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54-539: The Bush House Hotel was an historic hotel that was located in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania . It was built between 1868 and 1869, and burned down on February 8, 2006. The Bush House was built by Bellefonte attorney and developer Daniel G. Bush between 1868 and 1869. At the time, it was reported to be one of the largest hotels in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia . Thomas Edison stayed there while bringing electricity to

108-556: A Pennsylvania Department of Corrections facility, is a 2,000 bed prison located adjacent to SCI Rockview. Bellefonte forms part of Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district . The current representative is Glenn "G.T." Thompson . Bellefonte is the county seat of Centre County and home to the Centre County Courthouse . The Borough of Bellefonte government is currently run by the following elected officials: Bellefonte Area School District operates public schools in

162-464: A "natural town." It started with one house and a crossroad, then iron was found and the town grew. William Lamb sold his mill to John Dunlop in 1794. The following year, John’s father James Dunlop and John’s son-in-law James Harris (1756-1841) laid out the town that would become known as Bellefonte. As the years went by, Bellefonte boomed and soon became the most influential town between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg . The Bellefonte Historic District

216-472: A Cadillac dealership in 1916, was a mix use commercial and residential property hit by a devastating fire on December 22, 2009. Christmas tree lights in one of the apartment units were determined to be the cause. The Cadillac Building was rebuilt in 2016 and is now home to 11 two- and three-bedroom apartment units. It remains a part of the Bellefonte Historic District. The Garman Opera House

270-484: A brief dialogue performance in the style of their classic vaudeville and earlier radio routines. Allen retired in 1958, and Burns tried to continue without her. The show was renamed The George Burns Show with the cast intact except for Allen. The show's setting was changed from the Burns home to his office, with Blanche working as Burns' secretary so that she could help Allen keep an eye on him. The renamed show barely lasted

324-481: A dance using small whisk brooms. For the next several weeks, he and Allen practiced the complicated routine for their audition. When they presented the dance to Astaire, he liked it so much that he asked them to teach it to him, and it was added to the film with the three of them dancing together. Burns and Allen also matched Astaire step-by-step in the film's demandingly epic dance sequence in a funhouse including amazing visuals with distorted mirrors. Their next film

378-548: A dungeon eight feet underground, which was located on the rear of the lot of the present YMCA. A second jail was on East High Street. One of the town's historic sections experienced a renaissance in 2004. The Match Factory (officially the Pennsylvania Match Company ), after standing vacant since 1947, was renovated by the American Philatelic Society as their new home, one building at a time. The site

432-707: A history of heart disease, died from a heart attack in Hollywood on August 27, 1964. An 1895 birth year would place her age at death as 69. Her remains were interred in a crypt at the Freedom Mausoleum in the Sanctuary of Heritage at Forest Lawn Memorial Park . Burns' remains were interred at her side in 1996 when he died at the age of 100. The marker on the crypt was changed from "Grace Allen Burns—Beloved Wife And Mother (1902–1964)" to "Gracie Allen (1895–1964) and George Burns (1896–1996)—Together Again". The Gracie Award

486-408: A household in the borough was $ 48,211, and the median income for a family was $ 62,292. The per capita income for the borough was $ 26,938. About 4.4% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over. The Bellefonte area, as part of Centre County , typically experiences one of the lowest unemployment rates in

540-413: A joke piece in which the orchestra would play madly, only to pause while Allen played a one-finger scale with a final incorrect note. The orchestra would then play a musical piece that developed around the wrong note. On her final solo, Allen would finally hit the right note, causing the entire orchestra to applaud. The actual index-finger playing was performed offstage by a professional pianist. The concerto

594-574: A straight man. He summarized their act by saying: "All I had to do was say, 'Gracie, how's your brother?' and she talked for 38 years. And sometimes I didn't even have to remember to say 'Gracie, how's your brother?'" In the early 1930s, like many stars of the era, Burns and Allen graduated to radio. The show was originally a continuation of the flirtation act from their vaudeville and short-film routines. In 1935, famed composer and arranger Ferde Grofe joined them as musical director. Burns realized that they were too old for that type of material and changed

