R.I.P. Ronnie Burns.

[TheSportsmenQuartet]

From the L.A. Times today: Ronnie Burns, 72; TV actor played himself on parents' comedy show

Ronnie Burns, 72, the son of George Burns and Gracie Allen who appeared occasionally with the comedy team on television in the 1950s, died of cancer Wednesday at his Pacific Palisades home, said his wife, Janice.

Burns played himself on "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show," which ran on CBS from 1950 to 1958, and "The George Burns Show," which ran for one season after Allen retired from show business in 1958.

He studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse and appeared in other TV shows in the 1950s and early '60s, including "The Honeymooners," "The Jack Benny Program" and "Playhouse 90" and headlined his own short-lived series, "Happy," in 1960.

Burns and Allen adopted Ronnie a few months after he was born July 9, 1935, and about a year after they adopted his sister, Sandra.

"He had a pretty charmed life growing up," his wife said Thursday, describing it as a happy one filled with "parties, pony rides, a typical old-style Hollywood lifestyle."

Besides acting, he also did some production work on "Wendy and Me," a 1964-65 sitcom starring his father.

After growing tired of the limelight, his wife said, Burns left the entertainment business and turned to racing boats.

He later invested in real estate, oversaw merchandising related to his parents and bred Arabian horses in Santa Ynez, Calif.

He had three sons with his first wife, Peggy, and married Janice in 1977.

Allen died in 1964 of a heart attack at 58, and George Burns died in 1996 at 100.

[shimp scrampi]

Really sorry to hear this. Ronnie really did show a lot of talent on the B&A TV show, and in the few appearances he made later on talk shows, etc, talking about his parents was always classy and articulate, every bit what you'd expect from George and Gracie's son.

I'm glad he found happiness outside of show business. 72 is way too young to leave us.

[Mister Kitzel]

Did Ronnie or Sandy Burns ever do any old time radio conventions?

[LLeff]

Did Ronnie or Sandy Burns ever do any old time radio conventions?

Probably not Sandy, she didn't like the limelight. I'm not aware that Ronnie ever did, but it's not impossible.