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 la ...

, the son of Herbert and Lillian (Garnier) Brown. His father was a compositor for the ''

Malden Evening News The ''Malden Evening News'' was an independent five-day (Monday through Friday) daily newspaper covering the city of Malden, Massachusetts. Publisher Daniel J. Horgan owned the ''Evening News'' and its sister paper, the ''Medford Daily Mercury'', ...

''. Brown left

Malden High School Malden High School is a public high school in Malden, Massachusetts. Established in 1857, the school is part of the Malden Public Schools and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). A 2013 study conduc ...

during his junior year, but he later graduated from Malden Commercial Business School and took courses at

Chicago University The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the be ...

. 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 York Beach is a village within the town of York, Maine, United States. The York Beach area consists of Long Sands and Short Sands beaches on the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Maine. The two beaches are separated by Cape Neddick. Cape Neddick an ...

, 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 composition ...

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-Orphe ...

with the film ''

Petticoat Larceny ''Petticoat Larceny'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Ben Holmes from an original screenplay by Jack Townley and Stuart Palmer. The film stars Ruth Warrick, Joan Carroll, and Walter Reed, and was released by RKO Radio Pictures (who al ...

''. 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, Arkansas ...

, he was paired with

, creating " Brown & Carney." The duo premiered with the military comedies '' Adventures of a Rookie'' and its sequel, ''

Rookies in Burma ''Rookies in Burma'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins from an original screenplay by Edward James. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it was released on December 7, 1943, being a sequel to the earlier 1943 ...

''. Of their eight films together, one of the most notable was ''

Zombies on Broadway ''Zombies on Broadway'' (or ''Loonies on Broadway'' in the UK) is a 1945 American zombie comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It stars RKO's imitation Abbott and Costello, Alan Carney and Wally Brown, as a pair of men who are tasked with f ...

'' 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 ''S ...

, a semisequel to

Val Lewton Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a pain ...

'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 (actor), James Ellison, Frances Dee, and Tom Conway, and follows a Canadian nurse who trave ...

''. 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 films. They reunited in 1961 in

Disney's The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

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 ''Li ...

''. 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 mu ...

short film ''

French Fried Frolic French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

'' in 1949. He was also teamed with

Jack Kirkwood Jack Kirkwood (August 6, 1894 – August 2, 1964) was a Scottish-American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. He was known for playing the role of Charley Hackett in the American sitcom television series ''One Happy Family''. Kirkwood was born in ...

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-Orphe ...

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 a ...

'' (1963), but died not long before filming began.

Television and radio

On television, Brown portrayed Jed Fame on ''

Cimarron City Cimarron City is a town in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 150 at the 2010 census, a 39.4 percent gain over the figure of 110 in 2000.

'' 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 The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...

'', titled "One for the Road". He made several guest appearances on ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', 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 ''I Married Joan'' is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955. It starred actress Joan Davis as the manic, scatterbrained wife of a mild-mannered community judge (Jim Backus). Synopsis The show, whose syndicated ope ...

'' 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 we ...

''. Brown's last years were filled with guest appearances in television, his last one in ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chronicl ...

''. On radio, Brown was a regular on ''

The Abbott and Costello Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''.

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 Valley Presbyterian Hospital is a 350-bed hospital in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1958, architect William Pereira designed the original building. The facility specializes in maternal and child health, cardiac care, orthopedics, a ...

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 town ...

'' (1939) - Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited) * '' All Through the Night'' (1942) - 2nd Police Lieutenant (uncredited) * ''

Radio Runaround Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

'' (1943, Short) - Harry, Radio Station Announcer * ''

Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event ''Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Charles E. Roberts and Dane Lussier. It is the sequel to the 1942 film '' Mexican Spitfire's Elephant''. The film stars Lupe Vélez, L ...

'' (1943, with Alan Carney, but not as a team) - Sagebrush Inn Desk Clerk (uncredited) * ''

'' (1943) - Sam Colfax * ''

The Adventures of a Rookie ''Adventures of a Rookie'' is a 1943 comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins. It was the debut of RKO's comedy duo Carney and Brown. A sequel, ''Rookies in Burma'', followed. Plot Three young men from completely different levels of society get th ...

'' (1943, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * ''

The Seventh Victim ''The Seventh Victim'' is a 1943 American horror film noir directed by Mark Robson and starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter, and Hugh Beaumont. Written by DeWitt Bodeen and Charles O'Neal, and produced by Val Lewton f ...

'' (1943) - Durk (uncredited) * ''

Gangway for Tomorrow Broadly speaking, a gangway is a passageway through which to enter or leave. Gangway may refer specifically refer to: Passageways * Gangway (nautical), a passage between the quarterdeck and the forecastle of a ship, and by extension, a passage th ...

'' (1943) - Sam * '' Around the World'' (1943) - Clipper Pilot * ''

'' (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 Olive ...

