Whats my line? - George Burns and Cracie Allen

[brule1961]

Gracie's crypt is above George's, because he felt she deserved "top billing".

[OnCloudNine62]

Do you have the Eartha Kitt video?

[ladypictureshow66]

I've been reading "Gracie: A Love Story" by George... and I find that I'm falling in love with both of them. Definitely a class act!

[ziggycat999]

1953....Has Bennet Cerf been longer on "What's My Line" than the pyramids been in the desert? Love this guy!

[Phikay1]

They were real gems from above for their time. We could really NEVER have the perfect/enuf words to describe these two. PERIOD!!

[hebneh]

I have to say how clever this is, and how funny it is, and how well they all perform it. It's completely reasonable to have George and Gracie "answer" with knocks, and then to have Gracie, completely in character as her usual clueless self, give their identities away as if she didn't realize she was doing it. And you can see what a payoff the line gets from the audience as well as the panelists!

[zakspud]

Excuse me, joanfontainefan...but um...how 'bout going into your little account there and getting GRACIE's name right in the title ? ( a little respect for one of the original funny ladies)

[xXxXBleedPurpleXxXx]

@zakspud can't simply appreciate the fact that the episodes are even here for us to see? wow. ungrateful much? it's a typo... it happens.

[zakspud]

@xXxXBleedPurpleXxXx

I greatly appreciate it...

I also greatly appreciate R~E~S~P~E~C~T...

ZzZzBleebDurpleZzZz

[dnt9217]

I love how the men stand to shake the ladies' hands on this show. You don't see respect like that on television these days.

[OldTelivisionRocks]

Goodnight Gracie was not ever actually said on their show. George Burns said that he doesn't know why they didn't think of it but he thinks it would've been hilarious and just like Gracie's character.

[ogamiitto42]

What a wonderful couple!

[cristoforoantonio]

did she give it away on purpose??

[cheeriosinabowl]

Gracie died so soon, so young. Very sad.

[windstorm1000]

This was one of the funniest episodes--and proves what a brilliant comic Steve Allen was. Gracie--such a wonderful, lovable ditz--did you notice she waited for George's OK before answering each time?? He always said, though, the act was mostly her, that he just responded to her wonderful inanities. Daly always a class act--and funny--few 'gentlemen' like that these days.

[TheMightyOdin]

George always had a cigar.

[paganbaby89]

These panelists and their guests were the epitome of class and sophistication. They would be welcome guests in any viewer's home.

[OncomingStorm]

Gracie proves she was the talent that George always said she was: 3:47 - 3:57.

[JenniferPvlsh]

Everyone was so gracious and wonderful back then!

[waynebrasler]

Notable is their long marriage which ended only with Gracie's death (which George never really got over, though he went on to greater stardom and an Oscar). That was not unusual in the Hollywood of their time, witness Jack Benny and Mary Livingston, Fred Allen and Portland Hoffa, and Eddie and Ida Cantor. Also Irene Dunne, Roz Russell, Janet Gaynor, Jo Stafford, Joni James and Tony Acquaviva and many others.

[GoldenEraDame]

@waynebrasler Don't forget Bob and Dolores Hope who were married for 69 years

[TheTeenSleuth]

I loved their dresses back then! The skirt part was so beautiful!

[tedhobgood]

This is the best What's My Line visit of all time! Love the way Gracie plays it straight and deadpan through the whole thing.

[felinesarebest]

amazing, classic comedy!

[areasmith]

Man this looks like a fun show! This seems like a fun time in show business.

[AReferee]

C R A C I E ?

[carlsetzer]

@AReferee I think "Cracie" is a hybrid of classy and Gracie.

[steve4nlanguage]

"Don't answer George"-- Classic Gracie Allen! :-)

[TheZAMBONILADY]

Love George & Gracie. If you are in L.A. and go to Grauman's Theatre check out George's footprints, handprints, and the cigar print. A class act, these two. I had a big smile on my face while watching the fourth Star Trek movie, because the two humpback whales were named George & Gracie. Love it!

[wannawatchu66]

@jrsample0425 You think correctly. Margaret, daughter of "Give 'em Hell, Harry" and Bess.

[jba2323]

MET HIM IN VEGAS 1980 GREAT MAN

[ziggycat999]

A rare clip of George and Gracie unrehearsed and spontaneous. Nice for fans.

