Dallas McKennon

Dallas Raymond McKennon (July 19, 1919 – July 14, 2009), sometimes credited as Dal McKennon, was an American film, television and voice actor, who had a career lasting over 50 years. During World War II he served in the Army Signal Corps and was stationed in Alaska.

Career

Born near La Grande, Oregon, 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. 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 '' Lady and the Tramp'', '' Sleeping Beauty'', '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'', ''Mary Poppins'', and '' Bedknobs and Broomsticks''; 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. 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.

McKennon's best-known live action role is the innkeeper Cincinnatus in '' Daniel Boone''. 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

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

Death

McKennon died from natural causes on July 14, 2009, at the Willapa Harbor Care Center in Raymond, Washington, five days before his 90th birthday.

Filmography

Live-action

*'' Bend of the River'' (1952) – Miner (uncredited)
*'' Tom Thumb'' (1959) – Carpenter (uncredited)
*'' The Tingler'' (1959) – Projectionist (uncredited)
*'' Have Rocket, Will Travel'' (1959, TV Series) – The Unicorn (voice, uncredited)
*''Let No Man Write My Epitaph'' (1960) – Court Clerk (uncredited)
*'' Wagon Train'' (1960) – Hotel Clerk Kelly
*'' The Silent Call'' (1961) – Old Man
*'' Twist Around the Clock'' (1961) – Motel Proprietor (uncredited)
*'' Gunsmoke'' (1961-1962) – Jake / Homesteader
*''Womanhunt'' (1962)
*'' Ben Casey'' (1962, TV Series) – Waco Martin
*''Son of Flubber'' (1963) – 1st Juror (uncredited)
*'' Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' (1963, TV Series) – Jim Tolliver
*'' The Birds'' (1963) – Sam, the Cook (uncredited)
*'' House of the Damned'' (1963) – Mr. Quinby
*'' Twilight of Honor'' (1963) – Mr. Phillips (uncredited)
*'' The Wheeler Dealers'' (1963) – Sea Captain / Prissy Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
*'' My Favorite Martian'' (1963, TV Series) – Mailman
*''The Misadventures of Merlin Jones'' (1964) – Detective Hutchins
*''A Tiger Walks'' (1964) – Reporter (uncredited)
*'' 7 Faces of Dr. Lao'' (1964) – Lean Cowboy
*''Mary Poppins'' (1964) – Fox / Penguin #2 / Hunting Horse / Merry-Go-Round Operator (voice, uncredited)
*'' Daniel Boone'' (1964, 80 episodes) – Cincinnatus
*''The Glory Guys'' (1965) – Karl Harpane
*'' Bonanza'' (1966, TV Series) – Jenkins
*'' The Andy Griffith Show'' (1967, TV Series) – Brian Jackson
*'' Clambake'' (1967) – Bearded Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)
*'' Iron Horse'' (1967, TV Series) – Gabe
*'' Dundee and the Culhane'' (1967, TV Series) – Al
*'' Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady?'' (1968) – Old Soldier
*'' The Love God?'' (1969) – Bird Caller (uncredited)
*'' The Andersonville Trial'' (1970, TV Movie) – First Guard
*'' Bedknobs and Broomsticks'' (1971) – Bear (voice)
*''Cannon'' (1971, TV Series) – Bucky Fosdick
*''Emilio and His Magical Bull'' (1975)
*''Space Academy'' (1977, TV Series) – Johnny Sunseed
*'' The Cat from Outer Space'' (1978) – Charlie Cooney
*''Hot Lead and Cold Feet'' (1978) – Saloon Man
*'' Tourist Trap'' (1979) – Mask (archived recording of laugh)
*'' Mystery Mansion'' (1983) – Sam
*''Wee Sing: King Cole's Party'' (1987) – Crooked Old Man
*'' Frozen Assets'' (1992) – Stud of the Year Octogenarian
*'' Elf'' (2003) – Jack-in-the-Box (archived recording of laugh)

