June 26 marks Gracie Allen’s birthday, though we don’t know exactly in what year she was born. Various years were given, to the extent that it became a running gag. At one point, she claimed it was 1906, but that her birth certificate was destroyed in the San Francisco Earthquake of that year. When questioned how it could be, since she was born months after the disaster, she quipped, “Well, it was a very large earthquake!” A perfectly Gracie answer.

Many folks, myself included until a couple of weeks ago, have no idea that Gracie was involved in a syndicated comic feature, with cartoons by The Little King creator, Otto Soglow! I was delighted to find out about it, ‘cos I’m a longtime fan of hers. When I was in middle school, my friend and I would spend hours building Lego houses for our favorite Old Time Radio characters: Jack Benny, Mary, and Rochester for him, Burns and Allen for me. To this day, I listen to OTR every night when I’m going to sleep; these characters are ingrained in me!

But you don’t have to be a fan of radio to appreciate these silly jokes, that’s for sure. We’ve got the first few weeks in the Comic Supplement for you to enjoy!