Eddie Bracken, a talented comic actor, made his mark on the silver screen with his featured role in the RKO production "Too Many Girls" in 1940. In this musical comedy, Bracken reprised his role as "JoJo Jordan" from the Broadway stage version, introducing the melancholy pop-music standard "I Didn't Know What Time It Was".
By the time Bracken was just 20 years old, he had already established himself in show business, having performed in vaudeville and nightclubs since the age of 9. He had also appeared on screen in four Hal Roach "Our Gang" comedy two-reeler film shorts.
Bracken's popularity and star status among movie audiences of the 1940s stemmed from his portrayal of a shy, giggling, clumsy, stammering, sentimental, self-effacing, and would-be hero in musicals and comedies.
Director Preston Sturges brought out Bracken's unique attributes in two of his most memorable comedies. In "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" (1943),Bracken played "Norval Jones", a man whose destiny is foisted upon him by others. The film follows the story of "Trudy Kockenlocker" (played by Betty Hutton),who becomes pregnant after attending a party for military servicemen, but has no recollection of the father's identity. She persuades the befuddled Norval to take credit for the child and marry her.
In "Hail the Conquering Hero" (1944),Bracken played "Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith", a physically unfit man who is mistakenly elevated to a modern, combat-decorated veteran by a group of World War II-era U.S. Marines, led by a crusty senior-level sergeant (played by William Demarest). The film follows Truesmith's journey as he becomes embroiled in an election campaign for his hometown mayoralty, with complications including a love interest played by actress Ella Raines.
As Bracken's age increased, his popularity and the popularity of the genre of film vehicles that was his forte decreased, and in 1953, he essentially retired from the screen. However, he would return to Hollywood eventually, appearing in character roles in theatrical and TV films throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
