Donald Hugh Harron, (September 19, 1924 – January 17, 2015) was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. Harron is best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running country music series ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired from 1969 to 1993, and on TNN from 1996 to 1997. Reruns of the series were broadcast on ...

'', on which he played his signature character of Charlie Farquharson.

Early life

Harron's parents, Lionel William Harron and Delsia Adah Maud Hunter Harron, owned and operated Harron's Cleaners and Dryers in Toronto. Beginning at the age of ten, he earned extra money for the family during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, doing "chalk talks" telling humorous stories while drawing caricatures in coloured chalk at company or club banquets, making $10 or $15 a talk. As a result of his performances, he was invited to audition for, and won, a part in the

Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC/CCR; ), also referred to as the Canadian Radio Commission (CRC), was Canada's first public broadcaster and the immediate precursor to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Origins The CRBC was est ...

radio series ''Lonesome Trail'' in 1935. As a teenager, Harron spent time working as a farm hand in rural Ontario; experience he later credited for the development of his Charlie Farquharson character. He graduated from Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute in 1942 and briefly attended 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 ...

before enlisting in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

in 1943. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he completed his studies of sociology and philosophy receiving a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree. While at school he performed in amateur and professional productions, won the Victoria College drama award, and composed the music and lyrics for a student musical. He won the gold medal in philosophy and the regent's silver medal and was offered a position teaching literature at the university which he turned down in order to focus on performing.

Career

After university, Harron appeared in a number of plays and revues in Toronto, including the annual ''Spring Thaw'' revue, giving him national exposure when the 1952 edition was broadcast on the newly launched

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 ...

network. He spent two years in London, England, travelling there variously performing in a West End production of ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...

'' and also working for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

as a comedy writer, acting in a radio series, playing the part of a clown in the film '' The Red Shoes'' (1948), and writing scripts for

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

. Returning to North America in the 1950s, Harron was featured in the inaugural season of the

Stratford Shakespeare Festival The Stratford Festival is a Repertory theatre, repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson (theatre producer), Tom Patterson in 1952, th ...

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 ...

as the male lead in ''

All's Well That Ends Well ''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the First Folio in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate about the date of its composition, with possible dates ranging from 1598 to 1608. ...

'' and a minor part in and on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

and was one of the writers on the first English-language dramatic series broadcast in Canada, '' Sunshine Sketches'', which aired from 1952 to 1953 on CBC Television. Harron also co-wrote the script for the 1956 television musical ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

''. Harron later adapted the production for the stage in 1965 as '' Anne of Green Gables: The Musical'', which continues to be performed annually during the Charlottetown Festival. According to Harron in a 2008 interview with the ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

'', the stage show has provided work for more than 10,000 actors since its inception. Harron played Art Harris in the two-part '' The Outer Limits'' episode titled " The Inheritors" (1964), in ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden ...

'' ("Doomsday", 1965) as the naval missile officer aboard the SSRN ''Seaview'' who could not bring himself to perform his duties to launch nuclear missiles, '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' ("The Four-Steps Affair", also 1965) as an Australian U.N.C.L.E. agent named Kitt Kittridge, and in '' 12 O'Clock High'' ("The Ticket", 1965) as Lt. Crain. He guest-starred in the premiere episode of the television series '' Blue Light'' (1966), which was later edited together with the three following episodes to create the theatrical film '' I Deal in Danger''. Harron starred in the original 1965

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

of ''

The Man Who Never Was ''The Man Who Never Was'' is a 1956 British espionage thriller film produced by André Hakim and directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Clifton Webb and Gloria Grahame and features Robert Flemyng, Josephine Griffin and Stephen Boyd. It is b ...

