Burns and Allen – Going To The Races. 500222.

This is one of those shows where the title is about what is going to happen, not what actually happens. You know. Like someone like Jack Benny or Henny Youngman saying they are now going to play a song on their violin, then just getting to the point of almost touching bow to strings, then going on a string of jokes to interupt the playing that was never really going to happen anyway.

The show begins with a salute to Washington’s birthday, As Gracie talks to George. Then the neighbors, Blanche and Harry enter the picture, topics range all over the place and include anything from old school days, to chasing girls. With nothing better to do, George decides to take Gracie to the horse track, since she’s never been there before. Gracie arranges with Bill Goodwin for a ride, and before long, Harry and Blanche are invited as a way to improve the romance in their life.

With all the gang ready to go, romance still hangs in there as a topic of conversation, but the numbers of people going on this date keep increasing. Will someone need to stay home to make room in the car?
We never quite make it to the race track. Darn, I’ll bet there could have been some good jokes there. Maybe another episode.

In the end, George and Harry make the sacrifice to give up their places so they can stay home and do what they each like most.