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648-496: A tributary of Bald Eagle Creek , runs through Bellefonte and is spanned by the Bellefonte Veterans Bridge. As of the 2010 census , the borough had 6,187 people, 2,837 households, and 1,496 families. The borough was 96.3% White, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% other, and 1.3% were two or more races. 1.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. The population density

702-549: A woman is better than a man when it comes to introducing bills into the house." The Surprise Party mascot was the kangaroo, and its motto was "It's in the bag." As part of the gag, Dwell, Sloan and Pearce published a book, How to Become President by Gracie Allen (in reality, written by Burns and Allen writer Charles Lofgren) that included photographs from their nationwide campaign tour and the Surprise Party convention. Allen received an endorsement from Harvard University . Allen

756-443: A year. In the 1930s, Burns and Allen adopted two children, Sandra Jean and Ronald Jon . Eight years before his death, Burns publicly admitted that once in their marriage, in the 1950s, he cheated on Allen. In guilt over the one-night affair, Burns gave Allen a $ 10,000 diamond ring and a $ 750 silver centerpiece. Allen learned about the affair but never let on to Burns that she knew, and the couple never discussed it. Allen, who had

810-713: Is 10 miles from Pennsylvania State University . Joel Rose of National Public Radio said, "These days, it seems everyone in Bellefonte has ties to Penn State, or knows someone who does." Bellefonte is served by the Centre Area Transportation Authority for local bus service, linking Bellefonte to various points in State College including the Nittany Mall , downtown and the Penn State main campus . The town

864-539: Is also located in Bellefonte. The Bellefonte Fire Department is made up of two volunteer companies: Logan Fire Company #1 and Undine Fire Company #2. Ambulance service is provided by Bellefonte EMS, which separated from Logan Fire Company in 1994. Up until 1946 the Bellefonte Central Railroad served the town on a Bellefonte-Lemont (State College) route. Until 1933 the BCR continued the route south to Tyrone over

918-646: Is also served by the University Park Airport for commercial air travel. Bellefonte does not have passenger train service, with the nearest Amtrak stations located in Lewistown (approximately 32 miles away) and Tyrone (approximately 35 miles away) and serving Amtrak's Pennsylvanian train between Pittsburgh and New York City . The law enforcement agency in Bellefonte is the Bellefonte Police Department. The Centre County Sheriff's office

972-526: Is presented by the Alliance for Women in Media to recognize exemplary programming created by women, for women and about women in radio, television, cable and web-based media, including news, drama, comedy, commercials, public service, documentary and sports. The awards program encourages the realistic and multifaceted portrayal of women in entertainment, news, features and other programs. Allen has twice been nominated to

1026-589: The Bellefonte Historic District . Bellefonte, Pennsylvania The town features many examples of Victorian architecture . It is also home to the natural spring, "la belle fonte". bestowed by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord during a land-speculation visit to central Pennsylvania in the 1790, from which the town derives its name. The spring, which serves as the town's water supply, has since been covered to comply with DEP water purity laws. The early development of Bellefonte had been as

1080-417: The straight man , setting up Burns to deliver the punchlines and receive the laughs. In his book Gracie: A Love Story , Burns explained that he had noticed that Allen's straight lines were bringing more laughs than did his punchlines, so he cannily flipped the act, making himself the straight man so that Allen would elicit the laughter. Audiences immediately fell in love with Allen's character, which combined

1134-475: The Bush House including Thomas Edison . The Bush House burned down on February 8, 2006. This building was designed by pioneering female architect Anna Wagner Keichline , a native of Bellefonte, and originally served as a car dealership with a showroom on first floor, a repair shop on the second, and an office and living space on the third floor. The Cadillac Building, so named because it was originally built as

