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Wallace Edgar Brown (October 8, 1904 – November 13, 1961) was an American actor and comedian. In the 1940s, he performed as the comic partner of
Alan Carney Alan Carney (December 22, 1909 – May 2, 1973) was an American actor and comedian. Biography Alan Carney was born David Boughal in Brooklyn, New York, on December 22, 1909. His parents, Edward and Nellie (Kearney) Boughal, were Irish immigrant ...
.


Early years

Wallace Edgar Brown was born in
Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden, a hilly woodland area north of the Mystic River, was settled by Puritans in 1640 on l ...
, the son of Herbert and Lillian (Garnier) Brown. His father was a
compositor Compositor may refer to: * Compositor (typesetting), a person or machine which arranged movable type for printing ** Paige Compositor, a device developed to replace manual compositors, which was a commercial failure * Compositing software, used i ...
for the '' Malden Evening News''. Brown left Malden High School during his junior year, but he later graduated from Malden Commercial Business School and took courses at Chicago University. Before his career in entertainment began, he worked at a drug-store soda fountain in Malden, was a second chef at a hotel in York Beach, Maine, and was a
printer's devil A printer's devil was a young apprentice in a printing establishment who performed a number of tasks, such as mixing tubs of ink and fetching type. Notable writers including Ambrose Bierce, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain served ...
at a print shop in Boston, among other jobs. He also performed locally with his father as an amateur.


Early career

Brown debuted professionally in Beacon Falls, Pennsylvania, with the Jimmy Evans Song Box Revue. In addition to entertaining, he handled baggage for the troupe. After that, he began performing with the Carson Sisters. He performed in
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...
for 15 years before his first appearance in film.


Film

Brown began his film career in 1942 in Hollywood at
RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...
with the film '' Petticoat Larceny''. When RKO decided to emulate the comedy team
Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People * Abbott (surname) * Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist *Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansa ...
, he was paired with
Alan Carney Alan Carney (December 22, 1909 – May 2, 1973) was an American actor and comedian. Biography Alan Carney was born David Boughal in Brooklyn, New York, on December 22, 1909. His parents, Edward and Nellie (Kearney) Boughal, were Irish immigrant ...
, creating " Brown & Carney." The duo premiered with the military comedies '' Adventures of a Rookie'' and its sequel, '' Rookies in Burma''. Of their eight films together, one of the most notable was '' Zombies on Broadway'' co-starring
Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in '' ...
, a semisequel to Val Lewton's ''
I Walked With a Zombie ''I Walked with a Zombie'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Pictures. It stars James Ellison, Frances Dee, and Tom Conway, and follows a Canadian nurse who travels to care for the aili ...
''. Brown and Carney's contracts were terminated in 1946, after which they pursued solo careers. In the 1940s and 1950s, both appeared in various roles for
Leslie Goodwins Leslie Goodwins (17 September 1899 – 8 January 1969) was an English film director and screenwriter. He directed nearly 100 films between 1926 and 1967, notably 27 features and shorts with Leon Errol, including the Mexican Spitfire series ...
films. They reunited in 1961 in Disney's ''
The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor, originally published in the May 22, 1943 issue of ''L ...
''. Brown was later teamed with Tim Ryan in the
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the multi ...
short film '' French Fried Frolic'' in 1949. He was also teamed with Jack Kirkwood in four
RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...
short films in 1950 and 1951. Along with Alan Carney, Brown was to be given a role in ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' is a 1963 American comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer with a story and screenplay by William Rose and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all-star cast of comedians, is ...
'' (1963), but died not long before filming began.


Television and radio

On television, Brown portrayed Jed Fame on '' Cimarron City'' and Chauncey Kowalski on '' The Roaring 20's''. In 1953, Brown had billing over an unknown
Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
in the fourth-season premiere episode of '' The Web'', titled "One for the Road". He made several guest appearances on '' Perry Mason'', including in the role of murderer Harry Mitchell in the 1958 episode "The Case of the Gilded Lily". Brown had also been a regular cast member in television shows such as '' I Married Joan'' and ''
Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the w ...
''. Brown's last years were filled with guest appearances in television, his last one in '' My Three Sons''. On radio, Brown was a regular on '' The Abbott and Costello Show''.


Personal life and death

Brown was married to dancer Mildred Lane, and they had a son and a daughter. On November 13, 1961, he died of a throat hemorrhage in Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles, aged 57.


