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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 ventriloquist in the locally produced television series The Webster Webfoot Show. He also had a YouTube channel titled Jimmy's Lecture, where he documented stories of his time in World War II.
Jimmy Weldon | |
|---|---|
 Weldon in 2015 | |
| Born | Ivy Laverne Shinn September 23, 1923 Dale, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 2023 (aged 99) Paso Robles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1946–2015 |
| Spouse |
Muriel Jones
(m. 1947; died 1988) |
Early life
editBorn Ivy Laverne Shinn on September 23, 1923, in Dale, Texas,[1] he began his career in 1946 as a disc jockey at KWCO, the radio station which began its operations shortly after he returned home following WWII. He was the first announcer hired at this new radio station.
While there, he developed a character named Webster Webfoot, a little duck who visited him while he was playing record requests from listeners calling in. Often they just wanted to talk to little Webster. They thought Webster was someone other than Weldon, and so he became an important part of Weldon's disc jockey presentations.
Television acting
editIn 1948, Weldon (and Webster Webfoot) moved to Duncan, Oklahoma, where they performed on another 250-watt AM station, KRHD, for two more years. The big 50,000-watt radio station WFAA in Dallas, Texas, recruited Webster and Weldon as entertainers, and Webster became a real person on television on April 4, 1950, on The Webster Webfoot Show, produced locally by station WFAA-TV.
They moved to California on September 5, 1952, joining KCOP-TV, Channel 13, in Hollywood and continued their television careers. During an appearance at a middle school in Brentwood, Jeff Chandler and Randolph Scott collected the tickets from the children and parents who came to see the show. These two movie stars made Weldon feel very lucky indeed when they commented, "Our children think more of little Webster than they do OUR movie careers." Also, Ralph Edwards was there, and he later gave Webster and Weldon the positions as co-hosts of a new children's game show titled Funny Boners, a junior version of his famous Truth or Consequences radio and television shows, which aired on ABC.
In 1956, Weldon and Webster moved to Fresno, California, which began a career in the San Joaquin Valley at KFRE-TV, Channel 12. This was interrupted, however, when NBC executives called them to New York to replace Shari Lewis on the Hi, Mom show on NBC flagship station, WRCA-TV, Channel 4.
In 1959, Channel 13 in Hollywood once again became their television home.
In 1961, Weldon and Webster were called back to the San Joaquin Valley. They continued performing their show on KJEO-TV, Channel 47, in Fresno, California, throughout the 1960s. During this time, Weldon and Webster also did TV shows in Salinas and Bakersfield, California, flying their airplane from city to city for those shows.
Voice acting and other work
editIt was thanks to Webster's voice that Weldon earned the voice-over for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, Yakky Doodle. He also was the voice of Solomon Grundy on Hanna-Barbera's series Challenge of the Superfriends, and made appearances in acting on shows such as Dragnet, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Waltons, Dallas, and Diff'rent Strokes.
Weldon also played some supporting characters on the popular radio drama Adventures in Odyssey, and was a member of the Premiere Speakers Bureau.
Death
editWeldon died at an assisted living residence in Paso Robles, California, on July 6, 2023, at the age of 99.[2][3][4]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Webster Webfoot Show | Uncle Jimmy | |
| 1955 | The Halls of Ivy | Episode: "Calhoun Gaddy" | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Guard | Season 1 Episode 7: "Breakdown" | |
| 1956-1957 | Dragnet | Hotel Clerk | 2 episodes |
| 1959 | Cartooneroony | Uncle Jimmy | |
| 1961 | The Phantom Planet | Lieutenant Webb | |
| 1961-1962 | The Yogi Bear Show | Yakky Doodle | Voice, 33 episodes |
| 1975 | The Waltons | Railroad Clerk | Episode: "The Runaway" |
| S.W.A.T. | Diner Owner | Episode: "Kill S.W.A.T." | |
| The Family Holvak | Auctioneer | Episode: "First Love: Part 1" | |
| 1976 | The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe | Television film | |
| 1977 | Fred Flintstone and Friends | Yakky-Doodle | Voice |
| The Oregon Trail | Ludlow | Episode: "Hard Ride Home" | |
| 1978 | Challenge of the Superfriends | Solomon Grundy | Voice, 16 episodes |
| 1979 | B.J. and the Bear | Crockett | Episode: "Lobo's Revenge" |
| Americathon | Big Jim, VP Research | ||
| Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo | Additional voices | ||
| Dallas | Sy Stevens | Episode: "Ellie Saves the Day" | |
| The Rockford Files | John Rockfield | Episode: "The Big Cheese" | |
| 1981 | Diff'rent Strokes | Ben | Episode: "Drummond's Fair Lady" |
| 1982 | The Little Rascals | Additional voices | Episode: "Rascal's Revenge" |
| Father Murphy | Official | Episode: "Happiness Is..." | |
| Knight Rider | Announcer | Episode: "Slammin' Sammy's Stunt Show Spectacular" | |
| Ri¢hie Ri¢h | Additional voices | Episode: "Dollar's Exercise"/"Richie's Cube"/"The Maltese Monkey"/"Everybody's Doing It" | |
| Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper | Yakky Doodle | Voice, television film | |
| 1983 | The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show | Voice | |
| Shirt Tales | Additional voices | 10 Episodes | |
| Super Friends | Solomon Grundy | Voice, episode: "The Revenge of Doom" | |
| 1984 | Chattanooga Choo Choo | Rev. Norbert Puckett | Uncredited |
| Challenge of the GoBots | Additional Voices | ||
| 1985 | CBS Storybreak | Voice, episode: "Robbut A Tale Of Tails" | |
| Yogi's Treasure Hunt | Yakky Doodle, additional voices | 2 episodes | |
| 1987 | Popeye and Son | Additional voices | 13 episodes |
| 1988 | The Wrong Guys | Scoutmaster | |
| 1988-1991 | Fantastic Max | Additional voices | 3 episodes |
| 1989 | It's a Living | Billy Lee Lord | Episode: "Wedding, Wedding" |
| 1992 | Tom & Jerry Kids Show | Additional voices | Episode: "Penthouse Mouse"/"12 Angry Sheep"/"The Ant Attack" |
| 2015 | The 7D | Beansie McBean-Bean | Voice, episode: "Bing Bong Bean!"; Final role |
References
edit- ^ "Ivy Laverne Shinn". U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Jimmy Weldon". Dignity Memorial. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ Barnes, Mike (July 11, 2023). "Jimmy Weldon, Ventriloquist and Voice of the Cartoon Duck Yakky Doodle, Dies at 99". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ Evans, Greg (July 11, 2023). "Jimmy Weldon Dies: Voice Of Hanna-Barbera's Yakky Doodle Duck Was 99". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.