In 1940 the team launched a similar stunt when Allen announced she was running for President of the United States on the Surprise Party ticket. Burns and Allen did a cross-country whistlestop campaign tour on a private train, performing their live radio show in different cities. In one of her campaign speeches Gracie said, I dont know much about the Lend-Lease Bill, but if we owe it we should pay it. Another typical Gracie-ism on the campaign trail went like this: Everybody knows a woman is better than a man when it comes to introducing bills into the house. The Surprise Party mascot was the kangaroo; the motto was Its in the bag. As part of the gag, Allen (in reality, the Burns and Allen writers) published a book, Gracie Allen for President, which included photographs from their nationwide campaign tour and the Surprise Party convention. Allen received an endorsement from Harvard University, and went on to receive 42,000 votes in the general election in November 1940; only six other female United States presidential and vice-presidential candidates have received more votes in a presidential election. - from the Wikipedia entry for Gracie Allen.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 20:08:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015