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1188-596: The Pennsylvania Railroad's former Fairbrook Branch. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Railroad ran passenger trains from Altoona to Williamsport , after Milesburg heading into Bellefonte, then backing out to return to the Bald Eagle Valley Branch's route to continue the trip northeast. The last Altoona - Lock Haven train was between August 1950 and 1951. The PRR also operated trains until

1242-543: The borough and wider area. Centre County Christian Academy is a private school located in Bellefonte. Since 1890, Catholic Education has been present in the Bellefonte community and vicinity through Saint John Parochial School. Saint John the Evangelist Roman Catholic School provides 3 and 4 year-old Pre-Kindergarten classes, as well as full-day instruction in Kindergarten through grade 5. [1] Bellefonte

1296-667: The cast. Allen made her last film appearance in a musical cameo as an amusing concert pianist in Two Girls and a Sailor , without Burns, but remained in radio and would segue into series television with her husband six years later. In the fall of 1949, having apparently put their movie career behind them but working continuously in radio, Burns and Allen became part of the CBS talent raid. Their good friend and frequent guest star Jack Benny had already departed NBC for CBS, and CBS head William S. Paley made it clear that he believed that talent, not

1350-753: The duo Burns and Allen . For her contributions to the television industry, Allen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6672 Hollywood Boulevard . She and Burns were inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1988. Costar Bea Benaderet said of Allen in 1966: "She was probably one of the greatest actresses of our time." Allen was born in San Francisco, to George Allen and Margaret Theresa ("Molly") Allen (née Darragh; later Mrs. Edward Pidgeon), who were both of Irish Catholic descent. She made her first appearance on stage at age three, and

1404-456: The following year was College Swing (1938) starring Burns and Allen top-billed above Martha Raye and Bob Hope with a stellar supporting cast featuring Edward Everett Horton , Betty Grable , Jackie Coogan , John Payne , Robert Cummings , and Jerry Colonna . The picture was directed by Raoul Walsh . A lively musical comedy came next titled Honolulu (1939) starring Eleanor Powell , Robert Young and Burns and Allen billed above

1458-559: The four Big Broadcast ensemble comedies including The Big Broadcast (1932) with Bing Crosby , The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935) with Crosby, and The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936) with Jack Benny . They were also in We're Not Dressing (1934), billed directly under Crosby and Carole Lombard . In 1937, Burns and Allen starred with Fred Astaire in A Damsel in Distress , a musical with an original score by George Gershwin that introduced

1512-407: The late 1940s from Bellefonte south to Lemont (nearest train station to State College), then east to Northumberland and Sunbury, Pennsylvania . A turnpike was created in 1822 after ten years of construction. This turnpike, named The Northumberland and Anderson's Creek Turnpike, connected Bellefonte to Clearfield on the west and Sunbury on the east. Today, Pennsylvania Route 550 runs through

1566-529: The most reliable information comes from U.S. Census data collected on June 1, 1900 that shows Grace Allen, age four (born in July 1895), along with her parents and five siblings. This proves that Allen was born before 1900 and indicates that the birthdate of July 26, 1895 may be correct. Additionally, the yearbook from her senior year of high school has been located; its 1914 date is consistent with her having been born in 1895. The Burns and Allen act began with Allen as

1620-421: The most successful in the business: a year-long search for Allen's supposedly missing brother. Allen would make unannounced cameo appearances on other shows, asking if anyone had seen her brother. However, her brother did not find it comical and eventually asked them to stop; he was so irked by the gag's popularity that he disappeared from society at the height of its popularity. In 1940, Allen announced that she

1674-567: The network, made the difference, which was not the case at NBC. Benny convinced Burns and Allen (among others) to join him in the move to CBS. The Burns and Allen radio show became part of the CBS lineup, and a year later, they also brought their show to television as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show . They continued to use the formula that had kept them longtime radio stars, playing themselves only now as television stars, still living next door to Harry and Blanche Morton. They concluded each show with

