What Burns Really Thought of Groucho

For showtimes, click here

In Going in Style, George Burns wears “Groucho glasses” when he and his friends rob a bank. The silly disguise (also called a "beaglepuss" after the company which first sold them) intentionally copied Groucho Marx's signature look and became popular in the 1940s, after he and his brothers were comedy staples.

Interestingly, in real life, Groucho’s “mustache” was actually a fake that he painted on with greasepaint. It wasn’t until his television series, You Bet Your Life, that he had the real thing in front of the camera.

While George Burns may have lovingly donned Groucho’s look, Burns and Marx had a bit of a rivalry before they became friendly.

At a dinner party hosted by Edward G. Robinson, a guest asked Burns which comedian was the greatest. Burns answered Charlie Chaplin. However, Groucho disagreed and stated that, in fact, he was himself.

“Then I must be the funniest comedian,” Burns retorted, “because I’m funnier than you are. And I did it without my brothers.”

Groucho didn’t take kindly to the remark. He got his revenge in the form a newspaper article, where he gushed about Jack Benny's comedy and claimed Burns wore a toupee.

As time went on, the two comedians became friends, but of course, that didn’t stop them from having hiccups along the way.

In another story, George Burns remembered how every time he ordered his favorite fish, sea bass, at a restaurant, Groucho would say, “If you can't have sea bass every night, you can't have sea bass at all" – a riff on a Sophie Tucker’s song "If You Can't See Mama Every Night, You Can't See Mama at All.”

George got tired of hearing the “lousy” joke every time, so one night, he whispered his order into the waiter’s ear. Unfortunately, the waiter knew Groucho's joke and took the liberty of repeating it.

While novelty Groucho glasses don't have much value, Groucho's actual signature “Windsor-style” wire rim glasses, which he wore in films like At the Circus, A Night in Casablanca, and Go West, sold for $24,000. Also of note, George Burns’ glasses, together with a pair of Gracie Allen’s (his wife), sold for a combined $4,465. 

When Groucho passed in 1977, two years before Going in Style was released, George Burns spoke highly of his friend, stating he was “one of the great original funny men.”