Dallas R. McKennon (July 19,1919 - July 14, 2009) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, sometimes credited as
Dal McKennon, with extensive work as a voice actor.
Born in
La Grande, OregonLa Grande is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States. Originally named "Brownsville," it was forced to change its name due to that name already being used for a city in Linn County. Its current name comes from an early French settler, Charles Dause, who often used the phrase "La Grande" to...
, McKennon's best-known roles were that of
GumbyGumby is a green clay humanoid figure who was the subject of a 233-episode series of American television which spanned over a 35-year period. He was animated using stop motion clay animation.-Characters:...
for
Art ClokeyArthur C. Clokey Arthur C. (Art) Clokey Arthur C. (Art) Clokey ((pronounced "Cl-OH-key", born Arthur Farrington, October 12, 1921, Detroit, Michigan) is a pioneer in the popularization of stop motion clay animation, beginning in 1955 with a film experiment called Gumbasia, influenced by his...
, and
Archie AndrewsArchie Andrews may refer to one of two fictional characters:*Archie Andrews , U.S. comic book character*Archie Andrews , British ventriloquist's puppet...
for
FilmationFilmation 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
ArchieThe Archie Show was the first in a long line of 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...
series, and the primary voice of
Buzz BuzzardBuzz 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 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...
cartoons. In the early 1950s, McKennon created and hosted his own daily kids TV wraparound show,
Space Funnies/
Capt.
Dallas R. McKennon (July 19,1919 - July 14, 2009) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, sometimes credited as
Dal McKennon, with extensive work as a voice actor.
Career
Born in
La Grande, OregonLa Grande is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States. Originally named "Brownsville," it was forced to change its name due to that name already being used for a city in Linn County. Its current name comes from an early French settler, Charles Dause, who often used the phrase "La Grande" to...
, McKennon's best-known roles were that of
GumbyGumby is a green clay humanoid figure who was the subject of a 233-episode series of American television which spanned over a 35-year period. He was animated using stop motion clay animation.-Characters:...
for
Art ClokeyArthur C. Clokey Arthur C. (Art) Clokey Arthur C. (Art) Clokey ((pronounced "Cl-OH-key", born Arthur Farrington, October 12, 1921, Detroit, Michigan) is a pioneer in the popularization of stop motion clay animation, beginning in 1955 with a film experiment called Gumbasia, influenced by his...
, and
Archie AndrewsArchie Andrews may refer to one of two fictional characters:*Archie Andrews , U.S. comic book character*Archie Andrews , British ventriloquist's puppet...
for
FilmationFilmation 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
ArchieThe Archie Show was the first in a long line of 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...
series, and the primary voice of
Buzz BuzzardBuzz 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 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...
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) TVKCBS-TV is the West Coast flagship 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 is located atop Mount...
Ch. 2 in Hollywood, California.
Space Funnies was the first
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality 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 also sang, and provided many character voices for Disney. His distinctive voice can be heard in movies such as
Lady and the TrampLady and the Tramp is a American animated feature 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 BeautySleeping Beauty is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault. It was released to theatres on January 29, 1959 by Buena Vista Distribution...
,
One Hundred and One DalmatiansOne Hundred and One Dalmatians is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...
,
Mary PoppinsMary 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 BroomsticksBedknobs and Broomsticks is a musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions 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 RailroadBig Thunder Mountain Railroad is a relatively mild indoor/outdoor mine train roller coaster common in "Magic Kingdom"-style Disney theme parks worldwide...
safety spiel, Ben Franklin's voice in
EpcotEpcot is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The park is dedicated to international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was named EPCOT Center until 1994....
's
American AdventureThe American Adventure was a theme park located in the East Midlands region of England; quite close to both Nottingham and Derby on the edge of Ilkeston in the county of Derbyshire...
and the voice of Zeke in the
Country Bear JamboreeThe 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 BooneDaniel Boone is an American action/adventure television series that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. The title role was played by Fess Parker. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's American Indian friend, for...
TV series starring
Fess ParkerFess Elisha Parker, Jr. is an American film and television actor best known for his 1950s portrayals of Davy Crockett for Walt Disney and of Daniel Boone in the late 1960s. He is also known as a wine maker and resort owner-operator....
. He also had a bit part as a chef in the
Alfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British filmmaker and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in his native United Kingdom in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
film
The BirdsThe Birds is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 novella The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts a small town in the San Francisco Bay Area which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course...
and a gas station attendant in the
Elvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
film
ClambakeClambake is a 1967 musical film starring Elvis Presley and Shelley Fabares.-Plot:Scott Heyward is the son of a rich oilman. He decides to leave so he can discover life for himself. He runs into Tom Wilson, a water-skiing instructor who has no luck with the women. Tom offers to switch places with...
. His last movie was
Gumby: 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:...
, under the
pseudonymA pseudonym is a fictitious name used by a person, or sometimes, a group.Pseudonyms are often used to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists, resistance fighters' or terrorists' noms de guerre and computer hackers' handles. Actors, musicians, and other...
of Charles Farrington, voicing Gumby, Fatbuckle, Lucky Claybert and Professor Kapp.
Death
McKennon died peacefully of
natural causesIn medicine, death by natural causes is a loosely-defined term used by coroners describing death when the cause of death was a naturally occurring disease process, or is not apparent given medical history or circumstances...
on July 14, 2009, five days short of his 90th birthday.
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.
Notable characters/voices
- Gumby - Art Clokey
- Captain Jet - Space Funnies
- Inspector Willoughby
Inspector Willoughby is a cartoon character created by Walter Lantz. His cartoons were often shown on The Woody Woodpecker Show alongside Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, and Andy Panda.-Bio:...
- series of shorts for Walter Lantz
- Archie Andrews - Archie
The Archie Show was the first in a long line of 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...
cartoon series
- Q.T. Hush
- Buzz Buzzard - 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...
series
- Toughy, Pedro, Professor, and Hyena - Lady and the Tramp
Lady and the Tramp is a American animated feature 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 Beauty
Sleeping Beauty is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault. It was released to theatres on January 29, 1959 by Buena Vista Distribution...
- Several characters - One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...
- The Fox - Mary Poppins
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 Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions which combines live action and animation and was released in North America on December 13, 1971...
- Cincinnatus - Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone is an American action/adventure television series that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. The title role was played by Fess Parker. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's American Indian friend, for...
- Chef - The Birds
The Birds is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 novella The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts a small town in the San Francisco Bay Area which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course...
- Gas station attendant - Clambake
Clambake is a 1967 musical film starring Elvis Presley and Shelley Fabares.-Plot:Scott Heyward is the son of a rich oilman. He decides to leave so he can discover life for himself. He runs into Tom Wilson, a water-skiing instructor who has no luck with the women. Tom offers to switch places with...
- Charles Farrington - 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:...
External links
- Dallas McKennon - Daily Telegraph obituary
- Dallas McKennon from 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 is in La Grande, the county seat of Union County. The Observer circulates every day except Sunday to more than 14,000 people...