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1728-487: The show's format in the fall of 1941 into the situation comedy for which they are best remembered: a working showbusiness married couple negotiating ordinary problems caused by Gracie's "illogical logic", usually with the help of neighbors Harry and Blanche Morton and their announcer Bill Goodwin (later replaced by Harry von Zell during the run of their television series). Burns and Allen frequently used running gags as publicity stunts. During 1932–33, they pulled off one of

1782-525: The song " A Foggy Day ". It was Astaire's first RKO film without dancing partner Ginger Rogers . Astaire's costar Joan Fontaine was not a dancer, and he was reluctant to dance on screen alone. He also felt the script needed more comic relief to enhance the overall appeal of the film. Burns and Allen had each worked in vaudeville as dancers before forming their act, and when word of the project reached them, they called Astaire and he asked them to audition. Burns contacted an act whom he had once seen performing

1836-488: The source, Allen is alleged to have been born on July 26 in 1895, 1896, 1902, or 1906. All public vital records held by the city and county of San Francisco were destroyed in the earthquake and great fire of April 1906 . Her husband George Burns professed not to know exactly how old she was, though it was presumably he who provided the date of July 26, 1902 that appears on her death record. Allen's crypt marker also shows her year of birth as 1902. Among Allen's signature jokes

1890-653: The state. The primary industries are education, health care, construction, retail, and government. The Centre County Correctional Facility is in Benner Township, just outside Bellefonte. It is county-run and houses between 250 - 300 inmates. The State Correctional Institution – Rockview is a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections prison located in Benner Township , Pennsylvania , 5 miles (8.0 km) from Bellefonte. The prison houses Pennsylvania's execution chamber. The State Correctional Institution – Benner ,

1944-429: The title. Unusually, Burns and Allen performed separately through most of the film until the end, with Allen singing and dancing the energetic titular song with Powell at one point while Burns is off-screen. That same year, Allen's popularity was such that S.S. Van Dine wrote one of his Philo Vance detective novels featuring her as the principal character titled The Gracie Allen Murder Case . The zanily comedic book

1998-421: The town. Interstate 99 / US Route 220 pass by the eastern outskirts of the town. Gracie Allen Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian , singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns , her straight man , appearing with him on radio, television and film as

2052-481: The town. The Bush House also served other famous guests, such as Henry Ford and Amelia Earhart . In 1928, the building was sold and soon after renamed the Penn Belle Hotel. The hotel returned to its original "Bush House" name in 1974. Over the years, portions of Bush House were converted to residential apartments. It was also home to several different restaurants and taverns. It was a contributing property to

2106-418: The traits of naivete, zaniness and innocence. The reformulated team, focusing on Allen, toured the country, eventually headlining in major vaudeville houses. Many of their famous routines were preserved in one- and two-reel short films, including Lambchops (1929), made while the couple was still performing on the stage. Burns attributed all of the couple's early success to Allen, ignoring his own brilliance as

2160-541: The two formed a comedy act. They were married on January 7, 1926 in Cleveland by a justice of the peace. Allen was born with heterochromia , giving her two different color eyes, one blue and one green. Her left arm and shoulder were badly scarred when a boiling pot of tea fell on her as a child; as a result, she wore long-sleeved dresses throughout her life. Allen also suffered from crippling migraine headaches. Some discrepancy exists as to her date of birth. Depending on

2214-505: Was 3,510.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,355.3/km ). There were 3,038 housing units at an average density of 1,669.2 per square mile (644.5/km ). Of the 2,837 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who

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2268-450: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.81. The population distribution by age was as follows: 18.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for

2322-470: Was a dialogue in which she would claim that she was born in 1906. Her foil would press her for proof or corroborating information, and she would reply that her birth certificate had been destroyed in the earthquake. Her foil would point out that she was born in July, but that the earthquake was three months earlier in April. Allen would simply smile and reply: "Well, it was an awfully big earthquake." Presumably

