Daniel McCarthy ( 1926 – 10 January 2013) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

and

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

and the former head of

children's programming Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

(CBC). He worked at the CBC for thirty-three years, including a twelve-year tenure as the head of the CBC's children's programming department. McCarthy created, developed and produced such well known Canadian children's television shows as '' The Friendly Giant'', '' Mr. Dressup'' and '' Sesame Park''. McCarthy grew up in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. He graduated from the St. Michael's College at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

after studying

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

, and

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. In 1954, he married Mary Sue McGee, with whom he had seven children. McCarthy worked as a radio and television producer at the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

for thirty-three years. He began his career as a

radio producer A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. The job title covers several different job descriptions: *Content producers or executive producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature. The content producer might organize music cho ...

. He created the half-hour-long children's radio show, '' The Rod and Charles Show'', starring Rod Coneybeare and Charles Winter. McCarthy also produced ''How Do You Say Hello?'', a show which asked children about their lives' he visited thirteen nations throughout

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

to interview overseas children for the show. He transitioned from radio to television during the 1950s. McCarthy produced the children's

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

show, '' The Friendly Giant'', which aired on CBC Television from 1958 until 1985. The show starred Bob Homme as a giant named Friendly, who tells stories to two puppet friends, Rusty and Jerome. McCarthy also created and developed '' Mr. Dressup'', starring Ernie Coombs and Judith Lawrence. ''Mr. Dressup'' debuted on the CBC in 1967 and aired until 1996. McCarthy also partnered with the

Children's Television Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization and television company that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—includin ...

(now called

Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization and Television station, television company that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's ...

) to produce a Canadian version of ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

''. McCarthy, the Director of the CBC Sesame Street Project, oversaw the creation of '' Sesame Street Canada'', which debuted on the CBC in 1972, combining American and Canadian produced segments. He developed new segments specifically for ''Sesame Street Canada'', which were produced by the CBC with distinctly Canadian themes and set designs. McCarthy also introduced basic

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

lessons to the show. He brought in Canadian entertainers and personalities for the show. ''Sesame Street Canada'', which changed its name to '' Sesame Park'' in 1996, aired until 2002. McCarthy died on 10 January 2013, at the Grove Nursing Home in Arnprior, Ontario, at the age of 86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Daniel 2013 deaths CBC Television people Canadian television producers Canadian radio producers University of Toronto alumni Mass media people from Toronto Year of birth uncertain Place of birth missing