Kenneth Howard "Kenny" Delmar (September 5 1910, Boston, Massachusetts – July 14 1984,
Stamford, ConnecticutStamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 118,475, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England Stamford is part of the New York metropolitan area.-Sister...
) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
active in radio, films and animation.
Delmar is notable for his performances as
Senator Beauregard ClaghornSenator Beauregard Claghorn of Charleston South Carolina, was a popular radio character on the "Allen's Alley" segment of The Fred Allen Show beginning in 1945...
on
Fred AllenFred Allen , born John Florence Sullivan, was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and...
's radio program, which he did while also serving as the show's regular announcer. The role was a major influence on the Warner Brothers' cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Kenny Delmar' Start a new discussion about 'Kenny Delmar' Answer questions from other users |
Kenneth Howard "Kenny" Delmar (September 5 1910, Boston, Massachusetts – July 14 1984,
Stamford, ConnecticutStamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 118,475, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England Stamford is part of the New York metropolitan area.-Sister...
) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
active in radio, films and animation.
Radio
Delmar is notable for his performances as
Senator Beauregard ClaghornSenator Beauregard Claghorn of Charleston South Carolina, was a popular radio character on the "Allen's Alley" segment of The Fred Allen Show beginning in 1945...
on
Fred AllenFred Allen , born John Florence Sullivan, was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and...
's radio program, which he did while also serving as the show's regular announcer. The role was a major influence on the Warner Brothers' cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn. At the height of his popularity, Delmar also starred as Claghorn in a 1947 theatrical feature film, "It's a Joke, Son".
Delmar was also announcer and voice performer on the Alan Young Radio Show. One of the characters that he played was Counselor Carteblanche who is obviously similar in mannerisms and voice to Senator Claghorn. http://www.archive.org/details/otr_alanyoung for sample shows.
In the infamous 1938 broadcast of
Orson WellesGeorge Orson Welles was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television, and radio. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years...
' adaptation of
The War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938 and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the episode...
, he played the voice of the unnamed
Secretary of the InteriorThe United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
, who, on Welles' direction, sounded suspiciously like then-President
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , the only U.S. President elected to more than two terms, was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. He also was heard as Commissioner Weston on early episodes of
The ShadowThe Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of fictional vigilante The Shadow. One of the most famous pulp heroes of the 20th century, The Shadow has been featured in comic books, comic strips, television,...
.
Animation
Delmar was also a well-utilized cartoon voice talent whose voice was familiar to baby-boomers as
Commander McBraggCommander McBragg is a cartoon character who appeared in short segments produced by Total Television Productions and animated by Gamma Productions...
,
The HunterKing Leonardo and his Short Subjects was an animated cartoon series released in 1960 by Total Television , sponsored by General Mills.-Plot:...
and other Saturday morning cartoon icons.
He is buried in Stamford's Long Ridge Union Cemetery.