Lambchops is an 8-minute American comedy Vitaphone short subject released in October 1929, which depicts a vaudeville performance by Burns and Allen of the comedy routine "Lambchops" written by Al Boasberg. The work's copyright was renewed in 1957, and it entered the American public domain on January 1, 2025.

Plot

thumb|Lambchops (1929)

Cast

  • George Burns as George the Boyfriend (as Burns)
  • Gracie Allen as Gracie the Girlfriend (as Allen)

Production

The night that they arrived in New York after their first tour of England with their vaudeville routines, George Burns and Gracie Allen attended a party where they were approached by their agent Arthur Lyons, who asked if they would be interested in filming a short for Warner Brothers the following morning. Comedian Fred Allen was slated to film one of his comedy routines but had come down with the flu, leaving the studio in the lurch. Burns was told that the job paid $1,700, so he said yes on the spot. "I'd never heard of $1,700 in my life, especially for nine minutes' work," Burns quipped. so they were not asked to shoot any more for the studio. Burns, however was so enamored by the paycheck that he actively sought out more film work and was quickly embraced by Paramount Pictures, with whom Burns and Allen subsequently released a whole series of short subjects.

In 1999 Lambchops was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Home media

Lambchops was released on DVD in October 2007, on disc three of a three-disc 80th anniversary edition of The Jazz Singer.

  • 2007: The Jazz Singer, Three-Disc Deluxe Edition. Burbank, California: Warner Home Video.

References

  • Lambchops essay by Ron Hutchinson at National Film Registry
  • Lambchops essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 163-164