'' as Mark Wainwright but a change in sponsor led to the new sponsor requesting Robert Lansing in the role. He made one appearance on the CBC Television show '' Adventures in Rainbow Country'' in the episode "The Frank Williams File" (1969). He has also been a host and interviewer on Canadian television and radio, hosting

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

's '' Morningside'' from 1977 to 1982, for which he received an

ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards are Canadian accolades presented since 1972 to celebrate excellence in cinema, television and radio industries.CTV from 1983 to 1985. He had a featured role in

Arthur Hiller Arthur Hiller, (November 22, 1923 – August 17, 2016) was a Canadian television and film director with over 33 films to his credit during a 50-year career. He began his career directing television in Canada and later in the U.S. By the late ...

's film ''

The Hospital ''The Hospital'' is a 1971 American absurdist satirical black comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring George C. Scott as Dr. Herbert Bock. It was written by Paddy Chayefsky, who was awarded the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original ...

'' (1971), written by

Paddy Chayefsky Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (; January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays. He w ...

. He replaced Gene Wood as host of the game show '' Anything You Can Do'' from 1972 to 1974.

Charlie Farquharson

Harron is known for the character Charlie Farquharson , a personality he first portrayed in 1952 on the CBC series '' The Big Revue''. For the following half-century-plus, Harron performed the character regularly on stage and on Canadian radio and television. As well, the character received international attention as part of the cast of the U.S.

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

television show, ''

'' during its 23-year run; on that series, which ran from 1969 to 1992, Harron portrayed a rural anchorman for station KORN, and concluded the final story of each newscast with a cutthroat gesture. Harron reprised the character on ''

The Red Green Show ''The Red Green Show'' was a half-hour Canadian television television comedy, comedy series. It aired on various channels in Canada from April 4, 1991 until April 7, 2006. The show was created and entirely co-written by Canadian comedian Steve S ...

'' in 2003 and 2004. Dressed in an overly well-worn sweater along with a frayed cap, and sporting a grizzled "two-day beard", Farquharson is a decidedly rural Ontario farmer from the real-life town of

Parry Sound Parry Sound is a Sound (geography), sound or bay of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, in Ontario, Canada. It is highly irregularly shaped with many deep bays and islands. Killbear Provincial Park is located on the large peninsula that separates the sou ...

. He and his wife, Valeda, have a son, Orville. Both were usually unseen and unheard, but on occasion (mostly on stage) Harron's wife Catherine McKinnon would play the role of Valeda. Uneducated, but not without a boisterous "school of hard knocks" sensibility, Charlie would loudly deliver his opinion about matters local and worldwide, using many

malapropism A malapropism (; also called a malaprop, acyrologia or Dogberryism) is the incorrect use of a word in place of a word with a similar sound, either unintentionally or for comedic effect, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance. An exam ...

s in the process which often resulted in both double meanings and increased

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

about the events. He was also known for his loud hearty laugh, "''Hee! Hee! Hee!''". In addition to his television appearances as Charlie, through the 1970s and 80s Harron provided humorous syndicated commentaries to various Canadian radio stations in the Farquharson persona. As well, he published several books in the persona of the character, reproducing the malapropisms in print and including strange photos and woodcuts as illustrations. Examples of Farquharson's comments: *"Nowadaze Parry Sound looks like most uther towns on this continence, thanks to them branched plants of frenchfrises that has sprung up everywhere – Mickdonald's, Burglar King, Kernel Kadaffy Frayed Chicken. Noware will ya see a sine "Home Cookin'", cuz all our lo-cal burghers is out eaten them malty-nashnul burgurs. This makes everplace into a no place, and it's eezy to fergit ware you is if yer jist passin through at snacktime." *"Every guvmint estimit incloods an extry estimit of how much more it's gonna cost than yer ferst estimit. That's how come they always leeve this big deficit on the floor of yer

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

. And a deficit is what you've got wen you haven't got as much as if you jist had nothin'. If we tried any of this, we'd end up in jail. But the guvmint gits rid of its detts by Nashnullizing them. That's like the alkyholick who solved his problem by poring the booze in all of his bottles into one big container. Himself." In May 2001, Don performed the Charlie Farquharson character during the 75th anniversary of his Toronto high school, Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute. His commentary included a reference to former US president Bill Clinton's sexual dalliance with Monica Lewinsky. "He deified yer 11th Commandment - Thou shalt not put thy rod before thy staff."

