GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW, THE: CHRISTMAS WITH MAMIE KELLY (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series starring the husband-and-wife team of George Burns and Gracie Allen as themselves. As the star of a television comedy series, the cigar-smoking Burns plays straight man to dizzy wife Gracie Allen, who invariably embroils him -- and their neighbors Blanche and Harry Morton -- in her zany domestic schemes. Burns also appears as commentator on the action, confiding philosophically to the audience about Gracie's madcap intrigues and predicting their outcome. In this episode, Harry asks Gracie to hide his present for Blanche, a purse and matching shoes, in her home, though Gracie proves an unconvincing liar. Harry then learns that Gracie's friend Mamie is coming for Christmas and is bringing along her three rambunctious daughters, irked when Blanche instructs him to assist with their luggage. In an aside, George notes that only "dopes" like himself put off Christmas shopping until the last minute, a process made more complicated by Gracie's habit of chatting with strangers at the store.
Mamie and her daughters arrive, and Gracie struggles to figure out where everyone will sleep. She and Mamie chat about their lives as the girls play outside, somehow ruining George's sweater in the process, and Harry puts an end to their annoying drum-playing by fibbing that there is candy inside. Blanche attempts to hide Harry's gift with Gracie, but Harry spots them and Gracie ends up claiming that it is really her present for George. Harry and Blanche banter about spending the holidays with her parents and her mother's bad cooking, and Harry is further frustrated when one of Mamie's girls finds the purse and shoes he bought for Blanche and Blanche expresses her dislike of them. George reflects on the snowy East-Coast Christmases of his youth, and Harry von Zell stops by with a Santa Claus costume for George and brings along a secretary, Julie, whom he is hoping to woo. Later, at bedtime, Gracie attempts to recount "A Christmas Carol" for the girls, but muddles some of the details. She and Mamie chat about their husbands, with Gracie declaring that it was "love at first sight" despite her mother's disapproval, and George is disappointed when the girls are not at all fooled by his Santa disguise. Includes commercials for Carnation.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: December 30, 1951 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:29:18
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: 109095
- GENRE: Comedy/Variety
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy/Variety; Christmas
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1950-1958
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Carnation evaporated milk
CREDITS
- George Burns … Executive Producer
- Ralph Levy … Producer, Director
- Paul Henning … Writer
- Sid Dorfman … Writer
- Harvey Helm … Writer
- Willy Burns … Writer
- Harry von Zell … Announcer
- George Burns … Cast, George Burns
- Gracie Allen … Cast, Gracie Allen
- Harry von Zell … Cast, Harry von Zell
- Bea Benadaret … Cast, Blanche Morton
- Fred Clark … Cast, Harry Morton
- Sarah Selby … Cast, Mamie Kelly
- Jeri James … Cast, Jeri Kelly
- Melinda Plowman … Cast, Linda Kelly
- Jill Oppenheim … Cast, Jill Kelly
- Kathleen O'Malley … Cast, Julie Lauren