GEORGE BURNS - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: HENNY YOUNGMAN, MILTON BERLE, DANNY THOMAS - HFSID 323069

GEORGE BURNS, DANNY THOMAS, HENNY YOUNGMAN, MILTON BERLE
Four of America's favorite comedians sign a humorous caricature portraying them as kids.
Photograph signed: "George Burns (with the cigar and yo-yo)", "Danny Thomas (on the pogo stick)", "Henny/Youngman (with the tennis racket)", and "Milton Berle (on the tricycle)".B/w, 10x8. George Burns, the star of vaudeville, radio, television and motion pictures, died in 1996 at the age of 100. He co-starred with his wife Gracie Allen until her retirement in 1958(she died in 1964), then continued performing in television, theater and nightclubs as a solo act. When he returned to films in 1975 after a 30-year hiatus, Burns won the 1975 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (The Sunshine Boys). He later starred in the title role in Oh, God (1977) and appeared in Going in Style (1979) and 18 Again! (1988). The comedian, who was honored in television specials celebrating his 90th and 95th birthdays, also wrote Gracie, A Love Story (1988) and 100 Years, 100 Stories (1996). Danny Thomas (1912-1991) debuted onscreen in 1947 in The Unfinished Dance, beginning a brief film career in corny leads or supporting comic roles. He was much more successful on TV, starring in the long-running sitcom Make Room for Daddy (later re-named The Danny Thomas Show). He also was featured in a number of TV specials and made guest appearances on variety shows. Entering production in the 1950's, Thomas was producer for American classics The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pyle and The Mod Squad. He founded the St. Jude's Research Hospital, which is dedicated to finding cures for catastrophic children's diseases. He is the father of actress Marlo Thomas. Henny Youngman (1906-1998), a comedian who specialized in rapid-fire jokes, was known as "The King of One-Liners". Over his seven-decade career, he moved with ease from vaudeville to radio to TV variety shows to occasional movie roles. A capable violinist who had led a small band, he played the violin in his show to set up jokes. Playing off one of his best known quips, he titled his autobiography Take My Life - Please.  With the encouragement of the quintessential stage-mother, Milton Berle (1908-2002) played small supporting roles in silents, including the part of a newsboy in the first-ever feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), starring Charlie Chaplin. Berle then moved into vaudeville and became a headliner, with occasional stopovers on Broadway and in Hollywood, into the WWII years. His lengthy starring role in the 1943 edition of Broadway's Ziegfeld Follies established him as a star. After only moderate success on radio and in films, Berle made a spectacular television debut as star of NBC's Texaco Star Theatre in 1948, dominating the airwaves on Tuesday nights until 1956. He became known as "Mr. Television" and was everyone's "Uncle Miltie". Corners creased. Lightly toned at left edge. Slight smudging at "Burns" and "Henny" but legible. Lightly bowed. Pencil notes (unknown hand) on verso. Otherwise, fine condition.