George Burns, 89, made the gift to the actors’ home, he said, because ‘all those kids need a place to go.’ : ‘God’ of Movies Blesses His Peers With $1 Million

“When I get old, I’ll go there,” comedian George Burns, 89, joked Friday, following the announcement that he had donated $1 million to the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.

The gift will pay for a four-bed intensive-care unit, which opened at the hospital last year, the hospital said. The unit, which is decorated with movie stills, will be named after Burns, who is expected to attend the Oct. 28 dedication.

Burns, who is appearing at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and was interviewed by telephone, is older than many of the 250 residents of the retirement home and hospital. The complex is open to people who have worked in movie or TV production for more than 20 years. The average age of current residents is 82.

Well-known residents of the facility include Mary Astor and Stepin Fetchit. Former residents include the late Johnny Weissmuller, who was moved elsewhere after he began bursting into women’s rooms and frightening them with his Tarzan yell, a hospital official said.

Cottages, Hospital at 43-Acre Complex

Burns made the gift to the actors’ home, he said, because he has been so fortunate and because “all those kids need a place to go.” The 43-acre retirement complex includes cottages for residents who can live relatively independently, a lodge and hospital facilities.

The retirement home hopes to raise $50 million to double its capacity over the next 10 years, according to John M. Pavlik, executive director of the Motion Picture and Television Fund. Pavlik said Burns’ gift brought the campaign to the $16-million mark.

Four years ago, Burns donated a nearby piece of property to the fund, which realized $500,000 from its sale. “We used to joke that George Burns gave us a supermarket,” Pavlik said.

“I had some friends there, but they are all gone,” Burns said of the actors’ home. “They come and go. Actually, they don’t come. They just go. I’m the only one who stays around.”

Burns played a resident of a convalescent home in a film, “Two of a Kind,” shot at the San Fernando Valley home last year.

No Intention of Retiring

As for himself, the comedian said he had no intention of retiring. “What do you do when you retire?” he said. “You sit there and play with your cuticles. There’s no money in that.”

At 89, Burns pointed out, he is playing Las Vegas, making films, doing a weekly television program, drinking martinis, smoking cigars and going out with pretty girls. Recently published was his book, “Dear George: Advice and Answers From America’s Leading Expert on Everything from A to B.”

“I’m in action. I’m working. I’m moving,” he said.

Burns said he couldn’t retire if he wanted to. “I not only have to take care of the actors’ home, I’ve got to keep supporting my mother and father.

“Every five years I’ll give them another million,” promised the man who played God. “They’re good for another five or six million.”