Chuck McCann (1934-2018)

Chuck McCann (1934-2018)

April 8th, 2018

Jerry Beck

Voice actor, puppeteer, and comedic actor Chuck McCann, has passed. He died Sunday afternoon at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center. He was 83.

If you grew up in New York or the tri-state area, McCann was an ever-present figure on channel 11 (WPIX), after school, becoming a second father to many of us with his skits and impersonations – and his live action interpretations of Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie and Dondi (among others).

McCann, grew up in Queens, and in the 1950s became a puppeteer for Paul Ashley on his popular Rootie Kazootie Show. He also teamed with a then-unknown Dick Van Dyke to mimic Laurel & Hardy on several variety shows of that era (McCann was “Hardy”). He became a fixture on New York City television during the 1960s, and along with Officer Joe Bolton, Capt. Jack McCarthy and Bozo the Clown, helped create WPIX initial children’s programming block. Laurel & Hardy & Chuck, Let’s Have Fun, and The Chuck McCann Show were beloved.

McCann co-starred in the critically-acclaimed 1968 dramatic film The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and the 1970s cult-comedy films The Projectionist and The Comeback Trail. Moving to Hollywood, he soon guest appeared on television shows such as Columbo, The Bob Newhart Show, Bonanza!, Knots Landing, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Boston Legal. He also co-starred with Bob Denver in Sid and Marty Krofft’s Far Out Space Nuts.

He also starred in several award-winning commercials. In 1962, McCann created the iconic Sonny the Cuckoo Bird mascot (and “Gramps”) for General Mills Cocoa Puffs cereal and voiced the character until 1978. He was known as the “Hi Guy” neighbor in a famous series of Right Guard antiperspirant commercials. He voiced numerous animated characters including Bob Kane’s animated series Cool McCool, as the Thing in The Fantastic Four, and significant characters in Powerpuff Girls, Ducktales, Adventure Time and The Garfield Show.

He was a great man. In memoriam, here is a small selection of McCann’s memorable performances.

SONNY & GRAMPS for COCOA PUFFS

FAR OUT SPACE NUTS

ADVENTURE TIME (as Moe)

THE WORLD OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANFDERSON

Chuck McCann (left) with Jerry Beck at DuPar’s coffee shop in Studio City on May 17th, 2013

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.