---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: George Burns was a Vaudeville performer I…"
description: "\"George Burns was a Vaudeville performer I particularly loved.\" — Tom Waits"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/tom-waits-916_performers_george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer_1566763.jpg"
---

#  George Burns was a Vaudeville performer I particularly…

![“George Burns was a Vaudeville performer I particularly loved.” quote by Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/tom-waits-916_performers_george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer_1566763.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/tom-waits-916_performers_george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer_1566763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/tom-waits-916_performers_george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer_1566763.jpg)

> “George Burns was a Vaudeville performer I particularly loved.”

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker expresses admiration for George Burns’ work as a Vaudeville performer, highlighting personal affection for his style.

**In simple terms:** I love George Burns’ Vaudeville performances.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate classic entertainers.

Themes

nostalgia performance entertainment

Mood

reflective warm

Type

appreciative historical

When to use this quote

- Theatre appreciation
- historical research
- cultural preservation
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

Vaudeville showmanship legacy

Questions to Reflect On

- What draws you to vintage performance styles?
- How can contemporary artists capture Vaudeville’s spirit?

A Different Perspective

Modern entertainment often lacks the intimacy of live variety shows.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Performers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performers/) [Vaudeville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vaudeville/)

## Related quotes

> [I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/i-particularly-loved-the-adjective-bookish-which-i-found-other-people/)

[Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/)

> [“- "You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoes and wonder what else you can do when you're down there."�…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hopkins/you-know-you-re-getting-old-when-you-stoop-to-tie-your-shoes-and/)

[Michael Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hopkins/)

> [My favorite comedians were Jimmy Durante, George Burns, senior citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bologna/my-favorite-comedians-were-jimmy-durante-george-burns-senior-citizens/)

[Joseph Bologna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bologna/)

> [The fact that Americans drag around the world by the busloads to glimpse the past probably has something to do with the youth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/the-fact-that-americans-drag-around-the-world-by-the-busloads-to/)

[Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/)

> [“George Burns tells a wonderful story about the one time in his life (so he says) he cheated on his beloved Gracie. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-biddle-barrows/george-burns-tells-a-wonderful-story-about-the-one-time-in-his-life/)

[Sydney Biddle Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-biddle-barrows/)

> [I'm more likely to quote the golfer George Burns than the legendary late comedian by the same name who lived to be 100.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-nantz/i-m-more-likely-to-quote-the-golfer-george-burns-than-the-legendary/)

[Jim Nantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-nantz/)

> [George Burns has been on my show twenty or thirty times, or maybe more. How can you turn down a guy that age?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/george-burns-has-been-on-my-show-twenty-or-thirty-times-or-maybe-more/)

[Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/)

> [George Burns was the father I never had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-darin/george-burns-was-the-father-i-never-had/)

[Bobby Darin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-darin/)

> [The thing about hoofing is that It's much more intricate than people realize. Occasionally you see some good hoofing on TV. Bob Hope is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-berry/the-thing-about-hoofing-is-that-it-s-much-more-intricate-than-people/)

[Ken Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-berry/)

> [George Burns was more athletic than you think he was. And he was a very social man. He loved people, he enjoyed life. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/george-burns-was-more-athletic-than-you-think-he-was-and-he-was-a/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [I’m planning to stay in politics now, but, you know, George Burns worked until he was 100. I don’t know. I don’t want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/i-m-planning-to-stay-in-politics-now-but-you-know-george-burns-worked/)

[Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/)

> [“EVERY NIGHT BEFORE I went to sleep, I would conjure the image of the actor George Burns in my head and ask him for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-rae-miller/every-night-before-i-went-to-sleep-i-would-conjure-the-image-of-the/)

[Kimberly Rae Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-rae-miller/)

> [Authenticity seems like sort of a joke. Actually I believe it was the late comedian George Burns who said, "if you can fake sincerity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/authenticity-seems-like-sort-of-a-joke-actually-i-believe-it-was-the/)

[Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/)

> [There's been periods of broadcasts in the past where you could see all ages of entertainers, ranging from George Burns to Shirley Temple. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-haggard/there-s-been-periods-of-broadcasts-in-the-past-where-you-could-see/)

[Merle Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-haggard/)

> [I know George Burns was a very happy man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/i-know-george-burns-was-a-very-happy-man/)

[Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/)

