Dallas McKennon
Encyclopedia
Dallas Raymond McKennon sometimes credited as Dal McKennon, was an American
actor, with extensive work as a voice actor, in a career lasting over 50 years.
, McKennon's best-known roles were that of Gumby
for Art Clokey
, and Archie Andrews
for Filmation
's Archie
series, and the primary voice of Buzz Buzzard
in the Woody Woodpecker
cartoons. In the early 1950s, McKennon created and hosted his own daily kids TV wraparound show, Space Funnies/Capt. Jet, which was seen weekday mornings on KNXT (KCBS) TV
Ch. 2 in Hollywood, California. Space Funnies was the first Los Angeles
-based kids show to air reruns of The Little Rascals and Laurel & Hardy Film Comedies. He was also the primary voice actor for the 1960 cartoon series Q.T. Hush. McKennon was also the voice of Hardy Boys sidekick Chet Morton in the 1969 animated mystery series.
McKennon also sang, and provided many character voices for Disney. His distinctive voice can be heard in movies such as Lady and the Tramp
, Sleeping Beauty
, One Hundred and One Dalmatians
, Mary Poppins
, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks
. He also provided the voices for many Disney Attractions such as the famous Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
safety spiel (It's A Small World After All) Laughing Hyenas,, Ben Franklin's voice in Epcot
's The American Adventure
and the voice of Zeke in the Country Bear Jamboree
.
McKennon's best-known live action role is that of the innkeeper, Cincinnatus, in the Daniel Boone
TV series starring Fess Parker
. He also had a bit part as a chef in the Alfred Hitchcock
film The Birds
and a gas station attendant in the Elvis Presley
film Clambake
. His last movie was Gumby: The Movie
, under the pseudonym
of Charles Farrington, voicing Gumby, Fatbuckle, Lucky Claybert and Professor Kapp.
McKennon was an avid Oregon Trail historian. He worked at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center giving instructional speeches. He also put together songs, stories and informational documents leading up the Oregon Trail's sesquicentennial (150th anniversary).
Dallas also worked with OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting) creating "The Pappenheimers", an instructional video series to help teach children German. His character lived in Volkswagen Bus
and would tell stories about relatives in Germany. Many of the episodes had clips of Germany as well as cartoons.
five days before his 90th birthday. He was cremated and his ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, with extensive work as a voice actor, in a career lasting over 50 years.
Career
Born in La Grande, OregonLa Grande, Oregon
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,327 people, 5,124 households, and 2,982 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,833.5 people per square mile . There were 5,483 housing units at an average density of 1,260.3 per square mile...
, McKennon's best-known roles were that of Gumby
Gumby
Gumby is a green clay humanoid character created and modeled by Art Clokey, who also created Davey and Goliath. Gumby has been the subject of a 233-episode series of American television as well as a feature-length film and other media...
for Art Clokey
Art Clokey
Arthur "Art" Clokey was a pioneer in the popularization of stop motion clay animation, beginning in 1955 with a film experiment called Gumbasia, influenced by his professor, Slavko Vorkapich, at the University of Southern California.After the Gumbasia project, Art Clokey and his wife Ruth came up...
, and Archie Andrews
Archie Andrews (comics)
Archie Andrews, created in 1941 by Vic Bloom and Bob Montana, is a fictional character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, as well as the long-running Archie Andrews radio series, a syndicated comic strip, The Archie Show, and Archie's Weird Mysteries.-Character and...
for Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
's Archie
The Archie Show
The Archie Show is a Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation. Based on the Archie comic books, created by Bob Montana in 1941, The Archie Show debuted on CBS in September 1968 and lasted for one season. A total of 17 half-hour shows, each containing two 11 minute segments,...
series, and the primary voice of Buzz Buzzard
Buzz Buzzard
Buzz Buzzard is a fictional animated cartoon character who appeared in several films produced by Walter Lantz Productions in the 1940s, '50s, and 70’s.-History:...
in the Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
cartoons. In the early 1950s, McKennon created and hosted his own daily kids TV wraparound show, Space Funnies/Capt. Jet, which was seen weekday mornings on KNXT (KCBS) TV
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
Ch. 2 in Hollywood, California. Space Funnies was the first Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based kids show to air reruns of The Little Rascals and Laurel & Hardy Film Comedies. He was also the primary voice actor for the 1960 cartoon series Q.T. Hush. McKennon was also the voice of Hardy Boys sidekick Chet Morton in the 1969 animated mystery series.
McKennon also sang, and provided many character voices for Disney. His distinctive voice can be heard in movies such as Lady and the Tramp
Lady and the Tramp
Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The fifteenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen...
, Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)
Sleeping Beauty is a 1959 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault...
, One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...
, Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a 1971 musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company which combines live action and animation and was released in North America on December 13, 1971...
. He also provided the voices for many Disney Attractions such as the famous Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is an indoor/outdoor mine train roller coaster located in Frontierland at several Disneyland-style Disney Parks worldwide...
safety spiel (It's A Small World After All) Laughing Hyenas,, Ben Franklin's voice in Epcot
Epcot
Epcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...
's The American Adventure
The American Adventure
The American Adventure is the host pavilion of the World Showcase within Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort. It is also the name of the pavilion's main attraction, an Audio-Animatronics stage show of American history.-Layout:...
and the voice of Zeke in the Country Bear Jamboree
Country Bear Jamboree
The Country Bear Jamboree is an attraction at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort and at Tokyo Disneyland in the Tokyo Disney Resort, as well as a former attraction at Disneyland Park. All versions of the attraction are similar....
.
McKennon's best-known live action role is that of the innkeeper, Cincinnatus, in the Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone (TV series)
Daniel Boone is an American action/adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Native American friend, for the...
