# Bracken's World

Bracken's World is an American drama television series that aired on NBC from September 19, 1969, to December 25, 1970. The series was created and produced by Dorothy Kingsley. In addition, Kingsley also wrote several episodes. The Lettermen performed the second-season theme song "Worlds".

## Synopsis

The series centres on a powerful head of Century Studios and a group of up-and-coming starlets.
During the first season, Eleanor Parker received top billing as Sylvia Caldwell, executive secretary to John Bracken (voice-acted in the first season by Warren Stevens), who was sometimes heard, but never seen. Parker left the series after the first 16 episodes, citing the limited nature of her role. When the second season began, Leslie Nielsen joined the cast to portray Bracken.
Other cast members included Elizabeth Allen, Dennis Cole, Jeanne Cooper, Peter Haskell, Linda Harrison, Karen Jensen, Madlyn Rhue, and Laraine Stephens. Guest stars who appeared in various episodes of Bracken's World included Jack Albertson, Anne Baxter, Joseph Campanella, Gary Collins, Shelley Fabares, Sally Field, Lee Grant, Arthur Hill. Carolyn Jones, Lee Majors, Monte Markham, Tim Matheson, Darren McGavin, Ricardo Montalbán, Lois Nettleton, Lane Bradbury, Stuart Whitman, Larry Pennell, Edward G. Robinson, Martin Sheen, Barry Sullivan, Richard Thomas, Forrest Tucker, and Tony Curtis and Raquel Welch, who appeared as themselves in the pilot episode.
Bracken's World aired on Friday at 10:00 pm (replacing the cancelled Star Trek), a day and time known as the "Friday night death slot", and was cancelled 15 episodes into its second season. "Had they done it like a continuing drama and focused on the regular characters", co-star Linda Harrison said in a 2001 interview, "it would have lasted longer. NBC, however, wanted a one-hour contained show, so they would stock each episode with a big guest star. After a while, you run out of story." The last episode of Bracken's World aired on Friday, December 25, 1970.

## Cast of characters

* Warren Stevens as John Bracken (season one; voice only)
* Leslie Nielsen as John Bracken (season two)
* Eleanor Parker as Sylvia Caldwell (episodes 1-16)
* Bettye Ackerman as Anne Frazer (episodes 17-41)
* Elizabeth Allen as Laura Deane
* Dennis Cole as Davey Evans (season one)
* Jeanne Cooper as Grace Douglas
* Gary Dubin as Mark Grant
* Linda Harrison as Paulette Douglas
* Peter Haskell as Kevin Grant
* Karen Jensen as Rachel Holt
* Stephen Oliver as Tom Hudson (season one)
* Madlyn Rhue as Marjorie Grant (episodes 1-28)
* Laraine Stephens as Diane Waring
Tom Selleck was seen in the minor recurring role of Roger Haines in several season-one episodes; he made a guest appearance as a different character in season two.

