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Guest: Chuck McCann
Actor, character voice extraordinaire, children’s TV show host, comedian, and man of many, many talents!
A personal note from one of Chuck McCann‘s biggest fans – our very own Greg Zeigerson! …
Chuck McCann is a veteran Hollywood comedian and actor, who created many children’s television shows primarily in the New York area in the 1950s and 1960s, where I first encountered him.
I watched him probably from my birth until he went off the air when I was about 6, as he performed with puppets, played The Great Bombo (an inept magician and escape artist), portrayed a large Little Orphan Annie, Dick Tracy, and many other characters.
He was a student and friend of Stan Laurel and has often portrayed Oliver Hardy on television.
A highlight of my conversation with Chuck McCann is his commentary about Stan Laurel the man, and the influence of Laurel and Hardy on later comedians.
He is the voice of numerous cartoon characters including Duckworth on “DuckTales” and The Thing on “The Fantastic Four.”
He directed and performed in a feature animated film called “The World of Hans Christian Anderson” and he played W. C. Fields in the 1982 TV movie biography of Mae West.
He starred in “The Projectionist,” appeared in “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” and several Mel Brooks films, and added his spark to numerous TV commercials.
It was a great pleasure to speak with Chuck, and to thank him for being part of my happy childhood memories.
Topics covered include . . .
What artistic skill do most comedians enjoy? Who is one of the best at this art? How did McCann get to know Stan Laurel? Who were the Sons of the Desert?
Keeping Laurel and Hardy alive. What kind of man was Stan Laurel? Did Laurel die a pauper, as some people have said?
What was Chuck McCann doing at the Playboy Mansion? What’s the Playboy Mansion like? Hugh Hefner? Hugh Hefner and movies.
A tribute to McCann coming out on DVD. Whats McCann up to now? Character voices. Hanna and Barbera. Who was “The Dreamfinder”? The “World of Hans Christian Andersen”? . “The Projectionist”?. About Chuck’s friend, Dick Van Dyke. Who’s into special effects and animation?
What kind of show would McCann do today if somebody said “Here’s the money – do what you want”? What kind of show do kids need these days?
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Chuck McCann plays the voice of Santa in “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas”. To find out more about or to purchase movies featuring Chuck McCann – actor, entertainer, or character voice extraordinaire: CLICK HERE
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Chuck McCann as Captain Flash – bored with his life, fantasizes that he is one of the superheroes in the movies he shows in the theater!
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Stan Laurel – Chuck’s mentor.
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Statue of Stan Laurel in his hometown of Dockwray Square, North Shield, England.
More information about Chuck McCann . . .
Wikipedia entry on Chuck McCann: CLICK HERE
Internet Movie Database (IMDb) filmography on Chuck McCann: CLICK HERE (over 100 listings!)
Some background information on Chuck McCann “One of New York City’s most beloved children’s entertainers”: CLICK HERE
A brief biography of Chuck McCann from Yahoo! Movies: CLICK HERE
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Interesting fact: Chuck McCann spoke from the Playboy mansion for this Zigory Show interview. He’s good friends with Hugh Hefner. Did you know that philosopher and novelist, Ayn Rand, was interviewed by Alvin Toffler in the March 1964 issue of Playboy? Shown above is the cover from that issue.
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