Eddie Bracken - wikipedia Eddie Bracken Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken ( 1915 - 02 - 07 ) February 7, 1915 Astoria, Queens, New York, U.S. November 14, 2002 ( 2002 - 11 - 14 ) ( aged 87 ) Glen Ridge, New Jersey, U.S. Occupation Actor, comedian, singer Years active 1930 -- 2001 Spouse ( s ) Connie Nickerson ( 1939 -- 2002 ; her death ) Children Michael David Judy Carolyn Susan 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 in 1944, and both have been preserved by the National Film Registry. During this era, he also had success on Broadway, with performances in plays like Too Many Girls ( 1941 ). Bracken 's later movie roles include National Lampoon 's Vacation ( 1983 ), Oscar ( 1991 ), and Rookie of the Year ( 1993 ). Contents 1 Life and career 1.1 Death 1.2 Hollywood Walk of Fame 2 Filmography 3 Stage credits 4 Radio appearances 5 References 6 External links Life and career Howard Freeman and Eddie Bracken 1954 Bracken was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, the son of Catherine and Joseph L. Bracken. 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. 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. In 1936, Bracken enjoyed success on Broadway with his starring run in the Joseph Viertel play So Proudly We Hail. The military drama, co-starring Richard Cromwell, opened to much fanfare but closed after 14 performances at the 46th Street Theater. In the 1940s, director Preston Sturges cast Bracken in two of his best - loved films, The Miracle of Morgan 's Creek, opposite Betty Hutton, and Hail the Conquering Hero. Due to the popularity of these films, Eddie Bracken was a household name during World War II. He made numerous radio broadcasts and had his own program, The Eddie Bracken Show. In 1953, Bracken left Hollywood. He appeared on Broadway in Shinbone Alley, Hello, Dolly !, The Odd Couple and Sugar Babies. His last appearance on Broadway was in the musical Dreamtime, directed by David Niles at the Ed Sullivan Theater at the age of 77. Bracken 's extensive television roles between 1952 and 2000 include an episode of The Golden Girls as Rose Nylund 's ex-childhood boyfriend from St. Olaf, as well as an episode of Tales from the Darkside playing a stubborn old man who refuses to believe that he has died. After nearly 30 years out of feature films, he returned to perform character roles, including the sympathetic Walley World theme park founder Roy Walley in National Lampoon 's Vacation, and Duncan 's Toy Chest toy store owner Mr. Duncan in Home Alone 2 : Lost in New York. Bracken also had a long career with Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey, starring in dozens of productions in the 1980s -- early 2000s. One high point was their production of Show Boat in which he played Cap'n Andy Hawkes. This production was broadcast on PBS in 1990. 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. Bracken has acted in films with two actors who later became U.S. Presidents ; these were Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. Bracken co-starred in The Girl from Jones Beach with Reagan in 1949, thirty - one years before Reagan was elected president, and Bracken and Trump played minor parts in Home Alone 2 : Lost in New York in 1992, twenty - four years before Trump was elected president. Death On November 14, 2002, Bracken died in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, of complications from an undisclosed surgery at the age of 87. His wife of 63 years, Connie, a former actress, died in August 2002, just three months before his death. Connie was his leading lady in the Broadway production of What a Life in 1938. Together Eddie and Connie had five children : two sons ( Michael and David ) and three daughters ( Judy, Carolyn and Susan ). Hollywood Walk of fame For his contributions to radio and television, Bracken has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1651 Vine Street and 6751 Hollywood Boulevard respectively. Filmography Pacific Liner ( 1939 ) as Junior officer ( uncredited ) Too Many Girls ( 1940 ) as Jojo Jordan Life with Henry ( 1941 ) as ' Dizzy ' Stevens Reaching for the Sun ( 1941 ) as Benny Hogan Caught in the Draft ( 1941 ) as Bert Sparks Safeguarding Military Information ( 1942 ) ( short subject for military training ) The Fleet 's In ( 1942 ) as Barney Waters Star Spangled Rhythm ( 1942 ) as Johnny Webster Sweater Girl ( 1942 ) as Jack Mitchell Happy Go Lucky ( 1943 ) as Wally Case Young and Willing ( 1943 ) as George Bodell The Miracle of Morgan 's Creek ( 1944 ) as Norval Jones Hail the Conquering Hero ( 1944 ) as Woodrow Truesmith Rainbow Island ( 1944 ) as Toby Smith Bring on the Girls ( 1945 ) as J. Newport Bates Out of this World ( 1945 ) as Herbie Fenton Duffy 's Tavern ( 1945 ) as Eddie Bracken Hold That Blonde ( 1945 ) as Ogden Spencer Trulow III Ladies ' Man ( 1947 ) as Henry Haskell Fun on a Weekend ( 1947 ) as Pete Porter aka P.P. Porterhouse III The Girl from Jones Beach ( 1949 ) as Chuck Donovan Summer Stock ( 1950 ) as Orville Wingait Two Tickets to Broadway ( 1951 ) as