[63utuber]

Gracie (intentionally or not) knocked twice to Steve at the end when the answer was "no".

[hajune]

I wrote comedy for George from when he was 89 to 97. He was a class act. I wrote some scripts as if Gracie was still living. I had her doing wise sayings that she would scramble. He loved them. He was a class act and visited her grave site daily when home. I miss him and I miss her.

[whenmonkeysattack16]

@hajune sweeeet....he's one of my idols.

[windstorm1000]

@hajune Lovely memories--you had talent, too, writing for that great comic!! thanks for sharing!!

[Richcelt]

Where's the sound?!

[jgbennie]

@Richcelt There are a bunch of these on YT where the sound comes out of one channel.

[soulbrotha63]

"Don't answer George!" HEE-LARIOUS!

[1958louief]

Gracie was JUST AWSOME!!!!

[KenfromDublin]

It's so sad too, George lived most of his adult life as a widower, and he used to visit Gracie's crypt right up until he died and talk to her out loud as if she was still alive.

[newseditor72]

Look at this and today's celebrities look as if they just rolled out of bed when they do talk shows.

George and Gracie were the best!

[TheSV3]

@newseditor72 You got that right! George Burns was the dean of straight men.

[Brotha633]

is she stupid???

[americanidol510]

@Brotha633 No, she wasn't. It's just that her "character" which she portrayed on television was of the "dumb dora" steriotype.

[khtx]

Were they a married couple?

[xenafan234]

@khtx Yes

[americanidol510]

@khtx Yes, they were married for 38 years until Gracie's death in 1964, and George never married again.

[purplefrog1962]

A delightful clip from a wonderful and talented couple, who have been mostly forgotten. Their series is truly a classic.

[sweetiepillow]

Fantastic, thanks.

[chucknyc123]

I'm too young to have seen them in the 50s but I absolutely love them -- and this show too. It's addictive. Why can't they bring it back. instead to stupid regis.

[Tigerpaw10]

I think it would be very hard now days to get a stream of A list stars to appear for just a few minutes on a game show like this.

Big name stars now are only willing to do stuff that is all about making millions of dollars. You never even see them on David Letterman or anything unless they are plugging something for the studio.

[chucknyc123]

Sad to say I think you're probably right. But even that dumb Millionaire had some 'stars' at the end a couple of weeks ago. Of course they were only promoting their other ABC shows. The era of great conversation is over in this age of Twitter and text messaging replaced by the era of unabased plugging and personal stylists.

[operjxm]

Gracie was awesome!  and Bennett..lighten up ...its just a show!

[peck4111]

SAY GOODNIGHT GRACIE CLASS ACT

[shoredude2]

Except Gracie Allen never utterred the phrase "Goodnight Gracie". When George Burns was asked about it later, he said that she had never said it because they had never thought of it. We think it because Dick Martin used to say "Goodnight Dick"

[bdavis4life]

Gracie is too cute!!

[bluebear1985]

Nice to find this. Say "Good night", Gracie!

[mamamurray]

It's definitely Eartha Kitt.

The skip at the beginning of the video makes me think two shows were put together, because Mr. Daly didn't make any kind of introduction for George and Gracie.

[joshstoph]

I liked George a lot better as a younger man. It seems like he became a "dirty old man" in the last part of his life.

[KarinPluss]

Love George and Gracie! Thanks so much for posting

[sayward12]

It's Gracie, with a G.

[janicesoprano]

And the sponsors were Stopette and Poof! What fun, I remember the show well!

[soulierinvestments]

GSN rebroadcast this 6 June 1954 episode on 8 June 2008. This episode featured a contestant that Gil Fates discussed in his book. The production staff sometimes sat around brainstorming amusing occupations that would be fun. At one session, someone wondered who makes fancy designs on manhole covers. A manhole designer of course. WML found Al Buta in Florida. The other contestant was a female French war correspondent working in IndoChina. All that plus Burns & Allen. Classic entertainment!

[Bballpat94]

NO DUH!

[vetpsychwars]

Looked like it was Eartha Kitt.

[kalindoscopy]

who was that african american woman?

[pinups40]

That was Eartha Kitt.

[kalindoscopy]

took you 9 months, but thanks :)

(ps. just call me angel of the morning, baby)

[pinups40]

Your welcome.. and um ok?