Gracie
Author: George Burns
Release: November 1, 1988
Tagline: A Love Story
Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Biography, Entertainment, Comedy
ISBN-10: 0399133844
ISBN-13: 978-0399133848
Declassified by Agent Palmer: Lots of Love and Laughter in Grace Allen Biography by George Burns
Quotes and Lines
Now that Gracie: A Love Story is done, it hardly seems possible that I needed so much urging to begin it. How could I have put off what turned out to be such a rewarding and somehow comforting experience for me?
The other thing it’s important you know about me is that I lie a lot. That’s the truth. But usually, when I tell a lie, I admit it. I’m a very honest liar. But when I talk about Gracie I don’t lie. I don’t have to..The truth is unbelievable enough.
Much later in life, though, Gracie made a major contribution to the opera world. She stayed out of it.
I’ll tell you how stardom affected Gracie. Gracie’s hobby was window-shopping. She loved to spend hours going from store to store looking at clothes, trying things on, and not buying. Probably the only difference success made to Gracie was that she could afford not to buy at much better stores.
…the true secret of a happy marriage. Obviously, sex is important. Being able to talk to each other openly and honestly is vital. A sense of humor is a necessity. You’ve got to be able to share. But if a man really wants his marriage to work, the one thing he has to remember is: Never play cards with your wife. One other thing too: If you’re going to cheat on your wide, never play cards with your girlfriend.’
Finally we’d get together again and hammer out the script we would use on air. And except for the crying , screaming, and occasional threat’s to rip out each others’ hearts, it was very easy.
Once there was a time when there was no “Johnny Carson Show,” or network news, and if a person wanted to be an overnight success he or she had to work a lot of nights.
We never publicly supported any political candidates or made fund-raising appearances for them, although we were often asked to. In those days show-business people concentrated on show business, while politicians concentrated on giving people the business. Performers never ran for office, although some of the people who ran for office turned out to be performers.
“God is said to love the poor because he made so many of them, and we politicians should love them for the same reason. . . . But rich people have feelings which should be respected. Even stockbrokers vote, especially if it doesn’t rain on Election Day and the Yankees are playing out of town.” – Gracie in her book “How to Become President”
She read everything, but she loved philosophy and trashy novels. I always figured that reading one helped her understand the other.
Ours was the humor of recognition.