Dallas McKennon

Dallas McKennon
McKennon c. 1965
Born
Dallas Raymond McKennon

(1919-07-19)July 19, 1919
La Grande, Oregon, U.S.
DiedJuly 14, 2009(2009-07-14) (aged 89)
Raymond, Washington, U.S.
Other namesDal McKennon
Charles Farrington
OccupationActor
Years active1940–1995
Spouse
Betty Warner
​
(m. 1942)​
Children8

Dallas Raymond McKennon (July 19, 1919 – July 14, 2009), sometimes credited as Dal McKennon, was an American actor. He had a career lasting over 50 years.[1]

Career

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Born near La Grande, Oregon, Mckennon served during World War II in the Army Signal Corps in Alaska.[2]

McKennon's best-known voice roles were Gumby for Art Clokey, Archie Andrews in several different Archie series for Filmation, and the primary voice of Buzz Buzzard in the Woody Woodpecker cartoons.[1] In the early 1950s, McKennon created and hosted his own daily kids TV wraparound show, Space Funnies/Capt. Jet, which was aired weekday mornings on KNXT (KCBS-TV) TV Ch. 2 in Los Angeles. It was the first Los Angeles–based kids show to air reruns of The Little Rascals and Laurel & Hardy shorts. He was also the primary voice actor for the 1960 cartoon series Q.T. Hush. McKennon was also the voice of the Hardy Boys' sidekick, Chet Morton, in the 1969 animated mystery series.

McKennon also sang and provided many character voices, mainly for Walt Disney Animation. He voiced characters in Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Mary Poppins, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks;[3][4] his laughter as a hyena in Lady and the Tramp was later recycled as a stock sound effect for the voice of Ripper Roo in the Crash Bandicoot video game series.[5] He also provided the voices for many Disney attractions such as the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad safety announcement, a pair of laughing hyenas in the Africa Room portion of It's a Small World, Benjamin Franklin's voice in Epcot's The American Adventure, Epcot's WorldKey information kiosks, and Zeke in the Country Bear Jamboree.[6][3]

McKennon's best-known live action role is the innkeeper Cincinnatus in Daniel Boone.[1][7][3] He also had a bit part as a diner cook in The Birds and as a gas station attendant in Clambake. His final movie was Gumby: The Movie under the pseudonym Charles Farrington. He voiced Gumby, Fatbuckle, Lucky Claybert, and Professor Kapp.

McKennon was an avid Oregon Trail historian. He visited schools around the Northwest lecturing children about Oregon history and worked at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center giving instructional speeches, and put together plays, skits, songs, stories, and informational documents leading up to the Oregon Trail's sesquicentennial (150th anniversary).

He also worked with Oregon Public Broadcasting creating The Pappenheimers, an instructional video series to help teach children German. His character lived in a Volkswagen Type 2 and would tell stories about relatives in Germany.

Personal life

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In 1942, McKennon married his childhood love interest, Betty Warner, in Portland, Oregon.[1][4] The couple had six daughters and two sons.[1][4] They lived in California until 1968, when they moved to Cannon Beach, Oregon, from where McKennon commuted for voice acting and voiceover roles.[1][7]

Death

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McKennon died from natural causes aged 89 on July 14, 2009, at the Willapa Harbor Care Center in Raymond, Washington, five days shy of his 90th birthday.[1][7][3][4]

Filmography

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Live-action

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Animation

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Commercials

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  • Kellogg's Corn Flakes - Cornelius Rooster

Video games

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Theme park attractions

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Walt Disney and Other Record Albums

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  • Story and Songs of Mary Poppins - Bert/Narrator
  • Story and Songs of The Jungle Book - Narrator/Bagheera
  • More Jungle Book - Narrator/Bagheera
  • Story and Songs of Bedknobs and Broomsticks - Emelius/Narrator
  • Story of Lady and the Tramp - Tramp
  • Story of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Ned Land
  • The Story of Sword in the Stone - Sir Ector
  • Hector, the Stowaway Pup - Hector
  • Donald Duck and His Friends – Scrooge McDuck
  • The Wizard of Oz - Scarecrow, other voices
  • The Scarecrow of Oz - Captain Andy
  • The Tin Woodman of Oz - Scarecrow, other voices
  • The Cowardly Lion of Oz - Scarecrow, other voices
  • The Story of Treasure Island - Narrator
  • The Story of Robin Hood - Narrator
  • The Story of The Boatniks - Narrator/Harry
  • The Story of The Love Bug - Peter Thorndyke
  • Toby Tyler in the Circus - Mr. Tupper
  • The Story of Swiss Family Robinson - Father
  • The Hall of Presidents Soundtrack - Andrew Jackson
  • The Story of 101 Dalmatians - Collie, other voices
  • tom thumb Soundtrack - Various Voices
  • Woody Woodpecker and His Friends - Inspector Willoughby
  • The Animal Village - Various Voices
  • Wee Sing Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies (1985) – Narrator / Crooked old man
  • Wee Sing America (1987) – Various voices
  • Wee Sing Silly Songs (1988 re-recording) – Various voices
  • Wee Sing: Fun n Folk (1989) – Various voices
  • Wee Sing Around the Campfire (1990 re-recording) – Various voices
  • Wee Sing Dinosaurs (1991) – Various voices
  • Wee Sing Animals Animals Animals (1999) – Various voices
  • Centerpoint: Poetry & Music for Christmas – Featured reader

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Noland, Claire (July 18, 2009). "Dallas McKennon dies at 89; voice actor gave voice to many animated characters". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  2. ^ "Dallas McKennon dies at 89; voice actor gave voice to many animated characters". Los Angeles Times. July 18, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Dallas McKennon | Character voice actor, 89". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved August 23, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b c d "Dallas McKennon". www.telegraph.co.uk. July 28, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  5. ^ Loveridge, Sam (September 9, 2016). "20 things you didn't know about Crash Bandicoot". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "StartedByAMouse.com Features – Dallas McKennon by Steve Burns". May 17, 2004. Archived from the original on May 17, 2004. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c NEWSPAPERS, Claire Noland, TRIBUNE (July 20, 2009). "DALLAS MCKENNON: 1919–2009". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved August 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ www.veoh.com
  9. ^ DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "Bucky and Pepito Episode Guide -Trans-Artists Prods @ BCDB". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
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