Tuesday, August 1, 2023
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
RIP Yakky Doodle
A few days ago, we lost one of the last remaining of Hanna-Barbera's early voices, Jimmy Weldon, 99-1/2, the original Yakky Doodle. The little yakker duckling,initally a mallard, was derived from early H-B series/Tom and Jerry's "Little Quacker", voiced by funny song singer (no, he didn't have any hits or sing on any) Red Coffee/Coffey,in turn based on Donald Duck (Clarence Nash). The HB duckling tended to be too self-deprecating and defeatist, making him too emotional (Yeah, we need a Charlie Chaplin type to really pull for, but this is just using us.)
By 1960-61 HB gave him a spot with Snagglepuss, and, uable to get Red Coffey for whatever, got our local (Los Angeles, California) KTLA ventriloquist Jimmy "Webster Webfoot" Weldon to play Yakky, changing him from mallard to more yellow feller (as his big Vance Colvig-voiced bulldog pal Chopper might put it), and gave him a much more upbeat attitude, and then put him in Yakaky Doodle, on Huckleberry Hound's show (replacing Pixie & Dixie/Mr.Jinks, who went with Yakky and Yogi to Yogi's own show for more originals.) Weldon then continued for a soon to be only occasional (because, honestly folks, how MUCH of Yakky Doodle do you REALLY need, huh folks?) apearance including 1973's YOGI'S GANG.
In the meantime he also did a lot of TV appearanced...you can look around the 'net,including blogspot.yowpyowp.com for more. He was around even for non-Yakky appearances as late as one of the SHIRT TALES (NBC, 1982-84) seasons. See YOWP's blog, Mark Evanier's News From me and again around the net for more, I couldn't do Jimmy Weldon justice.
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