George Burns Comedy Week was a comedy anthology television series broadcast in the United States by CBS as part of its 1985 fall lineup. Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke laughter in general). ... An anthology, literally a garland or collection of flowers, is a collection of literary works, originally of poems, but in recent years its usage has broadened to be applied to collections of short stories and comic strips. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... It has been suggested that CBS evening news anchors be merged into this article or section. ... This was the United States television schedule on all three commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1985. ...

As he was age 89 when the show premiered, George Burns was billed as the oldest person ever to "star" in a television series. Burns had been around television in one way or another since shortly after its inception; like many old-time radio stars he had brought his routine over more-or-less intact from the older medium. However, his actual role in this series was rather slight; aside from lending his name, introducing the night's program, and providing an occassional voice-over narration, Burns was not involved in any of the episodes as an actor and those who tuned in expecting to see him as such were disappointed. George Burns, born Nathan Birnbaum (January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996), was an American comedian and actor. ... Ad for an Atwater Kent radio receiver in the Ladies Home Journal (September, 1926) Old-Time Radio (OTR) and the Golden Age of Radio are phrases used to refer to radio programs mainly broadcast during the 1920s through the late 1950s. ...

Several well-known comedians appeared in episodes of this show, including Joe Piscopo, Robert Klein, Don Rickles, Martin Mull, Don Knotts, and Howard Hesseman. The show is probably best know for two particular segments, one being "Christmas Carol II" in which an adult Tiny Tim has come to exhibit many of the characteristics once defining his father's old boss, Ebenezer Scrooge, and another starring Valerie Perrine and Harvey Korman in what proved to be the pilot for their short lived sitcom, Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills. A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... Joe Piscopo (born June 17, 1951, Passaic, New Jersey) is an American comedian, known for his work on Saturday Night Live. ... Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is a Jewish-American stand-up comedian and occasional actor. ... Donald Jay Rickles (born May 8, 1926, New York City, New York) is an American comedian, film actor, and voice actor. ... Martin Mull Martin Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, recording artist, and painter from Chicago. ... Knotts as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (a role which earned him five Emmy Awards), and as... Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman (born February 27, 1940 in Lebanon, Oregon) is an American actor. ... Ebenezer Scrooge encounters Ignorance and Want in A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge is the main character in Charles Dickens 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. ... On the cover of Playboy, August 1981 Valerie Perrine (born September 3, 1943) is an American actress. ... Harvey Herschel Kormen (b. ... A television pilot is the first episode of an intended television series. ... A situation comedy (sitcom) is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ...

George Burns Comedy Week did poorly in the Nielsen ratings and was last broadcast on Christmas Night 1985. It marked Burns' last ongoing role in a television series, although he continued to appear as a guest on programs for the next nine years, until suffering a serious fall at age 98 which ended his active performing career. (Burns died at age 100.) When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are generally referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ... Christmas is a Christian holiday held on December 25 which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ...

Reference

Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows is a trade paperback reference work by the American television researchers Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh , published by Ballantine Books. ...