Merle Herman Coffman, better known by his stage name Red Coffey (April 24, 1923 – August 1, 1988), was an American voice actor and comedian known for playing Quacker in the ''

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...

'' cartoons at the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio (also commonly referred to as MGM Cartoons) was an American animation studio operated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the Golden Age of American animation. Active from 1937 until 1957, the studio was responsi ...

from 1950 to 1957. Coffey's first role in animation appears to have been in

's ''

Little Quacker The ''Tom and Jerry'' series consists of 163 shorts produced and released between 1940 and 2005. Of these, 162 are theatrical shorts while one is a made-for-TV short, subsequently released in theatres. 1940–1958: Hanna-Barbera/MGM cartoon ...

'' (released January 7, 1950), and he subsequently was hired to play the little duck in another six cartoons between 1953 and 1958. After

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, voice actor, and musician who is best known for co-creating ''Tom and Jerry'' and providing the vocal effects for the series' title characters. Alongside Joseph B ...

and

Joe Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian immigrants in New York City, Barbera joined Van Be ...

left MGM and opened their own studio in 1957, they hired Coffey to play a duck similar to Quacker in cartoons such as ''Slumber Party Smarty'' and ''Duck in Luck'' with

Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows, and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''. He was created by Hanna- ...

, and ''

Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy are two Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters who debuted on '' The Quick Draw McGraw Show'' and appeared in their own segment. The segments centered on the misadventures of a dachshund father-and-son team. Doggie Daddy ...

'', '' Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks'' and ''

Loopy De Loop ''Loopy De Loop'' is an American animated theatrical series produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera after leaving MGM and opening their new studio, Hanna-Barbera Productions. Loopy De Loop Profile 48 cartoons were produced betw ...

''. However, when Hanna and Barbera turned the character into ''

Yakky Doodle Yakky Doodle is a fictional anthropomorphic yellow duckling with green wings, who appears for the first time in prototype form on ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' in 1958 and on ''The Quick Draw McGraw Show'' in 1960, and in regular design on ''The ...

'' and gave him his own series in 1961 as part of ''

The Yogi Bear Show ''The Yogi Bear Show'' is an American comedy animated television series, and the first entry of the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. A spin-off of '' The Huckleberry Hound Show'', the show centers on the adventu ...

'', Los Angeles children's show host

Jimmy Weldon Jimmy Weldon (born Ivy Laverne Shinn, September 23, 1923 – July 6, 2023) was an American actor, ventriloquist, and television host. He was best known as the voice of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yakky Doodle and the host and ventriloqui ...

was hired for the role. Coffey finally received a screen credit for the

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

cartoon ''This Is My Ducky Day'' starring Loopy De Loop, but his name was spelled Red Coffee. Coffey apparently changed the spelling of his stage name around 1960. Coffey was born in Arkansas City, Kansas and grew up in Cushing, Oklahoma. He served as a glider pilot flying missions over France in World War II. He took up the sport of bowling while stationed at Dodge City Army Air Field and took his bowling gear on the road while performing. His nightclub comic act included singing, dancing, and imitations and he performed at the Shara, Last Frontier

New Frontier Hotel and Casino The New Frontier (formerly Hotel Last Frontier and The Frontier) was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The property began as a casino and dance club known as Pair O' Dice, opened in 1931. It was sold in 1941, and inc ...

, and

El Rancho Vegas El Rancho Vegas was a hotel and casino at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It opened in 1941, as the first resort on the Strip, known then as part of Highway 91. It was located at what is now the southwest corner of La ...

hotels on the Las Vegas strip working in an act through the 1950s with

Jerry Wallace Jerry Leon Wallace (December 15, 1928 – May 5, 2008) was an American country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may r ...

. He was also a songwriter, collaborating with

Mike Riley (musician) Mike Riley (January 5, 1904 – September 2, 1984) was an American jazz trombonist and songwriter. He is best known for co-writing the 1935 song " The Music Goes Round and Round", one of the biggest hits of that year. Career Riley played both tru ...

on the song “By Your Side”. Coffey also appeared on

KTTV KTTV (channel 11) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network. It is owned a ...

's ''The Dude Martin Show'' and spent 1960 in a company of

Olsen and Johnson John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen (November 6, 1892 – January 26, 1963) and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson (March 5, 1891 – February 26, 1962) were American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway theatre, Broadway stage, motion pictures and televis ...

's ''Hellzapoppin'',''Hamilton Journal-Daily News'', Nov. 22, 1960, page 19 which toured the United States with the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

References

External links

* 1923 births 1988 deaths American male voice actors American stand-up comedians 20th-century American male actors Hanna-Barbera people People from Arkansas City, Kansas Male actors from Kansas 20th-century American comedians Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio people {{US-voice-actor-1920s-stub Animal impersonators Comedians from Kansas