The George Burns Show

The George Burns Show
GenreComedy
Written by
  • William Burns
  • Keith Fowler
  • Harvey Helm
  • Norman Paul
Directed byRod Amateau
Starring
ComposerJeff Alexander
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes25 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerRod Amateau
CinematographyJames Van Trees
EditorWillard Nico
Running time30 min
Production companiesMcCadden Productions
Banda Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 21, 1958 (1958-10-21) –
April 14, 1959 (1959-04-14)
Related
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

The George Burns Show is a comedy television program that aired on NBC for one season (1958–59). The program was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive.[citation needed]

The George Burns Show immediately followed the eight-season run of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, which had aired on CBS, and shared continuity with the earlier series.

Overview

After Gracie Allen retired in 1958, George Burns tried to continue the old series without her, using many of the characters and settings from their show. "I wanted to stay on television and I had an entire cast of wonderful actors looking for work, so we created The George Burns Show."[1] In this new series, George was working as a producer in a downtown office, and trying to deal with an assortment of entertainers and oddball theatrical acts as well as his previously established friends.[2] Blanche Morton (Bea Benaderet) was George's secretary, and was keeping George from fawning over attractive women, for Gracie's sake (Gracie was mentioned on the show, but never seen). Blanche's husband Harry Morton (Larry Keating) was George's accountant. Also present were Harry von Zell, Ronnie Burns, and Judi Meredith, all playing themselves. Meredith had appeared regularly as Ronnie's girlfriend Bonnie Sue MacAfee on the Burns and Allen show in 1957 and 1958; here she played essentially the same role but as herself.

For the February 1959 sweeps, the format was changed to a live sketch-comedy/variety show in the style of The Jack Benny Program, in an attempt to improve the ratings. The ratings didn't improve, however, so they reverted to the sitcom format.

Burns had been optimistic about the series, but realized why it failed: "The show had everything it needed to be successful except Gracie. The audience was so used to seeing this cast working with Gracie that everybody kept waiting for her to open the door and walk in. It was like sitting down to a big meal and having the soup, salad, and dessert -- while the main course was at home playing with her grandchildren."[3] The series ended after 25 episodes.

Episodes

Nº Title Directed by: Written by: Air date
1"George and the Private Eye"
"George Becomes a Producer"		Rod AmateauWilliam Burns,
Keith Fowler,
Harvey Helm,
Norman Paul		October 21, 1958 (1958-10-21)
George searches for a new property to produce but receives a tip not to touch a new detective series called "The Blonde Who Died Twice". Bob Cummings makes a brief appearance.
2"Jack Benny Comes Over"**October 31, 1958 (1958-10-31)
When Jack Benny drops by George's office and finds him teaching a dance routine to a young girl, he becomes jealous, concluding that George is rehearsing a new act for himself.
3"The French Revue"**November 11, 1958 (1958-11-11)
George tries to get Blanche to resign as his secretary, so he sends three beautiful Folies Bergère showgirls to her husband's office in an attempt to both arouse jealousy and tick her off.
4"A Walk-on for George"Rod AmateauNorman PaulNovember 18, 1958 (1958-11-18)
When William Goetz offers George a bit part in Ronnie's new movie, George agrees to appear uncredited, not wishing to overshadow his son. Meanwhile, Von Zell falsely promises to get a waitress an audition with Goetz.
5"The 18-Year-Old Novelist"Rod AmateauKeith FowlerNovember 25, 1958 (1958-11-25)
6"Tony Martin Visits"**December 2, 1958 (1958-12-02)
When Tony Martin is unable to appear at a singing engagement, George tries to weasel his way in as Tony's replacement.
7"George's Eviction"**December 9, 1958 (1958-12-09)
The landlord arrives to find vaudeville acts such as knife-throwers, tumblers and live animals, and threatens to evict George.
8"Eddie Fisher Guests"**December 16, 1958 (1958-12-16)
9"La Vie En Rose"
"A Wife for Christmas"		Rod AmateauWilliam Burns,
Keith Fowler,
Harvey Helm,
Norman Paul		December 23, 1958 (1958-12-23)
To prevent her deportation to France, George tries to get Colette married to a good old American citizen – like Harry von Zell.
10"Dale Robertson Guests"**December 30, 1958 (1958-12-30)
11"George Signs Carol Channing"**January 6, 1959 (1959-01-06)
George uses Carol Channing's absent-mindedness to his advantage when he gets her to sign a contract for a nightclub appearance.
12"Anna Maria Alberghetti Guests"**January 13, 1959 (1959-01-13)
George sings and dances with Anna Maria Alberghetti, and then escorts her to a Hollywood premiere for a chat with silent movie star Sybil Wentworth.
13"George on Juke Box Jury"**January 20, 1959 (1959-01-20)
George learns that his newly released record is going to be rated on disc jockey Peter Potter's TV show Jukebox Jury by a special panel composed of the children of various celebrities.
14"Rosemary Clooney Guests"**January 27, 1959 (1959-01-27)
With this episode, there was a brief change in the show's format. George presented a variety show featuring his regular cast and guest stars- and for the next four weeks, it was telecast "live".
15"Carol Channing Guests"**February 3, 1959 (1959-02-03)
16"Xavier Cugat and Abbe Lane Guest"**February 10, 1959 (1959-02-10)
17"Howard Duff Guests"**February 17, 1959 (1959-02-17)
18"Ronnie Takes an Apartment"**February 24, 1959 (1959-02-24)
19"Jimmie Rodgers Moves in with Ronnie"**March 3, 1959 (1959-03-03)
When Jimmie Rodgers moves in with Ronnie, the apartment is suddenly overrun with pretty young groupies, so a jealous Judi turns to George for help.
20"The Landlord's Daughter"**March 10, 1959 (1959-03-10)
George finds himself in an ethical conundrum when Mr. Knox, the building's landlord, offers him a five year lease in return for discouraging his talented daughter Linda from pursuing a career in showbiz.
21"The Orchid Room"
"Contract to Sing"		**March 17, 1959 (1959-03-17)
George books Ronnie and Judi at The Orchid Room, but when he learns they'll be performing downstairs, he decides to take over the engagement himself, fearing that singing in a basement could ruin his son's career.
22"George's Trial"**March 24, 1959 (1959-03-24)
When the owner of the club where George is performing cancels his contract due to poor attendance, George decides to take him to court.
23"Breaking Up the Team"Rod AmateauWilliam Burns,
Keith Fowler,
Norman Paul		March 31, 1959 (1959-03-31)
Ronnie and Judi audition for the producer of a Broadway revue, but when he turns them down, Ronnie decides to break up the act so Judi can get ahead – but George comes up with a devious plan to keep them together.
24"The Monster Trend"**April 7, 1959 (1959-04-07)
When George produces a horror movie, he auditions actors in makeup which leads the other tenants to believe that the building's been taken over by monsters.
25"George Invests in a Record Company"**April 14, 1959 (1959-04-14)
When George invests in a record company, he has an ulterior motive: he wants to cut his own album.

* Unknown

References

  1. ^ George Burns, Gracie: A Love Story, G. P. Putnam, 1988, p. 294.
  2. ^ The George Burns Show at IMDb
  3. ^ George Burns, Gracie: A Love Story, p. 295.