''The Eddie Bracken Show'' is an American

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the early ...

situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

. It was broadcast on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

from January 28, 1945, to May 27, 1945, and on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

from September 29, 1946, to March 23, 1947.

Format

Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) 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 ...

played himself in this situation comedy. Radio historian John Dunning described Bracken's role as that of "the same sad bumpkin of his hit films, the eternal helper who always managed to leave a situation more muddled than he found it." Vincent Terrace, in ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows'', wrote: "Eddie Bracken is a well-intentioned young man with one serious drawback: He is calamity prone and his efforts to undo the chaotic situation he creates by trying to help others is the focal point of the stories."

Characters and Cast

In addition to Bracken, characters in the program and the actors who portrayed them included

Ann Rutherford Therese Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1917 – June 11, 2012) was a Canadian-born American actress in film, radio, and television. She had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict during the 1930s and 1940s in the An ...

as Connie Monahan (Bracken's girlfriend),

William Demarest Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known especially for his roles in screwball comedies by Preston Sturges and for playing Uncle Charley in the sitcom ''My Three Sons'' Demarest, w ...

as Connie's father,

Janet Waldo Janet Waldo (born Jeanette Marie Waldo; February 4, 1919 – June 12, 2016) was an American radio and voice actress. In animation, she voiced Judy Jetson in various Hanna-Barbera media, Nancy in ''Shazzan'', Penelope Pitstop, Princess from ''Batt ...

as another girlfriend, and

Jim Bannon James Shorttel Bannon (April 9, 1911 – July 28, 1984) was an American actor and radio announcer known for his work on the '' I Love a Mystery'' and ''Red Ryder'' series during the 1940s and 1950s. Early life Born in 1911 in Kansas City, Mis ...

as the narrator. Those in supporting roles included

Cathy Lewis Catherine Lee Lewis (December 27, 1916 – November 20, 1968) was an American actress on radio, film, and television. She is remembered best for numerous radio appearances but also noted for making a number of film and television appearances in ...

Wally Maher Wally Maher (August 4, 1908 – December 26, 1951) was an American actor, primarily on old-time radio; he was also known as the original voice of Tex Avery's cartoon character Screwy Squirrel. Early years Maher was born in Cincinnati on August 4, ...

, Edwin Cooper,

Irene Ryan Irene Ryan (born Irene Noblitt, Noblett, or Noblette; October 17, 1902 – April 26, 1973) was an American actress and comedienne who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television, and Broadway. She is most widely known for her por ...

, Jack Morton, Alan Bridge, Ruth Perrott, and

Clem McCarthy Clem McCarthy (September 9, 1882 – June 4, 1962)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 173. was an American sportscaster and pu ...

. John Wald was the announcer on the NBC broadcasts, and

Jimmy Wallington Jimmy Wallington was an American radio personality. After playing small roles in a few Hollywood films, he was the announcer for several popular radio shows in the 1940s and 1950s. For his work on radio, Wallington has a star on the Hollywood Wa ...

had that role on those on CBS. Music was by

Leigh Harline Leigh Adrian Harline (March 26, 1907 – December 10, 1969) was an American film composer and songwriter. He was known for his "musical sophistication that was uniquely 'Harline-esque' by weaving rich tapestries of mood-setting underscores and ...

and Paul J. Smith. Nat Wolff was the show's director. Robert Riley Crutcher wrote for the NBC version, and George Hope wrote for the one on CBS. Mann Holiner was the producer.

External links

Logs

Log of ''The Eddie Bracken Show'' from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio LogsLog of ''The Eddie Bracken Show'' from Old Time Radio Researchers GroupLog of ''The Eddie Bracken Show'' from radioGOLDINdex

Streaming

Episodes of ''The Eddie Bracken Show'' from Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
1945 radio programme debuts 1947 radio programme endings 1940s American radio programs CBS Radio programs NBC radio programs American comedy radio programs {{US-radio-show-stub

Format

Characters and Cast

Sponsors

References

External links

Logs

Streaming