Animation

*'' Lady and the Tramp'' (1955) – Toughy / Pedro / Professor / Hyena
*''Space Funnies'' (1956-1957, TV Series) – Captain Jet
*'' Hergé's Adventures of Tintin'' (1957, TV Series) – Tintin / Professor Calculus
*'' Woody Woodpecker'' (1957-1958, '' Walter Lantz'' Series) – Buzz Buzzard
*'' Paul Bunyan'' (1958, Short) – Cal McNab
*'' Sleeping Beauty'' (1959) – Owl
*'' Bucky and Pepito'' (1959-1960, TV Series) – Bucky and Pepito
*'' Q. T. Hush'' (1960, TV Series) – Q.T. Hush / Shamus
*''Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse'' (1960-1962, TV cartoon series) – Courageous Cat
*'' Inspector Willoughby'' (1960-1965, ''Walter Lantz'' series)
*'' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961) – Barking Dogs
*''Come Out Party'' (1963, Short) – Inspector Willoughby
*''Dinbad Jr.'' (1965-1966, TV Series) – Dinbad Jr. / Salty
*'' Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree'' (1966) – Bees (uncredited)
*'' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' (1966) – Max
*'' The Gumby Show'' (1966-1968, TV Series) – Gumby / Pokey / Prickle / Nopey / Gumbo (only in ''Chicken Feed'') / Henry (re-dubbed voice) / Rodgy (re-dubbed voice) / Granny
*'' Cat and Dupli-cat'' (1967, ''Tom and Jerry'' short) – Jerry Mouse (singing voice)
*''Sissy Sheriff'' (1967, Short) – Sugarfoot / Dirty McNasty
*''Lotsa Luck'' (1968) – (voice)
*''Archie's Funhouse'' (1968, TV Series) – Archie Andrews / Hot Dog / Mr. Weatherbee
*'' The Archie Show'' (1968, TV Series) – Archie Andrews / Hot Dog / Mr. Weatherbee
*'' The Hardy Boys'' (1969, cartoon series) – Joe Hardy / Chubby Morton
*''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1969-1970, TV Series) – Salem / Archie Andrews / Hot Dog / Mr. Weatherbee / Batso / Ratso
*'' Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies'' (1970, TV Series) – Salem / Archie Andrews / Hot Dog / Mr. Weatherby / Rover / Batso / Ratso
*''Aesop's Fables'' (1971) – Owl / Frog / Rooster and Beaver
*''Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies'' (1972) – Sylvester the Cat (meowing sounds) / Charlie Dog
*'' Journey Back to Oz'' (1972) – Omby Amby
*'' Treasure Island'' (1973) – Captain Flint / Ben Gunn
*'' Oliver Twist'' (1974) – Bookseller / Charlie Bates
*''The U.S. of Archie'' (1974, TV Series) – Archie Andrews / Hot Dog / Mr. Weatherbee
*'' Pinocchio'' (1978) – Geppetto
*''The American Adventure'' (1982) – Benjamin Franklin / Soldier #2
*'' The Adventures of Mark Twain'' (1985) – Jim Smiley
*'' The Puppetoon Movie'' (1987) – Additional voices including the character Gumby.
*'' Goof Troop'' (1992, TV Series) – Old Man in Bathtub
*'' Gumby: The Movie'' (1995) – Gumby / Professor Kapp / Fatbuckle / Lucky Claybert / Nobuckle (credited as Charles Farrington)

Video games

*'' Crash Bandicoot'' (1996) – Ripper Roo (laugh only, uncredited)
*'' Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back'' (1997) – Ripper Roo (laugh only, uncredited)
*''Darkstalkers 3'' (1997) – Laugh sound effect (uncredited)
*'' Crash Team Racing'' (1999) – Ripper Roo (laugh only, uncredited)
*''Crash Bash'' (2000) – Ripper Roo (laugh only, uncredited)
*''Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse'' (2002) – The Ghost (laugh only, uncredited)
*''Grabbed by the Ghoulies'' (2003) – Laugh sound effect (uncredited)
*'' LocoRoco'' (2006) – Stock laughter heard in the Dolangomeri level theme; reused in the sequel in the same world's level theme (uncredited)

Theme park attractions

*'' Big Thunder Mountain Railroad'' – Safety spiel
*'' Country Bear Jamboree'' – Zeke
*''The Hall of Presidents'' – Andrew Jackson
*'' It's a Small World'' – Laughing hyenas
*'' The American Adventure'' – Benjamin Franklin
*''The Haunted Mansion'' – Deaf Old Man

Albums

*''Donald Duck and His Friends'' – Scrooge McDuck
*''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

External links

- ''Daily Telegraph'' obituary
*
Dallas McKennon
from The Observer (La Grande)

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKennon, Dallas
1919 births
2009 deaths
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Animal impersonators
Filmation people
People from La Grande, Oregon
United States Army personnel of World War II
Walt Disney Animation Studios people
Walter Lantz Productions people
20th-century American male actors