Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent Bracken was an American actor. Bracken became a Hollywood comedy legend with lead performances in the films Hail the Conquering Hero and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek both from 1944, both of which have been preserved by the National Film Registry. During this era, he also had success on Broadway, with performances in plays like Too Many Girls.
Bracken's later movie roles include National Lampoon's Vacation, Oscar, , and Rookie of the Year.
Life and career
Bracken was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, the son of Joseph L. and Catherine Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical Too Many Girls in a role he reprised for the 1940 film adaptation. He had performed in a short film series called The Kiddie Troupers prior to that, but that film was his big break. In 1936, Bracken enjoyed success on Broadway with his starring run in the Joseph Viertel play So Proudly We Hail. The military drama, co-starring Richard Cromwell, opened to much fanfare but closed after 14 performances at the 46th Street Theater.In the 1940s, director Preston Sturges cast Bracken in two of his best-loved films, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, opposite Betty Hutton, and Hail the Conquering Hero. Due to the popularity of these films, Eddie Bracken was a household name during World War II. He made numerous radio broadcasts and had his own program, The Eddie Bracken Show.
In 1953, Bracken left Hollywood. He appeared on Broadway in Shinbone Alley, Hello, Dolly!, The Odd Couple and Sugar Babies. His last appearance on Broadway was in the musical Dreamtime, directed by David Niles at the Ed Sullivan Theater at the age of 77.
Bracken's extensive television roles between 1952 and 2000 include an episode of The Golden Girls as Rose Nylund's ex-childhood boyfriend from St. Olaf, as well as an episode of Tales from the Darkside playing a stubborn old man who refuses to believe that he has died. After nearly 30 years out of feature films, he returned to perform character roles, including the sympathetic Walley World theme park founder Roy Walley in National Lampoon's Vacation, and Duncan's Toy Chest toy store owner Mr. Duncan in '. Bracken also had a long career with Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, starring in dozens of productions in the 1980s–early 2000s. One high point was their production of Show Boat in which he played Cap'n Andy Hawkes. This production was broadcast on PBS in 1990. He also played a cameo in Patrick Read Johnson's 1994 film, Baby's Day Out, as one of the veterans in the old soldier's home.
Bracken acted in films with two actors who later became U.S. Presidents: Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. Bracken co-starred in The Girl from Jones Beach with Reagan in 1949, thirty-one years before Reagan was elected president, and Bracken and Trump played minor parts in ' in 1992, twenty-four years before Trump was elected president.
Death
On November 14, 2002, Bracken died in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, of complications from an undisclosed surgery at the age of 87. His wife of 63 years, Connie Nickerson, a former actress, died in August 2002, just three months before his death. He met Connie when they performed together in a road company of the Broadway play What a Life in 1938. Together Eddie and Connie had five children: two sons and three daughters.Hollywood Walk of Fame
For his contributions to radio and television, Bracken has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1651 Vine Street and 6751 Hollywood Boulevard respectively.Filmography
- Pacific Liner as Junior officer
- Too Many Girls as Jojo Jordan
- Life with Henry as 'Dizzy' Stevens
- Reaching for the Sun as Benny Hogan
- Caught in the Draft as Bert Sparks
- Safeguarding Military Information
- The Fleet's In as Barney Waters
- Star Spangled Rhythm as Johnny Webster
- Sweater Girl as Jack Mitchell
- Happy Go Lucky as Wally Case
- Young and Willing as George Bodell
- The Miracle of Morgan's Creek as Norval Jones
- Hail the Conquering Hero as Woodrow Truesmith
- Rainbow Island as Toby Smith
- Bring on the Girls as J. Newport Bates
- Out of this World as Herbie Fenton
- Duffy's Tavern as Eddie Bracken
- Hold That Blonde as Ogden Spencer Trulow III
- Ladies' Man as Henry Haskell
- Fun on a Weekend as Pete Porter aka P.P. Porterhouse III
- The Girl from Jones Beach as Chuck Donovan
- Summer Stock as Orville Wingait
- Two Tickets to Broadway as Lew Conway
- About Face as Biff Roberts
- We're Not Married! as Wilson Boswell 'Willie' Fisher
- The Gulf Playhouse as Lt. Merivale R. Colquhoun
- A Slight Case of Larceny as Frederick Winthrop Clopp
- Lux Video Theatre as Larry
- Schlitz Playhouse as Gunner's Mate
- Playhouse 90 as Stephen Minch
- The Roaring 20s as Ace Johnson
- Always on Sunday as Bit Part
- Going My Way as Danny Everett
- Rawhide as Edgar Allan Smithers / Morris G. Stevens
- Burke's Law as Simeon Quatraine / 'Evil Eye' Hatton
- Shinbone Alley as Archy
- The New Dick Van Dyke Show as Eddie
- Busting Loose
- National Lampoon's Vacation as Roy Walley
- Tales from the Darkside 'A Case of the Stubborns' as Grandpa
- Murder, She Wrote as Barney Ogden
- The Golden Girls as Buzz
- Oscar as Five Spot Charlie
- as E.F. Duncan
- Rookie of the Year as Bob Carson
- Baby's Day Out as Old Timer
- The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue as Sebastian
Stage credits
- Lottery
- The Man in Stilts
- The Lady Refuses
- The Drunkard
- Life's Too Short
- So Proudly We Hail
- Iron Men
- Brother Rat
- What A Life
- Too Many Girls
- The Seven Year Itch
- The Tender Trap
- Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
- The Teahouse of the August Moon
- Shinbone Alley
- Three Men on a Horse
- The Tunnel of Love
- Where's Charley?
- Visit to a Small Planet
- Say Darling
- The Golden Fleecing
- Finian's Rainbow
- Mister Roberts
- Beg, Borrow or Steal
- Hot September
- The Odd Couple
- You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running
- The Girl in the Freudian Slip
- Never Too Late
- Born Yesterday
- The Sunshine Boys
- Hot Line to Heaven
- Hello Dolly!
- Show Boat
- Sugar Babies
- Damn Yankees
- Kismet
- Show Boat
- Sugar Babies
- Show Boat
- Babes in Toyland
- The Wizard of Oz
- Dreamtime
- It Runs in the Family
- These Golden Years
- No, No, Nanette
- Follies
- The Student Prince
- Carousel
Radio appearances