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
Variety show of new variety shows with rural appeal: "The Johnny Cash Show" (1969-1971), "The Jim Nabors Hour" (1969-1971), "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" (1969-1972) and "Hee Haw" (1969-1992). Entertainers with less successful variety shows in the 1960s include Judy Garland and Sammy Davis Jr. In 1970 and 1971, the American TV networks, CBS especially, conducted the so-called "rural purge", in which shows that appealed to more rural and older audiences were cancelled as part of a greater focus on appealing to wealthier demographics. Many variety shows, including long-running ones, were cancelled as part of this "purge," with a few shows (such