TV series starring Fess Parker
Fess Parker
Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
. He also had a bit part as a chef in the Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
film The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
and a gas station attendant in the Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
film Clambake
Clambake
Clambake is a 1967 musical film starring Elvis Presley, and co-starring Shelley Fabares and Bill Bixby—the last of his four films for United Artists. The movie reached No. 15 on the national weekly box office charts.-Plot:...
. His last movie was Gumby: The Movie
Gumby: The Movie
Gumby: The Movie is a 1995 clay animation feature film featuring the character Gumby.The movie is rated G by the MPAA.-Opening sequence clip:...
, under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Charles Farrington, voicing Gumby, Fatbuckle, Lucky Claybert and Professor Kapp.
McKennon was an avid Oregon Trail historian. He worked at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center giving instructional speeches. He also put together songs, stories and informational documents leading up the Oregon Trail's sesquicentennial (150th anniversary).
Dallas also worked with OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting) creating "The Pappenheimers", an instructional video series to help teach children German. His character lived in Volkswagen Bus
Volkswagen Type 2
The Volkswagen Type 2, officially known as the Transporter or Kombi informally as Bus or Camper , was a panel van introduced in 1950 by German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model – following and initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 , it was given the factory...
and would tell stories about relatives in Germany. Many of the episodes had clips of Germany as well as cartoons.
Death
McKennon died of natural causes on July 14, 2009 at the Willapa Harbor Care Center in Raymond, WashingtonRaymond, Washington
Raymond is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,975 at the 2000 census and decreased 3.1% to 2,882 at the 2010 census. The town's economy is based on logging and fishing, together with a limited amount of tourism....
five days before his 90th birthday. He was cremated and his ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Personal life
McKennon married childhood sweetheart Betty in 1942, a marriage lasting until his death. The couple had a total of six daughters and two sons. He was also a devout born-again Christian.Notable characters/voices
- Gumby - Art Clokey
- Captain Jet - Space Funnies
- Inspector WilloughbyInspector WilloughbyInspector Willoughby is a cartoon character created by Walter Lantz, and named after the Hollywood avenue which runs alongside the building where Lantz's office was housed . In Mississippi Slow Boat the character is addressed as Inspector Seward Willoughby...
- series of shorts for Walter Lantz - Joe Hardy/Chubby Morton - The Hardy BoysThe Hardy BoysThe Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional teenage brothers and amateur detectives who appear in various mystery series for children and teens....
(1969 cartoon series) - Archie Andrews - ArchieThe Archie ShowThe Archie Show is a Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation. Based on the Archie comic books, created by Bob Montana in 1941, The Archie Show debuted on CBS in September 1968 and lasted for one season. A total of 17 half-hour shows, each containing two 11 minute segments,...
cartoon series - Q.T. Hush/Shamus - Q.T. Hush series
- Buzz Buzzard - Woody WoodpeckerWoody WoodpeckerWoody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
series - Toughy, Pedro, Professor, and Hyena - Lady and the TrampLady and the TrampLady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The fifteenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen...
- The Owl - Sleeping BeautySleeping Beauty (1959 film)Sleeping Beauty is a 1959 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault...
- Several characters - One Hundred and One DalmatiansOne Hundred and One DalmatiansOne Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...
- Jim Smiley - The Adventures of Mark TwainThe Adventures of Mark Twain (1985 film)The Adventures of Mark Twain, released in the UK as Comet Quest, is a 1986 American stop-motion animation film directed by Will Vinton . It received a wider theatrical release, still limited to seven major cities, in January 1986. It was released on DVD in January 2006...
- The Irish Fox, Penguin #2, Horse, Merry-Go-Round Operator - Mary PoppinsMary Poppins (film)Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
- Bear - Bedknobs and BroomsticksBedknobs and BroomsticksBedknobs and Broomsticks is a 1971 musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company which combines live action and animation and was released in North America on December 13, 1971...
- Cincinnatus - Daniel BooneDaniel Boone (TV series)Daniel Boone is an American action/adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Native American friend, for the...
- Sam the Chef - The BirdsThe Birds (film)The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
- Gas station attendant - ClambakeClambakeClambake is a 1967 musical film starring Elvis Presley, and co-starring Shelley Fabares and Bill Bixby—the last of his four films for United Artists. The movie reached No. 15 on the national weekly box office charts.-Plot:...
- Charles Farrington - Gumby: The MovieGumby: The MovieGumby: The Movie is a 1995 clay animation feature film featuring the character Gumby.The movie is rated G by the MPAA.-Opening sequence clip:...
- Ripper RooCharacters of Crash BandicootThis is a list of characters from the Crash Bandicoot video game. Crash Bandicoot is a series of platform video games published by Activision. The series was formerly developed by Naughty Dog from 1996 to 1999, and by Traveller's Tales, Eurocom and Vicarious Visions from 2000 to 2004...
(laugh only) - Crash Bandicoot & Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes BackCrash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes BackCrash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is a platform video game published by Sony Computer Entertainment, produced by Universal Interactive Studios and developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation... - Suitcase Monster (laugh only) - Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey MouseDisney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey MouseDisney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse is a Disney adventure video game developed by Capcom, published by Nintendo and distributed by: Disney Interactive Studios for the Nintendo GameCube.-Gameplay:The game uses a simple point-and-click mechanic which involves using a cursor to guide Mickey...
External links
- Dallas McKennon - Daily Telegraph obituary
- Dallas McKennon from The Observer (La Grande)The Observer (La Grande)The Observer, established in 1896, is a newspaper that serves Union and Wallowa counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its headquarters are in La Grande, the county seat of Union County. The Observer circulates every day except Sunday to more than 14,000 people...