Many Happy Returns (1934)

Starring Gracie Allen, George Burns, George Barbier, Joan Marsh, Ray
Milland
Directed by Norman Z. McLeod

Print: black/white
Runtime: 64 min.
Genre: comedy
Print Quality: B

Gracie Allen (Gracie Allen) assumes the "management" of the shop
owned by her papa Horatio Allen (George Barbier), turning it into a radio
station and then an aviary---with the usual Gracie Allen logic---while
distracted Papa is trying to get younger daughter, beauty contest winner
Florence (Joan Marsh), married before she can head to Hollywood and
get into the movies. The story moves to Hollywood, where, with Gracie
around, kidnappers get kidnapped and the chatter between her and
George Burns (George Burns)even takes a few satirized shots at
Filmland, in addition to their usual unusual routines. Guy Lombardo,
top-billed on the ads and posters with Burns and Allen but not the cast
listings, and dance team Frank Veloz and Yolanda, fill in where needed
between the cracks of the mostly on-the-fly plot, and they don't seem to
be taking their gigs all that seriously either. Burns & Allen Radio fans, the
few of us that still remember "Radio", will love it,while others are likely to
give it a "say what" or 'duh", especially if they were raised on television
comedy of the past 20 years.