Bracken's World
Encyclopedia
Bracken's World is an American drama series
broadcast on NBC
from September 19, 1969 to December 25, 1970. The series was created and produced by Dorothy Kingsley
.
received top billing as Sylvia Caldwell, executive secretary to John Bracken, who was sometimes heard but never seen. Warren Stevens
provided the voice of the unseen Bracken. When the second season began, Parker left and Leslie Nielsen
joined the cast to portray Bracken.
Other cast members included Elizabeth Allen
, Dennis Cole
, Jeanne Cooper
, Peter Haskell
, Karen Jensen, Madlyn Rhue
and Laraine Stephens. Many film stars made cameo appearances.
Bracken's World was cancelled midway through its second season due to low ratings.
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
broadcast on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from September 19, 1969 to December 25, 1970. The series was created and produced by Dorothy Kingsley
Dorothy Kingsley
Dorothy Kingsley was an American screenwriter, who worked extensively in film, radio and television.-Biography:...
.
Synopsis
The series centers on a powerful head of Century Studios and a group of up-and-coming starlets. During the first season, Eleanor ParkerEleanor Parker
Eleanor Jean Parker is an American screen actress. Her versatility led to her being dubbed Woman of a Thousand Faces, the title of her biography by Doug McClelland.- Early life :...
received top billing as Sylvia Caldwell, executive secretary to John Bracken, who was sometimes heard but never seen. Warren Stevens
Warren Stevens
Warren Stevens is an American stage, screen, and television actor.Born in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, Stevens began his acting career after serving in the U.S. Army Air Force as a pilot during World War II. He trained at The Actor's Studio in New York, received notice on Broadway, and thereafter...
provided the voice of the unseen Bracken. When the second season began, Parker left and Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
joined the cast to portray Bracken.
Other cast members included Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth Allen, Eliza Allen, Liz Allen or Beth Allen may refer to:*Eliza Allen Houston , first wife of Tennessee governor Sam Houston*Eliza Allen Starr , American artist known for her Catholic art...
, Dennis Cole
Dennis Cole
Dennis Cole was an American film and television actor.Before breaking into acting, Cole was a model for men's physique magazines. His first big acting break came when he landed a starring role in the ABC police drama Felony Squad, which ran from 1966 to 1969...
, Jeanne Cooper
Jeanne Cooper
Wilma Jeanne Cooper , best known as Jeanne Cooper, is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Katherine Chancellor on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless...
, Peter Haskell
Peter Haskell
Peter Abraham Haskell was an American actor who worked primarily in television.-Early years:Haskell was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Rose Veronica Golden and geophysicist Norman Abraham Haskell...
, Karen Jensen, Madlyn Rhue
Madlyn Rhue
Madlyn Soloman Rhue was an American character actress.Rhue was born in Washington, D.C. From the 1950s to the 1990s, Rhue appeared in some twenty films, including Operation Petticoat and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World...
and Laraine Stephens. Many film stars made cameo appearances.
Bracken's World was cancelled midway through its second season due to low ratings.
Cast of characters
- Warren Stevens as John Bracken (Season 1)
- Leslie NielsenLeslie NielsenLeslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
as John Bracken (Season 2) - Eleanor Parker as Sylvia Caldwell (Episodes 1-16)
- Bettye AckermanBettye AckermanBettye Ackerman was an American actress primarily known for her work on television.Ackerman was born in Cottageville, South Carolina and grew up in Williston in Barnwell County in southwestern South Carolina, one of four children. She graduated from Columbia College in South Carolina in 1945 and...
as Anne Frazer (Episodes 17-41) - Elizabeth Allen as Laura Deane
- Dennis ColeDennis ColeDennis Cole was an American film and television actor.Before breaking into acting, Cole was a model for men's physique magazines. His first big acting break came when he landed a starring role in the ABC police drama Felony Squad, which ran from 1966 to 1969...
as Davey Evans (Season 1) - Jeanne Cooper as Grace Douglas
- Gary DubinGary DubinGary Dubin is an actor who portrayed Punky Lazaar, a friend of Danny's on The Partridge Family. He also voiced Toulouse in the UK version of The Aristocats in 1970 and played a person who was eaten by the shark in Jaws 2.He has also acted in many other projects as well...
as Mark Grant - Linda Harrison as Paulette Douglas
- Peter Haskell as Kevin Grant
- Karen Jensen as Rachel Holt
- Steve Oliver as Tom Hudson (Season 1)
- Madlyn Rhue as Marjorie Grant (Episodes 1-28)
- Laraine Stephens as Diane Waring
Season 1
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Fade In" | September 19, 1969 |
| 1-2 | "Panic" | September 26, 1969 |
| 1-3 | "King David" | October 3, 1969 |
| 1-4 | "Don't You Cry For Susannah" | October 10, 1969 |
| 1-5 | "Options" | October 17, 1969 |
| 1-6 | "Closed Set" | October 24, 1969 |
| 1-7 | "The Sweet Smell of Failure" | October 31, 1969 |
| 1-8 | "The Stunt" | November 7, 1969 |
| 1-9 | "All the Beautiful Young Girls" | November 14, 1969 |
| 1-10 | "A Package Deal" | November 28, 1969 |
| 1-11 | "It's the Power Structure, Baby" | December 5, 1969 |
| 1-12 | "Move In For a Close-Up" | December 12, 1969 |
| 1-13 | "Stop Date" | December 19, 1969 |
| 1-14 | "The Chase Sequence" | December 26, 1969 |
| 1-15 | "Focus on a Gun" | January 2, 1970 |
| 1-16 | "Money Men" | January 9, 1970 |
| 1-17 | "Meanwhile, Back at the Studio" | January 16, 1970 |
| 1-18 | "A Perfect Piece of Casting" | January 30, 1970 |
| 1-19 | "Superstar" | February 6, 1970 |
| 1-20 | "Whatever Happened to Happy Endings?" | February 13, 1970 |
| 1-21 | "Fallen, Fallen is Babylon" | February 20, 1970 |
| 1-22 | "Papa Never Spanked Me" | February 27, 1970 |
| 1-23 | "A Beginning, A Middle and an End" | March 6, 1970 |
| 1-24 | "Diffusion" | March 13, 1970 |
| 1-25 | "Day For Night" | March 20, 1970 |
| 1-26 | "One, Two, Three, Cry" | March 27, 1970 |
Season 2
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 2-1 | "Love it or Leave it, Change it or Lose it" | September 18, 1970 |
| 2-2 | "Murder, Off Camera" | September 25, 1970 |
| 2-3 | "Jenny, Who Bombs Buildings" | October 2, 1970 |
| 2-4 | "Together Again, For the Last Time" | October 9, 1970 |
| 2-5 | "A Preview in Samarkand" | October 16, 1970 |
| 2-6 | "The Mary Tree" | October 23, 1970 |
| 2-7 | "Hey Gringo, Hey Poncho" | October 30, 1970 |
| 2-8 | "A Team of One Legged Acrobats" | November 6, 1970 |
| 2-9 | "Anonymous Star" | November 13, 1970 |
| 2-10 | "Infinity" | November 20, 1970 |
| 2-11 | "The Nude Scene" | November 27, 1970 |
| 2-12 | "A Score Without Strings" | December 4, 1970 |
| 2-13 | "Will Freddy's Real Father Please Stand Up?" | December 11, 1970 |
| 2-14 | "The Country Boy" | December 18, 1970 |
| 2-15 | "Miss Isabel Blue" | December 25, 1970 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming... |
Won | 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") |
| Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... |
Nominated | Best TV Show - Drama | |
|
| Best TV Actress - Drama | Eleanor Parker |