Eddie Bracken
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Some sources list 1926 as the year of Mr. Bracken's birth.
Bracken earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his radio series, "The Eddie Bracken Show," and the other for his work on television, including appearances on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "Rawhide" and "Murder She Wrote."
Biography
Diminutive former vaudevillian whose screen humor was of the fast, physical and furious kind. Beginning his career with Paramount in 1940, Bracken was at his hilariously frenzied, bumbling, stuttering best in two Preston Sturges films: "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" and "Hail The Conquering Hero" (both 1944). One critic at the time described the typical Bracken role as "the long-suffering, plaintive type who muddles through difficult situations, never knowing quite how he escapes with a whole skin." He briefly achieved star status in these and several other comedies and musicals at Paramount, but his nervous hayseed persona was too narrowly defined to sustain stardom and he was again playing comic second leads by the end of the decade. Bracken's film career petered out in the mid-1950s, but he kept busy into the 60s with TV work on game shows and live comedy, drama, and musical specials.
Bracken also returned to the New York stage in the 1950s, appeared with Carol Channing in the late '70s touring revival of "Hello, Dolly!" which also ran on Broadway and earned Bracken a Tony nomination. After being re-discovered in the 1980s by director John Hughes, who cast the actor in his films "National Lampoon's Vacation," "Home Alone 2" and "Baby's Day Out," Bracken enjoyed renewed activity in the 90s with supporting roles in "Oscar" (1991) and "Rookie of the Year" (1993), as the grandfather in Arthur Miller's made-for-TV "The American Clock" (TNT, 1993) and as Father Burke in the short-lived 1994 NBC drama series, "Winnetka Road."
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Music (Special)
Life Events
1930
Made stage acting debut in the play "Lottery"
1931
Broadway debut in "The Man on Stilts"
1935
Co-starred in the NYC production of "So Proudly We Hail"
1937
Had supporting role in the stage version of "Brother Rat"
1940
Feature film acting debut, "Too Many Girls"
1944
Co-starred in two Preston Sturges-directed features, "Hail the Conquering Hero" and "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek"
1947
Last film for Paramount, "Ladies' Man"
1952
Supplied a voice for the syndicated children's cartoon show, "Willie Wonderful"
1953
Began touring in the stage play "The Seven Year Itch"; appeared on Broadway in the lead in 1955 and continued touring on and off throughout the rest of the 1950s
1953
Last film for almost a decade, "A Slight Case of Larceny"
1955
Was a panelist on the NBC game show, "Make the Connection"
1957
Hosted the TV game show "Masquerade Party" for one season
1960
Debut as theatrical producer with "Beg, Borrow or Steal"; also acted in play
1961
Last onscreen role in films for over two decades, the Italian-produced "Una Domenica d'Estate"
1966
Played Felix Ungar in the Broadway version of "The Odd Couple"
1970
Became co-owner of the Staircase Theatre
1971
Supplied one of the voices for the animated musical comedy, "Shinbone Alley"
1983
Returned to feature films to appear in a supporting role in "National Lampoon's Vacation"
1989
Played Cap'n Andy Hawkes on the PBS "Great Performances" presentation of the landmark stage musical, "Show Boat"
1990
Had recurring role on the NBC sitcom "The Golden Girls"
1991
Returned to films in "Oscar"
1992
Had title role in the Paper Mill Playhouse staging of "The Wizard of Oz"
1994
Last film role to date, a small part in "Baby's Day Out"
1994
Played Father Burke on the NBC primetime drama series, "Winnetka Road"
1997
Made guest appearance on the nostalgia-tinged AMC series "Remember WENN"
2000
Starred in the PBS adaptation of Arthur Miller's play "The Ryan Interview"
2000
Memorably guest-starred as Stuckeyville Stan on an episode of the NBC series "Ed"
2001
Appeared in the Paper Mill Playhouse staging of "Carousel"
Photo Collections
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Some sources list 1926 as the year of Mr. Bracken's birth.
Bracken earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his radio series, "The Eddie Bracken Show," and the other for his work on television, including appearances on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "Rawhide" and "Murder She Wrote."
