William L. Hendricks (May 3, 1904 – March 29, 1992) was a former

USMCR The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned p ...

Colonel who was the key figure in setting up the "

Toys for Tots Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by reservist Major Bill Hendricks. Th ...

" program. Aside from his USMCR career, he also worked in the film industry for many years, initially as a documentary producer for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

, then as a production executive at Warner Bros., where he eventually became the final producer of the ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

'' series. In 1947 Hendricks, then a Major in the USMCR was asked by his wife Diane to donate some toys (including ones she had made herself) to an organization that gave out toys to needy children. However, his research found that no such organisation existed, and he resolved to start one himself. He led a toy collection in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

area with several family and friends that eventually amassed some 5,000 toys. This pilot program proved so successful that the Marine Corps adopted it as an official campaign the following year, and Hendricks helped make it even more of a success by using his contacts through Warner Bros. to persuade many celebrities to support the charity.Toys for Tots: Origin and Evolution
/ref> His career as a documentary producer saw him win an

Academy Honorary Award The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Moti ...

in 1961 for his part in the Marine Corps documentary '' A Force in Readiness''. In 1967 he was asked by Warner Bros. to take over as head of their newly reformed animation studio, as well as becoming overall head of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise. The new animation studio lasted only two years and produced few cartoons of note before shutting down in 1969. However, Hendricks remained in a supervisory role, overseeing production on ''

The Bugs Bunny Show ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by Bugs Bunny that was mainly composed of theatrical '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons released by Warner Bros. between 1948 and 1969 ...

'' and other television shows featuring ''Looney Tunes'' cartoons. He remained in this role until 1977 when he finally retired from the film industry at the age of 73.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hendricks, William L. 1904 births 1992 deaths American film producers United States Marine Corps reservists Academy Honorary Award recipients 20th-century American businesspeople Warner Bros. Cartoons people 20th-century American philanthropists