'' (1944, with Alan Carney) - Monty Stephens * '' Step Lively'' (1944, with Alan Carney) - Binion * ''

Girl Rush ''Girl Rush'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas and written by Robert E. Kent. The film stars Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Frances Langford, Barbara Jo Allen, Robert Mitchum, Paul Hurst, Patti Brill and Sarah Padden. The fi ...

'' (1944, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * ''

'' (1945, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * ''

Radio Stars on Parade ''Radio Stars on Parade'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins from a screenplay by Robert E. Kent and Monte Brice, from Kent's original story. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it was released on August 1, 1 ...

'' (1945, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * ''

From This Day Forward ''From This Day Forward'' is a 1946 American drama film directed by John Berry, starring Joan Fontaine and Mark Stevens. Plot Army sergeant Bill Cummings ( Mark Stevens) is about to be discharged after service in World War II. He was a blue co ...

'' (1946) - Jake Beesley * '' Notorious'' (1946) - Mr. Hopkins * '' Genius at Work'' (1946, with Alan Carney) - Jerry Miles * '' Lady Luck'' (1946) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ''

Vacation in Reno ''Vacation in Reno'' is a 1946 film directed by Leslie Goodwins and starring Jack Haley, Anne Jeffreys, Iris Adrian, Wally Brown, Alan Carney, and Morgan Conway. Plot Jack Carroll (portrayed by Jack Haley) and his wife (Anne Jeffreys) have an a ...

'' (1946, with Alan Carney, but not as a team) - Eddie Roberts * '' Bachelor Blues'' (1948, Short) - Dorothy's Boyfriend * ''

Family Honeymoon ''Family Honeymoon'' is a 1949 domestic comedy film made by Universal International, directed by Claude Binyon, and written by Dane Lussier, based on novel by Homer Croy. It was shot in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Plot Katie Armstrong ...

'' (1948) - Tom Roscoe * '' Backstage Follies'' (1948, Short) * '' Heart Troubles'' (1949, Short) - Wally * ''

Come to the Stable ''Come to the Stable'' is a 1949 American comedy drama film that tells the story of two French religious sisters who come to a small New England town and involve the townsfolk in helping them to build a children's hospital. It stars Loretta Young ...

'' (1949) - Howard Sheldon - Bob's Agent (uncredited) * ''

'' (1949, Short, With Tim Ryan) - Wally * '' Put Some Money in the Pot'' (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 ''As Young as You Feel'' is a 1951 American comedy film starring Monty Woolley, Thelma Ritter, and David Wayne, with Marilyn Monroe in a small role. It was directed by Harmon Jones. Plot When printer John R. Hodges is forced to retire at age 65 ...

'' (1951) - Horace Gallagher * ''

From Rogues to Riches From may refer to: * From, a preposition * From (SQL), computing language keyword * From: (email message header), field showing the sender of an email * FromSoftware, a Japanese video game company * Full range of motion, the travel in a rang ...

'' (1951, Short, With Jack Kirkwood) - Wally * '' The High and the Mighty'' (1954) - Lenny Wilby, navigator * '' Untamed'' (1955) - Secondary Role (uncredited) * ''

The Wild Dakotas ''The Wild Dakotas'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Tom W. Blackburn. The film stars Bill Williams, Coleen Gray, Jim Davis, John Litel, Dick Jones, John Miljan and Lisa Montell. The film was released ...

'' (1956) - McGraw * ''

Untamed Youth ''Untamed Youth'' is a 1957 American teen film directed by Howard W. Koch, written by John C. Higgins and Stephen Longstreet, and starring Mamie Van Doren and Lori Nelson as two starstruck sisters who are sentenced to farm labor. Plot Sisters ...

'' (1957) - Pinky, the cook * ''

The Joker Is Wild ''The Joker Is Wild'' is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Charles Vidor, starring Frank Sinatra, Mitzi Gaynor, Jeanne Crain, and Eddie Albert, and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is about Joe E. Lewis, the popular si ...

'' (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 V ...

'' (1958) - Deputy Moon * ''

Wink of an Eye "Wink of an Eye" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Arthur Heinemann, based on a story by Gene L. Coon (under the pen name Lee Cronin), and directed by Jud ...

'' (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 ''The Mouse That Roared'' is a 1955 satirical novel by Irish-American writer Leonard Wibberley, which launched a series of satirical books about an imaginary country in Europe called the Duchy of Grand Fenwick. Wibberley used the premise to m ...

'' (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? ''Who Was That Lady?'' is a 1960 black and white American comedy film directed by George Sidney and starring Tony Curtis, Dean Martin, and Janet Leigh. The movie was made by Ansark-Sidney, distributed by Columbia Pictures and produced by Norman ...

'' (1960) - Irate Man on Telephone (uncredited) * ''

'' (1961) - Coach Elkins * '' My Darling Judge'' (1961, TV Movie) * ''

The George Raft Story ''The George Raft Story'' is a 1961 American biographical film of Hollywood film star George Raft. Ray Danton portrays Raft and the film was directed by Joseph M. Newman. The picture was retitled ''Spin of a Coin'' for release in the United Ki ...

'' (1961) - Mike Jones (uncredited)

References

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