Jimmy Weldon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jimmy Weldon
Weldon in 2015
Born	Ivy Laverne Shinn (1923-09-23)September 23, 1923 Dale, Texas, U.S.
Died	July 6, 2023(2023-07-06) (aged 99) Paso Robles, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1946–2015

Jimmy Weldon (born Ivy Laverne Shinn, September 23, 1923 – July 6, 2023) was a talented American actor. He was especially known for his voice work and for being a ventriloquist (someone who can make their voice seem to come from a puppet). Many people remember him as the voice of the cute cartoon duck, Yakky Doodle, from the famous Hanna-Barbera cartoons. He also hosted his own TV show called The Webster Webfoot Show, where he performed with his duck puppet, Webster Webfoot! Jimmy even shared stories from his time in World War II on his YouTube channel.

Jimmy Weldon's Early Life and Radio Days

Jimmy Weldon, whose real name was Ivy Laverne Shinn, was born in Dale, Texas, on September 23, 1923. After serving in World War II, he started his career in 1946 as a disc jockey (DJ) at a radio station called KWCO. He was the very first announcer hired there!

While working as a DJ, Jimmy created a special character: a little duck named Webster Webfoot. Webster would "visit" Jimmy while he played music requests from listeners. People loved Webster so much that they often called in just to talk to the little duck! They even thought Webster was a real duck, not just Jimmy's puppet. This made Webster a super important part of Jimmy's radio shows.

From Radio to Television: Webster Webfoot's Big Break

In 1948, Jimmy Weldon and his popular duck puppet, Webster Webfoot, moved to Duncan, Oklahoma. They continued their radio show there for two more years. Soon, a big radio station in Dallas, Texas, called WFAA, invited them to be entertainers.

On April 4, 1950, Webster became a "real person" on television! He and Jimmy started The Webster Webfoot Show, which was made by station WFAA-TV in Dallas.

Moving to Hollywood and Meeting Stars

On September 5, 1952, Jimmy and Webster moved to California. They joined KCOP-TV, Channel 13, in Hollywood and continued their TV careers. They even had some famous fans!

Once, at a middle school show in Brentwood, movie stars Jeff Chandler and Randolph Scott helped collect tickets from the kids and parents. They told Jimmy how much their own children loved Webster, even more than their movies! Another famous person, Ralph Edwards, was also there. He later asked Webster and Jimmy to co-host a new children's game show called Funny Boners. This show was a kid-friendly version of his popular Truth or Consequences show and aired on ABC.

In 1956, Jimmy and Webster moved to Fresno, California, to work at KFRE-TV, Channel 12. But their time there was interrupted when NBC executives called them to New York. They were asked to replace Shari Lewis on the Hi, Mom show on NBC's main station, WRCA-TV, Channel 4.

By 1959, Channel 13 in Hollywood became their TV home again. In 1961, Jimmy and Webster returned to the San Joaquin Valley. They kept performing their show on KJEO-TV, Channel 47, in Fresno, California, throughout the 1960s. During this time, they also did TV shows in Salinas and Bakersfield, California. They would even fly their own airplane from city to city for these shows!

Jimmy Weldon's Voice Acting and Other Work

It was thanks to Webster's unique voice that Jimmy Weldon got the chance to voice the famous Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, Yakky Doodle. He also lent his voice to Solomon Grundy on Hanna-Barbera's series Challenge of the Superfriends.

Besides voice acting, Jimmy also appeared in many popular TV shows. These included Dragnet, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Waltons, Dallas, and Diff'rent Strokes. He also played some supporting characters on the popular radio drama Adventures in Odyssey, which many kids and families enjoy.

Jimmy Weldon's Final Years

Jimmy Weldon passed away in Paso Robles, California, on July 6, 2023. He was 99 years old.

Filmography