Lew Conway About Face ( 1952 ) as Biff Roberts We 're Not Married ! ( 1952 ) as Wilson Boswell ' Willie ' Fisher The Gulf Playhouse ( Television series, 1952 ) as Lt. Merivale R. Colquhoun A Slight Case of Larceny ( 1953 ) as Frederick Winthrop Clopp Lux Video Theatre ( Television series, 1953 ) as Larry Schlitz Playhouse ( Television series, 1953 - 1956 ) as Gunner 's Mate Playhouse 90 ( Television series, 1957 ) as Stephen Minch The Roaring 20s ( Television series, 1961 ) as Ace Johnson Always on Sunday ( 1962 ) as Bit Part ( uncredited ) Going My Way ( Television series, 1962 ) as Danny Everett Rawhide ( Television series, 1963 - 1964 ) as Edgar Allan Smithers / Morris G. Stevens Burke 's Law ( Television series, 1964 - 1965 ) as Simeon Quatraine / ' Evil Eye ' Hatton Shinbone Alley ( 1970 ) as Archy ( voice ) The New Dick Van Dyke Show ( Television series, 1973 ) as Eddie Busting Loose ( Television series, 1977 ) National Lampoon 's Vacation ( 1983 ) as Roy Walley Tales from the Darkside ( Television series, 1984 ) ' A Case of the Stubborns ' as Grandpa Murder, She Wrote ( Television series, 1985 ) as Barney Ogden Asterix and the Big Fight ( 1989 ) as Vitamix ( American dub ) ( voice, uncredited ) The Golden Girls ( Television series, 1990 ) as Buzz Oscar ( 1991 ) as Five Spot Charlie Home Alone 2 : Lost in New York ( 1992 ) as E.F. Duncan Rookie of the Year ( 1993 ) as Bob Carson Baby 's Day Out ( 1994 ) as Old Timer The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue ( 1997 ) as Sebastian ( voice ) ( direct - to - video ) Stage credits Lottery ( 1930 ) The Man in Stilts ( 1931 ) The Lady Refuses ( 1933 ) The Drunkard ( 1934 ) Life 's Too Short ( 1935 ) So Proudly We Hail ( 1936 ) Iron Men ( 1936 ) Brother Rat ( 1937 ) What A Life ( 1938 - 1939 ) Too Many Girls ( 1939 ) The Seven Year Itch ( 1953 - 1959 ) The Tender Trap ( 1953 - 1956 ) Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter ? ( 1956 ) The Teahouse of the August Moon ( 1956 ) Shinbone Alley ( 1957 ) Three Men on a Horse ( 1957 ) The Tunnel of Love ( 1958 ) Where 's Charley ? ( 1958 ) Visit to a Small Planet ( 1958 ) Say Darling ( 1959 ) The Golden Fleecing ( 1960 ) Finian 's Rainbow ( 1960 ) Mister Roberts ( 1960 ) Beg, Borrow or Steal ( 1960 ) Hot September ( 1965 ) ( closed on the road ) The Odd Couple ( 1965 ) You Know I Ca n't Hear You When the Water 's Running ( 1967 - 1968 ) The Girl in the Freudian Slip ( 1972 ) Never Too Late ( 1973 ) Born Yesterday ( 1974 ) The Sunshine Boys ( 1975 ) Hot Line to Heaven ( 1975 ) Hello Dolly ! ( 1977 - 1980 ) Show Boat ( 1979 - 1980 ) Sugar Babies ( 1981 - 1982 ) Damn Yankees ( 1981 ) Kismet ( 1984 ) Show Boat ( 1985 ) Sugar Babies ( 1986 - 1987 ) Show Boat ( 1988 - 1989 ) Babes in Toyland ( 1991 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1992 ) Dreamtime ( 1992 ) It Runs in the Family ( 1993 - 1994 ) These Golden Years ( 1996 ) No, No, Nanette ( 1997 ) Follies ( 1998 ) The Student Prince ( 2000 ) Carousel ( 2001 ) Radio appearances Year Program Episode / source 1947 Suspense Mystery Radio Play Elwood 1953 Broadway Playhouse Hail the Conquering Hero References ^ Jump up to : Severo, Richard ( November 16, 2002 ). `` Eddie Bracken Dies at 87 ; Acted in Sturges Comedies ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 16 November 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` ( 1 ). '' Blumenfeld Development Group. Accessed May 24, 2010 Jump up ^ `` Eddie Bracken-ibdb.com '' Jump up ^ `` Suspense - Elwood '' Escape and Suspense. Elwood starring Eddie Bracken, Joseph Kearns, aired on March 6, 1947. Jump up ^ Kirby, Walter ( June 21, 1953 ). `` Better Radio Programs for the Week ''. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 44. Retrieved July 1, 2015 -- via Newspapers.com. External links Eddie Bracken at the Internet Broadway Database Eddie Bracken on IMDb Eddie Bracken at AllMovie Eddie Bracken at Find a Grave VIAF : 90666108 LCCN : nr93008277 ISNI : 0000 0001 1952 5446 GND : 139720707 SUDOC : 150194277 BNF : cb14670828s ( data ) IATH : w60z8gc7 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eddie_Bracken&oldid=804206724 '' Categories : 1915 births 2002 deaths American male film actors American male voice actors American male radio actors American male musical theatre actors People from Astoria, Queens People from Glen Ridge, New Jersey Vaudeville performers 20th - century American male actors American male television actors American male singers American singers American male comedians American comedians 21st - century American male actors Male actors from New York City Comedians from New York City Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Articles with IBDb links Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch فارسی Français Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Plattdüütsch Polski Simple English Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 7 October 2017, at 13 : 44. 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Question: who played mr wally in national lampoon's vacation
Answer: Edward Vincent Bracken