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01
Burns was supposed to deliver the eulogy at Jack Benny’s funeral but became too emotional and let someone else do it.
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02
He was in very fragile health during his last days and could not attend his 100th birthday celebration in person.
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03
When interviewed after Gracie Allen’s death in 1964, Burns described her as his next breath.
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04
In the early 1940s, Burns had a brief extramarital affair and apologized by giving Gracie a coffee table; years later Gracie told a friend she wished he’d have another affair so she could get a new coffee table.
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05
At age 13, Burns charged immigrants arriving at Ellis Island $5 for dancing lessons, claiming it was necessary for U.S. citizenship.
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06
Early in their partnership, Gracie Allen played the straight role; Burns switched roles after realizing she got more laughs.
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07
Burns first discovered Ann-Margret and made her his opening act in Las Vegas.
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08
Until his death at 100, Burns smoked as many as 10 cigars a day.
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09
His first marriage to Hannah Siegel was in name only to appease her father; they divorced after a three-month road tour.
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10
Burns, along with Bob Hope and Señor Wences, was one of three guest stars on The Muppet Show who lived to be 100.
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11
Burns and Gracie Allen continued portraying singles on radio even after marriage; they got married because we had to due to declining ratings.
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12
He has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: Live Theatre at 6672 Hollywood Blvd., Motion Pictures at 1639 Vine St., and Television at 6510 Hollywood Blvd.
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13
As a child, Burns attended P.S. 22 but left after fourth grade for economic reasons.
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14
The two humpback whales in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 1986 were named George and Gracie after Burns and his wife.
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15
Burns was best friends with Jack Benny, who served as his best man; Burns loved playing practical jokes on Benny.
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16
Burns and Gracie Allen appear on a 44-cent U.S. commemorative postage stamp issued August 11, 2009 as part of the Early TV Memories series.
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17
Although Gracie Allen was in love with another man when they met, Burns carried a ring in his pocket until she agreed to marry him.
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18
Burns was a regular on the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts and was guest of honor in 1978.
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19
Burns and Gracie Allen adopted two children: daughter Sandra Burns 1934 and son Ronnie Burns 1935.
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20
He took the name Burns from the Burns Brothers Coal Company, whose trucks he had stolen coal from as a child to heat the family home; George was a sobriquet his brother Izzy used.
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21
In 18 Again! 1988, Burns’ character celebrates his 81st birthday, though Burns himself was 92.
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22
Burns wore a hairpiece for most of his career; he appeared without it briefly in The Sunshine Boys 1975 and Two of a Kind 1982.
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23
Burns is interred next to Gracie Allen at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, in the Freedom Mausoleum’s Sanctuary of Heritage.
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24
Broadway producer David Merrick once proposed Burns play Horace Vandergelder in Hello, Dolly! with Jack Benny in drag as Dolly Levi; the idea never materialized.
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25
Burns’ father Eliezer Louis Birnbaum was an Austrian Jewish immigrant; his mother Hadassah Dorah Bluth was a Polish Jewish immigrant.
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26
He is one of the few U.S. entertainers to have a successful career spanning vaudeville, radio, film, and television.
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27
Burns’ Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor at age 80 made him the oldest winner at the time; the record was later broken by Jessica Tandy 1990 and Christopher Plummer 2012.
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28
The Burns & Allen Show was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1994.
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29
In his early vaudeville days, Burns performed as a trick roller skater and in ballroom dancing acts, using stage names like Willy Delight, Captain Betts, and Buddy Links.
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30
Uncle of Lou Weiss, chairman emeritus of the William Morris Agency, who got his start with help from Uncle Nate.
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31
Brother of William Burns.
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32
Burns appeared in two commercials for Oldsmobile during its 90th anniversary in 1987.
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33
Biography in ‘Who’s Who in Comedy’ by Ronald L. Smith 1992 and American National Biography Supplement 1 2002.
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34
Interviewed in The Great Comedians Talk About Comedy 1968 by Larry Wilde.
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35
From 1948 to 1953, Burns and Gracie Allen were celebrity spokespersons for Paper Mate Ballpoint Pens.
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36
Burns replaced his best friend Jack Benny in The Sunshine Boys after Benny’s death, winning an Oscar and revitalizing his career.
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37
He had open heart surgery in 1974.
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38
Mentioned in Daydreams 1981.