## Episodes
### Season 1 (1969–70)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Fade-In" | Walter Doniger | Dorothy Kingsley | September 19, 1969 (1969-09-19) |
| Sylvia and Laura show devotion to the studio in different ways, while Kevin's shaky marriage suffers even more with attraction to Diane. Meanwhile, Grace's opposition to Paulette's relationship with Davey Evans gets dicier. ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Panic" | Ted Post | Oliver Hailey | September 26, 1969 (1969-09-26) |
| While horseback riding, Rachel accidentally runs down a boy scout (Scott Bray), but allows police to place the blame on another actress. ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "King David" | Robert Day | Sonya Roberts | October 3, 1969 (1969-10-03) |
| A testimonial dinner for Sylvia's father (Jay C. Flippen), a former movie executive, is marred when a fading actress (Carolyn Jones) publicly blames him for the failures of her life. ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Don't You Cry for Susannah" | Paul Henreid | Robert Presnell, Jr. | October 10, 1969 (1969-10-10) |
| Mysterious illnesses overtake Diane on set when she befriends a girl assigned to be her understudy. ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Options" | Nicholas Webster | Robert Lewin | October 17, 1969 (1969-10-17) |
| Paulette fights desperately to save her career when her option is dropped by Century Pictures. ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Closed Set" | Herschel Daugherty | Bess Boyle | October 24, 1969 (1969-10-24) |
| A director, disliked by most of his associates, is mysteriously murdered during the filming of the final scene of his greatest picture. ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Sweet Smell of Failure" | Charles S. Dubin | Charles McDaniel | October 31, 1969 (1969-10-31) |
| Sylvia visits a drug rehabilitation center to persuade an ex-movie director to attempt a comeback. ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Stunt" | Herschel Daugherty | Dorothy Kingsley | November 7, 1969 (1969-11-07) |
| Actor Brock Jordan (Gary Collins) loses stature in his son's eyes when the boy discovers that his father leaves the more dangerous aspects of his TV series to stuntman Davey Evans. ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "All the Beautiful Young Girls" | Paul Henreid | Leonard Kantor | November 14, 1969 (1969-11-14) |
| Laura suffers heartache when her old love (Arthur Hill) re-enters her life and still displays a weakness for young girls. ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Package Deal" | John Erman | Stephen Kandel | November 28, 1969 (1969-11-28) |
| In order to get the big-name actor he wants for his new film, Kevin is forced to hire the man's inexperienced daughter (Shelley Fabares) for the female lead. ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "It's the Power Structure, Baby" | Lee Philips | Cliff Gould | December 5, 1969 (1969-12-05) |
| When Rachel and a new trainee at Century Studios begin dating, both learn that there are members of their respective races who resent their relationship. ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Move in for a Close-Up" | Allen Reisner | Oliver Hailey | December 12, 1969 (1969-12-12) |
| Kevin's wife attempts to save her marriage by getting a job as an assistant script supervisor at Century Studios. ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Stop Date" | Robert Day | Norman Hudis | December 19, 1969 (1969-12-19) |
| Personal and professional problems plague producer Kevin Grant as he tries to avoid losing thousands of dollars. ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "The Chase Sequence" | James Neilson | Charles McDaniel | December 26, 1969 (1969-12-26) |
| Tragedy results when Davey permits another stuntman, suffering from a hangover, to perform a dangerous feat. ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Focus on a Gun" | Gerald Mayer | Story by : Kenneth Hartman Teleplay by : Robert Lewin | January 2, 1970 (1970-01-02) |
| Diane Waring falls in love with a gangster (Joe Don Baker), bringing trouble and tragedy to Century Pictures. ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "The Money Men" | Charles S. Dubin | Sonya Roberts | January 9, 1970 (1970-01-09) |
| In the midst of a power play aimed at unseating Bracken as the head of Century Pictures, Sylvia quits. ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Meanwhile, Back at the Studio" | Gary Nelson | Joseph Bonaduce | January 16, 1970 (1970-01-16) |
| Kevin is pressured to change Apache history in a movie when Paulette Douglas is kidnapped by Indians. ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "A Perfect Piece of Casting" | Paul Henreid | Bess Boyle | January 30, 1970 (1970-01-30) |
| When Kevin casts an unknown actor (Monte Markham) in a based-on-fact film about a strangler, real criminals turn up in the area. ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Superstar" | Herschel Daugherty | Charles McDaniel | February 6, 1970 (1970-02-06) |
| Kevin walks out on production of a movie in which he was forced to star a famous football player (Lee Majors) who can't act. ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Whatever Happened to Happy Endings?" | Herschel Daugherty | Gerry Day & Bethel Leslie | February 13, 1970 (1970-02-13) |
| When a malicious columnist's (Lee Grant) offer to help a young actress is refused, she creates a scandal involving Kevin that brings tragedy to Century Pictures. ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Fallen, Fallen Is Babylon" | Allen Reisner | Jerry Ziegman | February 20, 1970 (1970-02-20) |
| Rachel is kidnapped by an unbalanced, Bible-quoting young man (Richard Thomas) who believes that he has been chosen to save her from pending judgement. ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Papa Never Spanked Me" | Charles S. Dubin | Adrian Spies | February 27, 1970 (1970-02-27) |
| The troubles of a father and son acting team (Jack Albertson and Martin Sheen) help slow down production of Kevin's new movie. ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "A Beginning, a Middle, and an End" | Lee Philips | Leonard Kantor | March 6, 1970 (1970-03-06) |
| Kevin cannot get an author (Joseph Campanella) to change the ending of a script, even though the movie is nearly completed. ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "Diffusion" | Charles S. Dubin | Stephen Kandel | March 13, 1970 (1970-03-13) |
| A film star (Anne Baxter) ruins a movie by forcing the director to use the techniques of a bygone era. ||||||
| 25 | 25 | "Day for Night" | Nicholas Webster | Robert Lewin | March 20, 1970 (1970-03-20) |
| Rachel's unreasonable demands result in her getting fired from Kevin Grant's picture. ||||||
| 26 | 26 | "One, Two, Three... Cry" | Paul Henreid | Jerry Ziegman | March 27, 1970 (1970-03-27) |
| A jealous drama coach (Barry Sullivan) manipulates Paulette into quitting the talent school. ||||||

