John Edward McCarthy (1911–1977 ) was an American radio actor and announcer. His longest part was playing

Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of me ...

in the eponymous radio series from 1947 to 1952.

Early life and Marine Corps

Born on a farm near Parnell, Michigan, McCarthy attended St. Thomas High School in

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

, and attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. Before World War II, he was an announcer at radio stations WMBC and WXYZ in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan. On WXYZ in the late 1930s, McCarthy played the part of Ned Jordan, secret agent, in the Fran Striker radio serial drama of the same name. Just before World War II, he became Chief Announcer at WXYZ. During World War II, he was a Lieutenant in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

and was stationed on

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...

Atoll in the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

in the Pacific where he ran the Armed Forces Radio station.

Radio career

He played the part of the

on the famous radio series from 1947 until the program ended in December 1952. The program originated from WXYZ in

, Michigan. At the time, he was known as "Jack McCarthy." For several years until 1952 he was also station manager and an announcer at WXYZ. During those years, two other national radio dramas originated from WXYZ radio: ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...

'' and ''

Challenge of the Yukon ''Challenge of the Yukon'' is an American radio adventure series that began on Detroit's WXYZ and is an example of a Northern genre story. The series was first heard on January 3, 1939. The title changed from ''Challenge of the Yukon'' to '' ...

'' (also known as ''Sergeant Preston of the Yukon''). During his early career in radio, he worked with

Danny Thomas Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz, (born January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) known professionally as Danny Thomas, was an American comedian, actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in ''The Danny Thomas Show''. In additio ...

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. Known for his investigative journalism, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade car ...

Douglas Edwards Douglas Edwards (July 14, 1917 – October 13, 1990) was an American radio and television newscaster and correspondent who worked for the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) for more than four decades. After six years on CBS Radio in the 194 ...

and

Al Hodge Albert E. Hodge (April 18, 1912 – March 19, 1979) was an American actor best known for playing space adventurer Captain Video and His Video Rangers, Captain Video on the DuMont Television Network from December 15, 1950, to April 1, 1955. He pla ...

(who later went on to play television's ''

Captain Video Captain Video may refer to: *Captain Video and His Video Rangers, an American science fiction television series *'' Captain Video'', a 1981 jazz album by pianist Andy LaVerne *"Captain Video", a nickname for baseball player Tony Gwynn *"Captain Vide ...

''). McCarthy moved to New York City in 1954, doing radio and television commercials. He also reported the news at

WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City, serving as the ''de facto'' flagship of The CW Television Network. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, the station is operated by CW majority owner Nexstar Media Group under a local market ...

television. Because there was already a "Jack McCarthy" on staff at WPIX, John McCarthy became known in New York as "John E. McCarthy". In July 1956 McCarthy was taken to the liner to interview survivors of the sinking of the ocean liner bound for New York harbor.

Personal life

In 1936 he married Virginia Hanlon and had two children: J. Thomas McCarthy and Maureen C. McCarthy. McCarthy was a devout Catholic and served as a lector at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in New York City. He died on December 17, 1977, and was buried in the St. Patrick's Church cemetery in Parnell, Michigan following a funeral mass St. Ignatius Loyola Church.

References

* Dick Osgood, ''WYXIE Wonderland'' (1981 Bowling Green Univ. Press) () {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, John Edward 1911 births 1977 deaths American radio personalities American male voice actors 20th-century American male actors University of Michigan alumni People from Kent County, Michigan United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II