 However, in the census taken on April 15, 1910, for San Francisco's 39th Assembly District, Enumeration District 216, Page 5A, Grace Allen is listed as being 13 (instead of 14), suggesting a birth year of 1896, but this is not definitive and census records do occasionally vary from year to year.The Burns and Allen act began with Allen as the straight man, setting up Burns to deliver the punchlines—and get the laughs.In his book "", Burns later explained that he noticed Allen's straight lines were getting more laughs than his punchlines, so he cannily flipped the act over—he made himself the straight man and let her get the laughs.