In a 1928 Broadway production called Skidding, which ran for 472 performances, Eaton created the role of Andy Hardy.

Eaton acted in ten Broadway shows in total, including The Awakening and The Ziegfeld Follies of 1921, in which he shared the stage with W. C. Fields, A Royal Fandango, with Ethel Barrymore, Peter Pan, and Tommy.

Mary died in 1948 of liver problems brought on by her drinking, and Pearl was tragically murdered a decade later, but, although the case was ruled a homicide, the crime has never been solved.

Long after his showbiz career was over, Eaton served as a captain in the Army Air Corps in Foggia, Italy during World War II.

Following the war, he went into business with his sister Doris, who operated a thriving Arthur Murray Dance Studios franchise in Detroit, and did occasional theatrical engagements.