Filmography

* ''
Dodge City Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier ...
'' (1939) - Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited) * '' All Through the Night'' (1942) - 2nd Police Lieutenant (uncredited) * '' Radio Runaround'' (1943, Short) - Harry, Radio Station Announcer * '' Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event'' (1943, with Alan Carney, but not as a team) - Sagebrush Inn Desk Clerk (uncredited) * '' Petticoat Larceny'' (1943) - Sam Colfax * '' The Adventures of a Rookie'' (1943, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * '' The Seventh Victim'' (1943) - Durk (uncredited) * '' Gangway for Tomorrow'' (1943) - Sam * '' Around the World'' (1943) - Clipper Pilot * '' Rookies in Burma'' (1943, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * ''
Seven Days Ashore ''Seven Days Ashore'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by John H. Auer and written by Edward Verdier, Irving Phillips and Lawrence Kimble. The film stars Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Marcy McGuire, Virginia Mayo, Elaine Shepard, Gordon ...
'' (1944, with Alan Carney) - Monty Stephens * '' Step Lively'' (1944, with Alan Carney) - Binion * '' Girl Rush'' (1944, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * '' Zombies on Broadway'' (1945, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * '' Radio Stars on Parade'' (1945, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * '' From This Day Forward'' (1946) - Jake Beesley * ''
Notorious Notorious means well known for a negative trait, characteristic, or action. It may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Notorious'' (1946 film), a thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Notorious'' (1992 film), a TV film re ...
'' (1946) - Mr. Hopkins * ''
Genius at Work ''Genius at Work'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Monte Brice and Robert E. Kent. The film stars Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Anne Jeffreys, Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi. The film was released on October 2 ...
'' (1946, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * ''
Lady Luck Lady Luck, a personification of luck, may refer to: Fiction and mythology * Fortuna, in Roman mythology, goddess of fortune * Tyche, in Greek mythology, goddess of fortune * Lady Luck (comics), a character created by Will Eisner Film * ''La ...
'' (1946) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * '' Vacation in Reno'' (1946, with Alan Carney, but not as a team) - Eddie Roberts * '' Bachelor Blues'' (1948, Short) - Dorothy's Boyfriend * '' Family Honeymoon'' (1948) - Tom Roscoe * '' Backstage Follies'' (1948, Short) * ''
Heart Troubles The heart is a muscular organ found in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxid ...
'' (1949, Short) - Wally * '' Come to the Stable'' (1949) - Howard Sheldon - Bob's Agent (uncredited) * '' French Fried Frolic'' (1949, Short, With Tim Ryan) - Wally * ''
Put Some Money in the Pot Put or PUT may refer to: Finance * Put option, a financial contract between a buyer and a seller * CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index (ticker symbol) Science and technology * Programmable unijunction transistor Computing * Parameterized unit testing, ...
'' (1950, Short, With Jack Kirkwood) - Wally * '' Photo Phonies'' (1950, Short) - Wally * '' Brooklyn Buckaroos'' (1950, Short, With Jack Kirkwood) - Wally * '' Tinhorn Troubadors'' (1951, Short, With Jack Kirkwood) - Wally * '' As Young as You Feel'' (1951) - Horace Gallagher * '' From Rogues to Riches'' (1951, Short, With Jack Kirkwood) - Wally * '' The High and the Mighty'' (1954) - Lenny Wilby, navigator * '' Untamed'' (1955) - Secondary Role (uncredited) * '' The Wild Dakotas'' (1956) - McGraw * '' Untamed Youth'' (1957) - Pinky, the cook * '' The Joker Is Wild'' (1957) - Las Vegas Heckler (uncredited) * ''
The Left Handed Gun ''The Left Handed Gun'' is a 1958 American Western film and the film directorial debut of Arthur Penn, starring Paul Newman as Billy the Kid and John Dehner as Pat Garrett. The screenplay was written by Leslie Stevens from a teleplay by Gore ...
'' (1958) - Deputy Moon * '' Wink of an Eye'' (1958) - Sheriff Cantrick * ''
Alias Jesse James ''Alias Jesse James'' is a 1959 American Western comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope and Rhonda Fleming.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; March 21, 1959, page 46. Based on a story by Robert St. Aubrey and Bert Lawre ...
'' (1959) - Dirty Dog Bartender (uncredited) * '' Westbound'' (1959) - Stubby * '' The Mouse That Roared'' (1959) - Air Raid Warden (uncredited) * ''
Holiday for Lovers ''Holiday for Lovers'' is a 1959 DeLuxe in CinemaScope comedy film directed by Henry Levin. Based on a 1957 play of the same title by Ronald Alexander, the film stars Clifton Webb, Jane Wyman, Jill St. John and Carol Lynley. Plot Robert Dean ...
'' (1959) - Joe McDougal * '' The Best of Everything'' (1959) - Drunk (uncredited) * '' Who Was That Lady?'' (1960) - Irate Man on Telephone (uncredited) * ''
The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor, originally published in the May 22, 1943 issue of ''L ...
'' (1961) - Coach Elkins * ''
My Darling Judge My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Marke ...
'' (1961, TV Movie) * '' The George Raft Story'' (1961) - Mike Jones (uncredited)


See also

*
Brown and Carney Brown and Carney was a comedy duo consisting of Wally Brown and Alan Carney active from 1943 to 1946. Notes Both actors were under contract with RKO Radio Pictures. The two actors appeared in three films in 1943 when RKO decided to team them to ...


References


Further reading

* Terrace, Vincent. ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999.


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Wally 1904 births 1961 deaths American male comedians Vaudeville performers American male radio actors American male film actors 20th-century American male actors RKO Pictures contract players Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American comedians