Gracie Allen
Biography
Gracie Allen was an American comedian, singer, and actress who found fame as the zany half of the comedy duo Burns and Allen, with George Burns feeding her straight lines. Raised in San Francisco, she was on stage by age three and danced Irish folk dances with her sisters, billed as The Four Colleens, before entering vaudeville in 1909. She met Burns in 1922, and the team flipped their act so that she got the laughs, headlining major vaudeville houses and moving into radio in the early 1930s. Their films included International House (1933), A Damsel in Distress (1937), and Honolulu (1939). Television followed, with their series running until her retirement in 1958. Her television work was recognized with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, and in 1988 she and Burns joined the Television Hall of Fame.
69years old at death
- Born San Francisco
- Died Hollywood
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (birth name)Also credited as Grace Allen
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 6 years1933 to 1939
Every film, newest first
- 1939HonoluluIMDb rating 6.5
- 1937A Damsel in DistressIMDb rating 6.8
- 1933International HouseIMDb rating 6.9
Genres
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First role
Gracie Allen first appeared on stage when she was three years old, and Eddie Cantor gave her her first role on the radio.
Big break
In the Burns and Allen act, Allen first played the straight man, setting up Burns for punchlines. Burns noticed in his book Gracie: A Love Story that her straight lines got bigger laughs, so he switched roles and took the straight man part himself.
Getting ready for a role
Burns got in touch with a dance act he had seen using small whisk brooms. He and Allen rehearsed the complicated routine for weeks before their audition, and Astaire liked the dance and asked them to teach it to him.
A first
Allen's popularity led S. S. Van Dine to write the Philo Vance novel The Gracie Allen Murder Case with her as the principal character, and she was billed above Warren William in the 1939 film version without Burns.
Gracie Allen movies on Netflix
Worked with
Gracie Allen shares three films with George Burns, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
George Burns's page
Bess Flowers's page
Bela Lugosi's page
Fred Astaire's page
Sig Ruman's page
Russell Hicks's page
All films by George Stevens
A. Edward SutherlandDirector, 1 film, 1933
All films by A. Edward Sutherland
Edward BuzzellDirector, 1 film, 1939
All films by Edward Buzzell
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 1960 | Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.