The above is actually from a skit they did in a short film, before the series began production, and before George and Gracie made their marriage part of their routine. Nevertheless, it captures the wit and, in a sense, wisdom of Gracie Allen, who made the show, and the comedy duo, tick. How sad it was that her health deteriorated about halfway through the series' production. It was too much for her to continue, so in 1958 it came time for her to retire. George attempted to continue the series, called The George Burns Show, with the cast members and settings and situations carried over from the old series, but without Gracie. It was just no use without her, so the new show flopped. Sadly, she died in 1964, the same year George premiered his new, though short-lived series, Wendy And Me. For years he would be known as Gracie's straight man, Mr. Gracie Allen.

Ten years later, he got his big break, though it was as a result of another sad event in his life, the death of his best friend, Jack Benny, who was to star in the film The Sunshine Boys. The producers then turned to George, who accepted, and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. At last he became a star in his own right. Still, Gracie was the funny one, and made The George Burns And Gracie Allen Show (sometimes called Burns and Allen for short) one of the best sitcoms ever!