Gracie Allen (July 26, 19021 - August 27, 1964) was an American comedienne who became internationally famous as the zany partner of husband George Burns. Burns himself phrased it perfectly, in a gag that got laughs no matter how often he repeated it for the rest of his life: "One day, the audience realised I had a terrific talent. They were right. I did have a terrific talent. And I was married to her for 38 years." The Burns drollery and the Allen malaprops and definitional contortions made for classically understated comic dialogue. It also made for very few true imitations, because the team's style was itself inimitable. Goodman Ace and his wife Jane, in their own radio show, Easy Aces, approached it differently, with Jane Ace's classic word mangling a distinct contrast to Allen's "logically illogical" style. By the time Allen retired, she was half a national institution; the signature Burns & Allen signoff (George: "Say good night, Gracie", Gracie: "Good night") became part of their country's vernacular.
Popular legend has it that Gracie would say, "Good night, Gracie." However, according to her husband, and a review of recordings of their television show, that never happened.
