Jimmy Weldon
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Weldon is an American
voice actor, ventriloquist
, and former television host.
He is best known as the voice of the Hanna-Barbera
cartoon character Yakky Doodle Duck
and the host and ventriloquist in the locally-produced television series, "The Webster Webfoot Show".
, Weldon began his career as a disc jockey at KWCO in Chickasha, Oklahoma
in 1946, remaining there for four years. He made his television debut in 1950, as "Uncle" Jimmy (himself) and the voice of the duck puppet, Webster Webfoot on The Webster Webfoot Show, produced locally by Dallas
station WFAA-TV.
Weldon moved to California
in the early 1950s and continued to make television appearances while in Hollywood. In 1959, he and Webster Webfoot returned to the air again as the hosts of "HI, MOM" on NBC affiliate WRCA-TV after Shari Lewis
left. They would continue performing their show on KJEO-TV in Fresno
throughout the 1960s.
It was thanks to Weldon's "quacky" voice that he earned the voice-over for the Hanna-Barbera
cartoon character, Yakky Doodle
Duck. Yakky Doodle originated as a supporting character in the later 1950s Tom and Jerry
theatrical cartoons, and reincated in the form of the dark blue and green duck character, "Iddy-Biddy Buddy in the Yogi Bear and Pixie and Dixie cartoons. He was renamed "Yakky Doodle" with a color change to the yellow head with green body, and got his own segment on The Yogi Bear Show
in 1961.
Weldon has also made numerous television appearances in acting on shows such as Dragnet
, Alfred Hitchcock Presents
, The Waltons
, Dallas
, and Diff'rent Strokes
. He also continued to do voice-overs for various television shows and cartoons.
Jimmy Weldon has also played some supporting characters on the popular radio drama
, Adventures in Odyssey
, and Mail at Upin & Ipin
:classic serials and TV series. He also did the voice of Solomon Grundy on Challenge of the Super Friends
.
He is currently a member of the Premiere Speakers Bureau and is promoting his own motivational book, Go Get 'Em Tiger, which has sold 30,000 copies via his internet website.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
voice actor, ventriloquist
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"...
, and former television host.
He is best known as the voice of the Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
cartoon character Yakky Doodle Duck
Yakky Doodle
Yakky Doodle is a fictional character created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Yakky's name is an obvious takeoff of Yankee Doodle.-History:...
and the host and ventriloquist in the locally-produced television series, "The Webster Webfoot Show".
History
Born James Weldon on December 23, 1923 in Dale, TexasDale, Texas
Dale is an unincorporated community in northeastern Caldwell County, Texas, United States.The Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad arrived in 1880 and the town's post office was granted that same year. Within five years, Dale had a population of 75. The town had three stores, a gristmill and cotton...
, Weldon began his career as a disc jockey at KWCO in Chickasha, Oklahoma
Chickasha, Oklahoma
Chickasha is a city in and the county seat, business and employment center of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,850 at the 2000 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and hosts an annual Festival of Light celebration located at...
in 1946, remaining there for four years. He made his television debut in 1950, as "Uncle" Jimmy (himself) and the voice of the duck puppet, Webster Webfoot on The Webster Webfoot Show, produced locally by Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
station WFAA-TV.
Weldon moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the early 1950s and continued to make television appearances while in Hollywood. In 1959, he and Webster Webfoot returned to the air again as the hosts of "HI, MOM" on NBC affiliate WRCA-TV after Shari Lewis
Shari Lewis
Shari Lewis was an American ventriloquist, puppeteer, and children's television show host, most popular during the 1960s and 1990s...
left. They would continue performing their show on KJEO-TV in Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
throughout the 1960s.
It was thanks to Weldon's "quacky" voice that he earned the voice-over for the Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
cartoon character, Yakky Doodle
Yakky Doodle
Yakky Doodle is a fictional character created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Yakky's name is an obvious takeoff of Yankee Doodle.-History:...
Duck. Yakky Doodle originated as a supporting character in the later 1950s Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
theatrical cartoons, and reincated in the form of the dark blue and green duck character, "Iddy-Biddy Buddy in the Yogi Bear and Pixie and Dixie cartoons. He was renamed "Yakky Doodle" with a color change to the yellow head with green body, and got his own segment on The Yogi Bear Show
The Yogi Bear Show
The Yogi Bear Show is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions about a fast-talking picnic basket stealing bear named Yogi. The show debuted in syndication on January 30 and ran for 33 episodes until December 30 in 1961 and included two segments, Snagglepuss and Yakky...
in 1961.
Weldon has also made numerous television appearances in acting on shows such as Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
, Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
, The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
, Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, and Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986...
. He also continued to do voice-overs for various television shows and cartoons.
Jimmy Weldon has also played some supporting characters on the popular radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
, Adventures in Odyssey
Adventures in Odyssey
Adventures in Odyssey , or simply Odyssey, is an Evangelical Christian-themed radio drama/comedy series created by Focus on the Family in 1987. The show's daily audience averages around 1.2 million within North America. The Odyssey series also includes several spin-off items, including a home-video...
, and Mail at Upin & Ipin
Upin & Ipin
Upin & Ipin is a Malaysian television series of animated shorts produced by Les' Copaque Production, which features the life and adventures of the eponymous twin brothers in a fictional Malaysian kampung...
:classic serials and TV series. He also did the voice of Solomon Grundy on Challenge of the Super Friends
Challenge of the Super Friends
Challenge of the Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 9, 1978, to December 23, 1978, on ABC. The complete series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Warner Bros. Television and is based on the Justice League and...
.
He is currently a member of the Premiere Speakers Bureau and is promoting his own motivational book, Go Get 'Em Tiger, which has sold 30,000 copies via his internet website.