 People who knew George said that he never could really come to terms with his beloved friend's death.Six weeks before filming started, Burns had triple bypass surgery.Burns replaced Benny in the film as well as the club tour, a move that turned out to be one of the biggest breaks of his career; his wise performance as faded vaudevillian Al Lewis won him the 1975 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and permanently secured his career resurgence.