Gracie Allen Biography

Fast Facts

• Has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in television, which she earned in 1960
• The Gracie Award, which recognizes positive and realistic portrayals of women in entertainment, is named after her
• Performed Irish folk dances with her three sisters and performed vaudeville before meeting her future husband and long-time comedy partner
• Quote: "(On her radio personality) "Gracie's the kind of girl who shortens the cord on the electric iron to save electricity․""
• Though she was quite intelligent, she was known for her dim-witted and scatter-brained comedy character next to husband George Burns's straight-man performances
• Did some work without her comedic and romantic partner, bringing her zany and innocent performances to an even more over-the-top level
• Though remaining records indicate she was born in 1895, the exact year of her birth remains a mystery, as her birth records were destroyed by the San Francisco earthquake and great fire of April 1906, and she liked to fib about her age
• Had one green eye and bone blue eye, and was self-conscious about that fact
• Ran for President of the United States as a publicity stunt, and ended up receiving 42,000 votes
• She was originally the straight man in she and Burns's comedy act, but when Burns realized she was still getting more laughs than him, he reversed the routine