2376-416: Was adapted into a film, also titled The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939). Allen was billed above Warren William (the actor then portraying Philo Vance in the series of Vance films), and without Burns. The result was so successful that Allen was cast two years later in a similar mystery/comedy film titled Mr. and Mrs. North (1942) in which she is top-billed as a comedic detective, again without Burns in

2430-599: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Other buildings on the National Register of Historic Places are: Bellefonte Armory , Bellefonte Forge House , Brockerhoff Hotel , Centre County Courthouse , Gamble Mill , McAllister-Beaver House , Miles-Humes House , Pennsylvania Match Company , South Ward School , and the William Thomas House . Bellefonte Academy was listed until 2008; it

2484-477: Was also the subject of one of S. S. Van Dine 's Philo Vance mystery novels, The Gracie Allen Murder Case . Allen said: "S.S. Van Dine is silly to spend six months writing a novel when you can buy one for $ 2.95." In another publicity stunt, Allen played a piano concert at the Hollywood Bowl (and later at Carnegie Hall ). The Burns and Allen staff hired a composer to write the "Concerto for Index Finger",

2538-519: Was converted to primarily commercial/warehouse use. In the 1990s, the building was restored and returned to its roots as a live performance venue and cinema. The opera house was severely damaged by a fire on September 9, 2012 that also destroyed the Garman House Hotel. The cause of the fire has been ruled as arson. Preservationist groups' attempts to save the Garman were unsuccessful and the building

2592-461: Was destroyed by fire in 2004. Bush House Hotel was built in 1868-69 by Bellefonte attorney and developer Daniel G. Bush. It was one of the first hotels in the country to have electric lights. A man would stand at the train station and call out to the passengers, "Walk ya' to the Bush House." The Brockerhoff House, the Haag House, and other area hotels were competitors. Many notable guests stayed at

2646-418: Was featured in the film Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) with an orchestra conducted by Albert Coates . In the early 1930s, Burns and Allen appeared in several short films in which they performed some of their classic vaudeville routines. They also appeared in two full-length movies with W. C. Fields : International House (1933) and Six of a Kind (1934). Burns and Allen also appeared in three out of

2700-465: Was given her first role on the radio by Eddie Cantor . She graduated from Star of the Sea Convent School in 1914, and during that time became a talented dancer. She soon began performing Irish folk dances with her three sisters, who were billed as "The Four Colleens". In 1909, Allen joined her sister, Bessie, as a vaudeville performer. At a performance in 1922, Allen met George Burns, and

2754-455: Was originally built in 1890 and hosted many notable stars of the day, including George Burns and Gracie Allen , Western performer Tom Mix , and illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini . The song " After the Ball " was said to have been first sung in public here. It was eventually also used as a movie theater, first showing silent films and then "talkies." By the early 1960s, the property

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2808-517: Was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Bellefonte is located in the Nittany Valley of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians . It lies 12 miles northeast of State College . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km ), all land. Bellefonte is in the northwestern corner of and is surrounded by Spring Township . Spring Creek ,

2862-577: Was razed in January 2014. Garman House was rebuilt in 2016 and is now home to 21 one and two bedroom apartment units. First-time visitors who walk along the Victorian streets of Bellefonte see primarily Victorian houses. One of many examples is the Hastings Mansion, which was owned by Mrs. John Lane and was bought and remodeled by Governor Daniel H. Hastings. In the 1800s, the first jail was built. It had

2916-533: Was running for president of the United States on the Surprise Party ticket. Burns and Allen embarked on a cross-country whistle-stop campaign tour on a private train, performing their live radio show in various cities. In one of her campaign speeches, Gracie said, "I don't know much about the Lend-Lease Bill, but if we owe it, we should pay it." Another typical quip on the campaign trail was: "Everybody knows

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