Gasoline Alley by Jim Scancarelli for October 11, 2020

(From 1984)

George Burns has been a comedian for so long that when he talks about the young guys in the business, he means Steve Allen, Danny Thomas and Red Buttons. “They’ll make it eventually,” he says. “Milton Berle has a good chance.” He steers clear of political humor, but does allow himself to say of President Reagan, “Hell, he’s only 73 years old. He’s just a kid. When I was 73, I had pimples. What the hell was that? Anyway, we stay away from one another’s material. I don’t get into politics and he doesn’t sing ‘Red Rose Rag.’ That’s one of my songs.”

“Gracie didn’t play it dumb, don’t you see. Offstage, she was very bright, smarter than me, well educated. She was able to spell. I didn’t get past fourth grade. These dumb dames I see today, they all know they’re dumb. Gracie didn’t. When she said those strange, scatterbrained things and you didn’t understand, she felt sorry for you. She never told a joke. She explained a joke. Like she would say, ‘My sister Hazel woke up in the middle of the night, there was a scream and we all ran into her room. And we noticed that her feet had turned black.’ I’d say, ‘And what did you do?’ ‘We sent for the doctor.’ I’d say, ‘What did the doctor do?’ She’d say, ‘He took off her stockings and we all went back to sleep.’ She was the talent, I wasn’t. I smoked a cigar. When we were on stage together, my lines were ‘You don’t say?’ ‘Your brother?’ ‘Oh, is that so?’ Gracie taught me how to listen.

I’m not convinced that the people who want to run my life are the ones who should run my life.

love Gracie, who ran for President in 1940 as The Surprise Party’s candidate…Down with Common Sense…“even big politicians don’t know what to do, Gracie doesn’t know either, but neither do you…” https://youtu.be/k6w80aByPLg

“Hey, Joel, y’all gots a letter!”

“Ya sure?”

“Yup. It’s addressed to ’Dumb Hillbilly Living In Garbage Dump.”

“Yup, that’s fer me, fer sure, fer sure.”

For once, I have a new found respect for the words of Jor-El. Especially those in the second panel.

Amen to that!

Again on a Sunday, I feel that the art is not quite the same. Anyone know if the credited artist has brought in a substitute or new assistant?

I can’t tell any difference. The art looks good.