![]() Through him, you witness the creation of some of the most inspired comedy ever put to film.īracken's career certainly didn't end with his Sturges work. Bracken can put you on the sets of those pictures, seeing Sturges barking out commands as he rides the camera, hearing Bracken, Hutton, and William Demarest struggle to get through this line or that bit of comic business without bursting into laughter. There you are in Depression-era New York City, watching the pre-teen Bracken break into moving pictures in a series of comedy shorts there you are on the Great White Way of the late Thirties, watching the teenage Bracken in a string of stage hits that gets him noticed by Paramount Pictures and there you are with him in the Hollywood of the Forties, making his comedic mark on celluloid starring alongside Betty Hutton, Veronica Lake, Dorothy Lamour, William Holden, Bob Hope, and Rudy Vallee, and, perhaps most memorably, in the two films he starred in for writer-director Preston Sturges, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and Hail the Conquering Hero. His enthusiasm for whatever the subject may be, his affection for the people involved, and his recollection of detail are such that the story seems to have happened just yesterday - or this morning! These experiences are all still very much alive for Bracken, so they come to be for the listener, too. For when Bracken starts a story, it isn't merely an incident recalled from the dusty past. Still, the expectation of those juicy tales doesn't quite prepare one for the experience of hearing them related by the man himself. He has more than a few choice yarns gathered from his 70 years on Broadway, in Hollywood, and beyond, and he appears ever eager to share them. After all, that's quite a load of firsthand experience of the genius and madness, the egos and excitement, that go along with showbiz and show people. When an actor's bio claims 14,000 performances to his credit, you rather expect the fellow to have some good stories. He co-starred in The Girl from Jones Beach with Reagan in 1949, and Trump played minor parts in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in 1992.Eddie Bracken on the cover of Leonard Maltin's Film Fan Monthly, a fanzine the film critic produced as a teenager. Presidents: Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. 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.īracken acted in films with two actors who later became U.S. This production was broadcast on PBS in 1990. ![]() One high point was their production of Show Boat in which he played Captain Andy Hawkes. Bracken also had a long career with Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, starring in dozens of productions in the 1980s–early 2000s. Duncan in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Roy Walley in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) and Duncan's Toy Chest toy store owner Mr. After nearly 30 years out of feature films, he returned to perform character roles, including the sympathetic Walley World theme park founder Mr. Olaf, as well as an episode of Tales from the Darkside playing a stubborn old man who refuses to believe that he has died. His last appearance on Broadway was in the musical Dreamtime, directed by David Niles at the Ed Sullivan Theater, at the age of 77.īracken's television roles between 19 include an episode of The Golden Girls as Rose Nylund's ex-childhood boyfriend from St. He appeared on Broadway in Shinbone Alley Hello, Dolly! The Odd Couple and Sugar Babies. He made numerous radio broadcasts and had his own program, The Eddie Bracken Show. Due to the popularity of these films, Eddie Bracken was a household name during World War II. ![]() In the 1940s, director Preston Sturges cast Bracken in two of his films, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, opposite Betty Hutton, and Hail the Conquering Hero. ![]() The military drama, co-starring Richard Cromwell, opened to much fanfare but closed after 14 performances at the 46th Street Theatre. In 1936, Bracken enjoyed success on Broadway with his starring run in the Joseph Viertel play So Proudly We Hail. He had performed in a short film series called The Kiddie Troupers (one of many Our Gang-like series) prior to that, but that film was his big break. 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. Edward Vincent Bracken was born in Astoria, Queens, New York on February 7, 1915, the son of Joseph L. ![]()
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