally, a lot of those "sound effects " were Mel Blanc.

 

[BD Sullivan]

I recently discovered reruns of the George Burns & Gracie Allen show on Antennae TV, and can't understand how this show wasn't a bigger hit in either first run or syndication. What was their competition at the time of it's original airing? All I know, so far, is that only 4 of their 8 season were in the Top 30 of Neilson's ratings, which seems criminally unjust IMHO.

The first three years, it was on Thursday nights--against You Bet Your Life. In its final year, George and Gracie sort of mailed it in since they hadn't been crazy about continuing with the show.

I have no idea why the episode in question was yanked.

 

[Gregg.]

Burns & Allen, I thought, was the best of the 1950s/60s sitcoms. In my opinion, the writing was first notch. And the entire cast, especially Gracie, were a pleasure to watch. In the last two years, the focus shifted from George & Gracie to their handsome adopted son Ronnie, and his romantic exploits in college. As mentioned above, Burns & Allen were both well into their middle age by the time the show debuted. So I guess they thought they could get some youth-appeal to focus on Ronnie for part of the show. Sadly, even he is gone.

One oddity... two characters had the same first name. The next door neighbor was Harry Morton and George's announcer was Harry Von Zell. Another oddity: Harry Morton was played by four different actors over the course of the show. Each had a distinct personality, even though they kept the same name. When played by Fred Clark, he was endlessly hungry and hid food around the house so he could have non-stop snacks, and was very down-to-earth. When played by Larry Keating, he was a cultural snob who thought George had no class.

Also Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz originally wanted Bea Benaderet to be their next door neighbor Ethel Mertz. But she wound up on Burns & Allen playing their next door neighbor Blanche Morton. And eventually she got her own show, Petticoat Junction.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Going by the fact that a lot of the episodes are on PD videos, I'd guess that there was no real effort made to keep the Burns & Allen show in syndication like other classic TV shows, and that may have hurt their popularity.

 

[LKellerIII]

Going by the fact that a lot of the episodes are on PD videos, I'd guess that there was no real effort made to keep the Burns & Allen show in syndication like other classic TV shows, and that may have hurt their popularity.

Burns and Allen was usually in syndication in the 60s - that's how I knew it - I was too young to have seen it first-run. I thought the show was hysterical, and I don't think it hurt that Gracie was an older ditz - and in a way, she was kind of ageless. Remember that the formula worked well enough to give George a second try in the 60s with Wendy and Me - Connie Stevens playing landlord Burns' 'ditzy' tenant in this case...though it only lasted one season, IIRC.

Trivia - Gracie was always coy about her age. It was publicized that her birth certificate was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. When somebody figured out that her birth date was a few weeks after the quake took place, she responded, "Well, it was a REALLY big earthquake."

 

[KeithE4]

Trivia - Gracie was always coy about her age. It was publicized that her birth certificate was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. When somebody figured out that her birth date was a few weeks after the quake took place, she responded, "Well, it was a REALLY big earthquake."

Her gravestone says she was born in 1902, but other sources say 1895 or 1896.

 

[Silkie]

Wait a minute; her birth certificate was destroyed in the 1906 fire, but somebody figured out that her birth date was a few weeks after the quake?

Oh, well, I guess it really was a REALLY big earthquake.

 

[LKellerIII]

Wait a minute; her birth certificate was destroyed in the 1906 fire, but somebody figured out that her birth date was a few weeks after the quake?

Oh, well, I guess it really was a REALLY big earthquake.

There was no dispute over the month and date of her birth, just the year.

 

[BD Sullivan]

Also Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz originally wanted Bea Benaderet to be their next door neighbor Ethel Mertz. But she wound up on Burns & Allen playing their next door neighbor Blanche Morton. And eventually she got her own show, Petticoat Junction.

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons for Benaderet first becoming a semi-regular on Beverly Hillbillies before then starring in PJ was because Paul Henning was involved in producing Burns & Allen.

 

[LKellerIII]

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons for Benaderet first becoming a semi-regular on Beverly Hillbillies before then starring in PJ was because Paul Henning was involved in producing Burns & Allen.

Benadaret was a very busy actor. Until her untimely death, she was also the voice of Betty Rubble on The Flintstones. I IMDBed her, and noted that she had a guest shot on The Jack Benny Program as a telephone Operator named "Gertrude Gearshift." I don't recall ever seeing that episode, but I can just imagine it - Benadaret as a comically whiny and officious Operator (an early day Ernestine, perhaps), just annoying the s**t out of Jack.

 

[Silkie]

There was no dispute over the month and date of her birth, just the year.

Never mind. I'll just think about it for a few weeks or so.

 

[onairb2014]

Benadaret was a very busy actor. Until her untimely death, she was also the voice of Betty Rubble on The Flintstones. I IMDBed her, and noted that she had a guest shot on The Jack Benny Program as a telephone Operator named "Gertrude Gearshift." I don't recall ever seeing that episode, but I can just imagine it - Benadaret as a comically whiny and officious Operator (an early day Ernestine, perhaps), just annoying the s**t out of Jack.

Benadaret played that character in multiple episodes, on radio and TV.

 

[Fakeem]

Recently, Antenna TV changed the airings , so I missed 4 episodes. Did any of them explain or show how George got a TV that was also monitoring for his storylines?