Say Goodnight, Gracie Say Goodnight, Gracie Say Goodnight Gracie is a one-man play by Rupert Holmes. Adapted from the reminiscences of George Burns, the multimedia presentation traces the comedian-raconteur's life from his childhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to his early career in vaudeville to his momentous meeting and subsequent personal and professional relationships with wife Gracie Allen. After 27 previews, the Broadway production, directed by John Tillinger, opened on October 10, 2002, at the Helen Hayes Theatre, where it ran for 364 performances. It is the third-longest-running solo show in Broadway history. Frank Gorshin starred as Burns, and Didi Conn
Goodnight Gracie "this is a lighter." Alex, who was very close to her grandmother, is hurt by the seemingly shallow gift. Alex asks Frank about the note, and he notices it is in fact a letter which, in the humid environment in Florida, has become stuck together. As the family attends the memorial service for Gracie, the contents of the letter are revealed in a voiceover by Alex, telling the story of how she acquired the lighter when her favorite actor, Paul Newman, left it behind at the diner where she was working as a waitress. Frank, witnessing her pocket the lighter,