George Burns and the hundred-year dash

by Martin Gottfried

All of America seemed to be cheering for George Burns as he approached his 100th birthday on January 20, 1996. He was rounding out a lifetime spent doing what he loved. For as tastes in entertainment changed, and as American show business evolved from vaudeville to radio, to movies and television, Burns kept right on running. In George Burns and the Hundred-Year Dash, noted biographer and theater critic Martin Gottfried reveals a man who put make-up on his life, preferring a show business version to the real thing. In it his rare talent for personal relationships is illuminated by close-up studies of his marriage to Gracie and his friendship with Jack Benny. Burns is brought to life in his adventurous youth, his smart and successful maturity, and finally, in his later years, when he became a spokesman for the elderly and the symbol of fruitful and active living in old age. This is a warm and inspiring story, written with unconditional affection.