Gracie Allen example), Gracie never used the phrase. The confusion may have been caused by "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In". Stars Dan Rowan and Dick Martin used a similar sign-off routine wherein Rowan would tell Martin to "Say good night, Dick." Martin's reply was always "Good night, Dick." It seemed like something Gracie Allen would have said. George Burns himself said as much in an interview years later, adding that, surprisingly enough, no one ever thought of having Allen say "Good night, Gracie". However, the former "Burns and Allen" head writer, Paul Henning, did use the "say good night" bit in at least
Variety show being produced were of remarkably poor quality (see, for instance, the infamous "Pink Lady and Jeff"), hastening the format's demise. Since "Pink Lady", only a few traditional variety shows have been attempted by major networks: these include "Dolly" (starring Dolly Parton), which ran for 23 episodes on the ABC during the 1987–'88 season; a revival of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" from 1988 to 1989; a revival of "The Carol Burnett Show", which was broadcast by CBS for nine episodes in 1991; and the first incarnation of "The Wayne Brady Show", which was telecast by ABC in August 2001. By