Honours

In 2000, Harron's contribution to the Canadian entertainment industry was recognized with his being named a member of the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the Advice (constitutional), advice of the Executive Council ...

. He was invested as member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1980 and in 2007, he was given the

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

for Lifetime Achievement in Radio and Television. Harron was also appointed a

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

Goodwill Ambassador. In his later years, he was a high-profile advocate for the interests of older people. He also continued to write books, most recently (2008) publishing a retrospective work on the history of the ''Anne of Green Gables'' musical to tie in with the 100th anniversary of the original novel. Harron was inducted into the

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame honours Canadian country music artists, builders or broadcasters, living or deceased. The artifact collection includes extensive biographical information on the inductees. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame can ...

in 2010.

Personal

Harron's first marriage was to Gloria Fisher, his second from 1960 to 1968 was to actress Virginia Leith. He married his third wife, Canadian singer Catherine McKinnon in 1969. Harron and McKinnon divorced in 2003. He moved in with and later married his fourth wife, Claudette Gareau, who had played the separatist weather girl in ''Shh! It's the News'' (1973) appearing with Harron. Harron's daughter

Mary Harron Mary Harron (born January 12, 1953) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She co-wrote the screenplay and directed ''American Psycho'', '' The Notorious Bettie Page' and I Shot Andy Warhol.'' Early life Born in Bracebridge, Ontar ...

Canadian Encyclopedia
bio of Mary Harron from his marriage to Fisher, is an independent film director whose credits include '' I Shot Andy Warhol'' and ''

American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...

''. She directed '' Alias Grace'' which won the 2018 Canadian Screen Award for Best Limited Series. Harron died at 90 surrounded by his family in his Toronto home after deciding not to seek treatment for his cancer. His daughter, Martha, told

Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a private, not-for-profit c ...

"He was still sharp. He was still capable of being funny even though his voice was barely above a whisper... It's horribly sad, but it's beautiful too."

Selected bibliography

Harron authored 17 books – most of them in character as Charlie Farquharson with titles spelled in the character's

idiolect Idiolect is an individual's unique use of language, including speech. This unique usage encompasses vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. This differs from a dialect, a common set of linguistic characteristics shared among a group of people. Th ...

, as well as his 2012 memoir: * ''Charlie Farquharson's Histry of Canada'' (McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1972) * ''Charlie Farquharson's Jogfree of Canda'' (Gage, 1974) * ''Charlie Farquharson's K-O-R-N Filled Allmynack'' (Gage, 1976) - a tie-in with ''Hee Haw'' * ''Olde Charlie Farquharson's Testament: From Jennysez to Jobe and After Words'' (MacMillan of Canada, 1978) * ''Yer Last Decadent: 1972-1982'' (MacMillan of Canada, 1982) * ''Cum Buy The Farm'' (MacMillan of Canada, 1987) * ''Charlie Farquharson's Unyverse'' (MacMillan of Canada, 1990) * ''Charlie Farquharson's Histry of Canda: ReeVised and More Expansive'' (MacMillan of Canada, 1992) * ''Charlie's A Broad: Travails In Fern Parts'' (MacMillan of Canada, 1994) * ''My Double Life: Sexty Yeers of Farquharson Around With Don Harn'' (Dundurn, 2012)

Filmography

References

External links

* * * *
Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harron, Don 1924 births 2015 deaths Canadian male television actors Canadian television talk show hosts Canadian stand-up comedians Canadian humorists Canadian musical theatre librettists CBC Radio hosts Military personnel from Toronto Comedians from Toronto Members of the Order of Ontario Male actors from Toronto Musicians from Toronto Officers of the Order of Canada University of Toronto alumni Screenwriters from Toronto 20th-century Canadian male actors 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male actors Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II Deaths from cancer in Ontario Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male musicians Canadian male television writers Canadian television writers 20th-century Canadian comedians Royal Canadian Air Force personnel Canadian Comedy Award winners Vaughan Road Academy alumni