The George Burns Show

{{Infobox television

| image =

| caption =

| genre = Comedy

| creator =

| developer =

| writer = {{Plainlist |

William Burns
Keith Fowler
Harvey Helm
Norman Paul }}

| director = Rod Amateau

| creative_director =

| presenter =

| starring = {{Plainlist |

| judges =

| voices =

| narrated =

| theme_music_composer =

| opentheme =

| endtheme =

| composer = Jeff Alexander

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons = 1

| num_episodes = 25

| list_episodes =

| executive_producer =

| producer = Rod Amateau

| editor = Willard Nico

| location =

| cinematography = James Van Trees

| camera =

| runtime = 30 min

| company = McCadden Productions
Banda Productions

| channel = NBC

| first_aired = {{Start date|1958|10|21}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1959|4|14}}

}}

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|date=May 2021}}

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."George Burns, Gracie: A Love Story, G. P. Putnam, 1988, p. 294. 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.{{IMDb title|0051277|The George Burns Show}} 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."George Burns, Gracie: A Love Story, p. 295. The series ended after 25 episodes.

Episodes

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = George and the Private Eye

| AltTitle = George Becomes a Producer

| DirectedBy = Rod Amateau

| WrittenBy = William Burns,
Keith Fowler,
Harvey Helm,
Norman Paul

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|10|21}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

| LineColor = 555555

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = Jack Benny Comes Over

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|10|31}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

| LineColor = 555555

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = The French Revue

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|11|11}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = A Walk-on for George

| DirectedBy = Rod Amateau

| WrittenBy = Norman Paul

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|11|18}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

| LineColor = 555555

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = The 18-Year-Old Novelist

| DirectedBy = Rod Amateau

| WrittenBy = Keith Fowler

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|11|25}}

| ShortSummary =

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title = Tony Martin Visits

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|12|2}}

| ShortSummary = When Tony Martin is unable to appear at a singing engagement, George tries to weasel his way in as Tony's replacement.

| LineColor = 555555

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title = George's Eviction

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|12|9}}

| ShortSummary = The landlord arrives to find vaudeville acts such as knife-throwers, tumblers and live animals, and threatens to evict George.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| Title = Eddie Fisher Guests

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|12|16}}

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = La Vie En Rose

| AltTitle = A Wife for Christmas

| DirectedBy = Rod Amateau

| WrittenBy = William Burns,
Keith Fowler,
Harvey Helm,
Norman Paul

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|12|23}}

| ShortSummary = To prevent her deportation to France, George tries to get Colette married to a good old American citizen – like Harry von Zell.

| LineColor = 555555

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| Title = Dale Robertson Guests

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1958|12|30}}

| ShortSummary =

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| Title = George Signs Carol Channing

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|1|6}}

| ShortSummary = George uses Carol Channing's absent-mindedness to his advantage when he gets her to sign a contract for a nightclub appearance.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| Title = Anna Maria Alberghetti Guests

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|1|13}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| Title = George on Juke Box Jury

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|1|20}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 14

| Title = Rosemary Clooney Guests

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|1|27}}

| ShortSummary = 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".

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 15

| Title = Carol Channing Guests

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|2|3}}

| ShortSummary =

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 16

| Title = Xavier Cugat and Abbe Lane Guest

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|2|10}}

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 17

| Title = Howard Duff Guests

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|2|17}}

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 18

| Title = Ronnie Takes an Apartment

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|2|24}}

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 19

| Title = Jimmie Rodgers Moves in with Ronnie

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|3|3}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 20

| Title = The Landlord's Daughter

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|3|10}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 21

| Title = The Orchid Room

| AltTitle = Contract to Sing

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|3|17}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

| LineColor = 555555

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 22

| Title = George's Trial

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|3|24}}

| ShortSummary = When the owner of the club where George is performing cancels his contract due to poor attendance, George decides to take him to court.

| LineColor = 555555

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 23

| Title = Breaking Up the Team

| DirectedBy = Rod Amateau

| WrittenBy = William Burns,
Keith Fowler,
Norman Paul

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|3|31}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 24

| Title = The Monster Trend

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|4|7}}

| ShortSummary = 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.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 25

| Title = George Invests in a Record Company

| DirectedBy = *

| WrittenBy = *

| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1959|4|14}}

| ShortSummary = When George invests in a record company, he has an ulterior motive: he wants to cut his own album.

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}}

* Unknown