## More by Tom Waits

> [Most of us have the residue of thousands of songs in our ears, that if you end up songwriting, I think you're mostly smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-us-have-the-residue-of-thousands-of-songs-in-our-ears-that-if/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [Bill Hicks - blowtorch, excavator, truthsayer, and brain specialist. He will correct your vision. Others will drive on the road he built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/bill-hicks-blowtorch-excavator-truthsayer-and-brain-specialist-he/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [Don't plant your days they turn into weeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/don-t-plant-your-days-they-turn-into-weeds/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [“T’ain’t no sin to take off your skin, and dance around in your bones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/t-ain-t-no-sin-to-take-off-your-skin-and-dance-around-in-your-bones/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [“an all time favorite: "The large print giveth, the small print taketh away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/an-all-time-favorite-the-large-print-giveth-the-small-print-taketh/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [I'll tell you all my secrets but I lie about my past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-ll-tell-you-all-my-secrets-but-i-lie-about-my-past/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [For a songwriter, you don't really go to songwriting school; you learn by listening to tunes. And you try to understand them and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/for-a-songwriter-you-don-t-really-go-to-songwriting-school-you-learn/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [I'm trying to learn how to write faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-trying-to-learn-how-to-write-faster/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-world-is-a-hellish-place-and-bad-writing-is-destroying-the/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [I'm always looking for sounds that are pleasing at the time. The sound of a helicopter is really annoying until you're drowning, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-always-looking-for-sounds-that-are-pleasing-at-the-time-the-sound/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-was-born-in-the-back-seat-of-a-yellow-cab-in-a-hospital-loading/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [There's not much difference between what I appear to be on stage and what I am. I think people like that, that I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-not-much-difference-between-what-i-appear-to-be-on-stage-and/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [The devil knows the Bible like the back of his hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-devil-knows-the-bible-like-the-back-of-his-hand/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [I bark my voice out through a closed throat, pretty much. It's more, perhaps, like a dog in some ways. It does have its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-bark-my-voice-out-through-a-closed-throat-pretty-much-it-s-more/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

[Explore all 328 Tom Waits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

## More Performers quotes

> [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/)

K. Anders Ericsson

> [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/)

[Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/)

> [The process of putting intangible thoughts into an imperfect system of notation - which is difficult enough, depending on your ideas - acquaints you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/the-process-of-putting-intangible-thoughts-into-an-imperfect-system/)

[Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/)

> [One performer whose band played my music better than I could myself was Art Farmer. He recorded 'Sing Me Softly of the Blues' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-bley/one-performer-whose-band-played-my-music-better-than-i-could-myself/)

[Carla Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-bley/)

> [I think that's what makes a great show: when the performers onstage aren't putting on a show, they're legitimately just having a freaking awesome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grammer/i-think-that-s-what-makes-a-great-show-when-the-performers-onstage/)

[Andy Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grammer/)

> [Just as performers, I think you'd be an idiot not to utilize YouTube.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-wells/just-as-performers-i-think-you-d-be-an-idiot-not-to-utilize-youtube/)

[Noel Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-wells/)

> [Failing to differentiate among employees — and holding on to bottom-tier performers — is actually the cruelest form of management there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/failing-to-differentiate-among-employees-and-holding-on-to-bottom/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [Seen from the point of view of the composer, the most nonsensical practice is that of casting people in musicals who are unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gold/seen-from-the-point-of-view-of-the-composer-the-most-nonsensical/)

Ernest Gold

> [I like performers who I know are for real. You can tell, man, there's an intensity about their stuff. You can tell right away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-vega/i-like-performers-who-i-know-are-for-real-you-can-tell-man-there-s-an/)

[Alan Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-vega/)

> [The development of the comedy club industry destroyed the uniqueness and intimacy of the profession but it also created jobs for comics and bred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/the-development-of-the-comedy-club-industry-destroyed-the-uniqueness/)

[Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/)

> [One piece of advice that I would give to any young athlete or performer is remember to thank your mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-davis/one-piece-of-advice-that-i-would-give-to-any-young-athlete-or/)

[Meryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-davis/)

> [Jodi Melnick is hotly self-absorbed. Her onstage musicians are much too loud, and like so many narcissistic performers, she goes on much too long:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/jodi-melnick-is-hotly-self-absorbed-her-onstage-musicians-are-much/)

[Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/)

> [To be a top performer you have to be passionately committed to what you're doing and insanely confident about your ability to pull it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eliot/to-be-a-top-performer-you-have-to-be-passionately-committed-to-what/)

[John Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eliot/)

> [CS: I always say there's a tribal element in a rock concert. There's a real back-and-forth thing that goes on between the audience and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-stein/cs-i-always-say-there-s-a-tribal-element-in-a-rock-concert-there-s-a/)

[Chris Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-stein/)

[Browse all 945 Performers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "George Burns was a Vaudeville performer I particularly loved.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Waits"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer-i-particularly-loved/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Performers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer-i-particularly-loved/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/tom-waits-916_performers_george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer_1566763.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/tom-waits-916_performers_george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer_1566763.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/tom-waits-916_performers_george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer_1566763.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“George Burns was a Vaudeville performer I particularly loved.” — Tom Waits",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Tom Waits",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "George Burns was a Vaudeville performer...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer-i-particularly-loved/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/george-burns-was-a-vaudeville-performer-i-particularly-loved/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
