Radio: Straight Man

George Burns, the most famous straight man in U.S. radio, observed his 40th anniversary in show business this week with a straight man's true imperturbability. As "the brain" and foil of the comedy team of Burns & Allen (CBS, Tues., 9-9:30 p.m E.W.T.), he was thankful that his old vaudeville routines, neatly brought up to modern times, were worth $10,000 a week as a package show to his sponsor (Swan Soap), and he was delighted with the show's 15,000,000-odd listeners.

Now 47, dry, petulant, hawk-voiced George Burns has played straight man so long that...

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