Burns and Allen – George’s Birthday Just Around The Corner. 490127

Burns and Allen comedy duo performing on stage

Features Gene Kelley.

Gracie visits her friend Blanche to talk about George’s upcoming birthday. (Actually, I think Georges birthday was a week ago, on January 20.) Blanche tries to help Gracie think of a way to honor George, and they decide to make a movie to present a day in the life of George Burns. The focus is to be on doing a day in George’s life from his vaudeville days, particularly the day he proposed to Gracie. Gracie and Blanche decide to cast Gene Kelley for the role. Will he do it for them?

To test what George might think about her movie idea, and Gene Kelley, she asks some veiled questions and George tells what he thinks and compares Gene’s dancing and performance abilities to his own. Of course Gene needs work to be as good. George declares that Gene’s real tallent is bilt up with movie camera tricks.

Gracie goes to ask Gene to help her, and Gene shares his own ideas of how George’s performance skills stand up to his own. Imagine that! He thinks the opposite way around, that he’s a bit better than George.

Gene Kelley is up for Gracie’s movie, and to prepare for the role he is to play,he goes to have George teach him some of his old moves. Now they get to show off their tallent for real. Is George going to have trouble with this unskilled, young upstart? More importantly, will Gene Kelley survive George’s lessons?

After the commercial, Gracie gets busy in shooting her film. First, she needs to get George’s old suit that he wore back in his younger days. Gracie balks at a kissing scene, but goes through with it. The scene changes to Bill Goodwin reporting to George with what he thinks he saw. Now George is upset to think Gene Kelley has stolen Gracie away from him. It’s worse than that, Gene has even stolen his act and his old suit.

Trying to defend his friend, Bill Goodwin cuts loose with a tap dance and rap routine with Gene. By the time it’s over it appears the Bill is more on the side of Gene than George, and takes the cowards way out, and leaves.

When George confronts Gracie and Gene over what they were doing, the mix ups lead to some hilarious results. George believing they are having an affair, and Gracie’s real activity behind her surprize birthday gift. It’s a classic bit about giving answers that fit the questions, but make for an outrageous result for what the questions mean to George.

The truth eventually comes out, and of course George had nothing to fear.