### Season 2 (1970)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 27 | 1 | "Love It or Leave It, Change It or Lose It" | Herschel Daugherty | Clyde Ware | September 18, 1970 (1970-09-18) | TBA |
| Two actors (Forrest Tucker and Tony Bill) who bitterly oppose each other politically, disrupt a movie they are making together. |||||||
| 28 | 2 | "Murder Off Camera" | Lee Phillips | Oliver Hailey | September 25, 1970 (1970-09-25) | TBA |
| Kevin returns home to a shocking scene: his wife is dead and his son is missing. Stars Stuart Whitman, Lane Bradbury and Lou Antonio. |||||||
| 29 | 3 | "Jenny, Who Bombs Buildings" | Lee Phillips | George Kirgo | October 2, 1970 (1970-10-02) | E-202 |
| An anti-establishment activist (Sally Field) accepts Bracken's offer to star in a documentary about herself. |||||||
| 30 | 4 | "Together Again for the Last Time" | Paul Henreid | Story by : James Poe Teleplay by : Bess Boyle | October 9, 1970 (1970-10-09) | E-206 |
| John Bracken attempts to force an actor's widow to complete the movie that she and her husband had begun. |||||||
| 31 | 5 | "A Preview in Samarkand" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Presnell | October 16, 1970 (1970-10-16) | TBA |
| Kevin becomes enamored of a film editing student, but finds he has competition in the person of his boss, John Bracken. |||||||
| 32 | 6 | "The Mary Tree" | Paul Henreid | Jerry Ziegman | October 23, 1970 (1970-10-23) | TBA |
| During the filming of a celebrated writer's (Edward G. Robinson) story, Kevin becomes suspicious of the man's "perfect" image. |||||||
| 33 | 7 | "Hey Gringo, Hey Poncho" | Unknown | Unknown | October 30, 1970 (1970-10-30) | TBA |
| A Chicano leader (Ricardo Montalbán) loses the lead in Bracken's movie when his group makes demands on the studio. |||||||
| 34 | 8 | "A Team of One Legged Acrobats" | Lee Phillips | Tom and Helen August | November 6, 1970 (1970-11-06) | TBA |
| Rachel breaks up both a marriage and a director-writer team (Tom Skerritt and Kim Hunter) when Bracken reluctantly gives her a bit part in their film. |||||||
| 35 | 9 | "The Anonymous Star" | Paul Henreid | Gerry Day & Bethel Leslie | November 13, 1970 (1970-11-13) | E-201 |
| A nervous actress is given a drink by Kevin, who is unaware that she is a recovering alcoholic. |||||||
| 36 | 10 | "Infinity" | Robert Day | Cliff Gould | November 20, 1970 (1970-11-20) | TBA |
| Diane Waring falls in love with a famous cameraman (Darren McGavin), unaware that he is slowly losing his sight. |||||||
| 37 | 11 | "The Nude Scene" | Charles S. Dubin | Nicholas E. Baehr | November 27, 1970 (1970-11-27) | TBA |
| An actress (Lois Nettleton) has second thoughts about a nude scene in a film that is almost completed. |||||||
| 38 | 12 | "A Score Without Strings" | Paul Henreid | Jack Sher | December 4, 1970 (1970-12-04) | TBA |
| Century Studios loses a music composer when the young man breaks off his romance with Paulette. |||||||
| 39 | 13 | "Will Freddy's Real Father Please Stand Up?" | Charles S. Dubin | Adrian Spies | December 11, 1970 (1970-12-11) | TBA |
| A young actor neglects his television commitments at Century Studios in order to run away to join his dissolute father (Rupert Crosse). |||||||
| 40 | 14 | "The Country Boy" | Gary Nelson | Leonard Kantor | December 18, 1970 (1970-12-18) | TBA |
| Bracken fires Laura when her personal feelings for a country singer (Tim Matheson) interfere with her job. |||||||
| 41 | 15 | "Miss Isabel Blue" | Charles S. Dubin | Jerry de Bono | December 25, 1970 (1970-12-25) | TBA |
| An English actress (Sally Ann Howes) causes a series of problems when she is hired to portray famous suffragist Susan B. Anthony. |||||||

## In popular culture

The show was mentioned in Mad Men: "Time Zones", when Megan Draper's agent told her she had received a call back for the Bracken's World pilot.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 1970 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing for Entertainment Programming - For a Series or a Single Program of a Series | Bill Mosher (For episode "Sweet Smell of Failure") | Won |
| 1970 | Golden Globe Award | Best TV Show - Drama | Bracken's World | Nominated |
| 1970 | Golden Globe Award | Best TV Actress - Drama | Eleanor Parker | Nominated |